HomeAuthor

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.
Nordic Nation: Back on the Podium with Sweden’s Hanna Falk
InterviewsNordic NationPodcastsWorld Cup

Nordic Nation: Back on the Podium with Sweden’s Hanna Falk

Jason AlbertSeptember 7, 2017

Hanna Falk, 28, knows the top spots are tough to get and fleeting. In 2010, her first full year on the World Cup, she burst onto the scene and finished an astounding fifth overall in the final sprint rankings. That early success was hindered by illness. By 2015, Falk rebounded, and this past season finished as the third-ranked sprinter on the World Cup and 20th overall. Falk stuck with it, even with a podium drought that...

CONTINUE READING
Grand Prix Continues: Bryan Fletcher 15th in Tschagguns, Taylor Fletcher Wears Red Bib (Updated)
DrylandNewsNordic CombinedRacing

Grand Prix Continues: Bryan Fletcher 15th in Tschagguns, Taylor Fletcher Wears Red Bib (Updated)

Jason AlbertAugust 30, 2017

After during a provisional competition round (PCR). Beyond the top-tier competition, the Summer Grand Prix offers the opportunity for athletes to test equipment and experience how new rules are enforced. One of the key rules has to do with suit permeability. “I got DQ’d in the first PCR because my suit didn’t pass enough air,” Fetcher wrote in an email. “I wasn’t trying to cheat, but actually it was very warm and I was sweating...

CONTINUE READING
At 49, Richard Boruta Leaves a Biathlon Legacy
BiathlonBiathlon CanadaNews

At 49, Richard Boruta Leaves a Biathlon Legacy

Jason AlbertAugust 24, 2017

Few nordic ski racing and biathlon venues are as awe-inspiring as the Canmore Nordic Centre in Alberta, Canada. Just south of the venue, amidst the geologic upheaval that is the Canadian Rockies, punches the Zina Kocher, a three-time Canadian Olympic biathlete, fostered a deep connection to Boruta as she emerged onto the Canadian biathlon radar. Kocher told FasterSkier on the phone that she qualified for the national championships in 12th grade at age 17. To...

CONTINUE READING
Taylor Fletcher Leads U.S. in 11th on Day 2 of NoCo Grand Prix
DrylandGeneralNewsNordic CombinedRacingResults

Taylor Fletcher Leads U.S. in 11th on Day 2 of NoCo Grand Prix

Jason AlbertAugust 23, 2017

Green grass, plastic jumping surfaces, big jumps, sunshine, rollerskis and no snow means one thing. It’s August in Europe and it’s time for the International Ski Federation (FIS) Nordic Combined Summer Grand Prix 2017. Last weekend Aug. 19-20, Oberwiesenthal, Germany hosted a two-day Grand Prix event. Day 1 featured a two-person team event with the requisite jump and 2 x 7.5-kilometer cross-country race to determine the winners. Czech Republic’s first team (Czech Republic I), comprised of...

CONTINUE READING
Wednesday Workout: Recovery Surf with Ajax
LifestyleResourcesTrainingWorkouts

Wednesday Workout: Recovery Surf with Ajax

Jason AlbertAugust 16, 2017

BEND, Ore. — It’s August. That means a few things to keep in mind. Out West, it’s been hot and dry. Mid-90 temps have been the norm and in places like Bend, it’s in the teens for humidity. Don’t forget to top that with smoky air from surrounding wildfires. On the East Coast, high humidity can turn an early morning workout into a tropical death march. Left or right coast, even in the Rockies and...

CONTINUE READING
Nordic Nation: Calling John Caldwell
MultimediaNordic NationPodcasts

Nordic Nation: Calling John Caldwell

Jason AlbertAugust 11, 2017

  Flashback to 1964. That’s six years after the mega-fad of hula hooping, and five years before the psychedelic haze of Woodstock. A time when the country teetered towards war protest and Tricky Dick … (as in, “I am not a crook.” — Richard Nixon). What could possibly supplant hula hoops and pending cultural disruption? You guessed it, cross-country skiing. In 1964, John Caldwell wrote the first edition, of eight editions in total, what’s now...

CONTINUE READING
Craftsbury Outdoor Center’s Economic ‘Ecosystem’ at Risk
GeneralNewsRegional / Local

Craftsbury Outdoor Center’s Economic ‘Ecosystem’ at Risk

Jason AlbertAugust 3, 2017

A critical issue looms in Craftsbury, Vt. — home to what nordic skiers know as the Craftsbury Outdoor Center (COC). The COC runs sculling camps on the adjacent Great Hosmer Pond. Currently, motorboats and scullers share access on the pond. The tippy-sleek sculls are best on glassy water — meaning no wind and restricted speeds for any motor boats. Some homeowners along the pond are frustrated with what they claim is the COC’s monopolization of...

CONTINUE READING
Nordic Nation: The Astrid Chronicles
InterviewsMultimediaNordic NationPodcasts

Nordic Nation: The Astrid Chronicles

Jason AlbertJuly 28, 2017

Astrid Uhrenholdt Jacobsen. At 30 years old, Jacobsen is a longtime member of the venerable Norwegian national ski team — and she’s truly busy. Her career on the World Cup has spanned a decade, bookended by her first World Championship medal in 2007 in Sapporo, Japan (a sprint), and three 2017 World Champ medals in Lahti, Finland. There, Jacobsen placed third in the 10-kilometer classic and 30 k skate and was part of the winning...

CONTINUE READING
InterviewsMultimediaNordic NationPodcasts

Nordic Nation: The Moxie Episode with Jesse Knori

Jason AlbertJuly 21, 2017

physical and emotional pain. (For all the details, you’ll have to listen to the podcast episode below.) As a middle schooler, Knori was diagnosed with severe rheumatoid arthritis. Knori skied at CU and notched 15th in the classic sprint at this year’s U23 Nordic World Championships in Utah. Clearly, Knori didn’t let her autoimmune condition dictate her goal setting. Bottom line, Knori  is as tough as they come. And she’s a sixth-generation Jackson Hole native and new...

