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Remaining World Cups in Norway Canceled

The International Ski Federation (FIS) announced today that all remaining World Cups in Norway are canceled due to the ongoing pandemic. “Due to new Covid-19 government restrictions announced today by the Norwegian government that the Norwegian Ski Association will be unable to host any further competitions through the end of the current World Cup season, due to the stricter travel and event-related restrictions,” stated the press release. The mandate runs across the snowsport disciplines and...

IBU World Championships Begin 11-Day Run in Pokljuka Feb. 10 (Press Release)

  Press Release NEW GLOUCESTER, Maine (Feb. 9, 2021) – On Wednesday, the mixed relay event will open the 11-day IBU Biathlon World Championships in Pokljuka, Slovenia, but the annual highlight of the IBU schedule will, as with most sporting events, look drastically different this year. As the more than 300 athletes from 38 countries descend on Pokljuka, gone will be the throngs of biathlon-mad fans that fill the stands and line the course, cheering on...

How to Stream FIS Nordic Junior & U23 Worlds

For those interested in streaming the FIS Nordic Junior & U23 Worlds from Vokotti, Finland a pay-per-view streaming video package is offered for $20.99. This fee includes the entire event. The link for subscribing and viewing is here. Here is a link to the FIS website Junior/U23 Worlds Schedule. The races kick off on February 9, with the junior classic sprint. Using the FIS site allows the user to determine when when a specific race...

Call to Action: Fight For Frankie

The sinkhole that was 2020 had a few bright spots. Within the small community of Canmore – a hub of Canadian cross-country activity, Amanda (formerly Ammar) and Chris Butler welcomed their new-comer, Frankie, on March 23rd, 2020.  Amanda and Chris are used to the get-down-to-business and get-it-done mantra of cross-country skiing. They both are longtime elite cross-country skiers. But this is not the time to qualify past speed with results or team nominations. This is...

Crossing Over at  the Mt. Bachelor Nordic Center: Graham Zimmerman

  Walking down the street in Bend, Oregon, or perhaps sipping a curated latte, the mustachioed Graham Zimmerman looks like he’d fit right in as a Brooklyn creative. Svelte sartorial taste? Check. An overactive mind capable of wordsmithing and capturing raw visuals as a film-maker? Check. Admittedly, Zimmerman could discover a fine calling for himself immersed in big-city life.  But, for every Yin there’s a Yang. During certain parts of the year, you’re as likely...

2021 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP TEAM NAMED BY US BIATHLON (USBA Press Release)

USBA Press Release Feb. 1, 2021 The 10-person roster for the upcoming IBU Biathlon World Championships has been announced by the US Biathlon International Competition Committee. The squad consists of five men and five women with Team USA allotted four start positions per gender in each individual race. The IBU Biathlon World Championships begin Feb. 10 in Pokljuka, Slovenia. The men’s roster includes two-time Olympians Leif Nordgren (Hinesburg, Vt.) and Sean Doherty (Center Conway, N.H.)....

Snow – The Lubricant for Competition :  The Latest Research from Matthias Scherge

  Swiss athletes ski testing in Lillehammer, Norway. (Photo: NordicFocus) Much has already been written about snow. There are countless pictures of perfectly grown snow crystals, but very little about snow found on the slopes or in the cross-country skiing tracks. The newest article in our science series provides a vivid picture of snow in its many forms. With a cell phone and a mini microscope, you get fantastic pictures of snow grains. You can...

U.S. Biathlon Team Heads to Italy for Final World Cup Before World Championships

Press Release from US Biathlon: By Bill Kellick After back-to-back IBU World Cup events in Oberhof, Germany, the U.S. Biathlon team and the rest of the world’s best biathletes are headed for Antholz, Italy, for the final World Cup races before the IBU Biathlon World Championships. This week’s BMW IBU World Cup event, running Jan. 21-24, will consist of individual races, mass starts and relays. Antholz played host to last year’s world championships and the...

William Poromaa – Sweden’s Young Talent: By Paolo Romanò

This story first appeared in www.fondoitalia.it and has been edited for English.   On an international level, cross-country ski fans outside of Sweden only got to know the name of William Poromaa during the women’s 10km classic technique in Seefeld World Championships. That February 26, 2019, he was talked about not for a sporting achievement but as Frida Karlsson’s boyfriend. Karlsson, once she crossed the finish line, placed herself in the leader chair after having...

