The pressure was on at Caledonia Nordic in Prince George, BC, for the trials that would be used to select athletes for World Championships in Planica, Slovenia, and U20/U23 World Championships in Whistler. The three days of racing is also a Nordiq Cup, which is a FIS tier 1 event equivalent to a US SuperTour or Scando Cup, but the focus was on earning a spot on one or more of the teams. The snow...
Day 3 of the Sovereign Lake race week brought a skate sprint on a shorter course and warmer weather: -10C with no wind and occasional light snow. Wednesday and Thursday were Nordiq Cup events, with only U20 and Open categories. Saturday and Sunday are Canada Cup races, with the addition of U18 and U16 categories, resulting in 402 racers across the eight groups. All four race days are part of the US SuperTour. All groups...
Continental Cup racing at Sovereign Lake continued Thursday with a 10km mass start skate for both genders, using the traditional Upper World Cup 5km course. The weekday races are U20 and Open categories only, with ‘smaller’ fields of 87 women and 127 men registered Thursday. “I think this is probably the most competitive race in North America this year, so there were a lot of really strong and talented skiers.” — John Steel Hagenbuch, Dartmouth...
“Skimo” will be the newest Olympic ski discipline when it premiers at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Games. In 2022, those ready to represent the USA are bringing what they learned from their Nordic skiing background to higher peaks, steeper downhills, and techier technique. The details of ski mountaineering are dizzying. Take the little challenges unique to each discipline of skiing, amalgamate them together into one race, and you’re left with “Skimo,” which may or may not...
With fewer than two weeks remaining until the Ski Tour Canada visits Gatineau, Montreal, Quebec City, and Canmore from March 1-12, we spent some time breaking down the provisional North American picks and estimated costs for Canadian nation's group skiers at the season-ending World Cups.
"Cancel" is a word no race organizer wants to entertain, and the local committees behind the first two NorAms in Rossland and Whistler, British Columbia, did everything they could to make sure their races happened -- even if they had to be moved a six-hour drive inland to Sovereign Lake.
With the second weekend of NorAm racing taking place Friday and Saturday at Sovereign Lake, here's a look at who could be some of the top contenders on a regular basis throughout the season, and who could potentially earn race starts in Europe.
Far away from the World Cup buzz in Quebec City there are NorAm races scheduled at Sovereign Lake Nordic in Vernon, British Columbia. A 10/15 k mass start classic and 10/15 k freestyle are on on tap, and the field is expected to be quite competitive between the domestic Canadian and American field on top of international skiers racing as a tune-up before the Canmore World Cup next weekend.
Holding elite level events, whether World Cup races, National Championships or just FIS points competitions, pose numerous challenges for organizers and National Governing Bodies in the US and Canada. Over the course of the summer FasterSkier will examine the various issues at hand. Today we start with a piece on homologation, with future topics to include snowmaking and prize money, among others. Until this year, the U.S. and Canada have had reprieve from the International...
So far this year, Drew Goldsack has been tearing it up on the NorAm sprint circuit. Goldsack, a member of Canada’s senior development team, had won every sprint he entered coming into this weekend’s mini-tour in Rossland, British Columbia. But while he had proven that he was the North American not on the World Cup circuit, he hadn’t had the chance to test himself against his teammates in Europe. Until now. On Friday, Goldsack was...
After completing one of her best seasons of racing last winter, Dasha Gaiazova has continued to build on her success this winter. She has been tearing up the Continental Cup this season, standing on the podium in every race she has entered by taking 1st place four times, 2nd place twice, and 3rd place twice. Though sprinting is her strongest suit – all her wins so far this season and all her top World Cup races last year were...
The third race in the Hayward NorAms, a 30/50km individual start classic, took place this morning at the Canmore Nordic Center. Madeleine Williams won the women’s race by almost 30 seconds over Brittany Webster. Dasha Gaiazova, who has won the two previous sprint races this weekend, was third, two minutes behind Williams. In the men’s race Brian McKeever topped the field with a comfortable 1 minute, 12 second margin. Brent McMurtry and Kevin Sandau rounded out the podium in second...
With the help of some good snow and skiing conditions, this year’s Continental Cup could be one of the most successful. This is why: 1) The Nor-Am and Super Tour schedules mesh so as to encourage maximum participation in both series from both Canadian and US athletes. 2) With a large number of athletes competing to make it onto the Olympic Team, the best racers will be sure to make it to every race possible and the...