More photos from FasterSkier’s Rob Whitney below.
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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.
In last year’s lone distance race at U.S. Nationals, a 5k freestyle, Caitlin Compton edged Kikkan Randall by the thin margin of 3.5 seconds. Today, Compton again beat Randall over the same technique and distance. But unfortunately for Compton, today’s event was double that distance. And by the end of it, Randall was able to make up the lost ground, taking her second event in a row here in Anchorage by ten seconds. “When I...
It wasn’t the same kind of power that Kris Freeman used to propel himself to top-ten World Cup results this winter, but it was enough. With an effort that “would have just barely scored World Cup Points,” Freeman skied his way this morning to the national championship in the 15k skate in Anchorage. After contracting the flu over Christmas, Freeman said that he’s “been trying to build his way back up ever since.” Today’s effort...
Warm Temperatures, Decent Conditions Await Nationals Distance Racers-Updated With Video Preview
Nathaniel HerzJanuary 4, 2010
Video preview of the 10/15k distance course for tomorrow’s races with SuperTour Distance Champion James Southam. ANCHORAGE – Three tough climbs, two or three times. That’s what’s in store for the racers here who will tackle the U.S. National Championship 10/15k distance freestyle race tomorrow. With temperatures warming and a difficult but straightforward course, there should be nothing to hinder the strongest athletes from rising to the top. Currently the course is groomed very firm, but...
Who the Heck is Tyler Kornfield?
Nathaniel HerzJanuary 3, 2010
Who the heck is Tyler Kornfield? That’s what a sizable portion of the U.S. skiing community was left asking yesterday, as the 18-year-old skied his way to a fourth place finish in the freestyle sprint national championship. Though the name may be unfamiliar to many around the country, Kornfield is known around Alaska as the 2009 state champion in the 7.5k classic race. When he signed to ski at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks (UAF),...
FasterSkier photographers Rob Whitney and Nat Herz were out on the trails yesterday shooting photos of the races at U.S. Nationals in Anchorage. Check out these pictures of the qualifiers and the heats!
In Anchorage, It’s About the Points
Nathaniel HerzJanuary 3, 2010
While the $1,200 check for the winner of each race isn’t anything to complain about, the real prize awaiting competitors at the end of the 2010 U.S. Nationals isn’t the money. Instead, it’s a spot on the U.S. team for the Olympic Games in Whistler, which kick off a little more than a month from now. Currently, the U.S.’s quota for the Games stands at eight, and just who gets the last few positions (most...
In the women’s freestyle sprint at the 2010 U.S. Cross Country Ski Championships in Anchorage, it was never a question of who, but rather how much. After a dominating eight-second win in the qualifying round, Kikkan Randall skied her way to an easy victory here this afternoon over Rebecca Dussault and Laura Valaas. Though Randall’s margin of victory dwindled slightly as the day went on, she was never seriously challenged by any of the competitors...
After four years in college, Simi Hamilton isn’t supposed to know how to sprint. Try telling that to Mike Hinckley. With 500 meters to go in the freestyle sprint at Kincaid Park in Anchorage, Hinckley made a huge move on the field, passing Hamilton on the outside of the last significant hill on the course. After finishing second last year, it looked like Hinckley had this one in the bag. But on the ensuing downhill,...
Randall, Hamilton top Nationals Sprint Qualifiers
Nathaniel HerzJanuary 2, 2010
If Kikkan Randall had noticed that the laces on her ski boots had come loose in the middle of her sprint qualifying round, she probably would have had time to stop and re-tie them without losing a single spot on the result sheet. On a cold morning at Kincaid Park in Anchorage, Randall demonstrated the blazing speed that earned her second place at the World Ski Championships last year in the Czech Republic, winning the...
Alaska’s Chance for Redemption: US Championships Set to Start Tomorrow
Nathaniel HerzJanuary 1, 2010
With clear skies and decent snow conditions, organizers and skiers in Anchorage are primed to kick off the first day of racing tomorrow at the 2010 U.S. Cross Country Ski Championships. Just one thing threatens to hold them back: the temperature. With Friday’s readings struggling to break double digits, Saturday’s National Weather Service forecast calls for highs of ten above, with overnight lows of zero to ten. That’s close the FIS legal limit of -4,...
