Nordic Nation: The So-Long-for-Now Episode with Noah Hoffman

It’s the first of our “so long for now” episodes. In the code speak of sport, that means retirement. No North American nordic sport athlete has been as prolific blogging about their life as recently retired skier Noah Hoffman. He’s also been a willing participant on this podcast in the past, exploring the realities of making a go of it as an American on the World Cup. At 28, Hoffman enters a brave new world beyond cross-country skiing. In this episode, we discuss what’s next with Hoffman and of course, we dive into what he’s learned as a pro athlete.

American Noah Hoffman racing in the 15 k freestyle at the 2018 Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea, where he finished 48th. (Photo: FlyingPointRoad)

We connected with Hoffman while he was in Cleveland on his first transcontinental road trip. For an athlete that has lived the life of training plans for as long as he can remember …. Hoffman’s future looks wide open. It should also be noted that the sport will have lost a kind and worthy personality. That is until Hoffman shows up some years from now and crushes some master’s race.

American Noah Hoffman with his dad after finishing the Holmenkollen 50 k freestyle mass start in Oslo, Norway, on March 10 for the final race of his pro skiing career. (Photo: Liz Stephen)

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Jason Albert

Jason lives in Bend, Ore., and can often be seen chasing his two boys around town. He’s a self-proclaimed audio geek. That all started back in the early 1990s when he convinced a naive public radio editor he should report a story from Alaska’s, Ruth Gorge. Now, Jason’s common companion is his field-recording gear.