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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.
Kalla Beats Bjørgen for Ruka Crown: ‘I have been waiting for this day’; Bjornsen 10th, Diggins 12th
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Kalla Beats Bjørgen for Ruka Crown: ‘I have been waiting for this day’; Bjornsen 10th, Diggins 12th

Jason AlbertNovember 26, 2017

After two days of racing in Kuusamo, Finland, the Ruka Triple turned its last page on Sunday. As it turned out, the women’s 10-kilometer freestyle pursuit was a thriller. Sweden’s Charlotte Kalla came into the final day of the mini tour wearing bib 1 and with only a 2-second lead on the last person one might want skiing on their tails, Norway’s Marit Bjørgen.   The gamesmanship, the change of pace, skiing’s version of the...

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Sadie Bjornsen Second in First Race of Season; Nilsson Tops Ruka Classic Sprint
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Sadie Bjornsen Second in First Race of Season; Nilsson Tops Ruka Classic Sprint

Jason AlbertNovember 24, 2017

On Friday in Kuusamo, Finland, the 2017/2018 Cross Country World Cup began with the first day of racing in what’s called the Ruka Triple — a three-day event featuring a 1.4-kilometer classic sprint, 10 and 15 k classic races on Day 2, and 10/15 k freestyle pursuits on Sunday. For many, considering how multifaceted the U.S. Ski Team (USST) women are, and how five to six of them are podium threats, the biggest step up...

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DopingGeneralNews

WADA’s 2016 Anti-Doping Testing Figures Through the Lens of Nordic Sport

Jason AlbertNovember 23, 2017

according to WADA, indicates that “while there may not be an adverse analytical finding, there may be some suspicion according to the results and that further analysis or investigation should be conducted.” After an ATF is investigated, it could lead to a negative result (the suspicion was not warranted), an AAF (something was found), or it may be canceled. WADA stresses that in reading and interpreting 2016 Anti-Doping testing Figures report, “one single result does...

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FantasyInterviewsMultimediaNordic NationPodcasts

Nordic Nation: Not a Fantasy, Hoffman Teams with FasterSkier for 2017/2018 Fantasy XC

Jason AlbertNovember 22, 2017

eponymous fantasy league. Last year at this time, we did a full-blown analysis of Hoffman’s ski league, exploring the origins of the league, hearing how Adam got involved and then falling into a serious wormhole learning how some fantasy league experts pick their teams. Here’s a link to that episode.  Strategize, log in and pick you team. For this long weekend of racing, you have to have your team registered before midnight (EST) on Thursday....

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NewsRacing

Kalla Continues to Dominate in Gällivare; Russia Sweeps Men’s 15 k Classic

Jason AlbertNovember 18, 2017

https://www.instagram.com/p/BbpElh6gxkx/?taken-by=kalla_87 Note: This article has been updated to include comments from Sweden’s Charlotte Kalla. For the second day in a row, Charlotte Kalla, a name synonymous with the yellow and blue of Sweden, stood atop the podium, placing first in the women’s 10-kilometer classic International Ski Federation (FIS) race on Saturday in Gällivare, Sweden. who was recently handed down a lifetime Olympic ban by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), did not start the race. Russia...

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Nordic Nation: Straight Up Erik Bjornsen
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Nordic Nation: Straight Up Erik Bjornsen

Jason AlbertNovember 10, 2017

they are strong shoulders. After a summer and fall of solid training, the younger of the two Bjornsens on the U.S. Ski Team (his sister Sadie is a teammate) has high expectations for this Olympic year. Rather than a product of stats and results, Bjornsen is a believer in himself. He studies the sports’ stars, analyzing what makes them technically efficient. He makes the hard workouts count. It’s a method Bjornsen hopes will serve him...

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Nordic Nation: Joran Elias is the Statistical Skier
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Nordic Nation: Joran Elias is the Statistical Skier

Jason AlbertOctober 27, 2017

statisticalskier.com (which is more of a blog that has not been updated in awhile) and Gebhardt sportsmanship award his senior year in 2001 (and noted on his blog that “Graduate school taught me many things, among them that I hate academia and that I love wrangling data. Given the choice between wrangling awesome data and making tons of money, I’ll choose the former.  Hence this website.” Sport is rife with those trying to understand the winning,...

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Emily Dreissigacker on World Cup Cusp
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Emily Dreissigacker on World Cup Cusp

Jason AlbertOctober 25, 2017

Say this name three-times fast: “Dreissigacker”. Not so easy at first. Break the four-syllable surname into discrete parts: Driess (with a hard I) – i – gack – er. It then rolls off the tongue … Dreissigacker. In northern Vermont and in particular around the Craftsbury Outdoor Center, Emily Dreissigacker, of the Craftsbury Green Racing Project (CGRP) is as well known a name as any. Her parents, Dick Dreissigacker and Judy Geer, bought the Outdoor...

