The Canadian team has embarked on a winter training camp in New Zealand ©IBU

Members of the Canadian 4x7.5 kilometres team which won a surprise International Biathlon Union (IBU) World Championships bronze medal at this year's event in Oslo have travelled to Auckland in New Zealand to undergo an intense training camp ahead of the new season.

The squad was able to embark on the 13,000 kilometres trip to the country as a result of increased funding from their World Championships performance in the Norwegian capital in March.

Brendan Green, Nathan Smith, Scott and Christian Gow - who took a shock bronze in Oslo - Rosanna Crawford, Sarah Beaudry, Julia Ransom and Emma Lunder are those who have made the journey in order to train in "perfect" winder conditions due to the summer climate back in Canada.

They usually undertake their training closer to home, at the Haig Glacier south of Canmore, but have gone further afield in a bid to enhance their build-up to the biathlon campaign.

"We wanted to train in winter conditions and get in some volume on skis; working on things like range procedure on snow, skiing with the rifle, and ski technique, focusing on the efficiency in skiing," Canadian head coach Matthias Ahrens said.

"One thing we did was work on classic skiing which we seldom have time to do in the winter; on roller skis, classic skiing is mostly just double poling. 

"It is always nice to be able to train for biathlon on the real thing, snow."

The Canadian team undertook high-intensity training in New Zealand to prepare for the new season ©IBU
The Canadian team undertook high-intensity training in New Zealand to prepare for the new season ©IBU

The training regime in Auckland involved between four and five hours of training, including biathlon skiing work and combination training, featuring both skiing and shooting.

"It was a good break from dry land training and a good refresher to be back on snow," Ahrens added.

"We were last on snow in early May and expect to have snow here in mid-October. 

"It was a bit of a shock to go from summer to winter, but it was just as much of a shock to come back to summer now. 

"We have this week off from organised team activities, so all of us have plenty of time to recover now."

Ahrens is also hoping the team can replicate their excellent form next season.

"I am very proud of the team; they were very serious about their training and achieved a lot," he said. 

"Of course the season is still a long ways off and we still have a lot of training ahead, but this was a great camp; this is a trip I would definitely consider again."