Vermont Talent Jack Young Breaks Through in First-Ever World Cup start

CANMORE, ALBERTA — Jack Young’s home in Vermont is two miles from the Canadian border. So it makes sense that he skied like he was right at home in Canada on Saturday, in a smoking fast finish in his first-ever race on the World Cup—the top-level circuit that saw him lining up against a bevy of Olympic medalists. Young, 21, placed 11th in the qualifying round of Saturday’s sprint race in Canmore, and 23rd in...

Tactical Canmore Sprints—Klaebo and Skistad Dominate

This coverage is made possible through the generous support of Marty and Kathy Hall and A Hall Mark of Excellence Award. To learn more about A Hall Mark of Excellence Award, or to learn how you can support FasterSkier’s coverage, please contact info@fasterskier.com. Canmore, Alberta features a World Cup Sprint course that climbs right from the start, two back-to-back inclines that would produce lactic acid and technical challenges if anyone chose to sprint up them. Almost...

The Devon Kershaw Show: fast and furious in Canmore, Day 2

We’re back, in less than 24 hours since hour last pod. Devon is burning the midnight oil in Norway to bring you this new episode recapping the excellent sprint races in Canmore today. Stay tuned for another episode after tomorrow’s race and a bonus episode where Nat will interview Sweden’s William Poromaa. Email us at devon@fasterskier.com and nat@fasterskier.com with questions, comments and race predictions. We’ll be back.

Historic 1-4 Sweep for France in Women’s Biathlon Sprint

FasterSkier’s Coverage of the Biathlon World Championships is made possible through the generous support of the Craftsbury Outdoor Center: New England’s finest snowmaking, world class race venues and touring trails, healthy food in abundance, comfortable accommodations at Craftsbury:  Sports, Sustainability, Stewardship.   Ever since France upset Norway to win the opening Mixed Relay of the 2024 Biathlon World Championships, their magnificent esprit de corps has been on display. After that race, the entire team gathered...

Diggins Rules Canmore 15 k, Laukli Eighth

This coverage is made possible through the generous support of Marty and Kathy Hall and A Hall Mark of Excellence Award. To learn more about A Hall Mark of Excellence Award, or to learn how you can support FasterSkier’s coverage, please contact info@fasterskier.com. The arrival of World Cup racing in North America has brought tremendous excitement to the United States and Canada. It has also brought a surprise: as the cross-country world assembled in Canmore, Alberta,...

Patterson a Strong Eighth, Krueger with the Win in Canmore 15 k

This coverage is made possible through the generous support of Marty and Kathy Hall and A Hall Mark of Excellence Award. To learn more about A Hall Mark of Excellence Award, or to learn how you can support FasterSkier’s coverage, please contact info@fasterskier.com. In the men’s Overall World Cup competition, Harald Oestberg Amundsen (NOR) holds a commanding 300 point lead over teammate Erik Valnes. While Amundsen and Paal Golberg (NOR) have a stranglehold in the distance...

World Junior Championships Update

The International Ski Federation (FIS) Nordic Junior World Championships are being held in Planica, Slovenia February 5–11. So far, two events have been contested, the Freestyle Sprints, and the 20-kilometer Freestyle Mass Start. Freestyle Sprints The Sprints were held on a 1.2-kilometer course for both the men and women. Women’s Freestyle Sprint FIRST       Gina Del Rio (AND) SECOND  Samantha Smith (USA) THIRD     Milla Grosberghaugen Andreassen (NOR) Remarkably, every American competitor qualified...

Olympic Medalists and Rookies Rub Shoulders in Canmore

CANMORE, ALBERTA — Abbey Zimmer and Natalie Meinert peered over a railing out onto the course at the cross-country ski center here Thursday, where dozens of the world’s best athletes were amidst their pre-race routines. The 14-year-olds had driven seven hours to Canmore with their parents from icy Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. They were there to ski on some snowy trails and for a weekend of watching racers that they normally only see on highlight reels. “We...

Viewing/Streaming North American World Cups

North American World Cup racing means a whole different set of start times for viewers who’ve been early-rising viewers of this season’s World Cup events. For the next week, we’ll be able to watch World Cup action while sunlight streams in the windows! With races conducted during daylight hours, FasterSkier is hoping more viewers than ever will access the live-streamed action. Streamed race coverage (on skiandsnowboardlive.com) will continue for all Canmore, Alberta events. Free streaming...

