A brave new world awaits World Cup skiers for Period I on the cross-country World Cup. The scheduling is the easy part, three race weekends reduced from four for Period I. The racing in Lillehammer, Norway, has been postponed due to Covid-19 precautions. In an email to FasterSkier, Cross-Country Program Director Chris Grover wrote the following when asked about the team’s protocols if an athlete tests positive for Covid-19. If someone in our group tests...
Weather, pandemic travel restrictions, and… a bunch of newbies on the trails? Anyone skiing in the Northeastern parts of the U.S. and Canada knows, as if by osmosis, we acquire a sort of obsessive (and annoying) fascination with the weather. This season adds the Coronavirus pandemic as a factor. The snowsports industry has been working all summer planning and revising practices for safe skiing this winter. Cross-country skiers are actually lucky in that touring centers...
We’ll keep this as simple as we can. This piece includes information about streaming the FIS Cross-Country World Cup on your computer or watching on cable TV through a U.S. based content provider. This is not a primer on acquiring a VPN and tapping into a European based broadcast network. We know of a single reliable option at this point for viewing the World Cup – that would be the subscription model offered by NBC...
Yesterday, RMOTODAY.com, reported 11 “active” cases of Covid-19 linked to Frozen Thunder, an early season on-snow event organized at the Canmore Nordic Centre. According to the news report, athletes, clubs, and national governing bodies like Nordiq Canada and Biathlon Canada were notified about the cases on November 17. RMOTODAY contacted Chris Dornan, Nordiq Canada’s communications director, who emailed, “These individuals are in quarantine and following all of the required protocols in place to protect themselves and the...
Another mask to add to your wardrobe? These masks will not provide protection from Covid-19, however, they may be key to preventing breathing problems into the future for cross-country skiers. Whilst it may not be news to any of the readers here, but cross-country skiing as a winter sport exposes us to some quite extreme conditions both in training and competition. The FIS cut-off of -4°F (-20°C) was primarily established to prevent cold-based injuries...
This morning the International Ski Federation (FIS) announced the postponement of the Lillehammer, Norway World Cup events. President of the Norwegian Ski Federation, Erik Røste, told FIS, “Based on the difficult time we are in, the uncertainty and the consequences associated with Covid-19, the Norwegian Ski Association believes that it is not right to arrange the World Cup in Lillehammer now. We would rather work on finding new dates in consultation with FIS and...
A lack of on-snow opportunities. Although a major first-world problem, that’s been on the mind of some this offseason. Here and there, we’ve published stories about a strict dryland diet for elite skiers this season. Meaning, no on-snow training. Mostly, that strict diet has applied to North Americans who normally access snow in late spring and summer at a variety of venues. The Haig Glacier and its Beckie Scott High Altitude Training Center have been...
Winthrop Mountain Sports is looking for a Nordic ski Specialist Bring us your enthusiasm, your energy, and your commitment. Become an ambassador of cross country skiing and work side by side with the Bjornsen’s crew at Winthrop Mountain Sports in WA. Qualified applicants should have prior Nordic skiing technician experience. Previous retail sales and customer service experience encouraged. Must be able to work 5days/Week. The PLUS : The Methow Valley offers over 250km of groomed trails. RESPONSIBILITIES:...
2023 World Juniors/U23 goes to Canada Recently, Canada was awarded the right to host the 2023 Nordic Junior/U23 World Championships. The hosting club is Black Tusk Nordic which runs much of its ski training out of Whistler Olympic Park in the Callaghan Valley. The venue hosted nordic events that included cross-country, jumping, nordic combined, and biathlon at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. “We are extremely pleased to have the opportunity to bring this prestigious event for...
A few weeks back, we featured an excerpt from a new book titled Nordic Warrior? A Midlife Crisis in Biathlon. Written by Ithaca, New York, based biathlete, Craig Wiggers, the book explores his love affair with biathlon which began midlife. Wiggers’ path to biathlon is as circuitous as they come. Raised in the deep south, Wiggers attended school at Auburn University and spent a full career hopscotching around the globe as a U.S. Marine. He was deployed...
