Comments for FasterSkier.com

Comment on U.S. Ski Team Lines Up Summer Training From Alaska to Ramsau by asotskov

asotskov — Fri, 25 May 2012 15:10:22 +0000

I am not exactly sure when they say 6 hours of time difference is much easier than 16…. Travel time, I agree, but not time difference!
Good luck, team! Hopefully the weather, as Marty says, will cooperate at the glacier and the gandola is operating.

Comment on USSA Attracts Marketing Chief from CBS by snyder_gary

snyder_gary — Fri, 25 May 2012 05:17:07 +0000

Good luck Mike. Glad to see you back in snow sports!

Comment on Bucking Conventions, U.S. Biathletes Prove That College Isn’t a Barrier to Long-Term Success by Cory Salmela

Cory Salmela — Wed, 23 May 2012 04:17:35 +0000

Excellent article Chelsea. You really covered this subject well. The subject needed analysis like this and will surely inform the way athletes and the Team looks at individual athletes. As one of the architects of the Junior Program in the 1990′s we grappled with what to do with young athletes. As an organization at the time we had a strong desire to succeed on the world stage and our best examples were our competitors in Germany, Norway, and Russia. We knew a US model would need to emerge, but until then we really followed the German model where an important milestone was a World Junior Championship Medal. This achievement is only a few percentage points shy of a Top 20 World Cup performance, so our Junior Program at the time was driven and demanding. And it did produce results, but it wasn’t balanced on focused on the long haul. We see Norway doing very well with athletes who were so-so juniors, with really focused training in their early twenties.

It doesn’t appear a US Model has emerged yet. Perhaps this article will spark a debate among the community about what it should be. Perhaps it just needs to be highly individualized; some will need school, others not. I think frank, open discussions between the coaches/administration and the athlete is critical to make these transitions work.

Comment on U.S. Ski Team Lines Up Summer Training From Alaska to Ramsau by bellasuma

bellasuma — Wed, 23 May 2012 02:27:09 +0000

Back in the early ’90′s, the USST went to Stryn, Norway for a 2 week glacier camp during the month of July. Check it out as a back up site to Dachstein. Large glacier, good grooming and low elevation.

Comment on U.S. Ski Team Lines Up Summer Training From Alaska to Ramsau by Martin Hall

Martin Hall — Tue, 22 May 2012 20:12:25 +0000

Also, when doing the vans—you’ll have a number of episodes where someone forget their boot, skis or poles—turn a round and go back is the biggest pain in the butt–not a happy group skiing those mrngs.
Also, living at the tram level lets you have the chance to ski again in the afternoon.

Comment on U.S. Ski Team Lines Up Summer Training From Alaska to Ramsau by Kristoffer

Kristoffer — Tue, 22 May 2012 20:02:59 +0000

Last fall Charlotte Kalla was on a Swedish tv show and was asked about her dream travel destination. Her answer: Alaska.

Comment on U.S. Ski Team Lines Up Summer Training From Alaska to Ramsau by Martin Hall

Martin Hall — Tue, 22 May 2012 18:00:40 +0000

My first easy guess is Anna Haag—-my long shot is Chalotte Kalla—whose next to guess—is there a prize for the right guess???
Grover, August can be dicey on the Dachstein—summer is ending and you can be short on snow and big on ice. It is just a question as to how big the winter was and of course where climate change is in the whole thing. Back in the 70s and 80s with the US and Canadian teams we lucked out—one year with the US it was marginal for a few days in early Sept—then it started to snow—big time. Galciers, as I’m sure you know have their own climates.
A piece of experience—over the years we went from staying down in Ramsau to staying at the tram level in the Turlwand(2 other hotels at least up there)—quick access to the tram—across the parking lot(1 minute)—allows and extra hour of sleep every day—the van ride becomes a bummer—always a sprint—and by living at the tram level–practices can end individually—so the vans don’t have to wait for the last skier—always a pain.
Good change for you guys—also big access to suppliers and other teams.
Have great time.

Comment on Bucking Conventions, U.S. Biathletes Prove That College Isn’t a Barrier to Long-Term Success by crashtestxc

crashtestxc — Tue, 22 May 2012 14:29:59 +0000

Someone should remind the US Ski Team that they should quit ignoring this group too…by the way there’s a ex-college skier on their A-team :p

Comment on Bucking Conventions, U.S. Biathletes Prove That College Isn’t a Barrier to Long-Term Success by karlgranroth

karlgranroth — Tue, 22 May 2012 00:51:59 +0000

Excellent article! I love the detailed, fair and balanced analysis. Thanks.

Comment on The Ghosts of 1984: In Search of Sarajevo’s Olympic Past by nordic_dave

nordic_dave — Mon, 21 May 2012 22:30:52 +0000

On many points you are both right and talking past each other.
I tend to agree with Marty on many things and respect him a great deal. Yet I can see where Davord is coming from in this particular situation. Yugoslavia and Tito helped form the 3rd World Non Alignment movement along with Indonesia and other countries stating that they were neither aligned to the Soviet Union, China or the U.S./NATO blocs. During this period of Cold War politics, it was hard for most countries to escape these sphere’s of influence. Yugoslavia did and walked a fine line being so close to Eastern Europe/Warsaw Pact countries. They accomplished this through strength by fighting Nazi Germany mostly on it’s own and warning the U.S.S.R not to invade or they
would effectively make life hell for them. Since the Balkans have such a troubled history, the Soviets allowed Yugoslavia a great degree of autonomy that other countries like Czechoslovakia, and Hungary were brutally crushed for attempting to do the same thing.

It took a strong man like Tito to pull it all together and guns and tanks were definitely used to show strength externally as well as internally. I do recall people from Yugoslavia being allowed to travel to Western Europe or the U.S. freely. Yugoslavia had a robust trade with both Eastern and Western bloc countries and had an industrial capacity that made them superior to many Eastern bloc economies. Who can forget Yugoslavia’s contribution to the auto business with the infamous Yugo!
At a time when small cheap econo cars were in demand in the 70′s , they sold a bunch of them around the world. Alas it was a true junker like the Ford Pinto but popular at the time.

If any of you are not familiar with the formation of the 3rd World Non Alignment Movement it was quite a concept in what was then a very black and white world. Today to refer to a country as a Third World developing country , it is not often used as a compliment yet it’s design and intent was to try and develop it’s economies without the financial/political strings that came attached to being a “client” country of the U.S. or U.S.S.R.
I am certain that if the IOC’s decisions of selecting Sarajevo were reviewed that it was based on the real economic progress that Yugoslovia had made through it’s unique political structure. Personally I disagree with many selections of countries for the Olympics yet that is probably my bias as to Western stds as to how things should be and having loaded guns do make
people nervous yet that was probably by design for both the East and the West to see.

Thank you for this thought provoking article, the haunting song “Sarajevo” is running through my head and the memories of people of the former Yugoslav Republic being indiscrminately shot by snipers during the Bosian conflict of the 90′s.

As you say Marty, that’s “The way I see it”, btw you are overdue for an article

Dave