Multimedia – Page 15

Nordic Nation: U.S. Ski Team Head Coach Matt Whitcomb Fields Questions from Right and Left Field

Jason AlbertMay 1, 2020

A slight reshuffling of positions at U.S. Ski and Snowboard and longtime coach Matt Whitcomb has a new title: Head Coach. Whitcomb held the title of World Cup Coach last season. As the pandemic took hold in mid-March here in the U.S., Whitcomb holed up at his cabin in rural Vermont for a two-week solo quarantine. We caught up with Whitcomb via phone on April 23 from his cabin. This was a broad ranging interview....

Multimedia Nordic Nation Podcasts

Nordic Nation: Running to the Edge with Author and NYT Deputy Sports Editor Matt Futterman

Jason AlbertApril 24, 2020

If you’re an avid reader of The New York Times sports section, you’ve most likely read the work of writer-journalist Matt Futterman (50). Futterman is the Deputy Sports Editor at the NYT, a fan of nordic sports, and an avid runner who was slated to run the Boston Marathon this past Monday. Futterman’s love for endurance sports, running in particular, is evident as he peppers readers with in-depth running stories. He helped cover the recent...

Multimedia Nordic Nation Podcasts

Nordic Nation: Shooting World Cups with Federico Modica from NordicFocus

Jason AlbertApril 17, 2020

Many of the World Cup race photos featured on FasterSkier come from NordicFocus, a European bases photo agency. NordicFocus, as the name suggests, features images from the world of nordic sport: cross-country, biathlon, nordic combined, and ski jumping. If you have buzzed around the media center at any big cross-country event, it’s likely you have seen Federico Modica. Modica wears a mountain endurance-fit look as if he’s just descended from some alpine climb; there’s a veneer...

Multimedia Nordic Nation Podcasts

Nordic Nation: Holly Brooks on Mental Health During the Covid-19 Pandemic

Rachel PerkinsApril 10, 2020

We’ve all heard the phrase: “These are unprecedented times.” And it is true. What the world is facing during the Covid-19 pandemic is something that none of us have experienced before. We are all feeling it. Uncertainty is ubiquitous and caused by a myriad of factors. We may be concerned about the health of ourselves and our families, or about the financial impacts of our country coming to a halt. We might be attempting to...

Multimedia Nordic Nation Podcasts

Nordic Nation: Ollie Burruss and Shades of Green at Craftsbury

Jason AlbertApril 6, 2020

This past fall, the Craftsbury Outdoor Center (COC) updated its wax use policy. The New England institution was one of the first and among the largest cross-country ski centers to implement a policy curbing the use of perfluorinated wax on its premises. The Craftsbury Outdoor Center supports values and practices that try to minimize its impact on the environment while still providing recreational opportunities for visitors. The Craftsbury Outdoor Center hopes to help lead the...

Multimedia Podcasts The Devon Kershaw Show

The Devon Kershaw Show: Out of Quarantine and a Dive into the News Cycle

FasterSkierMarch 31, 2020

Kershaw is free from quarantine and back at home in Lillehammer. As we all know, the race season has been shut down. That means it’s time to discuss news items of note. Like…the “flexing” of some skiers as they ski an un-godly number of kilometers, Stina Nilsson’s switch from cross-country to biathlon, the Norwegian Ski Federation’s financial crisis, and, the retirement of Norway’s Eirik Brandsdal. (The U.S. Ski Team’s Erik Bjornsen also announced his retirement...

Multimedia Nordic Nation Podcasts

Nordic Nation: Going the Distance with Ben Lustgarten

Jason AlbertMarch 26, 2020

Live, from Vermont, it was Ben Lustgarten of the Craftsbury Green Racing Project — we spoke to Ben about his recent retirement announcement from full-time training and racing at the elite level. Lustgarten’s name is synonymous with the SuperTour’s sharp end. He’s also known to throw down burly strength workouts. He qualified and raced in two World Championships and claimed a 30 k classic National Championship in 2017. In this episode, we discuss the reasons...

Multimedia Podcasts The Devon Kershaw Show

The Devon Kershaw Show: The Quarantined in Sjusjøen Episode

FasterSkierMarch 16, 2020

Canceled. The North American leg of the World Cup became a blip as the weight of a pandemic became too much to bear for organizers. Minneapolis canceled. Canmore canceled. And….finally…Québec canceled. We discuss what was a crazy week when, accordingly, the globe shut down pro and amateur sport. We spoke with Kershaw when he was six days into a 14-day quarantine. Kershaw had been in Germany for World Juniors and upon his return to...

Multimedia Photo Gallery

Junior World’s Relay: In Photos

FasterSkierMarch 6, 2020

Junior Men’s Relay: Canada’s Turn Junior Women’s Relay: Watch the races here on the FIS site. Doug Stephen has more photos here.

