WILMINGTON, New York — Ahh, September in the Adirondacks. Even when it rains, nothing quite beats a camp featuring long runs in the High Peaks, cliff jumping at the Flume and, most importantly, a five-mile suffer-fest up Whiteface Mountain. In case you somehow missed what happened in the Climb to the Castle, Liz Stephen (U.S. Ski Team) demolished the women’s field by over five minutes on the five-mile climb, setting a significant personal record for...
By all accounts, Petter Northug’s 2011-2012 campaign was an unexpected failure. The high-profile Norwegian star, who usually finished at or near the top of every podium he contended for, specifically set out to do two things last winter: take the Tour de Ski and win the Vasaloppet. He came up short on both counts; Switzerland’s Dario Cologna and Marcus Hellner of Sweden both beat him in the Tour in first and second, respectively, and a...
FasterSkier would like to thank the Official Results: NYSEF Climb to the Castle Women — Matt Voisin contributed reporting
This profile is part of a ‘Where Are They Now’ series, made possible through the generous support of Fischer Sports. Learn more about their products at
Who would win in a skate race, a top biathlete or nordic skier? When you follow the independent circuits of each sport, the question inevitably comes up. And if the biathlete turns out to be competitive, what would happen if he teamed up with nordic athletes for the same relay? Tim Burke dangled that idea in front of American ski fans two winters ago when he
Step one: This is the flex tester that is used on a ski after production when the epoxies and resins have had time to fully dry. This is the tester that provides us with half body weight flex, full body weight flex, and a profile of the flex pattern. A few years ago this was all the further flex testing Atomic USA underwent. For most companies, the regular retail stock for race skis ends at...
Members of the U.S. Ski Team’s National Training Group (NTG) spent last week in Park City, Utah, for a training camp centered on group training and exposure to the resources at the Center of Excellence. Athletes joined interval sessions with the national team on the rollerski track at Soldier Hollow and underwent a series of physiological tests for assessment and feedback on their development. The camp was a new addition over last year’s schedule; the...
U.S. Nordic Combined Team veteran Billy Demong took a break from ski-specific training last Saturday to compete in the Hurt in the Dirt duathlon, a trail run and bike race in Ogden, Utah. Racing against individuals and relay teams alike, Demong won the event outright in 2:01:12, over a minute ahead of a two-man team from Sandy, Utah, and over four minutes ahead of individual runner-up Weston Woodward. “I’ve never done a race like this,”...
Noah Hoffman has been all over the world this summer in search of snow, and in less than a week the U.S. Ski Team member will be jetting off again to find more. This time he’s headed to the Southern Hemisphere along with teammate Kris Freeman to train at the Snow Farm, New Zealand’s premier cross-country ski field and, until this year, a regular U.S. training destination. It won’t be the first time this summer...
The Auburn Ski Club in Truckee, Calif., is currently working towards being officially named to host the 2013 SuperTour Finals and Distance Nationals. U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association (USSA) Nordic Manager Joey Caterinichio said in an email on Tuesday that Truckee is the “tentative site” to host and should be closer to confirmation within the week. The event is scheduled for March 28/29 through April 5. “Due to the timeframe of this event, finding a place...
After a few years of experimentation with the controversial sprint qualifiers, the format is on its way out of the national calendar. Two venues that held early-season SuperTour sprint qualifiers last season are holding full heats this November, and are currently completing trail work to ensure their courses meet International Ski Federation (FIS) homologation standards. The Rendezvous Ski Trails in West Yellowstone and Bohart Ranch in Bozeman, Mont., expect their sprint courses to be ready...
On July 21, University of Vermont junior Scott Patterson became the youngest winner of the Crow Pass Crossing, a grueling 24-mile backcountry trail race in Girdwood, Alaska. With a winning time of 3:05:16.7, the 20-year-old survived thousands of feet of climbing, treacherous and overgrown terrain, a few river crossings, and the ever-present danger that “you could literally run right into a bear” — clearly, a win that signifies Patterson is in pretty good shape. But...
Athletes who buy U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association (USSA) membership and compete in National Ranking List (NRL) events throughout the season will face higher race and membership prices this winter than in previous years. Due to an increase in its own administrative and insurance costs, USSA has raised the price of some of its services, which has some coaches and regional coordinators concerned about pricing entry-level skiers out of the sport. The head tax that...
He’s been the best overall skier in the world for three separate seasons. He’s won the Tour de Ski, the grueling multi-day event that swings through central Europe each January, on three occasions. He won Switzerland’s first ever Olympic gold in cross-country in the 15 k freestyle in Vancouver, helping to bring an unprecedented amount of attention to the sport in his home country. At the age of 26 Dario Cologna has already amassed numerous...
As the world turned its attention to London this weekend for the opening days of the Summer Olympics, another set of elite American athletes were quietly logging training hours in Ramsau, Austria, in preparation for the coming winter season and, ultimately, the 2014 Winter Games. The U.S. Ski Team men began a 12-day European camp on Dachstein glacier on Saturday, where they will stay for a week before heading to Oberhof, Germany, to train in...
