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Not a “Comeback” Anymore: Johaug Smashes Skiathlon, Diggins Third

This coverage is made possible through the generous support of Marty and Kathy Hall and A Hall Mark of Excellence Award. To learn more about A Hall Mark of Excellence Award, or to learn how you can support FasterSkier’s coverage, please contact info@fasterskier.com. It’s weird . . . Skiathlon is hardly ever contested on the World Cup Tour, but is always on Olympic and World Championship event rosters. That means that Olympic and World Championship...

Schumacher Fifth in 20-K Skiathlon–Norwegians Sweep Podium

This coverage is made possible through the generous support of Marty and Kathy Hall and A Hall Mark of Excellence Award. To learn more about A Hall Mark of Excellence Award, or to learn how you can support FasterSkier’s coverage, please contact info@fasterskier.com. Today’s race—the 20 kilometer Skiathlon— marks the last day of competition in Lillehammer, Norway. On the men’s side of the racing there has been complete dominance of the weekend by Norway, with only...

Ogden Top Qualifier in Lillehammer Sprint, Klaebo Remains Wondrously Predictable

This coverage is made possible through the generous support of Marty and Kathy Hall and A Hall Mark of Excellence Award. To learn more about A Hall Mark of Excellence Award, or to learn how you can support FasterSkier’s coverage, please contact info@fasterskier.com. The World Cup cross country season is a long and winding road—few athletes experience seasons that end the way they began. American, Ben Ogden, had his 2024 World Cup campaign interrupted by...

Lillehammer Freestyle Sprints—Sweden Dominates, Diggins Top American

This coverage is made possible through the generous support of Marty and Kathy Hall and A Hall Mark of Excellence Award. To learn more about A Hall Mark of Excellence Award, or to learn how you can support FasterSkier’s coverage, please contact info@fasterskier.com. World Cup competition in Lillehammer, Norway continued today with the Freestyle Sprints. Notably, it also marked the return of Norway’s Kristine Stavaas Skistad after she missed the first weekend of competition recovering from...

Johaug Leads Norwegian Sweep in Lillehammer 10-K Freestyle. Diggins Fifth

This coverage is made possible through the generous support of Marty and Kathy Hall and A Hall Mark of Excellence Award. To learn more about A Hall Mark of Excellence Award, or to learn how you can support FasterSkier’s coverage, please contact info@fasterskier.com. To state the obvious, team Norway does not need any help on the World Cup circuit. But as this weekend’s racing moved to Lillehammer, Norway—home of the 1994 winter Olympics— that’s exactly what...

Norway Rules in Lillehammer—Nyenget Scorches 10 k Freestyle

This coverage is made possible through the generous support of Marty and Kathy Hall and A Hall Mark of Excellence Award. To learn more about A Hall Mark of Excellence Award, or to learn how you can support FasterSkier’s coverage, please contact info@fasterskier.com. There will be a Cross-Country World Championships in Trondheim, Norway later this winter—and it looks like the anticipation of those important race days on the International Ski Federation (FIS) calendar is causing this...

Diggins Wins in Ruka in Another Epic Race

This coverage is made possible through the generous support of Marty and Kathy Hall and A Hall Mark of Excellence Award. To learn more about A Hall Mark of Excellence Award, or to learn how you can support FasterSkier’s coverage, please contact info@fasterskier.com. Going into today’s 20 kilometer mass start Freestyle race, the American team was a little back on its heels. This early in the season, it’s way too soon to talk about redemption. But...

The Difference a Day Makes—Klaebo out, Amundsen In, McMullen and Schumacher Seventh and Eighth

This coverage is made possible through the generous support of Marty and Kathy Hall and A Hall Mark of Excellence Award. To learn more about A Hall Mark of Excellence Award, or to learn how you can support FasterSkier’s coverage, please contact info@fasterskier.com. We thought we knew who to watch today . . . then he dropped out. Prior to today’s race, Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo (NOR) withdrew from the 20 k Mass Start Freestyle, leaving the...

“We Wanted More . . .” Team USA’s Hard Look at a Low Day

BONUS ARTICLE: 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.   In the early morning hours of any FIS World Cup race day, messages are bouncing back and forth among a team of diligent FasterSkier writers, doing their best to craft illuminating articles on the race coverage flitting across our screens. And on...

Ruka Sprints: Hagstroem Gets First Win. Rough Day For USA

This coverage is made possible through the generous support of Marty and Kathy Hall and A Hall Mark of Excellence Award. To learn more about A Hall Mark of Excellence Award, or to learn how you can support FasterSkier’s coverage, please contact info@fasterskier.com. Last year the theme for much of the women’s sprint season was whether anyone from team Sweden could defeat Kristine Stavaas Skistad (NOR). However, this year, things will be different, for at least...

