General – FasterSkier

SoME Snow Looks to Bring Snowmaking and Reliable Skiing to Southern Maine

FasterSkierJuly 21, 2025

A group of nordic enthusiasts in southern Maine is planning to launch a new trail system in the Greater Portland Area with snowmaking. Inspired by the successful introduction of snowmaking to nordic facilities in other parts of New England, Southern Maine Snow & Trails, is on a mission to provide reliable snow conditions and extend the season in a region that is rich in nordic racing history, close to two competitive EISA programs, and home to a significant population of current and potential skiers. SoME...

Feature General News

The Fastest Person in the World on Cross-Country skis. It’s Not Who You Think

Ken RothApril 1, 2025

Who is the fastest person in the world on cross-country skis? Seems like a straightforward question, but the answer will unquestionably surprise you. An attempt to answer this seemingly easy question might quickly veer straight to the usual suspects. Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo would certainly rise to the top of the list—a Sprinter undefeated for an entire season seems like a good guess. But you would be very wrong. Bjorn Daehlie in his prime would be...

Canadian National Ski Team General News Racing US Ski Team

Remembering Marty ‘Butch’ Hall

FasterSkierMarch 6, 2025

Marty Hall, 87, (known as Butch during his youth) of Laconia, NH passed away after a short illness on February 25, 2025. Though he was born in Pennsylvania, he always considered himself a New Hampshire native. His family (his parents and two sisters, Lee Ann and Linda) moved to Gilford, NH, when he was young, right after WWII. They joined a number of families who started the Gilford Outing Club, resulting eventually in three Olympians (Marty...

Feature General News Racing World Cup

Are You Ready to Watch Racing This Winter?

Ken RothOctober 9, 2024

It’s hard to believe, but the first World Cup cross-country race is just around the corner. November 29th marks the cross-country racing season kickoff, in Ruka, Finland. For fans who want to watch the races, there are a couple of easy options. Once again, Ski and Snowboard Live will be the United States’ streaming service for viewing cross-country events held outside of the country, and this season, that means every race. Their coverage will include...

Feature General News

The Old Man and the Lake: A Skier’s Swim Across the Mackinac Straits. Part I

Ken RothSeptember 1, 2024

Bobbing around in the middle of Lakes Huron and Michigan like a cork in a bathtub while staring up at the intimidating mass of the Mackinac Bridge tends to put things into a different perspective. My perspective was one of incredible insignificance. Everything around me was huge: the lake, the bridge, the distance, the current, and especially the stomach churning, energy sapping swells. I felt incredibly small. How does a guy end up in this...

Feature General News

FasterSkier At the Movies—”Kikkan”

Ken RothApril 8, 2024

For those of us suffering from the post-ski-season let down—or for those who simply can’t get enough ski-related content—an effective way to help address these issues will be to take 46 minutes to view “Kikkan,” a nicely produced short documentary about the life of Kikkan Randall. Presented (sponsored) by L.L. Bean and Providence Health Alaska, the film includes details of Randall’s childhood, ski career, cancer struggle, and personal life. The movie is a candid chronological...

Collegiate General News

D1 Skiing returns to the University of Nevada, just alpine for now

Ella HallAugust 31, 2022

In a press conference on Wednesday, the University of Nevada, Reno (UNR) announced that it will once again support a Division I ski team, starting this season. For the time being however, the program will only have alpine skiing. Both the president of the university and the university’s athletic director were present for the announcement, marking the moment. “It has been truly amazing to see how much the program’s return has energized our community,” said...

Dryland General News Racing

Ben Ogden Leads Americans in Opening Race at Toppidrettsveka

Gavin KentchAugust 25, 2022

After technique work on snow comes race effort on rollerskis. Racing Thursday evening in Hitra, Norway, Ben Ogden led four American men when he placed 18th in a field of nearly 100 in the 54-kilometer classic mass start, the opening race of the Toppidrettsveka race series in the Trondheim region of western Norway. Ogden finished 50.2 seconds back of the winner, and 10.4 seconds off the podium. He was followed by fellow USST athletes Finn O’Connell...

Feature General News Racing

Men at Work: U.S. Ski Team Takes on Torsby Ski Tunnel

Gavin KentchAugust 21, 2022

If it’s August, it must be time to ski. Head Coach Matt Whitcomb and roughly half the men on the U.S. Ski Team, accompanied by a couple of well-known distaff guests, have spent the last week on snow in the Torsby Ski Tunnel in southwest Sweden. They raced in the nearby Inge Bråten Memorial rollerski race earlier today, and will compete in the Toppidrettsveka rollerski series in Norway starting on Thursday. It’s a multi-stage Scandinavian...

General Juniors News Racing

Alaska REG Camp: Putting in the Work

Gavin KentchJuly 28, 2022

ANCHORAGE — Watching training sessions at a Regional Elite Group camp, the summer training series held around the country for the nation’s top junior skiers, is one part tantalizing glimpses of the future of American skiing, ten parts the cumulative reality of a lot of focused work in the present. These kids are fast, they are committed, and they are strong. But long-term success in endurance sport takes time, and they know it. Judging from...

