Vitals & career path
- Hometown
- Bloomington, MN
- Home base
- Minneapolis, MN & Oslo, Norway
- Born
- 1997
- Joined Snø Racing
- 2021
- Junior clubs
- Loppet Nordic Racing
- High school
- Bloomington Jefferson High School
- College
- Northern Michigan University
- College ski team
- NMU Nordic, three-time NCAA All-American, 2019 CCSA Skier of the Year
Team selections
- Olympics:
- 2026
- FIS World Championships:
- 2025
- MN State Titles:
- 2014 · Champion, Bloomington Jefferson2016 · Champion, Bloomington Jefferson
- NCAA Championships:
- Three-time All-American2019 · CCSA Skier of the Year
- JR WORLD/U23 Championships:
- 2015, 2018
- U.S. National Titles:
- 2026 · Club relay, SuperTour Finals, Craftsbury
Fun fact
He didn't start skiing until seventh grade; before that he played basketball, football and baseball.
About Zak
Zak grew up in Bloomington, Minnesota and skied for Northern Michigan University before turning pro in 2021. He stays motivated by focusing on long-term improvement: if he is better than he used to be, he can be better than he is now. Off the snow he works to make Nordic skiing more accessible to kids from underprivileged backgrounds in Minneapolis.
Fun facts
- Favorite pre-race breakfast
- Oatmeal with a variety of toppings, three hours before the start
- Favorite workout
- 6x8 minute L3 rollerski intervals
- Favorite place in Minnesota
- Target Center, home of the Timberwolves
Zak's Snø Racing stories
- Mid-Summer Check In from ZakHey there everyone! Zak Ketterson checking in here. Summer training is in full swing, with July traditionally being one of my biggest volume months of the entire year. There have been a lot of fun…
- Qualified for the Olympics! The ultimate goal?Zak originally wrote this blog for his Substack on Jan. 26th. You can find his substack and subscribe here Hello and welcome back, I’m writing this from Goms, Switzerland, after today’s 20km…
- Trying to become Better at Double PolingHello, readers. My name is Zak Ketterson and I am a proud member of Team Birkie entering into my 5th year with the team. My wife, Julie, and I live in Saint Louis Park just a few hundred meters…
- Zak’s Favorite Places to Train in Minneapolis in the SummerHey, everyone! Zak Ketterson checking in here. Somehow, it’s already almost July. That means I have already had two months of great training here in Minneapolis with Team Birkie. The summer months…
- Tour de Ski RecapHey everyone! Zak Ketterson checking in from Seefeld, Austria where I am with the U.S. Ski Team attempting to recover from this year’s Tour de Ski. The Tour de Ski is a multistage ski racing event…
- R.E.G. Camp RecapHello, everyone! This is Zak Ketterson checking in after a jam-packed week of fun at the Regional Elite Group camp in Marquette, Michigan. For those that don’t know, REG camps are an initiative by…