Multimedia Podcasts The Devon Kershaw Show

The Devon Kershaw Show: An American in Germany … and A Recap of Lahti’s Relays

FasterSkierMarch 2, 2020

It is Monday after all. A day late for the Lahti relay recap but right on time to discuss U.S. skier, Gus Schumacher’s 10 k classic win at World Juniors. The 19-year-old Schumacher from Anchorage, Alaska can close – and he did that Monday with a burning fast final 3.3 k loop in taking the win. And yeah, the women’s 4 x 5 k and the men’s 4 x 7.5 k relays played out at...

Multimedia Podcasts The Devon Kershaw Show

The Devon Kershaw Show: Living Large in Lahti and a Wee Bit on Junior Worlds

FasterSkierFebruary 29, 2020

Post-Ski Tour 2020 it was back to the basics for the World Cup: Interval start classic races for the men and women. The local boy, Iivo Niskanen, still claims the 15 k classic as his race, especially when it goes down in Finland. For the women, Norway’s Therese Johaug pipped it out the win over Ebba Andersson of Sweden. This was good solid racing in the 10 k and 15 k, respectively. Devon, by...

Multimedia Podcasts The Devon Kershaw Show

The Devon Kershaw Show: Stage 6 Ski Tour 2020 — Waxing for Hell or High Water

FasterSkierFebruary 24, 2020

Stage 6 of the Ski Tour 2020 was, by any stretch of the imagination, a steamroller for Norway. A clean sweep on the men’s and women’s podium. On the men’s side, that’s not exactly what we expected. Russia’s Alexander Bolshunov looked like a sure thing for the overall win. A 30 k classic for the 23-year-old, I mean who would have predicted anything different? The weather was all over the place. As Devon has said...

Multimedia Podcasts The Devon Kershaw Show

Stage 5 Ski Tour 2020: Championship Style Classic Sprinting

FasterSkierFebruary 22, 2020

A full-on championship course in Trondheim, Norway where the World Championships will go down in the mid-2020s. That’s a long way off. This much was true: the venue, like this tour, has been kind to Norway. Maiken Caspersen Falla and Johannes Høsflot Klæbo pleased the home fans. And yes, with all the fans, it seems this might be a venue to revisit in the near future. One more day, a Stage 6 15 k/ 30...

Sponsored: New Moon’s Joel Harrison on Falling in Love with Hayward

Multimedia News Video

The Devon Kershaw Show — Stage 4 Ski Tour 2020: Lung Busting Across the Norwegian Countryside

Jason AlbertFebruary 20, 2020

The race ended where it began: Stage 4 of the Ski Tour 2020. In between, it was 34 k mass start skate bliss through the Norwegian countryside for those watching from home. For those racing on course, it was not such a comfortable vibe. Pain cave anybody? We discuss the unstoppable Johaug and an Alexander Bolshunov who sent it … and stuck it, as he made a one-skier-show of the front of the race. We...

Multimedia Podcasts The Devon Kershaw Show

The Devon Kershaw Show: Stage 3 Ski Tour 2020 – The Leg Flooding Sprint

Jason AlbertFebruary 19, 2020

Åre, Sweden — the site of the national (alpine) ski area in Sweden. Also the site of Stage 3 of the Ski Tour 2020’s skate sprint. Short at 0.66 k, but oh so steep with a finishing climb with slopes at 28 percent. Yah! 28 percent. Maybe part sideshow, maybe not. Either way, athletes had to get themselves to the top. In what was a leg-burning affair, for a one-off event, it was sporting entertainment....

Sponsored: Hayward’s Chris Young on Buying New Moon Bike and Ski Shop

Multimedia News Video

The Devon Kershaw Show: Ski Tour 2020 Stage 2 and a Deviation into Biathlon

FasterSkierFebruary 16, 2020

The Ski Tour 2020 show continued Sunday in Östersund, Sweden with the men’s and women’s classic pursuit races. Again, as we discuss in the podcast, it was Norway and Russia heavy on the men’s side. Actually more Norway than Russia. For the women, Johaug did her thing, but the racing was gritty. A chase pack of three and a speedy group from fifth through sixteenth made the 10 k affair a fun watch. Like...

Multimedia Podcasts The Devon Kershaw Show

The Devon Kershaw Show: Ski Tour 2020 Stage 1

FasterSkierFebruary 15, 2020

It was all Norway in both the men’s and women’s Stage 1 of the Ski Tour 2020 from Östersund, Sweden. Sjur Røthe on the men’s side was pacing perfection while Therese Johaug simply steamrolled. This was clear, Norway had the best skis, and perhaps by default, the fastest skiers almost across the top-10 board. Yet, it is a long week ahead, and we are one stage into a six-stage event. Here’s the debrief from Devon:...

Sponsored: Steve Morales Talks the Early Days of Skiing, The Birkie and Having A Ski Shop in Hayward

Multimedia News Video