ANCHORAGE – With two days two go before the opening of the 2010 U.S. Cross Country Ski Championships in Anchorage, Alaska, FasterSkier brings you a preview of the 1.4/1.5km freestyle sprint course where the racing will unfold on Saturday, the first day of competition. Mike Hinckley gives the tour of the course. An Anchorage native, Hinckley spent his last four years skiing for Denver University, earning second-team All-American honors at the NCAA Championships last year...
Dahl Dethrones Petukhov in Davos Showdown
Nathaniel HerzDecember 13, 2009
In a wild final heat in Davos, Norwegian John Kristian Dahl pulled out a squeaker of a victory over his teammate Petter Northug and Russian Alexei Petukhov. After following Petukhov up the first big hill, Dahl made his move on the course’s final rise, slotting in front of the Russian and holding him and Northug off in a drag race over the final 100 meters. It’s the first career win for the 28-year-old Dahl, who...
For the first time this year, Petra Majdic took the victory in a World Cup sprint race, edging out Marit Bjorgen and Aino-Kaisa Saarinen on a tough course in Davos, Switzerland. “I just wanted to show everybody that I can win again,” Majdic told NRK1 television after the race. American Kikkan Randall finished in eighth, just missing out on a spot in the finals with a third place finish in her semifinal heat. Majdic, in...
For the last year, Iran has drawn its fair share of criticism for its nuclear ambitions. But if Beejan Kangarloo has his way, the country could some day attract attention for a different kind of Atomics: skis. Iran isn’t known for its snow or steep slopes, but according to Kangarloo, there’s some great skiing in the mountains near Tehran. He’s hoping to draw attention to a little-known side of the country by qualifying to represent...
Spillane 6th, Demong 14th in U.S. NoCo Opener
Nathaniel HerzDecember 5, 2009
Lillehammer, Norway – Two knee operations over the summer haven’t stopped Johnny Spillane, as the 29-year-old skied his way to a sixth place finish in the World Cup nordic combined race in Lillehammer earlier this morning. Billy Demong, also hampered by injuries this year, followed Spillane in 14th, just under a minute behind the winner, France’s Jeremy Lamy Chappuis, and Bryan Fletcher and Brett Camerota finished 41st and 56th, respectively, closing out the U.S. Nordic...
Race Debriefing with USST Sprint Coach Chris Grover
Nathaniel HerzNovember 28, 2009
The first World Cup sprint race of the 2010 season left the U.S. Ski Team (USST) with one strong result, but still looking for more. FasterSkier caught up with USST Sprint Coach Chris Grover right after the race. He said that Andy Newell—who finished seventh—had a very strong day, dominating his quarterfinal heat and only just missing out on a spot in the finals after battling with the eventual winner, Ola Vigen Hattestad. “He led...
The winners of the individual and relay races at the World Cup in Beitostolen last weekend were not subjected to doping tests, according to FIS Anti-Doping Administrator Sarah Fussek. In a telephone interview with FasterSkier, Fussek said that FIS rules required targeted testing of podium finishers only at certain international events selected by the Federation-not at all of them. This has been the case since last year. “We’re not conducting doping controls at every competition,”...
Before this winter, very few ski fans would have recognized the name Ronny Andre Hafsaas. The 24-year-old Norwegian had competed in just a single cross country World Cup in Switzerland, finishing in 36th place. But for the past two years, Hafsaas has been quietly collecting top-tens on the international biathlon circuit, and today, he stamped his authority on the first race of the World Cup season in Beitostolen. Hafsaas beat all of the favorites in the...
FS 2010 World Cup Preview: The United States
Nathaniel HerzNovember 21, 2009
Four years ago, Fischer had just launched the Jibskate in West Yellowstone. In Norway, a 19-year-old Petter Northug Jr. was being touted as “the next Thomas Alsgaard,” having vanquished the entire national team in a rollerski race in the fall. And somewhere in Finland, the U.S. Ski Team’s Carl Swenson was alone in a car, stuck in a pair of sweaty windbriefs, driving himself 500 miles across northern Europe. Swenson was on his way back...