Jürg Capol, the marketing director for FIS's nordic side, doesn't predict there will be a second Ski Tour Canada and says there's little television interest in Europe. Cross Country Canada's Dave Dyer disagrees, and says that many European squads have stated they will send a full team of top racers.
When it comes to matters involving Petter Northug, Jr., one of Norway's greatest skiers, reactions are mixed, but the controversy surrounding the 29 year old and his decision to opt out of the national-team's terms remains. As of Tuesday, both parties were still standing their ground.
None of the venues slated to host stages of the Tour de Ski seem ready, given the warm temperatures and lack of snow in central Europe. FIS is reportedly in emergency meetings today to develop a backup plan for the event.
The cross country World Cup moves to Szklarska Poreba, Poland this weekend, beginning with Friday’s skate sprint. This marks the first time Poland has hosted a World Cup event, and with the queen of the home team, Justyna Kowalczyk, only 12 points behind Marit Bjoergen (NOR) in the season-long battle for the overall World Cup title, there should be plenty of excitement for the local crowd. As part of the International Ski Federation’s (FIS) effort...
As athletes prepare to start this year’s Tour de Ski on Thursday, plans are taking shape for the next four editions of the race that would vary its length and location. According to FIS Cross-Country Race Director Jürg Capol, the Tour will almost certainly be making a stop in Switzerland next year, and for the three years afterwards. The event will alternate between venues in Münstertal—the small valley that claims Swiss superstar Dario Cologna as...
For some cross-country skiers on the World Cup circuit, the news that Saturday’s individual races would be shortened wasn’t all that disheartening. Sadie Bjornsen, who made her first World Cup podium in Sunday’s team sprint with U.S. teammate Kikkan Randall, tried to contain herself. Instead of a 15 k freestyle in Davos, Switzerland, the women will race 10 k. The men’s skate race was cut from 30 k to 15 k. “Sadie just did a...
The International Ski Federation (FIS) announced Thursday that the first World Cup of the 2011-2012 season, originally scheduled for Beitostølen, Norway, will instead be held a 170 km drive to the east in Sjusjøen, Norway. The venue is situated just 20 km outside Lillehammer, and has never held a World Cup event before, according to Terje Lund, head of the organizing committee. The event schedule will remain the same: 10/15 k on Saturday, November 19 and a...
Whether or not the World Cup opener happens in Beitostolen or elsewhere, the season will start eventually, and in doing so, will feature new rules and schedule changes. Top Teams Required to Compete One of the changes which could have a large impact on the World Cup scene is a new rule requiring the top teams to compete in all but one World Cup weekend. According to the recent FIS Cross Country press release; “The...
With current temperatures in Beitostølen, Norway hovering a few degrees above freezing, chances are the first World Cup of the season, scheduled to take place November 19 – 20, will be canceled or moved to a new venue. The International Ski Federation (FIS) has until Wednesday to make the call according to competition rules. “I would say the chances for Beitostølen are 10% and for Sjusjøen, [Norway] 40%,” said cross-country race director Jürg Capol via...
The tour format adopted over the past few years by the International Ski Federation (FIS) has been credited with injecting some excitement and suspense into cross-country skiing—the idea being that lumping different lengths and styles of races into one big event can lead to prolonged, back-and-forth battles and compelling storylines. But this season’s World Cup Final, a four-day mini-tour in Sweden? A total snoozefest. In the last stage, a handicap start that sent skiers out...
There were few participants in the Tour de Ski who were still standing after the finish of that race’s final stage, the brutal ascent up the Alpe Cermis in Italy. But an even more difficult challenge may await those athletes next season: the inaugural Uphill Trophy, a new competition format tentatively slotted into the World Cup calendar in Poland next February. The race packs a whopping 500 meters of climbing into its first four kilometers—nearly...
Kikkan Randall is in for a long week. With the news that the Polish Ski Association (PSA) plans to appeal Justyna Kowalczyk’s relegation in the Sunday’s women’s sprint final in Davos—which elevated Randall to third place—the Alaskan could be waiting until late this coming week to find out whether she gets to keep her podium finish, and the $5,000 that goes with it. According to International Ski Federation (FIS) rules, the PSA can take up...
If Vegard Ulvang gets run out of Europe, it appears that he still could safely make his home in North America. Ulvang is the chair of the International Ski Federation’s cross-country committee, which is considering the introduction of a new race format that includes five kilometers of climbing followed by five kilometers of technical downhill. Scandinavians have reacted to the idea with derision: Norwegian Eldar Roenning told the newspaper Nettavisen that the idea was “the...
The days of the world championships of interval training may be numbered. That’s the moniker that some Europeans use for the team sprint, which appears on the schedule for every Olympics and World Championships—but rarely on the World Cup. According to U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association (USSA) Nordic Director John Farra, the International Ski Federation (FIS) has convened a working group that will investigate the potential for doing away with the team sprint and replacing...
So much for Justyna Kowalczyk’s home-field advantage. For the first time in her career, the International Ski Federation (FIS) has scheduled World Cup races in Kowalczyk’s native Poland, in February of 2012. But if officials at FIS have their way, Kowalczyk, a notoriously poor descender, will have to successfully navigate five kilometers of technical downhill before she can step onto the podium there. According to FIS Cross-Country Race Director Jürg Capol, a federation committee discussed...
Cross Country Canada’s decision not to host the continent’s first-ever Tour de Ski-style stage race in February, 2012, came despite the recommendation of an independent feasibility study commissioned by the government of Alberta, documents obtained by FasterSkier show. The study, a preliminary version of which was delivered to Cross Country Canada (CCC), the International Ski Federation (FIS), and other stakeholders in early May, urged the organizations to “immediately proceed” with the planning necessary to host...
A previous version of this article incorrectly stated that Ken Davies is currently the chair of the Alberta World Cup Society. FasterSkier regrets the error. Cross Country Canada (CCC) has turned down an opportunity to host a Tour de Ski-style event in February of 2012, according to a letter released by the organization Tuesday. In interviews, CCC officials said that plans for the “Tour of the Rockies” foundered on the potential costs, which could have...