CONTINUE READING
OTP Cuts Biathlon Canada’s Base Funding to Zero
Biathlon CanadaGeneralNews

OTP Cuts Biathlon Canada’s Base Funding to Zero

Jason AlbertJuly 20, 2017

If you made it past the article’s title, then get ready to immerse yourself in the intricacies of Canadian high-performance sports funding. OK, here it goes…money, money, money. Add this for effect, $. Imagine for a moment you’re the CEO of a national sporting body and you’ve got high aspirations — things like championship and Olympic medals. There’s an infinite amount of puzzle pieces to organize and assemble. There are two critical pieces to even...

CONTINUE READING
Flying Farther: Developing Ski Jumping and NoCo, USA Nordic Style
GeneralNewsNordic CombinedSki Jumping

Flying Farther: Developing Ski Jumping and NoCo, USA Nordic Style

Jason AlbertJuly 10, 2017

Three years ago, U.S. Ski and Snowboard (officially dropped nordic combined from its funding rolls. It was a potentially big blow and flat-liner moment for a program coming off one the most successful runs in U.S. nordic sports history. As recently as 2013, the foursome of Todd Lodwick, Billy Demong, Bryan Fletcher, and Taylor Fletcher earned bronze in the team event at World Championships in Val di Fiemme, Italy. Now, under the umbrella of USA Nordic, and two World Championships...

CONTINUE READING
Nordic Nation: US Biathlon’s Joanne Reid Makes Her Mark
InterviewsMultimediaNordic NationPodcastsUS Biathlon

Nordic Nation: US Biathlon’s Joanne Reid Makes Her Mark

Jason AlbertJune 27, 2017

Joanne Reid was at the proverbial fork in the road: pursue academics after graduating with an Applied Mathematics degree from the University of Colorado-Boulder (CU) or compete as an elite-level nordic skier? Reid was coming off a collegiate season where she won the 15-kilometer freestyle and helped the CU Buffs win outright at NCAA Skiing Championships. It turns out, Reid, who turns 25 on Wednesday, is near completion for a master’s in engineering. And as it turns out, she...

CONTINUE READING
Houghton-Bound: Tom Smith Hired as Michigan Tech Nordic Coach
CollegiateGeneralInterviewsNews

Houghton-Bound: Tom Smith Hired as Michigan Tech Nordic Coach

Jason AlbertJune 23, 2017

Locked in the heart of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula on an arm of land stretching into Lake Superior is the small city of Houghton. Locals there are intimate with lake-effect snow, long winters and a strong sense of community. Houghton is also home to Michigan Technological University (MTU) and the school’s nordic ski team, which officially named MTU’s newest nordic head coach and cross-country running assistant coach. He’ll be joined by his partner and MTU alumna, Kristen Monahan,...

CONTINUE READING
Nordic Nation: Freeman, A Sample Size of One (Updated Edition)
MultimediaNordic NationPodcasts

Nordic Nation: Freeman, A Sample Size of One (Updated Edition)

Jason AlbertJune 20, 2017

originally posted his audio interview: “Few athletes remain at the top end of endurance for five years, let alone a single decade. New Hampshire native Kris Freeman, at 36, has been chasing fast times and fast skiers around cross-country ski loops for 16 years as a professional. For much of that time, Freeman was a staple on the men’s US Ski Team (USST). He posted the best results for a US skier in over two...

CONTINUE READING
InterviewsNewsTeam nominationsUS Ski Team

The Incrementalist: Scott Patterson Gets USST Nod

Jason AlbertJune 8, 2017

Alaska Pacific University’s (APU) 25-year-old Scott Patterson isn’t easily distracted. His is a busy schedule with a repetitive cycle like something out of the movie “Groundhog Day”. In Patterson’s case, the routine goes something like this: wake, eat, train, eat, work, train, sleep … repeat. “My general plan is I try to put in about 25 hours a week,” Patterson said over the phone from his home base in Anchorage. Just so we’re clear, that’s...

CONTINUE READING
From D to B: Paddy Caldwell’s Natural Progression
InterviewsNewsTeam nominationsUS Ski Team

From D to B: Paddy Caldwell’s Natural Progression

Jason AlbertJune 6, 2017

Back in December of 2010, 15-year-old Patrick “Paddy” Caldwell was racing amongst grown men. He finished 17th in an International Ski Federation (FIS) classic sprint held in Craftsbury, Vt. Today, at 23, Caldwell skis for the Stratton Mountain School (SMS) Elite Team and is a newly minted U.S. Ski Team (USST) B-team member. To put things in perspective, during that 2010 Craftsbury sprint, Patrick O’Brien, Caldwell’s current primary coach and head of the SMS Elite Team, was nearly 23...

CONTINUE READING
Nordic Nation: The Lowell Bailey Session
MultimediaNordic NationPodcastsUS Biathlon

Nordic Nation: The Lowell Bailey Session

Jason AlbertMay 26, 2017

And this past winter on one day in mid-February, Bailey was perfect. On Feb. 16, he won the 20-kilometer individual race at the 2017 International Biathlon Union (IBU) World Championships Hochfilzen, Austria. Ten days ago, FasterSkier sat down with Bailey in Bend. The US Biathlon team was in town for an on-snow camp up at Mt. Bachelor. Bailey, of Lake Placid, N.Y., is a biathlon lifer,  a husband and a dad. He plans on racing one more season through...

CONTINUE READING

Newer Posts

Older Posts