The ‘power duo’ Nicol and Nadia Delago live for ski races, snow, and win-
something you can keep doing until you are 30. After that,
ter. We went to have a little afternoon chat with this fun
you have to find something more stable.
power duo, followed by a bit of training in Vallunga.
Two athletes, the same discipline and from the same family,
Skiing and childhood go hand in hand here in South Tyrol,
to boot. Rivalry between sisters: what is the deal?
but not everyone takes the next step and becomes a profes-
Delago sisters: There is none (they both say right away).
sional skier. What is your story?
Quite the opposite: it has huge advantages. We motivate and
Delago sisters: We were born in a beautiful skiing area, to
help each other out, suggest training sessions and then we
the extent that you learn to walk and ski at the same time.
exchange our experience and results right after we finish.
On top of that, our father was a ski instructor – it was in-
Who inspires you?
evitable (laughs). On top of that, we lived right next to a
Delago sisters: Isolde Kostner (immediate answer). It is
slope, which made it easier to train a bit right after school.
a privilege to have a role model from our ranks. Lindsey
In other words, we had a family who was absolutely bonk-
Vonn is another role model.
ers about skiing.
It is summer now –where do you train when it is hot?
Have many of your friends also got bitten by the ski bug?
Delago sisters: During summer we focus on dryland train-
Delago sisters: Actually, there are a surprising number of
ing and exercise every day, except Sundays. If it is not too
Gardenesi in Italian teams – and of course some of them
hot, then we will also train with skis. Bootcamps with other
are our friends. In a team of 7, an average of 5 are from Val
athletes are often organised during the summer: these fo-
Gardena.
cus on strength, stamina, and coordination.
At your age, you normally tend to go out and meet friends. How often do you see friends who are not involved at all with skiing? diesc
Delago sisters: As often as possible when we are at home.
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We shall see what happens in the future: this career is
One last question: summer or winter? Delago sisters: (both at the same time, without thinking too much about it) WINTER!! We enjoy summer, but we are absolute winter fans (grin).
