Andreas Skoglund and Jens Luraas Oftebro delivered for Norway, surging to gold by a ski's length over Finland after a breathless sprint finish.
Heavy snowfall turned the course into a test of balance and nerve, reducing the contest to a five-nation battle halfway through as conditions deteriorated. Several racers lost their grip and lurched close to crashing on the treacherous surface.
With visibility fading and the tracks softening, none of the leading teams were willing to risk a decisive move, making most of the sprint a slow and cagey affair as the group followed each other until the last rounds.
Germany’s hopes unravelled when Vinzenz Geiger crashed late on, taking Japan’s Ryota Yamamoto down with him after the Japanese skier was unable to avoid the fallen German, putting both nations out of the fight for medals.
"I fell and then you don't have a chance to get back and, yeah, it's very hard and I'm very sorry for the whole team," Geiger told Reuters after the race, joking that the first round of post-competition beers would be on him.
Austria were forced out of contention for gold when Stefan Rettenegger fell near the end of the race, leaving Norway and Finland to settle the matter in a dramatic final stretch, as Oftebro secured his third of three possible gold medals at these Games. Austria took the bronze.
"It was a dream to win an individual gold and also the team gold. But to take three goals, that's way more than I could ever dream of. So perfect Olympic Games for me," Oftebro said.