Community Feature General News World Cup

Alpine Nations Contest FIS Election in CAS in Ongoing Power Struggle

Pasha KahnJune 28, 2022

On Monday, June 20th, the Ski Associations of Austria, Switzerland, Germany, and Croatia made good on threats issued after the FIS Congress in May, and filed an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) contesting the voting procedure that elected the unchallenged FIS President Johan Eliasch. The four nations argue that it was unlawful to deny them the option of voting no to Eliasch, and that the election procedure violated FIS statutes and...

Community General News

(Press Release) SVSEF Welcomes Becky Woods as New Cross Country Program Director

FasterSkierJune 24, 2022

Woods brings wealth of collegiate Nordic team competition, coaching and leadership to SVSEF SUN VALLEY, Idaho – June 19, 2022 – Effective August 1, 2022, Becky Woods will step into the role of Cross Country Program Director at Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation (SVSEF). Woods comes to SVSEF from Bates College in Lewiston, ME, where she served as the Head Men’s and Women’s Nordic Ski Coach alongside additional leadership roles from 1994 to 2022. “We are thrilled to welcome...

General News Racing

From the Archives: Pete Vordenberg looks back on the 2002/2003 World Cup season (April 2003)

Gavin KentchMay 25, 2022

The following article was initially published on FasterSkier on April 2, 2003. It was written by Pete Vordenberg, who at the time was the assistant coach of the U.S. Ski Team, under head coach Trond Nystad. Nystad’s boss was Luke Bodensteiner. The development coach was Chris Grover. Athletes on the men’s national team included Justin Wadsworth, Carl Swenson, Torin Koos, Kris Freeman, and Andrew Johnson, plus a grand total of one (1) woman, Wendy Wagner....

General News Racing World Cup

Updates from the 2022 FIS Cross-Country Committee Spring Meeting (Press Release)

FasterSkierMay 18, 2022

This press release originally appeared on fis-ski.com on Wednesday, March 18, 2022. May marks the month of the FIS Committee meetings, debriefing the season and setting up task and changes for the upcoming ones. All proposals that were elaborated by Sub-Committees and working groups members came on the table of the Cross-Country Committee (CCC) on Wednesday, 18th May. The Committee discussed them and forwarded the confirmed proposals on to the highest authority in FIS, the...

Collegiate General News Racing

From the Archives: Performance, not college, was reason for USST cuts (June 2009)

Gavin KentchApril 22, 2022

The following article was first published on FasterSkier in June 2009. It is reprinted now in advance of the upcoming announcement of athlete nominations for the 2022/2023 U.S. Ski Team, a subject of perennial interest for American ski fans. Based on the published objective criteria for team naming and athletes’ current world ranking, it appears that multiple athletes who are current or recent NCAA skiers will be named to next year’s national team. Like many...

Community General News Product News

Cross-Country Meets Aeronautics: Structuring Aircraft Skis

FasterSkierApril 1, 2022

By Kevin Brooker Increasing the value of a product is important. Consumers are drawn to the idea of high tech being better than run of the mill technology. To catch the attention and dollars of consumers, the marketing team will often use terms like “Aircraft Grade” or “Medical Grade” to make the ski manufacturers’ offerings more attractive. The idea being, if some material is good enough for the high tech and safety conscious aviation industry, it...

Community General Interviews Lifestyle News

From Athlete to Technical Delegate: A Q & A with Kelsey Phinney

Rachel PerkinsMarch 18, 2022

When reaching out to Sun Valley’s Annie Pokorny to learn more about her decision to become a technical delegate and her experience so far, it was also on the radar that Pokorny’s friend and former teammate Kelsey Phinney was also engaged in the process. As it turned out, Pokorny had been a leading influence in Phinney’s decision to become a TD herself. Like Pokorny, Phinney is a 2016 graduate of Middlebury College, before continuing with...

Community Feature General News Product News Resources Waxing

Environmental consciousness without performance compromise: the MountainFLOW Eco Wax team takes on the Birkie

Rachel PerkinsFebruary 23, 2022

A team of familiar faces is soon headed to the American Birkebeiner, and rumor has it, their race suits will be something to behold. Spearheaded by brand ambassador Simi Hamilton, the team of Sophie Hamilton (Caldwell), Sadie Maubet-Bjornsen, Liz Stephen, Matt Gelso, Sylvan Ellefson, and Erik Bjornsen will be racing as members of the mountainFLOW Eco Wax team. Based in the Roaring Fork Valley of Colorado, where Hamilton grew up, mountainFLOW Eco Wax is the...

Community Feature General News

Among the oldest races in American cross country skiing, the 2022 Stowe Derby adds to its legend

Ben TheyerlFebruary 22, 2022

A pair of American skiing pioneers skied up Mt. Mansfield, Vermont in 1946, skied down to settle a bet, and in the process created a race that’s remained true to the individual and communal spirit that sustains nordic skiing to this day. At one point in time, skiing was simply a way to get from point A to point B. Take stock of humans gliding on snow at this moment in 2022, though, and it can...

Community General News Olympics Racing World Cup

Ukraine tensions could scuttle World Cup finals in Russia, but FIS says no changes yet

Nathaniel HerzFebruary 15, 2022

ZHANGJIAKOU, CHN — International Ski Federation officials say they’re exploring backup options for season-ending races in Russia amid fears of a war between that country and Ukraine, though they’re still planning on holding the event as scheduled next month unless circumstances change. The final races of the top-level World Cup are scheduled to be held in Tyumen, Russia, in an oil-rich area in Siberia — about 1,000 miles away from the border with Ukraine, where American...

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