Sunday featured the first day of racing at the 2019 Junior World Ski Championships in Lahti, Finland. To kick things off at the crown jewel of Finnish ski venues was the U20 classic sprint. The men raced a 1.6-kilometer loop, the women a 1.4 k course. Several North American males qualified for the heats after […]
Johaug Returns With Win in Typical Fashion; Diggins 13th
In the first distance race after the Tour de Ski, it remained to be seen whether Norway’s Therese Johaug, undefeated in distance events, would be able to pick up where she left off in December. As Johaug sat out the TdS, her teammate Ingvild Flugstad Østberg entered the 10-kilometer interval start classic race with momentum, […]
Niskanen wins in Otepää, Bolshunov second, Bjornsen 30th
Finland’s Iivo Niskanen took the victory in Sunday’s 15-kilometer classic individual start in Otepää, Estonia. This is Niskanen’s first World Cup win of the season and his third career individual World Cup victory. During the first half of the race, Niskanen’s splits were up on the rest of the field and by 7.5 k, he […]
Sunday Race Rundown: Otepää and More (Updated 2x)
FIS World Cup Otepää, Estonia classic 10/15 k individual start Women’s Full Report | Men’s Full Report World Cup cross-country action returned to the Otepää race venue on Sunday, with athletes reconvening after Saturday’s classic sprints for the weekend’s distance classic event. In the women’s 10-kilometer individual start classic race, Norway’s Therese Johaug finished first in a […]
Norway’s Falla Leaves No Doubt with Otepää Win; Diggins in 12th
Some proverbs hang in there. From situation to situation they simply capture, in the moment, how best to move forward. “Patience is a virtue,” has an etymology going way back. Yet the timeworn saying and it’s wait-wait-wait underpinnings helped dictate the outcome of Saturday’s World Cup 1.3-kilometer classic sprint in Otepää, Estonia. That is until […]
Back Where It All Started, Klæbo Wins Otepää Classic Sprint; Newell 15th
If Norway’s Johannes Høsflot Klæbo felt any nostalgia stepping out onto the men’s 1.6-kilometer classic sprint course in Otepää, Estonia–it is where he earned his first World Cup sprint victory back in 2017–it by no means slowed the 22 year old down. After winning Saturday’s qualifier in a time of 3:21.99, Klæbo went on to […]
Saturday Race Rundown: Otepää Classic Sprints and Beyond (Updated 2x)
FIS World Cup Otepää, Estonia 1.3 k / 1.6 Classic Sprint Starting the day’s performance benchmarks off was Stina Nilsson of Sweden with the fastest qualifier in the women’s 1.3-kilometer classic sprint in Otepää on Saturday. She stopped the clock in 3:07.62 minutes. The U.S. Ski Team’s (USST) Jessie Diggins was the top-qualifying North American […]
Quick Hit Athlete Check-Ins from Under 23 Worlds: Evelina Sutro
Cycling back before you know it — it’s the International Ski Federation (FIS) 2019 Nordic Junior/U23 World Championships in Lahti, Finland which gets rolling with a U20 classic sprint this Sunday. In our quest to check in with some North American athletes in Finland, we emailed a list of quick hit questions. Twenty-two-year-old Evelina Sutro […]
Quick Hit Athlete Check-Ins from Under 23 Worlds: Ian Torchia
Cycling back before you know it — it’s the International Ski Federation (FIS) 2019 Nordic Junior/U23 World Championships in Lahti, Finland which gets rolling with a U20 classic sprint this Sunday. In our quest to check in with some North American athletes in Finland, we emailed a list of quick hit questions. Up first, twenty-two-year-old Ian […]
Friday Race Rundown (Updated)
IBU World Cup Ruhpolding, Germany 4 x 7.5 k / 4 x 6 k Relay In relatively calm weather on Friday in Ruhpolding, Germany the International Biathlon Union (IBU) World Cup sent the men’s 4 x 7.5-kilometer relay on its way. Under overcast skies, a slight 5 mph wind and temps trying to break freezing […]
The Phenom Next Door: Gus Schumacher Looks to Lahti
ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Gus Schumacher spent last winter traveling the world for ski racing, including laying down the season’s most dramatic anchor leg, non-Jessie Diggins edition, to bring the U.S. men’s relay team from fourth to a historic second at World Juniors. The then-high school senior also spent the season touring the country to plan […]
Thursday Race Rundown from Ruhpolding, Germany (Updated)
IBU World Cup Biathlon Ruhpolding, Germany 10 k / 7.5 k sprint Cutting to the chase: it has been dumping in certain regions of the alps. Ruhpolding, Germany, site of this week’s International Biathlon Union (IBU) World Cup’s has been no exception. The men’s 10-kilometer sprint that went off today under clear skies had been […]
Wednesday Workout: What’s the Prescription for “Flooding” Legs?
2014 is when a relatively green Patrick O’Brien took charge of the Stratton Mountain School’s elite team, otherwise known as SMS T2. In a relatively short time, by way of juggling athletes, wax-teching, training plan writing, and life-living O’Brien has become a problem-solving resource. Jack of many trades, and very much an emerging master of […]
World Junior Ski Championships from the Comfort of Your home; The Viewing Basics
This season’s International Ski Federation (FIS) World Junior Ski Championships will be held in Lahti, Finland beginning Jan. 20. If you’re interested in streaming any of the events live, the organizers in Lahti have you covered. But it will cost you. Link to Live Stream: this is a fee-based streaming site costing 8.99 € for […]
Flashback to the Weekend: Dresden Sprint Photos
This morning we’re running a few remaining Dresden, Germany city sprint images sent to FS from former U.S. Ski Team athlete and Lumi Experiences founder Garrott Kuzzy.
By A Boot String, U.S. Finishes Dresden City Team Sprint in 4th, Sweden For the Win
If the Grand Prix were to host a ski race, it might look like the Team Sprint in Dresden, Germany. With 10 teams racing the 6 x 1.6-kilometer final and the racetrack style, three-lap loop situated in the city’s center, the tactics of a Formula One driver seemed employable on the relatively flat course. For […]
Spills and Thrills as Norway I wins Men’s Team Sprint in Dresden
A strip of imported snow along the Elbe river, iconic architectural reminders of old-world Europe’s city-scape in Dresden, Germany, Lycra, speedy skiers, and teams of two: all the ingredients for the men’s 1.6-kilometer freestyle team sprint. With tight pack skiing a function of the the relatively flat Dresden ski loop, the ten teams in the […]
Sunday Race Rundown: Dresden Team Sprints & Oberhof Relays (Updated 2 x)
FIS World Cup Dresden, Germany 6 x 1.6 k Freestyle Team Sprint The first World Cup team sprint of the season was run amidst drizzle and the Dresden, Germany city-scape as the women raced a total of six 1.6-kilometer laps. Round and round on the looping course, the pace was a mix of tactically subdued […]
Skar Takes First Win of the Season in Dresden; Newell 25th, Bolger 29th
The white ribbon of snow created a stark contrast to the green grass and gothic architecture along the bank of the River Elbe for the second year of city sprints in Dresden, Germany. As is typical in these events, the 1.6-kilometer out and back course was predominantly flat with a few short hill punches and […]
Sweden takes 1, 2 and 3, with Nilsson Leading the Way in Dresden City Sprint; Caldwell 5th
With the 2019 Tour de Ski complete, World Cup athletes returned to competition on Saturday for a 1.6-kilometer freestyle sprint. The race took place in the city of Dresden, Germany–an icy, two lap sprint course along the Elbe river offered racers the non-traditional backdrop of cathedrals and other gothic architecture. Temperatures hung around 40 […]