Next season the 2021 FIS Nordic Ski World Championships will be hosted by Oberstdorf, Germany. On Saturday, the women raced a 15 k skiathlon, the men 30 k on what is now a gut-punch of a course. It is championship-worthy. In today’s episode, we cover all the striding, all the gliding, and the ski-exchanges in between. […]
With Arms Raised: It’s a Johaug Win in Oberstdorf – Brennan in 17th, Diggins 22nd
Here at FasterSkier, we do not play the odds. Some contributors we know play Noah Hoffman’s Fantasy League – but we steer clear of rolling the dice on cross-country skiing. But the women’s skiathlon events on the World Cup may not be the biggest payouts since in recent history they have been a lock. Oberstdorf […]
Third Consecutive Distance Win for Bolshunov in Oberstdorf; Norris 28th
And the World Cup beat goes on. Nearly 70 men lined up in Oberstdorf, Germany for a 15/15-kilometer skiathlon, battling across techniques in front of a Bavarian Alp backdrop. The venue will be the home of the 2021 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships. The 3.75 k course in Oberstdorf featured a variety of terrain, with […]
Bogus Basin Nordic Team Seeks Head Coach / Program Director
The Bogus Basin Nordic Team (BBNT) in Boise, ID is seeking a full-time Head Coach / Program Director. The person in this position is the top individual within the Nordic Team structure. He or she is responsible for the oversight and management of the program including progress toward established program goals. The Bogus Basin Nordic […]
Craftsbury SuperTour Classic Sprint Rundown
The US SuperTour kicked off the first races of the new year at the Craftsbury Outdoor Center with a classic sprint. The event, dubbed the 2020 Lost Nation Cup, brings together senior athletes, EISA carnival teams, developing NENSA skiers, and citizen racers for a weekend of racing in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont. “Retired” Craftsbury […]
Day 1-2 IBU World Cup Rundown from Pokljuka: Egan 6th, Lunder 10th in 15 k Individual (Includes audio interview with Egan)
The traveling IBU World Cup roadshow stops in Pokljuka, Slovenia this week and began the individual races. The women’s 15 k individual ran on Friday. The individual race format places a heightened premium on clean shooting; each missed shot amounts to an automatic minute penalty. Tiril Eckhoff of Norway had been dominating the circuit recently. […]
Covering Juniors and Some Fine Youth Olympic Games Performances
The news coming out of Lausanne, Switzerland this week was reaffirming for competitive U.S. skiing: at the Winter Youth Olympics two American junior skiers podiumed and one had a near miss in fourth. Kendall Kramer, out of Fairbanks, Alaska placed third (+20.6) in the 5 k individual classic while Sydney Palmer-Leger of Sun Valley, Idaho […]
Erik Bjornsen Going Long
Once the kid who crushed from the secluded Methow Valley, Erik Bjornsen (28) has evolved into an all-arounder on the World Cup for the U.S. Ski Team and man with a plan. The plan is part travel business start-up co-mingled with a take it year by year approach when it comes to his elite level […]
Nordic Nation: Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (RED-S) and the Climate in High Performance Skiing
In this episode, hosted by FasterSkier contributor Rachel Perkins, we dive into the issue of Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (RED-S). This condition was formerly known as the female athlete triad, which was described as inadequate energy intake, the loss of menstruation (amenorrhea), and decreased bone mineral density. The name was changed to include males, […]
Canadian Racing Rundown: Westerns, Pragelato, and Lausanne
Canada took a step back from the World Cup circuit this weekend and focussed attention into development series. As the country tries to build momentum in a post Alex Harvey world, the focus has moved away from World Cup podiums and towards a consistent presence in the top 30. The road to the World Cup […]
IBU World Cup: Ruhpolding, Germany Rundown
Let’s catch up on some overdue biathlon action from Ruhpolding, Germany. Day 2: Men’s 10 k sprint Starting off, the men’s 10 k sprint that ran last Thursday. Allez! Allez! It was a squeaker of a win for IBU World Cup overall leader Martin Fourcade of France. He won in a time of 22:41.5 minutes […]
The Devon Kershaw Show: The Baggy Bib Edition from Nové Město
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 […]