Craftsbury, VT – Extreme cold overnight allowed the crew at Craftsbury Outdoor Center to blow a huge pile of snow, and racers on the 1.5K artificial snow loop today were greeted with even better conditions than the day before. With almost 450 starters in today’s 4.5 and 9 kilometer freestyle events, the additional snow and slightly widened trails were much appreciated. The J2 Boys raced 4.5K with Stratton Mountain School’s Koby Gordon earning a narrow 5.3...
Craftsbury, VT – Cool temperatures, a light covering of new snow, and the deep base of artificial snow on the race trail at the Craftsbury Outdoor Center today made it feel like winter for the over three hundred competitors at the TD Bank Eastern Cup Opener here today. The day featured two events, both in the classic technique. The racers who travelled from Quebec, Ottawa, New York and the New England states brought with them a...
The first three world cups are almost finished and I’m getting ready to head back to the States for about a week. I’m looking forward to a little rest and recovery and the fact that I’ll get to see friends and family for a week. The second week of racing here in Hochfilzen turned out [...]
On Sunday, the Rogla course can finally be put to its natural 2k purpose: sprinting. My picks, for whatever they're worth:
Alex Harvey and Devon Kershaw (CAN) posted the best North American results on Saturday with 10th and 16th, respectively. Andy Newell earned his first career distance points by skiing in 24th. The game plan for the Canadian men on Saturday in Rogla, Sweden was to be near the front and contest the bonus points on the third lap of the course. They’d never gone for intermediate premiums before, but wanted to experiment with the option...
I’m actually in Minnesota right now, not Craftsbury–it’s funny how I always feel like I don’t have any time to write blogs when I’m in Craftsbury–but here in Grand Rapids, MN there’s plenty of time for things like that. I’m a little bummed to be missing out on the excitement of the big opening Eastern [...]
Rogla, Slovenia, has only hosted the World Cup once, back in 2009, when the venue ran classic mass-start races over 15k for the women (Kowalczyk, Bjørgen, Haag) and 30k for the men (Northug, Legkov, Vylegzhanin). Those races were interesting for at...
On November 2nd, snow-lovers gathered to celebrate the most recent inductees into the Canadian Ski Hall of Fame. Gathering at the prestigious Chateau Cartier in Gatineau, Quebec, six nominees were celebrated in style, including Beckie Scott and the late Heinz Niederhauser. Part of the Canadian Ski Museum located in Ottawa, Ontario, the Canadian Ski Hall of Fame commemorates over 140 individuals involved in the ski or snowboarding world. Formerly named the Honour Roll of Canadian...
I had planned on taking it a little easier this race season and do fewer races. I raced almost every weekend last winter and extended my season longer than usual with World Masters in March, and I felt like I needed a break. I did not anticipate how mu...
The 2012 Nordic Combined Continental Cup season kicked off in Utah over the last two weeks. Kerry Lynch, a coach with the Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club submitted this report. The opening Nordic Combined Continental Cups are in the books for the 2011 – 2012 Season. After much training and anticipation of getting ready for the events, it was game time. Day 1 – The competitions opened on Friday Dec 6th under clear sunny skis...
The ribbon of snow with Dusseldorf's impressive architecture in the background This winter I’ve become accustomed skiing on a ribbon on snow threading through the dry woods. First it was Muonio. Then it was Sjusjoen which was closely followed...
Our SMS Nordic Team and I have been very lucky to be part of PowerBar Team Elite the past few seasons. We are always topped off with fuel, stuffing nutrition through our glycogen windows and ready with a huge variety of great sports foods.
International Racing Service Manager – Steffen Hoos Steffen is a former biathlon World Champion who after his ski career worked as a serviceman for the German team. From 2002 to 2011, he was in charge of Toko Nordic Racing Service. In the summer of 2011, Steffen was promoted to Toko’s International Racing Service Manager. Some Toko US eBlast readers might remember Steffen from his communication during the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games. Head World Cup Serviceman...
I just got home from some sprint racing at the Sovereign Lakes Nordic Center, one of my favorite race venues. This weekend was a classic sprint and 15km classic distance race. Following last weekend's lackluster finishes in Bozeman I was anxious to imp...
2011 Holiday Gift Guide: Under $20 2011 Holiday Gift Guide: $50 – $100 SkiErg and the e-Rudy.com. 08: Dale of Norway Sweater. Price: starting from $299.00. If you want to feel like you just got back from Scandinavia, then a Dale of Norway Sweater is for you. That special someone on your shopping list that will appreciate one as well. Let’s face it, there aren’t many other items out there that scream Norway like this sweater....
Readers asked for it, and here it is. Join the live chat to discuss the sprint races as the action unfolds! Click the link below to open a pop-up window with the chat interface.
Notodden, Norway — Norway’s Anette Sagen, the 2009 World Championships Bronze medalist, ended a two-year victory drought in Continental Cup (COC) competition Saturday on home snow in Notodden, topping reigning World Champion Daniela Iraschko, Austria, and Sarah Hendrickson, USA. Sagen trailed Iraschko, who won Friday’s COC comp in Notodden, after the first jump on the normal hill (HS 98) Saturday before rallying to win by a full point. Hendrickson continued her torrid start this season...
I pretty much couldn't have made worse predictions for the distance races at Davos. Regardless, here are more foolish guesses, this time for the freestyle sprints. Despite having been soundly proven wrong about Northug in the 30k individual, I just can...
2011 Holiday Gift Guide: Under $20 2011 Holiday Gift Guide: $50 – $100 FasterSkier’s picks for the top ten gifts between $100 and $200: 10: Icebreaker Long Sleeve Top. Price: starting from $100. You don’t have to have an unlimited quantity of apparel if you have quality articles you can rely on. An Icebreaker long sleeve top will prove to be one of your favorites. Made of soft New Zealand Merino wool, it will surely keep...
Huge Props to the work being done by the Craftsbury Community! Amid hard working snow-makers we were able to get off a time trial on some cold snow this morning. We're in good hands looking forward to the Eastern Cups next weekend! (Pictures of m...