Sunrise yoga, hilly road cycling with far-reaching views, playful dives into swimming pools, so far, so active holiday vibes, but for locals and visitors alike in Gran Canaria at the end of May, this was no ordinary group of holidaymakers. This was Team Norway winter sports athletes on a warm-weather training camp ahead of the most important period of all; Olympic season.
“Thank you @olympicteamnorway for an amazing week of training and getting to know so many great athletes from other sports has been so much fun! Road to @milanocortina2026 is on!!🔥🔥”, posted alpine skier Atle Lie McGrath, a world silver medallist in slalom in Saalbach, Austria in February.
McGrath wasn’t quite so enthused when he, and a number of fellow athletes that included snowboarder Marcus Kleveland, took to the 10m platform diving board at the pool to test their mettle in a manner rather different to their day jobs.
Yes, McGrath might pelt 60-70 km/h (37-43 mph) downhill in his chosen discipline, and yes, Kleveland is a two-time slopestyle world champion, as well as a two-time big air bronze medallist, the latter discipline reaching heights of up to 47 metres (155 feet) while performing multiple somersaults and twists, but leaping wholesale off the diving platform used by Olympic athletes appeared to be another proposition entirely.
“Aaaah,” said Kleveland alongside a gaggle of Norway’s best Olympic athletes gathered atop the diving board. “Feel my heart,” said the eight-time Winter X Games champion to his fellow daunted souls. “I probably have a pulse of 170.”
It’s not clear how long they’d all been up there, but finally McGrath took the plunge with a final, “Is it clear?” before hurling himself off with a rather spectacular somersault.
The floodgates opened and one by one they took the plunge, including mixed curling world bronze medallist Wilhelm Naess who had to prise his grip off the railing.
After his jump, Kleveland confirmed his pulse “is good now. It’s a little scary but it went well”, he said.
And are you going to go back up to the 10 metres again, he was asked.
“I think I’ll stop where I am,” he smiled.
“You know you’ll get there eventually, but it took way too long,” laughed Naess.
Yet with the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 little more than a year away, there was also serious business at hand.