Kristen Skjeldal is doing an exotic summer trip. – My wife has worked with an aid-project for street children in Mongolia for five years. She is going back to visit children and colleagues in Ulan Bator, the capitol. I want to go with her and it’s possible to train by running, biking and doing strength there. I’m going to stay in shape, says Skjeldal. Skjeldal got married on May 22 and the couple is calling...
Far West Nordic just completed it’s Eastern Sierra Junior Training camp. Set in the spectacular surroundings of June Lake, California (on the eastern edge of Yosemite Natl. Park near Mammoth Lakes), 26 juniors rollerskied, hiked, ski-walked, climbed and swam ‘til near exhaustion for four days. The camp was run by former 2-time Olympian and multiple national champion Nancy Fiddler, along with 5 additional Far West and Auburn Ski Club coaches. Highlights of the camp included...
Marte Elden is a member of both the Norwegian junior national team in cross country skiing and in track and field. She captured a silver medal at Junior Nationals last winter and almost made the semifinal at the Junior World’s track and field championship in the 800 meter running event last week. Elden was one of only four Norwegians who qualified for the Junior World’s track and field championship in Groseto, Italy  Coming into...
The second set of my vacation photos are from a running and sightseeing session on some of the trails I used to run daily when I was a kid, training for track, cross country running and skiing. The myth: A rock to the Viking Queen ensures good luck The first stop was after only a few kilometers to “throw a rock to the old Viking Queen†in order to ensure good luck. This is a...
Borre Naess won a classic rollerski sprint on wooden surface at the harbor in Tonsberg, Norway on July 17. Numerous pole tip problems were reported on the roughly 500 meter long, straight forward and totally flat race course. The field included all three Aukland brothers, Jens Arne Svartedal, Lars Christian Aabol Havard Skorstad, Borre Naess and Kristian Horntvedt. Thousands of summer tourists surrounded the course. Havard Skorstad edged out Fredrik Aukland and Borre Naess beat...
The second year senior skier (22) was prior to last season one of many young and talented Cross-Country skiers in Norway. Noone raised their eyebrows at his 23rd place in the Junior World Championships two years ago. His first season as a senior skier was uneventful as well. Everything seemed as usual with his 27th place at the National season opener in Norway last November. But then something started to happen! U-23 at Soldier Hollow...
The Norwegian Junior National Team consists of twelve boys and girls, including three returning team members. In other words, Coach Jon Arne Schetne has an almost brand new team to take care of. This year’s team has about the same number of training camps as earlier, about 35 days for the year. In addition to a glacier ski camp at Sognefjell in June, and two camps after snow arrived in November, it is mostly dryland...
New photo mini-series: I grew up in a small sleepy town called Langesund, on the coast of Telemark, Norway. The population is roughly 3000 and I’m currently “back in the old country†on summer vacation for three weeks. Not much is putting this place on the nation’s map or in the headlines except the music scene. A few years ago, Bob Dylan performed a half a kilometer from my parent’s house and a few weeks...
World Championship medallist Tore Ruud Hofstad is focusing on being better at what he is best at – skating. Hofstad is therefore training specifically for skating towards next season, and will let classical technique training suffer a bit.
From Race Director Travis Jones: I need to let everyone know that we have decided to cancel the Idaho Rollerski Series for 2004. we've only had a few people interested in taking part, and it's just way to much work for a field of 10 people… Sorry – maybe next year! Thanks to all for your offers of help!! Thanks, Travis Jones
After many seasons with several breaks in training due to illness and injuries, Ella Gjœmle is finally healthy and ready to train with her teammates on the Norwegian National Team. Illness and injuries have expectedly affected her prior training, but Ella now looks forward to the future. Prior to last season she decided to have her tonsils removed, which dramatically reduced her normal number of infections. Staying healthy and injury free should make a big...
Anthony Evans is Australia’s most successful ever cross-country ski racer. He skied at three Winter Olympics and a number of World Championships. His results included a 34th in the 50km at the Albertville Winter Olympics and a 36th in the 10km classic at the World Championships in Trondheim in 1997. He is now retired from international competition but is still highly competitive on the domestic scene despite fitting in his new role as a father...
I heard a strange beeping sound yesterday and I tried to figure out why my alarm clock had a “4†where the hour should be. Then I remembered. I was pre-registered to run the 11th Annual Minnesota Half Voyageur Trail Marathon. My wife muttered something like, “Run, Forrest, Run†as I got up to eat my pre-race oatmeal. I’ve run a few road marathons, but yesterday was my first trail marathon. As they say here...
Idaho Rollerski Series 2004 July 23-25, 2004 Boise, ID The Idaho Twilight Rollerski Sprint has been expanded into a series for summer 2004! This year, we have added a classic distance event and a freestyle sprint relay to the schedule to make for a full weekend of racing. SCHEDULE: Friday, July 23 MORMON CRICKET CLASSIC 1-2:00 pm Registration and Bib Pick-Up. Bogus Basin Downtown Office, 2600 Bogus Basin Road. 3:00 pm Mormon Cricket Classic. Classic...
The next Fasterskier.com training and rollerski camp will be on September 16 — 19, 2004 in Park City, Utah. The coaches Torbjorn Karlsen and John Aalberg will focus on technique and specific strength, ski-imitation and quality training for Cross-Country skiers. September is a crucial time of the year for ski training and we will help you prepare most effectively for the upcoming season. More details on camp schedule will follow in a few weeks. Make...
New Zealand: Where the USST turns training into results Our skiers spent the early spring recovering from the racing season, the late spring building back up to training and starting in May they are training full-bore. With three months of training behind them the team heads to New Zealand aiming to connect the dots between rollerskiing, general and specific strength, running, bounding with the specifics of skiing on snow. Since we ski right from the...
Our two daughters, ages 8 and 12, participated at former NBA six-time All-star Lou Hudson's basketball camp in Park City last week. Hudson’s message in his opening speech was very clear: “I’m not here to make you star basket ball players, but if you want to reach your potential and become good some day, work on fundamentals and drills.
BRIEF UPDATE ON THE CENTRAL CROSS COUNTRY SKIING REGIONAL ELITE CAMP AT CRESTHILL RESORT, HAYWARD, WI JULY 3-10, 2004 DAYS 3-6 July 9- FROM THE COACHES: Some vacationers have considered the unseasonably cool weather here in the Northwoods to be less than optimal, but the weather has been excellent for training. Our focus on Monday was strength. The morning session included an easy run on the Birkie trail with explosive ski-specific lower body strength on one of...
Twenty year old Dasha Gaiazova skied herself on to the Canadian team after a good season where she was a member of the relay team that captured bronze in the sprint relay at the U-23 Worlds. She is now a member of Canada’s Team 2006 following two years on the junior team. Fasterskier.com got a chance to ask her some questions.  One of my favorite photos from last season is the one of you skiing behind...
Swedish ski star Per Elofsson is known as a car buff and has now started “Project Streetfighter†Elofsson, who has started the training to make it back into the international cross-country ski elite, also has also other projects going. He has started what he is calling “Project Streetfighter†where he is re-building a Ford Cobra 2003 model. The engine is going to be increased to no less than 800 horsepower. He is planning on having...