Friday began the weekend series of IBU World Cup racing in Hochfilzen, Austria. The women and men raced the 7.5-kilometer and 10 k sprint, respectively. For the women, Italy’s Dorothea Wierer won in 21:26.5 while missing a single target. She began and ends the day wearing the yellow bib as the World Cup overall leader. […]
Nordic Nation: Reporting on the Reporting of Fluoro Use in Norway
If you’ve been following along with the global ski scene and wax, you know this: perfluorinated waxes have been a hot button topic. From issues with importing into the U.S., stories on potential health and environmental risk, and new “green” wax products coming on-line…it’s been hard to keep up with trends. The International Ski Federation […]
FS Review: Black Diamond Distance Wind Shell
Before diving deep into this review let’s get over the sticker shock: retail price $129.00 for the Black Diamond Distance Wind Shell. (But you can find it on sale.) $129.00 may not seem much if, for example, you’re stocking up on perfluoro wax. But take the weight of the Black Diamond Distance Wind Shell, 98 […]
Red, White, and… Black? A Visual History of the USST Uniform, 2008–2019
A national team uniform for cross-country skiing has to do a lot of things. At the most utilitarian level, it has to wick sweat and aid performance while an athlete pursues one of the world’s most demanding sports at temperatures between –4 F and 40, in steady snow or driving rain or anything in between. […]
Swedish Junior Champion Frida Karlsson Pulled From Competition After Failing to Meet Health Criteria
The Swedish news outlet SVT announced this morning that Frida Karlsson, Sweden’s rising junior phenom, has been pulled from competition after not meeting team health criteria during a routine check last week. Karlsson raced the World Cup opening series of races in Ruka, placing 40th in the classic sprint, 11th in the 10 k classic, […]
Opportunity Knocked: Opportunity Seized
By: Paige Elliott The call to action is clear: Nordic skiing needs more women coaches. From the launch of the Women’s Ski Coaching Association to former U.S. Ski Team coach Pete Vordenberg’s editorial on FasterSkier to Dr. Nicole LaVoi’s keynote presentation at U.S. Ski & Snowboard annual National Cross Country Coaches Symposium, gender equality has […]
More on the Russian Ban
Widely reported on Monday was the unanimous vote by WADA’s Executive Committee (ExCo) to ban Russia from specific sport events for the next four years. Russia never tip-toed around its desire to dope on an industrial scale. That much has been documented in an Academy Award winning documentary and the more academic reports cataloging Russian doping […]
IBU World Cup Relay Rundown from Östersund, Sweden
Over the weekend in Östersund, Sweden the IBU World Cup held its traditional 4 x 7 .5-kilometer for the men, and 4 x 5 k relays for the women. Saturday, Norway’s team of Johannes Dale, Erlend Øvereng Bjøntegaard, Tarjei Bø, and Johannes Thingnes Bø won the men’s race in 1:10:30.4 hours. In total, the team […]
Canmore NorAm / SuperTour / Nationals Weekend Wrap-up (Updated)
Updated with more quotes. The first three race days of both the NorAm and SuperTour series are complete and the athletes and coaches are digesting the lessons. It was free sprints Friday, classic distance Saturday, and interval start free technique distance on Sunday. The men started the Sunday with a four lap 15km followed by […]
WADA Declares Four Year Ban on Russia
In an unanimous vote Monday in Lausanne, Switzerland, WADA’s Executive Committee imposed a four year ban on Russian participation in major international sporting events. This blanket ban includes the 2020 Tokyo and 2022 Beijing Olympics. The list of Russian transgressions is long. According to a press release from WADA on Monday, the tipping point was […]
The Devon Kershaw Show: Lovely Lillehammer
First off, The Devon Kershaw show is live on iTunes and Google Play. And for that matter, Spotify. So you’ve got a few ways to subscribe and listen. Press the subscribe button on the player below for a direct link. Second, lots to breakdown after this weekend. Yup, Johaug crushed, but so did Diggins, […]
Ustiugov Closes with a Fury as Russia Goes 1-2 in Lillehammer Relay
Call it what you want: national pride, national bias, flag-waving: the team relays elicit nationalistic tendencies. In Lillehammer, Norway, you might think and maybe expect it’s your birthright to see the hometeam crush. That’s been the recent norm almost without exception. Here’s the quick stats to either dispel or reinforce those tendencies: Norway has won […]
Twelfth Consecutive Relay Win for Norway; USA Comes Back for Second
Athletes warmed up amidst fat falling snowflakes as a storm blanketed Lillehammer, Norway. The gun fired, and a flurry of this snow clouded the boots, poles, and relay socks as a wave of skiers strode their way up and out of the Birkebeiner Stadium for the first leg of the women’s 4 x 5-kilometer relay. […]
Canmore NorAm/SuperTour/Nationals Classic Distance
Day two of the first NorAm and SuperTour weekend was interval start classic, with 10km for the men and 5km for the women. The US SuperTour athletes took the chance to show their depth today, packing the top ten of the open categories. The 154 men raced first, with the U.S. Ski Team’s Zak Ketterson […]
Bolshunov Rebounds for 30 k Skiathlon Win with Holund Driving the Pace
Norwegian countryside just as you imagine: farms, pine trees, a deep snow-blanket, and fast skiing. All this was on display under a bluebird sky in Lillehammer, Norway for the men’s World Cup 30-kilometer skiathlon. Amidst this legacy-backdrop, the beauty of a dual technique race with enough grinding Ks to string out and decimate an impressive field […]
Therese Johaug Notches Seventh Skiathlon Victory; Diggins Charges to 2nd
This week’s episode of the Therese Johaug show featured a clinic in her signature event, the 15-kilometer mass start skiathlon in Lillehammer, Norway. Before today, the two-time World Championship gold medalist had made the podium in 13 of her 14 World Cup skiathlon starts (six of those were wins), failing only in Oberstdorf, Germany during […]
Canmore NorAm/SuperTour/Nationals Sprints
The NorAm series fully lived up to the North American Cup label in Canmore Friday with 1.3km free technique sprints to kick off a combined NorAm, SuperTour, and Mexican National Championships weekend. Full results for the weekend are on zone4, including live results every day. Friday featured sprints for the older age groups only (282 […]
Breaking New Ground: Noel Keeffe
This article was originally published on November 11, 2019 in Steamboat Magazine. It is reposted with permission. By: Tiia Libin Being a “first-ever” is rare, especially in a town filled with Olympians. Noel Keeffe is one of them. Born and raised in Steamboat Springs, Keeffe is the first Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club cross-country athlete to […]
IBU World Cup: France takes the win in Östersund’s 15 k Indivudual, Egan in 35th
The women contested the 15-kilometer individual race in Östersund, Sweden on Thursday. As the IBU World Cup gets into gear, the French are proving to be podium top-step magnets. (Martin Fourcade won the men’s 20 k individual race on Wednesday.) Justine Braisaz won in 42:35.1 minutes while missing two targets in her first shooting stage, otherwise […]
Gear Review: Salomon S/LAB SENSE ULTRA 5 SET Running Vest
If you are still running with a traditional drink belt strapped to your waist — listen here: It’s time to give up the drink belt for running excursions. The fight is over and the running vest is miles ahead of you, already sipping a refreshing recovery drink at the parking lot––heck they might have […]