Ski ace retires at the age of 25. © Social Media

The fear is too great: a sad retirement from skiing

The Norwegians always cause a huge sensation in the Ski World Cup. Now, however, a Scandinavian has said an emotional farewell to the World Cup stage - and revealed sad details.

20 April 2024

From: det

The sport of skiing is beautiful. But he can also be extremely hard, merciless and brutal. This becomes clear from the fate of Markus Nordgård Fossland. The Norwegian downhill skier, who was in the World Cup starting house 26 times, ended his career on Friday at the age of just 25 - and in doing so allowed a deep look into his soul. A soul that has suffered a lot over the years.

“I don’t know where to start,” begins the Instagram post from the Norwegian, whose best finish was a 27th place in Val Gardena. There are various reasons for his early departure, says Fossland. He has been struggling with back problems for years, which meant that he almost always had to compete in the races in pain.

“Every weekend I felt like I was putting my life at risk.” Markus Nordgård Fossland

But there is also another, deeper reason for the resignation. “This year I got a different perspective on skiing. Competing in World Cup races in the fast disciplines involves a certain amount of risk,” says Fossland.

Markus Nordgård Fossland has ended his career. © GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / SEAN M. HAFFEY

The Norwegian continued: “I thought I could handle it - but that's not the case. The experience of not being able to accept this risk was painful, frustrating and shocking. I threw up before most races this year. Feeling like you were putting your life on the line every weekend was hard. What was even worse was that I couldn’t give 100 percent on race day.”

Check out this post on Instagram

A post shared by Markus Nordgård Fossland (@markusnofo)

These are emotional and honest words that show how hard skiing can really be. On the other hand, Fossland also says: “I was lucky to be able to pursue my dreams for so long.”