U.S. Biathlon A-Teamer Annelies Cook catches us up on everything from a new strategy for shooting in races to time trialing against the German women and hiking with friends at home in upstate New York. Plus, women's coach Jonne Kahkonen weighs in on how his team fared in competition.
Speed workouts make fast skiers in more ways that one might think, SMST2 Head Coach Gus Kaeding says. He lets us in on a couple of his go-to variations on a staple workout.
Mmm, maple syrup! Ida Sargent shares one of her favorite homemade bread recipes and even the tip that makes it so sweet.
With a new head coach at the helm and a couple new athletes, CXC is rebuilding while setting tangible goals for the season ahead. "I think at first, they were skeptical to listen to me because they've heard this before and results have ebbed and flowed," Bill Pierce says. "But I think they’re willing to give it a chance."
Before last Sunday, Liz Stephen isn’t sure if she had ever been to the top of Mount Mansfield’s Toll Road, which winds for 4.3 miles up 2,564 vertical feet in Stowe, Vt. Didn’t matter. The 6th Annual Race To The Top Of Vermont was another hill climb, and Stephen had a goal of winning, setting a course record and beating mountain bikers in the process.
The latest research used Norwegian and French World Cup skiers to look at how VO2Max and heart rate variability fluctuate over the course of one or several seasons. Plus, a new kind of "neurodoping" is now possible, using electrical currents or magnetic fields to make your brain better at everything.
The U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association (USSA) today announced the appointment of Olympian Tiger Shaw as chief operating officer, effective October 1. A former U.S. alpine team member, Shaw will succeed Bill Marolt and take over after the Olympics in the spring of 2014.
Caitlin Gregg shares a group workout that pushes her to the max on any given day. Formerly of Central Cross Country (CXC), Gregg is currently training in Minneapolis with her husband Brian and racing for the Methow Olympic Development squad in Washington.
After hearing fantastical tales in the 1970s of what it was like to race in the Soviet Union, Bill Frank set out to discover why fans there were so biathlon-crazy. The answers have much to do with the debacle of the 1939 Winter War, where the Soviets were turned back by Finnish ski troopers, and that the biathlon relay was about as Marxist an athletic event as you could find.
In advance of his club’s facility playing host to the third annual North American Women's Training Alliance (NAWTA) camp in July, APU Nordic Director Erik Flora broke down film of last year's World Cup races in Sochi. He was studying every undulation of the race courses, with a goal to replicate the Olympic venue.
XC Oregon's elite team roster is a bit smaller this year, but coach J.D. Downing is excited about the team's quality. "We'll have a bit of a 'factory team' feel with fewer full-time skiers than some years, but a whole lot of talented people involved," he explains.
The Barnes twins' simple-yet-savory recipe for Vermont crepes, appropriate for any time of day in any place ... East Coast or not. (Just make sure you've got the real-deal maple syrup!)
The U.S. men and Canadian World Cup skiers are right at home way down under at the Snow Farm near Wanaka, Zealand, and they haven't wasted any time with getting down to business while rehabbing some injuries.
Yum! This is the first in a series of heart-healthy and fitness-ready recipes for skiers. The following, "Carne Asada Elk (or Beef) with Grilled Fruit/Corn," was submitted by Olympic biathlete Tracy Barnes, who co-wrote the Twin Biathletes' Cookbook with her sister, Lanny.
Two days after arriving in New Zealand, Andy Newell romped the men's field in the opening sprint of Winter Games NZ, winning his qualifier and each heat thereafter for the overall win. That's a good indicator for one of the world's best sprinters after a summer of mostly rollerskiing, running and biking.
The MOD grew by three with the addition of both Brian and Caitlin Gregg and junior Maya Seckinger. "The new additions have brought challenges but great rewards, too," coach Scott Johnston says. "At times were are going 4 different directions but all with the same ending destination."
Switzerland has a population just a bit smaller than the state of Virginia, and despite the Alps and Jura mountains faces some of the same challenges in developing World Cup skiers that you might find in North America. We chatted with Swiss U24 coach Christian Flury, formerly of Alberta World Cup Academy, about how his squad represents his country's future, and how he manages it.
Bend Endurance Academy head coach Ben Husaby has a good sense of humor when it comes to his one-man team. Dakota Blackhorse-von Jess is their guy, but luckily BEA has a roost of "ravenettes" pushing the 27 year old during summer training.
You asked, we answered! Welcome back to another installment of our Question and Answer series. This time around, the owners of Woodski, Inc. shed some insight on rollerski speed and off-road models. Got questions of your own? Email RollerSkiShop.com, wrote in an email his company doesn’t carry off-road rollerskis, but listed some pros and cons: “Pros: Can roll over bigger stuff for smoother ride, go on gravel and crushed limestone opening up more routes. Cons: Bulky,...
Japan sets draconian Olympic qualification standards for its athletes: if they can't land at least three top-12s in World Cup racing, then skiers are stuck at home and quota spots handed out by FIS go unfilled. The Japanese men have qualified as a relay team, but are working extra hard to prepare for early season World Cups where they hope for results that will allow them individual starts as well. For now, that means many hours on snow in Stelvio, Italy.