News – FasterSkier

A Common Question

Jim GalanesAugust 21, 2025

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. “Starting out, it is difficult to train at L1–2. The unfit blows right through just shuffling on the flats. Any insight on how the rank novice can gain enough fitness to begin varying the level of effort?” Submitted by a FasterSkier reader, this is the...

Job Postings News

Methow Valley Nordic Ski Educational Foundation Seeks Assistant Coach

FasterSkierAugust 19, 2025

Position: MVNT Assistant Coach The Methow Valley Ski Educational Foundation (MVNSEF) started as a small ski team in the late 1980s and was formally established in 1998 as a 501(c)(3). We have grown to include many programs, initiatives, and events. We serve over 300 youth, adults, and para-athletes through our cross-country skiing, biathlon, and after-school Ski Cubs programs. While we have supported several current and past Olympians, Paralympians, and National Team athletes in both cross-country...

Job Postings News

University of Alaska Anchorage Seeks Assistant Coach

FasterSkierAugust 19, 2025

The University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA) Department of Athletics is seeking qualified candidates for the position of Assistant Coach – Men’s and Women’s Nordic Ski. Seawolf Athletics is a member of the Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC), and competes in multiple National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) divisions. The Seawolf program features 13 teams competing at both the Division 1 and Division II levels. UAA Athletics Mission We support the educational mission of the University of...

Feature News Training

If I Knew Then What I Think I Know Now — Or Has Training Really Changed That Much?

Jim GalanesAugust 19, 2025

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. I want to highlight a comparison between how we trained in the late 1970s and 80s, and what we now consider best practices. I’ve reviewed some old training logs to refresh my memory, though with time, those memories fade. I started unstructured training around the...

Feature News Training

Training Philosophy: Building, Not Breaking Down

Jim GalanesAugust 10, 2025

I regularly share my thoughts on training through various social media platforms. My goal is always to spark discussion and share insight from decades of experience and study. But what I’ve noticed over time is that people often read between the lines and make erroneous assumptions that simply aren’t accurate. Some suggest I don’t value high training volume. Others think I advocate only for easy training or that I always train in 2-3 day blocks....

Community Feature News

Is SafeSport—and U.S. Ski and Snowboard’s MAAPP Protocol—Actually Working?

Jim GalanesAugust 3, 2025

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 March of this year, an alpine coach from a Colorado based ski club—a club that encompasses all U.S. Ski & Snowboard (USSS) disciplines—was reported for abusing a nine-year-old child during a post-season training camp in Taos, New Mexico. The club promptly reported the coach...

Feature News

The Vasaloppet Experience

Jim GalanesJuly 31, 2025

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 2021, our family decided to do the 2022 Vasaloppet, marking the 100th anniversary of this iconic event. That meant setting an alarm for 1:30 a.m., firing up the computer, and scrambling to grab a spot as the Vasaloppet website went live. With 15,800 entries...

Biathlon Feature News

Biathlon Mourns Loss of German Olympic and World Champion Laura Dahlmeier

FasterSkierJuly 30, 2025

The International Biathlon Union is deeply saddened to learn that former Olympic and World Champion Laura Dahlmeier has passed away at the age of 31 following a tragic mountaineering accident in Pakistan. Laura was one of the greatest athletes to grace biathlon and her loss is felt deeply by everyone in biathlon, the wider German sport family and beyond. The IBU’s thoughts are with Laura’s family and friends during this very difficult time. Throughout her...

Feature News Training

Shifting Gears, Part I—Spinning

John TeafordJuly 29, 2025

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. It’s Tour de France season, when the eyes of the endurance sports world turn toward the Alps, the Pyrenees, and the Champs Élyssées. For three weeks in the middle of summer, a field of aerobically gifted, whippet-thin cyclists race endless miles across France, conquering knee-wobbling...

Feature News Racing Regional / Local

Rollerski Season…Rolls, as Freed, Ogden Ski to Wins at Craftsbury Lost Nation Roll

Ben TheyerlJuly 25, 2025

Any given day at Craftsbury Outdoor Center in the summer is a hive of activity. A sculling camp here, a group run there, and throw a rollerski race in too. Everyone though, comes back to the Center’s porch, eventually. On Friday morning, a group of middle school-aged runners, containing more than a few skiers among them, went out for their morning group run. When they came back around, a few lit into the hushed, excited...