Youth Olympic Games Recap

The Youth Olympic Games are an Olympic-style competition (both summer and winter) staged for athletes between the ages of 15-18. In the winter of 2024, Gangwon Korea hosted over 1,800 young athletes in this celebration of sport, sportsmanship, and fellowship. Start young athletes early on all three, and the world is likely to be a better place. The Youth Olympics is also a chance for young stars of the future to step on to the...

Minneapolis World Cup: All Systems Go!

This coverage is made possible through the generous support of Marty and Kathy Hall and A Hall Mark of Excellence Award. To learn more about A Hall Mark of Excellence Award, or to learn how you can support FasterSkier’s coverage, please contact info@fasterskier.com. This has been a terrible winter for skiing in much of North America, particularly in the midwest. With temperatures consistently above freezing and little snowfall, most races in the region have either been...

The Devon Kershaw Show: A James Clinton Canmore bonus with JC Schoonmaker

Coming in hot from Canmore, Alberta, where the World Cup circuit makes its North American return after five years away. We’ve got a preview here of sorts, featuring an interview with JC Schoonmaker, the California-raised U.S. Ski Team member who made his first World Cup podium earlier this season. We cover his rude awakening to the demands of elite-level training, his affection for his adopted home of Alaska and get some fun details about his...

France Snags Mixed Relay Gold Ahead of Norway at Biathlon World Championships

FasterSkier’s Coverage of the Biathlon World Championships is made possible through the generous support of the Craftsbury Outdoor Center: New England’s finest snowmaking, world class race venues and touring trails, healthy food in abundance, comfortable accommodations at Craftsbury:  Sports, Sustainability, Stewardship.   In the opening race of the 2024 Biathlon World Championships, France overcame heavy favorite Norway to take gold in the 4×6 k Mixed Relay. It was a tightly contested race with 25 nations...

Up Next: Biathlon World Championships

FasterSkier’s Coverage of the Biathlon World Championships is made possible through the generous support of the Craftsbury Outdoor Center: New England’s finest snowmaking, world class race venues and touring trails, healthy food in abundance, comfortable accommodations at Craftsbury:  Sports, Sustainability, Stewardship.   The 2024 Biathlon World Championships open on Wednesday, February 7 in the countryside town of Nove Mesto na Morave in the Czech Republic. While not widely known as a winter wonderland, Nove Mesto...

2024 BMW IBU World Championships Preview

After two training weeks in Italy, the U.S. Biathlon Team is geared up for the 2024 BMW IBU World Championships in Nove Mesto na Morave, Czech Republic. The two week event features 12 different races, giving each athlete multiple opportunities for success and fans a taste of each biathlon discipline. Racing will kick off with the mixed relay on Wednesday, February 7. Looking back at past World Championship highlights, only a handful of U.S. athletes...

Local Olympians Crawford and Atkins Excited for Canmore World Cup

This week in Canmore, the Bow Valley will host about 200 athletes from 19 countries at the International Ski Federation (FIS) Cross-Country World Cup, the 11th stop on the international docket and the first time in North America in eight years. The races include 10 k freestyle individual starts on Friday, freestyle sprints on Saturday, 20 k classic mass starts on Sunday, a day of rest, then classic sprints on Tuesday, Feb. 13, at the...

Homecoming

At the edge of the parking lot at the Wild Wings Ski Touring Center stands a strategically placed, much used, and much loved snow pile. Getting up speed by dropping down the short slope in front of the main building, young skiers catch air off the top of the pile, daring each other to ever-bigger, ever-trickier leaps. They’ve been doing it for years. Ben Ogden, Sophie Caldwell, Simi Hamilton, Katharine Ogden, Bill Koch, Fin Bailey....

How the Heck Do You Actually Get Better?

You’ve plateaued? What’s the deal? Is it insufficient rest; is it that you peaked too early; is it that you need to train harder? There is an article, Facebook post, podcast, YouTube video, and probably a thousand other forms of media dedicated to figuring out just about every component of training. So, with all this information available, why do so many athletes face such an uphill battle to reach their goals? From amateur to elite,...

World-Class Canmore Gears Up for Another World Cup

Canmore is one of those places that truly lives up to the hype. Nestled in the Canadian Rockies in southwestern Alberta, the small town with an authentically outdoorsy and Western Canadian vibe is definitely “bucket-list” worthy for anyone who hasn’t visited yet. Locals say it’s a combination of the scenic backdrop, with jagged peaks on all sides rising around the town and Canmore Nordic Centre Provincial Park, and the community—most everyone here lives and breathes...