On Tuesday morning, the Norwegian Ski Federation (NSF) and announced a new sponsorship agreement, set to begin on 1 May. Sparebank will remain the federation’s title sponsor for 10 million kroner, approximately US $950,000. It’s a two-year agreement with an option for a three-year extension. The amount is a reduction from the 15 million […]
The Devon Kershaw Show: Out of Quarantine and a Dive into the News Cycle
Kershaw is free from quarantine and back at home in Lillehammer. As we all know, the race season has been shut down. That means it’s time to discuss news items of note. Like…the “flexing” of some skiers as they ski an un-godly number of kilometers, Stina Nilsson’s switch from cross-country to biathlon, the Norwegian Ski […]
Au Revoir Martin Fourcade by William Timmons
A year ago Martin Fourcade was coming off the worst showing of his career, a cataclysm of a season leaving everyone who follows the sport scratching their heads. While he had two victories and another podium by Christmas, something was apparently wrong; his results declined after New Year’s and he wasn’t on the podium again […]
FS Gear Review: Swiftwick Flite XT
We’ll be publishing a few select gear reviews moving forward. It’s not business as usual for FS or readers: we are posting gear reviews as a brief respite from grim news. We know minds are on more serious Coronavirus related issues. The sock drawer: part no-person’s land, part nod to orderliness with pairs folded using […]
Craftsbury Seeks Junior/BKL Assistant Coach/Intern for 2020
Please note: with the current global pandemic and its unknown impact on our programs, the details of this position are somewhat speculative. The Craftsbury Outdoor Center is seeking an assistant coach/intern to work with its Junior & BKL Nordic skiing programs for the summer of 2020, with the potential to continue the position through the […]
Nordic Nation: Going the Distance with Ben Lustgarten
Live, from Vermont, it was Ben Lustgarten of the Craftsbury Green Racing Project — we spoke to Ben about his recent retirement announcement from full-time training and racing at the elite level. Lustgarten’s name is synonymous with the SuperTour’s sharp end. He’s also known to throw down burly strength workouts. He qualified and raced in […]
Your New Favorite Layer: The Skhoop Sadie Vest
We’ll be publishing a few select gear reviews moving forward. It’s not business as usual for FS or readers: we are posting gear reviews as a brief respite from grim news. We know minds are on more serious Coronavirus related issues. ‘Tis the season for layering. Here in Colorado, the high altitude sun wrestles with […]
Silver Linings to an Abbreviated World Cup Season
On March 13th, the rapidly evolving situation with COVID-19 caused the World Cup to come to an abrupt halt. Quebec, Minneapolis, and Canmore: all cancelled. SuperTour finals: also cancelled. For some U.S. athletes including Gus Schumacher and Katie Feldman, this meant missing their first ever World Cup starts. For others, like Andy Newell, it meant […]
The Switch: Stina Nilsson Switches to Biathlon
Swirling around social media yesterday was the announcement that Swedish ski star, Stina Nilsson (26) has swapped cross-country for biathlon. She has yet to make the national biathlon team, yet she is committed to pursuing biathlon at the highest level. On the World Cup, she was feared as a sprinter, winning the sprint cup in […]
UVM’s Patrick Weaver on the Waxing and Waning of Fluoro Use
At fifty-years-old, University of Vermont’s head cross-country ski coach Patrick Weaver is in a sweet spot. Since May 2010, the two-time Olympian has been at the helm in Burlington, Vermont guiding student-athletes on the Eastern Intercollegiate Ski Association (EISA) ski circuit. With a long tenure and accompanying success, Weaver has become a leading voice in […]
Want to Work Out With Johannes Høsflot Klæbo?
A new reality is setting in. As a nation, we are isolating ourselves at home, minimizing our contact with others to flatten the curve. Depending on your geographical location, you may still have access to scarcely populated nearby ski trails, routes to run, or bike paths to ride while still socially distancing. However, with schools […]
Finnish Team Coach Tests Positive for Covid-19 Coronavirus (Press Release)
Press Release from the Finnish Ski Association Ville Oksanen, cross country skiing coach of the Finnish Ski Association, has been in quarantine since Wednesday last week due to exposure and infection with corona viruses. The Finnish team traveled to Québec City to Canada on Tuesday for the World Cup. The next day, Oksanen became aware of the exposure. “When […]
A Small Glimpse of the World Cup Season
A time of unsettling news. How else to describe the global specter? With all do respect to those involved in the cross-country world, including FasterSkier, we understand our place in the prioritization hierarchy. A line from The New Yorker online, in a piece titled ‘When Tom Brady Said Goodbye’ by Louisa Thomas, resonated: “Among the […]
One For Your Bucket List: Crested Butte’s Alley Loop Marathon
Rounding the final turn off Butte Avenue toward the Slate River Valley at the start of the second and final lap, I had my eyes peeled for a ride. There: the man dressed in a Birkebeiner-esque sweater with suspenders fastened to his Swix pants just beyond the — is that the Jamaican bobsled team? This […]
The Devon Kershaw Show: The Quarantined in Sjusjøen Episode
Canceled. The North American leg of the World Cup became a blip as the weight of a pandemic became too much to bear for organizers. Minneapolis canceled. Canmore canceled. And….finally…Québec canceled. We discuss what was a crazy week when, accordingly, the globe shut down pro and amateur sport. We spoke with Kershaw when he […]
4x National Champion Kyle Bratrud Retires From Professional Skiing (With Audio Interviews)
On February 18th, four days before the American Birkie, Kyle Bratrud (SMS T2) announced that the race would be his final competition as a professional skier. The news caught many by surprise as Bratrud seemed to be having a strong season, following a solid season in 2018/19. Last season, the 26-year-old Minnesota native won the […]
Tour d’Uncertainty 2020: A Personal Journey
Road Trip Day 1 (Tuesday) It all started at home, grinding out quality training hours in spectacularly good ski conditions. The plan was simple: A skiing road trip with three World Cup events, followed by Nationals/SuperTour finals at home, culminating in a 50km against the best skiers in North America. Start Wednesday March 11th, arrive […]
Press Release: Québec City World Cup Cancelled
At 7:50am local time on Friday, the LOC Gestev sent out a message. Cancelling events is always difficult; the reference to ‘force majeure’ is a necessary legal step in the process. Cancellation of 2020 Quebec City COOP FIS Cross-Country World Cup Quebec City, Friday, March 13, 2020 – As the global situation surrounding the novel […]
Press Release: Canada Pulls Out Of Québec City World Cup
At 1am Eastern time on Friday, Nordiq Canada sent out a press release. The release mentions that the decision to drop out was made in solidarity with a list of countries, including the USA. As FasterSkier shared a flight to Québec City with a number of US and Canadian athletes and officials on Thursday afternoon, […]
NCAA Cross-Country Championships in Bozeman: One and Done
BOZEMAN, Montana – Thirty minutes after the conclusion of today’s nordic podium ceremonies, the NCAA announced that all winter and spring championship events were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, effective immediately. An incredible day of racing suddenly turned sour as the news reverberated throughout Bozeman. There would be no slalom at Bridger Bowl tomorrow, […]