Cold asthma is an "occupational disease" among top-level skiers.

- There are quite a few in the national team who have milder asthma.

It varies between the riders.

Some are more sensitive, others less so, says Stefan Thomson, who does not want to say which of the national team skiers are most affected.

- Some have sensitive problems.

You see when they heat up with a mask (heat exchanger against cold).

They are careful and do not want to risk anything.

Thomson tells how the elite skiers' trachea reacts in connection with competition in severe cold:

- The air ducts have to work hard to heat the air when it gets colder.

Then if you do not get asthma, you can still get worn out in the trachea for a while afterwards for a few days.

They become sore and worn out afterwards and you have to cough.

Reduced performance

Thomson says that strong cold is a challenge.

- Those who have some discomfort and asthma may have reduced performance from it.

The limit for conducting an international competition is minus 20 degrees.

But Thomson has never been involved in any ski competition being canceled due to the cold.

- I sat yesterday and talked to "Mangen" (women's coach Magnus Ingesson) who has more experience.

We did not come to any international competition that has been canceled, he says.

The ski profile Torgny Mogren, who has won both World Cup and Olympic gold, can also not remember any international competition that has been canceled due to cold:

- I think that Fis (International Ski Federation) should raise the cold limit from minus 20 to minus 15 degrees.

The five degrees do a lot, says Mogren and tells about how he himself was affected during his career:

- I pulled on that shit.

The trachea was completely destroyed.

When you got a cold, everything went downhill.

At that time it was called exertional asthma.

Wanted to tear out the trachea

It was extra hard during the Olympics in Lillehammer 1994. The long distance competitions started with 30 kilometers in severe cold.

- It is a borderline case if that race were to be run, but you do not cancel an Olympic race.

I went and was completely destroyed after the race, says Mogren, who then tried to compete in the next two races.

- It hurt so much in the trachea that I just wanted to tear them out.

Then I went home and it was found that I had bronchitis.

Mogren is aware that it can get just as cold during the Beijing Olympics in February.

- Yes, but they never cancel an Olympic race due to cold.

Already this weekend there will be cold competitions in Ruka.

The forecast says cold down to 18 degrees on Saturday and Sunday.

- Some who have problems with trachea that do not work in the cold, yes, it is stupid to expose themselves to the cold already in the first competition and maybe get problems.

Get used to

National team star Ebba Andersson says that the cold is something you have to get used to as a skier:

- I am a winter athlete so you are used to this at this time of year.

It is difficult to avoid such a cold for an entire winter.

It is important to manage the conditions and put on extra.

It is good that the airways get to feel it a little extra, she says.