Job Postings News

University of Denver Seeks Head Coach

FasterSkierJuly 24, 2025

Job no: 498125 Work type: Staff Full-Time Location: Denver, CO Categories: Athletics Division: Athletics About the University of Denver Located where the Great Plains meet the Rocky Mountains, the University of Denver embodies the spirit of exploration and discovery that defines our region and our history. DU is a private institution built on exploration through research and collaboration among educators, students, and local and global communities. With nationally recognized academic programs, a history of widespread influence, a forward-looking vision for...

Job Postings News

Grand Targhee Ski & Snowboard Foundation Seeks Program Director

FasterSkierJuly 24, 2025

The Program Director reports to the Executive Director and oversees discipline managers (coaches) to ensure that Fundamentals, Development, Race, Freeride, Snowboard, and Nordic programs thrive. The right person is self-motivated, proficient at time-management, leadership skills, and is comfortable working in a fast-paced environment. Knowledge of FIS, USSA, and IFSA are a plus. Responsibilities include, but are not limited to: The Program Director will work with the Fundamental, Development, Race, Freeride, Snowboard, and Nordic...

General News

SoME Snow Looks to Bring Snowmaking and Reliable Skiing to Southern Maine

FasterSkierJuly 21, 2025

A group of nordic enthusiasts in southern Maine is planning to launch a new trail system in the Greater Portland Area with snowmaking. Inspired by the successful introduction of snowmaking to nordic facilities in other parts of New England, Southern Maine Snow & Trails, is on a mission to provide reliable snow conditions and extend the season in a region that is rich in nordic racing history, close to two competitive EISA programs, and home to a significant population of current and potential skiers. SoME...

Community Feature News

US Ski and Snowboard Level 100 Mandate—A Closer Look

Jim GalanesJuly 17, 2025

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. U.S. Ski & Snowboard (USSS) has mandated that to be eligible to attend USSS events, all member coaches must be Level 100 Certified. According to USSS, the goal of the Level 100 Cross Country Ski Coach Education is to provide new and developing coaches with...

Doping Feature News

Bad Sports, Part VII—Red Handed

John TeafordJuly 15, 2025

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. This final installment in the “Bad Sports” series chronicles the actions of those athletes who simply got caught. There are plenty of reasons, plenty of rationalizations, plenty of explanations, plenty of excuses that quickly follows any doping test that delivers positive results . . ....

Feature News Training

Jim Stray-Gundersen and the Evolution of BFR

Jim GalanesJuly 10, 2025

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. Since the mid-1980s, I’ve had the good fortune of working with the late Dr. Jim Stray-Gundersen on several projects. Our first conversation was at a training camp in Hatcher Pass, Alaska, either in October 1985 or 1986. We were discussing how we could better assess...

Doping Feature News

Bad Sports, Part VI—Mechanical Mischief

John TeafordJuly 7, 2025

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. These “Bad Sports”installments have allowed us to spend mid-summer days reflecting on ways that the world’s best skiers have been tempted tempted to misbehave in seasons past, and in the season to come. But the world’s best are not the only ones who may resort...

Feature News Resources Training

Zone 2 Training: the Latest Fad

Jim GalanesJuly 4, 2025

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 recent years Zone 2 training has become the latest fad. It seems like everyone has a different definition or interpretation of the infamous Zone 2 training. When discussing training zones, it is important to understand a couple of key points. Training zones are typically...

Feature News Training

Training: Is Continual Improvement Possible?

Jim GalanesJune 30, 2025

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. Over the past three decades of coaching—monitoring dozens of athletes and using tools like Firstbeat analytics to track training load and recovery—I’ve developed my training theory that I call “continual improvement.” Some exercise physiologists, sport scientists, and coaches question whether this is even possible. Others...

News Racing US Ski Team World Cup

US Ski Team Announces XC Team for Period 1 of the 2025-26 World Cup Season

Matthew VoisinJune 27, 2025

Dear Cross Country Community, We are pleased to announce the XC Team for Period 1 of the 2025-26 World Cup season: Ruka, FIN 10 km C Men John Hagenbuch Objective 24-25 Overall SuperTour Leader Gus Schumacher Objective 14th Distance World Cup 24-25 Ben Ogden Objective 22nd Distance World Cup 24-25 Zanden McMullen Objective 35th Distance World Cup 24-25 Luke Jager Discretion 21st Les Rousses 20 km C JC Schoonmaker Discretion 23rd Falun 10 km...

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