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Nathaniel Herz

Nat Herz is an Alaska-based journalist who moonlights for FasterSkier as an occasional reporter and podcast host. He was FasterSkier's full-time reporter in 2010 and 2011.
The Devon Kershaw Show: Sorry Norway, America is the global xc ski capital now

This article was made possible through the generous support of our voluntary subscribers.  If you value coverage like this, please support FasterSkier with a voluntary subscription.   Deep into this winter’s Walkabout de Northern Italy, we’re wearing a little thin, but Devon rallies just before midnight to recap stages three and four. We’ll have a wrap-up after the final climb. You can reach us at devon[at]fasterskier.com and nat[at]fasterskier.com. We appreciate all the feedback we’ve been getting...

The Devon Kershaw Show: recapping stages 1&2 of the TDS, aka Tour di Northern Italy, aka an Olympic selection nightmare

This article was made possible through the generous support of our voluntary subscribers.  If you value coverage like this, please support FasterSkier with a voluntary subscription.   Devon and Nat bring you more podcast content from stages one and two of the Tour de Ski, which is proving to be a further headache for those responsible for selecting Norway’s Olympic team. We’ll be back after the next two stages. Thanks for your support. Keep the questions...

The Devon Kershaw Show: The Italian Walkabout de Ski preview, 2025 edition

This article was made possible through the generous support of our voluntary subscribers.  If you value coverage like this, please support FasterSkier with a voluntary subscription.   It’s time for the Tour de Ski, which really is just a northern Italy promenade this year — no races in Switzerland or Germany. Nonetheless, we’re excited for some fun storylines and to follow along with you this year. Here’s a quick preview. Questions? Comments? Hit us up at...

The Devon Kershaw Show: Three continents, a 135-mile ski session, and a World Cup 13th. Meet Rosie Fordham.

Rosie Fordham grew up in Sydney and has taken perhaps one of the most unconventional routes to a professional cross-country skiing career. She takes us on a tour of her epic Alaska training sessions and her sans-plumbing Fairbanks cabin. Devon is still off for Christmas, but he’ll back back soon for a Tour de Ski preview. Reach us with feedback, ideas and hate mail at devon[at]fasterskier.com and nat[at]fasterskier.com. Thanks for listening, and for your support.

The Devon Kershaw Show: Zak Ketterson moved to Norway. Now he’s having a breakout season.

After growing up in the Twin Cities, Zak Ketterson embarked on an experiment this past year, moving to Oslo and training with a Norwegian team. The decision paid off with a top-10 on the World Cup. With Devon focused on family during the Christmas season, Nat caught up with Zak to hear about training, racing and how he covers his financial obligations as a non-U.S. Ski Team athlete. Speaking of financial obligations: We’re really trying...

The Devon Kershaw Show: Slugging it out in Davos with guest Bill McKibben

This article was made possible through the generous support of our voluntary subscribers.  If you value coverage like this, please support FasterSkier with a voluntary subscription.   Climate activist and author Bill McKibben joins the show this week to recap some surprising results in Davos, including standout performances from a pair of Vermonters. We’re hoping to land some interviews before the Tour de Ski kicks off, and we’ll be back with more recaps once racing resumes....

The Devon Kershaw Show: the world champs of Norwegian Olympic qualification, and a Kersh mea culpa

This article was made possible through the generous support of our voluntary subscribers.  If you value coverage like this, please support FasterSkier with a voluntary subscription.     We’re back to recap three days of racing in Trondheim and for Devon to eat some of his words from last weekend’s podcast. We’ll have more after the World Cup swings to Switzerland this weekend. Reach us at devon[at]fasterskier.com and nat[at]fasterskier.com, and if you’re interested in supporting the...

The Devon Kershaw Show: Buckle Up for a Six-Race Ruka Recap

It’s on — the 2026 Olympic season, that is. Devon and Nat break down six season-opening races from northern Finland, including a thriller in Sunday’s men’s race. Contact us with fan mail, hate mail and everything in between: devon[at]fasterskier.com and nat[at]fasterskier.com. We’re looking for title and other sponsors for our Olympic coverage; email matthew[at]fasterskier.com with inquiries.