Below is an excerpt from a detailed article exploring “Link to article.
Press Release from ABSF: Birkie Week 2021 Slated for February 24–28, 2021 Hayward, WI (October 14, 2020) – After months of planning, and with the guidance of public health officials, today the American Birkebeiner Ski Foundation (ABSF) is pleased to announce the planned format for their annual February ski races. Registration for the 2021 Slumberland American Birkebeiner, Kortelopet and Prince Haakon races opened on May 1, 2020 with the promise of hosting the events...
The International Ski Federation announced last Friday that Secretary General Sarah Lewis has been relieved of her duties effective immediately. “At its meeting today, the FIS Council, including the members of the Marc Hodler Foundation, has decided by a great majority vote to terminate the employment relationship with Sarah Lewis (in accordance with its contractual terms) and that she is released from her work duties as the Secretary General of FIS, effective 9th October 2020.”...
In this episode, we hear from a familiar voice – someone, in fact, we’ve heard from recently on the podcast, former elite cross-country skier Noah Hoffman. Post-race career, Hoffman has been deeply involved in the anti-doping movement as an educator, lobbyist, and content creator. This conversation is from Hoffman’s content creation side. A few months back the US Anti Doping Agency (USADA) posted a six-plus minute video interview between Hoffman and Dr. Edwin Moses –...
This morning the International Biathlon Union (IBU) and the International Ski Federation announced they were postponing their fluoro wax bans until the 2021-2022 season. The stated reason in the IBU press release was the following: “allow more time to test and refine the Fluorine Tracker device that is currently under development.” FIS also claimed the device was not ready for use on the World Cup: “Despite the accuracy of the device measurement technology, testing also...
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: The WSCA Announces Webinar: Waxing Skis and Waning the Gender Gap Today, the Women Ski Coaches Association (WSCA) announced it will host a Webinar to connect and educate women coaches, and redefine ski waxing culture and opportunities. The webinar, Waxing Skis and Waning the Gender Gap will take place on October 21st. “The ski coaching world is going through a big shift with the ban on fluoro waxes and we see...
Last week, the International Ski Federation (FIS) concluded its fall Cross-Country Committee meetings. The most pressing issues are COVID related and concern the calendaring and running of safe events. Many variables remain in play, like how each hosting country experiences a predicted uptick in COVID cases this winter. Within this context, the Cross-Country Committee made several recommendations that have yet to be approved by the FIS Council. The FIS Council is scheduled to meet...
Craig Wiggers is a biathlete based in Ithaca, New York. Below we have a brief intro from Wiggers and an excerpt from his book, Nordic Warrior? A Midlife Crisis in Biathlon. As the title suggests, Wiggers came to skiing and biathlon midlife. His experience and anecdotes reveal a universal truth: it’s never too late to be fearless and try something new. **** My journey into Nordic biathlon as a southern raised, middle-aged, New York transplant...
This Interview with former Norwegian National Team member Astrid Uhrenholdt Jacobsen comes from Paolo Romanò, a reporter for Fondoitalia.it. The interview was also published on the FIS website. This version of the interview has been lightly edited. Since 22nd February 2007 – at the young age of twenty – Astrid Uhrenholdt Jacobsen shocked the cross-country skiing world. From that first gold medal in the classic sprint at the World Ski Championships in Sapporo, many have...
Nathan VaporHowe Review by: Casey Collins As cross-country skiers we’ve all defaulted to running with a standard drink belt. The sort we’ve skied with for years: a foam insulated vessel covered in nylon with a small zipper pocket up top – just enough room for a bar and phone. Suitable for skiing, not exactly the smooth water carrying companion you’d want on a trail run with the undue bouncing. The standard go-to for longer trail runs...