2008 May

PARK CITY, Utah (May 15) – Phil McNichol (Park City, UT), who retired after 12 years of service with the U.S. Ski Team following the 2008 season, is being distinguished as the 2008 USSA International Coach of the Year for his contributions and commitment to the successes of the men's U.S. Alpine Ski Team. Alaska Pacific University Nordic Center's Erik Flora (Anchorage), who has been influential in the careers of many cross country skiers including...

The Salt Lake Tribune reports that Former USST member and two-time Olympian Wendy Wagner is part of a University of Utah team that has been hired to map snow characteristics for the Vancouver Olympics. The team is led by University of Utah meteorology professor John Horel, who helped conceive the idea of mapping the surface of competition snow at the 2002 Winter Games. The practical outcome is more information for waxing teams, and a leveling...

McLean, VA (May 8, 2008) — The snow sports products market grew by $280 million to reach $2.97 billion for the 2007.08 season, up from approximately $2.69 billion in all channels last season. Equipment sales were relatively flat in specialty shops and chain stores but increased by more than $40 million in online sales. Apparel sales increased by more than $100 million with snowboard tops and parkas selling very well in all channels. Kurt Widen,...

The summit of Wolf Creek Pass outside of Woodland, UT is 45 minutes from Heber City, UT. As you can see, there is still an average of about 6 feet of snow on top of the pass. There are beautiful trees, meadows, and views which make the skiing even more enjoyable. Enjoy the photos and video!

As part of the on-snow training camp, which ends today, the US Ski Team held several simulated competitions, including an individual sprint, complete with qualification and heats, and a sprint relay. Photos from the individual sprint and more info on the camp can be found here: Mike Sinnott and Colin Rodgers leading the charge Kris Freeman out in front Freeman in the mush Coach Justin Wadsworth dressed for the weather

WHISTLER, BC (May 10) – Eager to master the 2010 Olympic trails early on, the U.S. Cross Country Ski Team headed to Whistler, BC for its summer training camp to get a feel for the terrain they will be competing on in less than two years. “It's great to be on the Olympic courses. I feel like we're really getting to know them. Just being in the area, it's starting to feel a little more...

Crust skiing in Alaska has remained amazing! This Saturday, the Alaska Winter Stars took advantage of the stellar snow conditions in the Chugach Mountains just outside of Anchorage at around 2000 feet above sea level. Cole Talbot, Andrew Dougherty, and I went for a 3-hour OD ski, starting from the Glen Alps Trailhead. After an hour of skiing in Powerline Valley, we decided to try something new, so we skied up a mountain called “The...

As usual before a season with the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships, the changes in the coaching ranks for the Cross-Country World Cup teams have been minimal. Here is a summary of some that have come to the attention of the FIS Newsflash: In Canada, the new World Cup coach will be the Norwegian Arild Monsen, a former top skier, who is a FIS Technical Delegate and coached Team Trondelag in Norway last season. As...

I’m writing this article to show fellow FasterSkier readers how easy it is to recycle ski wax. I’ve been recycling ski wax for a while now, and hopefully the following instructions and pictures of how I recycle ski wax will encourage others to consider doing the same. What do I mean by “recycling” ski wax? I’m referring to taking the wax shavings generated from scraping skis, melting them down and making new bars of ski...

The US Ski team is midway through an on-snow training camp on the Olympic trails in the Callaghan Valley. Running from April 30th to May 12th, the main purpose of the camp is to allow the athletes to become intimately familiar with the entire Olympic venue. This includes working on specific techniques for the courses. From a training standpoint, the team is primarily skiing easy distance in the mornings and resting or dryland training in...