World Cup Streaming—Late-Nite Viewing and Daylight Replays

Years ago,  I woke up early-early-early each morning to watch America’s Cup sailboat racing being broadcast live from Australia. Races filmed from hovering helicopters, boats inching (so it seemed) across the waves, occasional graphics showing virtual start lines and finish lines superimposed on the water, tactics played out seemingly in slow-motion, commentators speaking in code: it could’ve been stultifyingly dull. But it was thrilling . . . and totally worth it to wake up in the middle of the night.

To the uninitiated (or to those who require bumper-to-bumper danger in order to continue paying attention) cross-country skiing broadcasts can feel like that. Especially since—when those events are broadcast live—those races must be watched n the middle of the night. And it takes a certain sort of athletic sophistication to truly appreciate such solitary endurance events. FasterSkier readers have just that sort of sport-appreciation . . . and our favorite season is almost upon us!

skiandsnowboard.live

As has been the case in recent seasons, all FIS World Cup races (including the Tour de Ski) may be streamed live on skiandsnowboard.live. Subscription packages are available for purchase on their website, and their calendar of race events is fairly easy to use. Navigating the site is not difficult, though Nordic viewers should remember that the landing page of the site is devoted to the Alpine disciplines. You’re not in the wrong place, you just need to navigate to the “Nordic” options. There, you’ll find a lineup of events that include Nordic Combined, Ski Jumping, and Nordic events with listed broadcast times automatically corresponding to the region/time zone in which any viewer is situated. All events will be streamed live, and wil also have the option of being streamed as full-length replays.

When compared to last season’s Ski and Snowboard Live coverage, the primary change is that Sprint events are divided into two different screening start times (on the same day). On those Sprint days, they now identify “qualifying” as the earlier broadcast, and “finals” as the later broadcast. We’ll see how that plays out. Could this mean that they’re streaming the actual qualifying round? That would be cool, but it’s really not necessary for most viewers, especially on a broadcast day (Sprints) that’s already considerably longer than any other broadcast except maybe a 50 k. One way or another, I’ll be up early to see whats going on on Sprint Day #1. And I’m kind of a ski nerd . . . so if I start by watching the qualifying, I’m likely to hang around through the heats and the final. I may be a zombie for the rest of the weekend, but at least I’ll have seen it all with my own two eyes.

For North American viewers, Live World Cup viewing makes for an early morning, but it means you’ll be able to enjoy spectating in peace—no one asking “Why would anyone wake up in the middle of the night watch cross-country ski racing?” We know why: it’s thrilling, and totally worth it to wake up in the middle of the night.