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Nordic Nation: Max Cobb, US Biathlon’s Straight Shooter
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Nordic Nation: Max Cobb, US Biathlon’s Straight Shooter

Jason AlbertOctober 18, 2017

nearly three decades, Cobb has been part of US Biathlon — first as an organizer of the domestic racing series and eventually as the executive director in March of 2006. Just over a year ago, he was elected like 2017 IBU World Championships medalists Lowell Bailey and Susan Dunklee. Cobb’s budget is the mighty mouse of the biathlon world, and on many days, the high-performance team (both coaches and athletes) can slay the Goliaths of...

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From Biathlon to XC: Kocher Un-Retires for a Run at PyeongChang
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From Biathlon to XC: Kocher Un-Retires for a Run at PyeongChang

Jason AlbertOctober 13, 2017

“I’m un-retiring for six months,” 34-year-old Zina Kocher said with a laugh on the phone earlier this week.  Kocher, who lives in Canmore, Alberta, announced via Instagram on Oct. 2 that she was returning to elite-level racing with the one-and-done hope of making the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea. As she referenced in her social-media post, Kocher’s return to the trails will be “4k” (kilograms) lighter — her current run at the Olympics...

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Nordic Nation: The Two-Halves-Make-a-Whole Edition with Team Gregg
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Nordic Nation: The Two-Halves-Make-a-Whole Edition with Team Gregg

Jason AlbertOctober 6, 2017

on-snow camp at New Zealand’s Snow Farm. Along with the usual “how’s the training going”, questions, you’ll hear about the unique way the Greggs financed their house and what the future holds. (To subscribe to the Nordic Nation podcast channel, download the iTunes app. If you have iTunes, subscribe to Nordic Nation here.) Have a podcast idea? Please email

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Stephen on Switching It Up and Staying Fresh
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Stephen on Switching It Up and Staying Fresh

Jason AlbertOctober 3, 2017

There is no faking a smile. As a visual social-media feed, Instagram places a premium on how we’d like to be perceived by the viewing world. Instagram’s editing tools come with an assortment of beautifying filters. But smiles? Fake smiles are filter-proof. Although not a habitual Instagram poster, scroll through U.S. Ski Team (USST) athlete Liz Stephen’s account, @lizhillstephen — it’s hard not to notice her genuine grin and the smiles of those around her. Those...

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Wednesday Workout: Lung-Busting with Hanna Falk
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Wednesday Workout: Lung-Busting with Hanna Falk

Jason AlbertSeptember 27, 2017

“I have a workout that I like and usually do in the autumn when it’s time to shape up.” Those are the words of Swedish national-team member Hanna Falk. To take Falk’s words literally, it is that time of year: in the Northern Hemisphere, it’s officially autumn and “time to shape up”. In two months, the 2017/2018 World Cup will open with classic sprints on Nov. 26 in Kuusamo, Finland. For the figurative aspect of...

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Nordic Nation: The Pete Vordenberg Experience (Episode 1)
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Nordic Nation: The Pete Vordenberg Experience (Episode 1)

Jason AlbertSeptember 22, 2017

type 1 fun. Vordenberg is a keen and creative mind. When he’s not being a dad, he’s mastering his art as a photographer. His Instagram account is both stunning and eclectic. Have some time set aside before checking his account out, it can be a wormhole. Enjoy the ride listening to The Pete Vordenberg Experience. (To subscribe to the Nordic Nation podcast channel, download the iTunes app. If you have iTunes, subscribe to Nordic Nation...

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Nordic Nation: The Pete Vordenberg Experience (Episode 2)
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Nordic Nation: The Pete Vordenberg Experience (Episode 2)

Jason AlbertSeptember 22, 2017

  start there for some context. Pete Vordenberg, a two-time U.S. Olympic cross-country skier and former U.S. Ski Team coach, talks about his transformation since leaving skiing to dedicate himself to the hardest job he’s ever had: a stay-at-home dad. In Episode 2, he continues to reflect on how skiing impacted his life and how he would like it to be a part of his daughters’ lives, as well as what he thinks needs to...

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It’s Been a Bad Combo Out West: Wildfire Smoke and Training
GeneralNewsTraining

It’s Been a Bad Combo Out West: Wildfire Smoke and Training

Jason AlbertSeptember 12, 2017

This week’s featured articles are made possible thanks to the generous support of Masters World Cup 2018. The Canadian AQI is based on particulate matter 2.5 microns or smaller, but uses a 1-10+ scale with “1” being low health risk and “+” very high.) Gareth Williams, a member of Canada’s national U25 Team and a native of Kelowna, B.C., wrote in an email that the smoke was a near-constant companion this summer. “Summer has been...

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