Jessie Diggins’ Starter Pack: Winter Olympics 2026

Jessie Diggins is the astir decorated cross-country skier successful American history. She is besides ranked arsenic the best cross-country skier successful the world, successful a athletics that rewards lone the astir spectacularly fit. Now competing successful her 4th and last Olympics, the three-time Olympic medalist arrives astatine Milan arsenic a antithetic jock than she was astatine her archetypal Games. She tells WIRED that she’s much confident, much empowered, and much invested successful the satellite beyond the sport.

Diggins helped unafraid the archetypal US golden successful cross-country skiing astatine Pyeongchang, but her enactment extends acold disconnected the course. She advocates for intelligence wellness and eating upset betterment done her enactment with the Emily Program, supports clime enactment arsenic an ambassador for Protect Our Winters, and champions broader entree to wintertime sports done the Share Winter Foundation. “I’m inactive focused connected being arsenic bully a teammate arsenic I tin beryllium and performing to my highest potential,” she says, “but there’s overmuch much down each contention now.”

To punctual her that there's a batch much than contention results astatine stake, she doesn’t question without a framed household photo. It sits connected her nightstand whenever she’s distant from home. She besides packs a increasing stack of escaped pictures and handwritten good-luck notes from friends and family. At each Olympics, she tapes them up crossed her bedroom. “It reminds maine of what’s truly important astatine the extremity of the day,” Diggins tells WIRED.

We asked Diggins what other made the travel to Milan.

An Instant Smile

Before each race, Diggins swipes a spot of sparkle crossed her cheeks to punctual herself to grin and bask the ride. “It’s expected to beryllium fun!” She uses Dermatone’s biodegradable glitter; its Lips & Face: Snow/Ski kit includes 2 mini balms, reddish and bluish glitter pots, and 4 ski-themed stencils.

A Good Night's Sleep

Saatva sent Diggins her favourite Signature Sateen Sheet Set, allowing her to crook her Olympic chamber into a acquainted slumber setup. Made from 300-thread-count long-staple cotton, the sheets are breathable, cooling, and higher prime than modular edifice bedding. “Sleep is the astir important mode to retrieve and beryllium acceptable to contention astatine my best, truthful having a large slumber situation is cardinal for me,” she says.

Something to Do With Her Hands

This season, Diggins took up knitting arsenic a mode to decompress. “It’s been a immense intelligence wellness boost for maine connected tense pre-racing mornings,” she says. “I’m bringing capable wool and needles to knit a sweater during the Games.”

Salomon Skis

Diggins volition beryllium competing successful each six cross-country skis events successful Milan (although she was eliminated successful the quarterfinals for the sprint classical yesterday with bruised ribs). That's a batch of skis! She keeps 70 pairs of Salomon racing skis successful her wax truck, each tuned for antithetic snowfall textures and upwind conditions. On contention days, her wax tech and coach, Jason Cork, volition prime retired pairs for her to trial beforehand.

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