New Season, Same Old Result: Klaebo Rules Ruka Sprint

This coverage is made possible through the generous support of Marty and Kathy Hall and A Hall Mark of Excellence Award. To learn more about A Hall Mark of Excellence Award, or to learn how you can support FasterSkier’s coverage, please contact info@fasterskier.com. Sprinting is a crazy thing to do on cross country skis. Courses are icy, uphills are steep, corners are tight, and the challenges of forcing this long, spindly equipment into a crowded and...

Niskanen Secures Victory at Home as Ruka Launches World Cup Season

This coverage is made possible through the generous support of Marty and Kathy Hall and A Hall Mark of Excellence Award. To learn more about A Hall Mark of Excellence Award, or to learn how you can support FasterSkier’s coverage, please contact info@fasterskier.com. Ruka, Finland is an area known for challenging race courses and rapidly changing conditions. As the women’s field wrapped up the morning race, the men took on the course under snowfall and near-freezing...

World Cup Season Opens in Ruka: Johaug Returns but Karlsson Flies

This coverage is made possible through the generous support of Marty and Kathy Hall and A Hall Mark of Excellence Award. To learn more about A Hall Mark of Excellence Award, or to learn how you can support FasterSkier’s coverage, please contact info@fasterskier.com. It’s been two full seasons since Therese Johaug last toed a starting line in a FIS World Cup distance event. In that time, the field has been able to convince itself that they...

Zak Ketterson: His New Training Philosophy and the Road to Ruka

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.   Despite a challenging start to the 2023-2024 season, Zak Ketterson (entering his third year on the U.S. B-Team), narrowly qualified for the Minneapolis World Cup—fulfilling his goal of racing, not merely in the United States, but in his own hometown. The Minnesota native has...

Graham Ritchie’s Road to Recovery

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.   As the 2024/25 ski season approaches, elite skiers are finalizing their preseason training for the World Cup circuit. For Graham Ritchie (CAN), a member of Canada’s A Team, this year’s preparation has been unlike any other. Recovering from a significant injury, Ritchie’s focus has...

It’s Going to be a Wild and Exciting Season for Annika Landis

Many of you already know her, but for those of you who don’t we are excited to introduce you to Annika Landis.  Annika is a member of the Enjoy Winter- NTS Factory Team and FasterSkier’s newest athlete blogger.  This season Annika will take us along on a journey through her busy race schedule, which includes historic events such as the American Birkebeiner, Swedish Vasaloppet, Swiss Engadin and Norwegian Birkebeinerrittet.   Born and raised in Hailey,...

Ruka Preview: The World Cup Starts Here

This coverage is made possible through the generous support of Marty and Kathy Hall and A Hall Mark of Excellence Award. Learn more about A Hall Mark of Excellence Award—or about supporting FasterSkier coverage—by contacting info@fasterskier.com. It’s hard to believe, but the start of the World Cup ski season is upon us. The weekend opener in Ruka, Finland begins November 29th. While many of us will be bemoaning our Thanksgiving excess and recovering from NFL binge...

Novie McCabe’s Precision Training and Preseason Momentum for 2024/25

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.   As the 2024/25 ski season approaches, U.S. Ski Team athletes are wrapping up their preseason training in preparation for the World Cup circuit. Among them is 22-year-old Novie McCabe (USA) from Winthrop, Washington, whose approach to training emphasizes precision and sustainability. “I’m just trying...

Julia Kern on Drinking Coffee, Building Community, and Finding the Balance

Just two weeks before leaving for Europe for the 2024/2025 season, U.S. Ski Team member Julia Kern, 27, chatted with FasterSkier to talk about her last few months and winter ahead. The Waltham, Mass. native didn’t skip a beat when asked a barrage of questions, including her favorite food (pizza), go-to coffee order (cappuccino), favorite ski technique (classic), and preference between M&M’s and Skittles. “M&M’s,” she said with a laugh. “Definitely chocolate.” Despite her cheery...

Smooth Transitions: Moving Wisely From Pavement To Snow

Our bodies are very good at adapting to change, as long as it comes slowly enough. That first frosty day in autumn always feels brutally cold. Take the same temperature in March and we’re in shorts and short sleeves. Our response to exercise load is no different. Taken as a slow and progressive build up, our bodies will respond with increased strength and capacity to stay on the right side of the load vs tolerance...