The Devon Kershaw Show: You Got One Shot, One Opportunity

For some, the season opening races in Sweden and Norway, especially, are tuneups. For others, they’re effectively athletes’ ‘one shot’ to qualify for the World Cup races that also operate as qualifiers for Olympic teams. Devon and Nat are back with recaps from Beitostolen and Gallivare, plus notes on early season conditions and Devon’s lonely but filling med student dinner in Oslo. Reach us at devon[at]fasterskier.com and nat[at]fasterskier.com. We’re also looking for presenting sponsors for...

The Devon Kershaw Show: Astrid Øyre Slind’s long and winding career arc

Norway’s Astrid Øyre Slind grew up in a skiing family and has been competing her whole life. But she didn’t break through at the highest level, on the international World Cup circuit, until her mid-30s. She’s now been a top competitor on the World Cup for the past two seasons and is expected to be a major contender at the Olympics this winter, and she joins Devon and Nat for an interview. Questions? Feedback? Suggestions...

Joe Davies’ journey from British Columbia to repping Great Britain

Joe Davies has notched multiple top-20 World Cup finishes representing Great Britain. The 24-year-old takes us through his compelling backstory, starting with his childhood in British Columbia through racing on the American college circuit. The Olympic season is nearing, and we’ll hear from a few more athletes before it kicks off. Got anyone you want to hear from? Drop us a line with your requests and feedback: devon[at]fasterskier.com and nat[at]fasterskier.com. We’ll be back soon.  

The Devon Kershaw Show: We’re back, baby, with Benny, for the Olympic season

Guys, the Olympic season is upon us. Athletes are getting into the sharp end of the dry-land season and waiting for snow to fall; Devon and Nat have awakened from summer hibernation and have launched the new season of the podcast. This year’s will be like nothing you’ve seen before, except with similar amounts of questionable audio production, perfunctory efforts to avoid using profanity and unkept promises of future guests. In all seriousness, we’re excited...

The Devon Kershaw Show: Carrots and yellow cards and biathlete trash talking

Sorry, we’re late. We know. But we haven’t forgotten about you. Devon and Nat are back to wrap up the 2025 season and recap Oslo, Tallinn and Lahti. We do really think we’ll be back for a couple of postseason episodes. Sorry we haven’t answered many of your questions but we’ve got a list and plan to tackle ’em soon. Thanks so much for following along this season — more soon. Reach us at devon@fasterskier.com...

Inside — okay, actually, outside — Johannes Høsflot Klæbo’s Trondheim victory party

TRONDHEIM, NORWAY — Johannes Høsflot Klæbo, the Norwegian gold-medal winner of all six competitions at this year’s World Championships here, was refreshingly blunt when asked about his plans to celebrate. “You need to remember that I’m allergic to gluten, so I don’t drink much beer,” he told an audience of reporters at a news conference following his last race. But, he added: “If you ask me about vodka-Red Bull, it’s a little bit different.” The 28-year-old...

The Devon Kershaw Show: A hundred kilometers of highs and lows to wrap Trondheim

Sorry we missed yesterday, but Nat had to stop by the Klæbo victory party and Devon was busy. Not to fear: We’ve got recaps of both the men’s and women’s 50-kilometer races in Trondheim. We made it to the end; we’re going to take a few days off from podcasting, but feel free to send us love notes only to devon@fasterskier.com and nat@fasterskier.com. See you soon.

How Olympic athletes teamed with climate advocates to save a World Championships race from disruption

This article was made possible through the generous support of our voluntary subscribers.  If you would like to see more articles like this one, please support FasterSkier with a voluntary subscription.   TRONDHEIM, NORWAY — At 9 p.m. on the evening before she would vie for a relay medal at the cross-country skiing World Championships here, American Julia Kern was not sleeping. Instead, she was sending phone messages — announcing that competitors had reached an agreement with climate...