Crossing Over at  the Mt. Bachelor Nordic Center: Barry Wicks

At six foot four, Bend Oregon’s Barry Wick remains a person you want to draft behind. The former World Championship mountain biker and cyclocross rider still carries many in town on his wings. There’s the fact of the matter tallness, and yes drafting behind him does feel like you’ve got just a little more lift. He’s also the brains behind bike manufacturer Kona’s endurance cycling team, he’s the endurance team manager, and the owner and...

Out with the Old, In with the New: By Katie Bradish

Training for an endurance sport is the first clue.  Training from a schedule that basically dictates the arrangement of one’s life is an additional data point.  And being a Faster Skier reader? Another strong indicator.  If any of that resonates with you, it’s safe to assume that you are a Type-A personality. There are many positive aspects of being this goal-oriented sort of person. These characteristics lead us to create a plan, make a to-do...

The Power of Skiing Starts with Lifting Up Others: Ideas on Donating this Season

What a year. In the spirit of optimism, we want to highlight a few non-profits worthy of your consideration when thinking of buying gifts this holiday season. We know the wonder cross-country skiing provides. Gliding through the woods, no noise, totally connected. Silent sports fuel us. Why not support organizations lifting kids up and sharing the wealth that is skiing.    Spirit North: Canada based and supporting Indigenous youth. Founded by Beckie Scott, a former...

CAS Ruling: Russia Banned from 2021 and 2022 Olympics

Today, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) decided Russia will not be represented or recognized officially at the 2021 Tokyo or 2022 Beijing Olympics. The ruling, handed down on Dec. 17, mostly concludes a long-winded judicial process between the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA). WADA had originally sanctioned RUSADA to a major competition ban of four years. Today’s CAS ruling, although seemingly in agreement with WADA’s arguments, reduced that penalty...

Sweden and Finland Follow Norway and Withdraw from December World Cups (Updated)

Yesterday Norway announced it would cease sending skiers to the World Cups in Davos, Switzerland and Dresden, Germany due to Covid-19 concerns. Rumors swirled that Sweden would make a similar decision. Twenty-four hours later the Swedish Ski Federation announced they too would withdraw from December’s competitions. “We learned some lessons about the implementation of a World Cup competition in Ruka. We have found that it went well. But we may also have been lucky. As it stands,...

FasterSkier Would Love Your Support

For years FasterSkier has been navigating the shape shifting media landscape. Although not immune to the effects of social media and an ever changing online advertising model, we’ve kept the lights on. FasterSkier has relied on advertising to keep the website’s content free. But the financial contraction due to the pandemic has closed hard on us too. We’re asking, like many media outlets, what’s the best financial model moving forward? This is our ask: We’d...

Norway Withdraws from December World Cups

Norway is pulling athletes from World Cup competitions through at least the holiday break. This was widely reported Tuesday in the Norwegian press. The Norwegian race hiatus includes stops in Davos, Switzerland, and Dresden, Germany. “We do not know the consequences of infection in a fitness practitioner, who is dependent on good lung capacity, yet. Therefore, it has been the number one priority not to get an athlete infected, because it can ruin the season...

Nordiq Canada Revises 2021 Competition Plans for Canadian Athletes Due to Ongoing Pandemic (Press Release)

  FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: November 30, 2020 National Body Cancels Canadian World Championship Trials in Whistler and Canadian Ski Championships in Gatineau; Still plans on Sending Canadian Teams to Targeted International Races   CANMORE, Alta.—The long-term health and safety of athletes, coaches, staff and volunteers is Nordiq Canada’s top priority. Using this statement as the beacon to guide the organization through the ongoing global pandemic, Nordiq Canada, in consultation with its members (Divisions) and national...

Norway’s Johannes Høsflot Klæbo and Emil Iversen Temporarily Step Away from World Cup

This morning news came out of Norway that star skiers Johannes Høsflot Klæbo (24) and Emil Iversen (29) are temporarily stepping away from World Cup competitions due to the ongoing pandemic.  Aftenposten, a leading Norwegian news outlet, reported Klæbo had decided to withdraw from competition until at least the start of the Tour de Ski. According to the translated Aftenposten article, Klæbo stated the following in a press release: “I’ve been feeling this for a...

IBU Communicates Biathletes from Numerous Countries Test Positive for COVID (Updated)

The International Biathlon Union announced on Wednesday that as part of their Covid-19 testing protocols, several teams had athletes test positive for the virus. Those positive tests were from Russian, Latvian, and Moldovan biathletes. The IBU stated it was the first of a series of PCR tests to be administered in Kontiolahti, Finland, the first stop of the IBU World Cup. In an email received Thursday morning, the IBU relayed news that athletes from France...