Nové Město, Czech Republic served up a traditional rock’em sock’em pursuit series on the World Cup. Saturday featured a 10 k/15 k interval start skate, followed by a 10 k/15 K classic pursuit. Bolshunov and Johaug were the clear fitness outliers but some great races within the race unfolded. And yes, how about those […]
Nové Město Pursuit: Bolshunov in Command
More snow. More fans. On Sunday in Nové Město, Czech Republic, day two of a pursuit weekend unfolded amidst trees draped in snow and a 5 k course with portions lined with fans. With snow falling, the men raced a 15-kilometer classic pursuit. Rewind to yesterday’s first portion of the pursuit format, a 15 k interval […]
Johaug Sweeps the Pursuit in Nové Město; Diggins 10th
Yesterday’s snow coated Nové Město, Czech Republic, clinging to the tall pines and masking the unsettling contrast of the man made ribbon of snow. Though wintry precipitation continued to fall, cheering crowds filled the stadium, ringing bells and sounding horns as racers passed through. Picking up where they left off after the skate stage, athletes […]
Bolshunov Dominates in Nové Město; Norris in 27th
The overall and distance specialist were back it Saturday in Nové Město, Czech Republic. After the grind of the Tour de Ski (TdS), which finished atop the Alpe Cermis on January 5th, all but the core roster of sprinters took last weekend’s stop in Dresden, Germany off. Period III began for those chasing more than […]
Johaug Takes the Lead in Nové Město Pursuit; Diggins 4th
“It has everything,” Sweden’s Charlotte Kalla told FIS before the start of the 10-kilometer interval start skate in Nové Město, Czech Republic. Though she was describing the steep uphills and working downhills, found along the 5 k track, it might have also been an apt description for what the weather had in store. As athletes […]
The Devon Kershaw Show: The Mail is Delivered
In this episode, Devon answers questions from listeners that rang from how World Cup athletes maintain in-season fitness to why in fact relays don’t end with a classic leg. Fell free to send in questions regarding the World Cup to info@fasterskier.com or devon@fasterskier.com. This week’s post-racing recap will drop on Monday following the weekend’s racing […]
Hannah Halvorsen with a New Plan
The news came trickling out of Anchorage on November 2nd. U.S. Ski Team athlete Hannah Halvorsen was hit by a car while crossing a street in downtown Anchorage. “I was crossing a one way street, and a woman was turning into the lane, so she looked left where cars would be coming from and didn’t […]
Ruhpolding Day 1 Rundown: IBU World Cup
Mid-week, the IBU World Cup circus moved to Ruhpolding, Germany. The women raced a 7.5-kilometer sprint and saw Norway’s Tiril Eckhoff take the win and snag the yellow overall World Cup leader’s bib from Italy’s Dorothea Wierer. Eckhoff now leads Wierer by a scant three points in the overall standings. This was Eckhoff’s fifth individual […]
Ski a New Hampshire Classic
FasterSkier will be profiling a number of ski areas this winter. Bretton Woods Nordic Center 210 Mount Washington Hotel Road, Bretton Woods, NH 03575 Trail system hours of operation: 8:30-4pm Ticket rates: 21$ adult day, 19$ teen (13-17), 14$ Junior (5-12) and Senior (65+), Free for Seniors 80+ and kids under 4 with an adult […]
Post-Oberhof IBU World Cup Recap
With the weekend closed out in Oberhof, Germany and the start of the second IBU World Cup trimester underway it’s time for, thank you Seth Meyer, … a closer look. Norway’s male biathlon ringer, Johannes Thingnes Bø, was on the sideline for the weekend. Prior to the Oberhof stop, he had worn the yellow bib as […]
A Beginner’s Guide: The Boulder Mountain Tour
Sponsored Content A certain amount of pre-race nerves can be beneficial. A sharpened central nervous system can rev the body for a 34-kilometer skate race. But the jitters can distract. There’s the possibility of low-quality sleep. Time wasted on variables out of your control, or, perhaps, beyond your budgetary control — cross-country ski racing can […]
Reflecting on the Tour de Ski and How I Got There
The author, Katharine Ogden, is a Junior at Dartmouth College. She recently completed the 2019-2020 Tour de Ski. Ogden is a decorated skier. You can read more about her ski career here. By: Katharine Ogden 01/06/20 The Tour de Ski is an iconic set of world cup races. It tests athletes in every way and […]
The Devon Kershaw Show: Round and Round with the Dresden Team Sprint
We are corrected in this episode: we try to be better Francophiles by improving our pronunciation of the weekend’s stand out performer on the men’s side, Lucas Chanavat. We also dig down and find the fun in Sunday’s team sprint in Dresden. With a whirlwind 0.7 k loop, and each skier racing six legs, […]
Dresden Team Sprint Rundown
It was dizzying in Dresden for the skate team sprints. The man-made loop of lightning-fast snow had skiers going literally round and round for a total of 11 exchanges between teammates. Each skier skated a single 0.7-kilometer lap, for a total of 7.8 k. Each skier raced six laps. Turn your head dizzy. The Women’s […]
The Devon Kershaw Show: Dresden Calling!
Dresden is calling with a wild ride skate sprint. Post-Tour de Ski, it is time to visit historic Dresden, Germany for a weekend of city sprints. With trucked in artificial snow, slick, fast, and icy conditions made for some spills on the Dresden oval. Stay on your feet, and stay out front: basic tactics that […]
Chanavat Stays out of Trouble in Dresden with the Skate Sprint Win
The metaphors are rife when describing the rough and tumble nature of the urban environment. Most often we think of pine forest, alps, and Hansel and Gretel valleys as the backdrop for the World Cup. To foster interest and in-fill a dense schedule of racing, city-sprints are nothing new when it comes to populating the […]
Sweden’s Svahn Strikes Again in Dresden; Caldwell 4th
With the Tour de Ski in the rearview mirror, athletes donned bibs for a city sprint weekend in Dresden, Germany. Like the other bookend in Planica the weekend before it began, athletes who focused on the Tour de Ski — mostly distance skiers and all-arounders — were not in attendance to focus on rest and […]
IBU World Cup Rundown: Oberhof, Germany
Oberhof, Germany the site where the IBU World Cup snaps into its second trimester of racing after the holiday break, began a series of races. Yesterday, the women began the Oberhof stop with a 7.5-kilometer sprint. Norway’s Marte Olsbu Roeiseland won in 22:04.9 minutes while shooting clean in both her shooting bouts. Denise Herrmann of […]
The Winter Park Competition Center Seeks Lead Coach
The Winter Park Competition Center in Winter Park, Colorado is currently seeking a Lead Coach available Wednesday-Sunday through March 22, 2020 with a possibility of continuing to year-round. This coach will work primarily with 10-14 year old skiers and assist the Head Coach at races as needed. As a recently reinstated Nordic program within the larger Competition […]
U.S. Senior National Classic Sprint Rundown (Updated with Images & Audio)
Racing at the 2020 U.S. Senior Nationals wrapped on Tuesday with a 1.5-kilometer classic sprint. Although the day came down to six skiers in both the men’s and women’s finals — as is the norm — what flummoxed a few skiers of note were the dicey conditions, which left the tracks covered with slow-me-down lake […]