After ten years as a coach with the U.S. Ski Team, Pete Vordenberg announced on Wednesday that he is resigning from his post as the men’s cross-country coach. “The foremost reason I am leaving my coaching position is my new family,” said Vordenberg in a press release. “To do the job the way I would want to do it would require more travel, time and energy than I can give it. I support the whole...
For many Nordic skiers, April marks the end of the season and May starts the new one. With some variation, the Nordic year is made up of 13 four-week-long periods. Each period has a different training emphasis and within each, training rhythms weave through the choices of intensities, training methods and forms, and time spent. April to May and May to June are a transition period; a time for relaxation, the return to dry land...
(Note: On April 25, the American Birkebeiner Ski Foundation announced it issued a formulated a plan to build about five acres of trails and a new trailhead on 120 acres south of Cable. Telemark joined the conversation and released a proposal of its own in late March. In a bullet-point letter, Telemark Resort outlined several possible solutions for keeping the race there, which included guaranteed easements to Telemark trails for Birkie events, free year-round access...
Even if you’re not a running fan, chances are you heard that former Dartmouth College standout Glenn Randall led the opening 10 k of the Boston Marathon last Monday. Actually, ‘led’ doesn’t quite describe it — he gapped the elite men’s field, frenzy. To those who had never heard of Randall, it looked as though he was trying to grab a few minutes of fame with an opening pace he couldn’t hold. But as he...
Just when you thought the ski season was over, Norway hosted one of the world’s biggest ski marathons, the 38 k Skarverennet, on Saturday morning. About 12,220 skiers competed in the race that runs from Finse to Ustaoset, high in the mountains. Therese Johaug won in 1:41:33, defeating Norwegian teammate Marit Bjoergen by 19.8 seconds. Martine Ek Hagen took third, one-tenth behind Bjoergen. Johaug took it out hard up a long incline out of Finse, and Bjoergen...
In a sport that revolves around the winter season, spring invariably brings about new developments in preparation for the coming year. The New England Nordic Ski Association (NENSA) announced in December that its executive director of five years, Pat Cote, would be leaving this spring to go back to school for a Doctor of Pharmacy degree. After a winter-long search, NENSA decided at the beginning of April on Maine native Zach Stegeman as his replacement....
On Tuesday morning at its headquarters in Freeport, Maine, L.L. Bean presented Maine Winter Sports Center with a $1 million commitment to its Healthy Hometowns program. The gift is part of the outdoor company’s 100th anniversary celebration, which also included a $1 million grant to the National Parks Foundation and $500,000 that has already gone towards the creation of new athletic fields in Freeport. The goal of all three gifts is to make enjoyment of...
Whether you raced, watched or weren’t able to attend the 2012 American Birkebeiner from Cable to Hayward, Wis., the Birkie DVD has all of the excitement on tape for a “super-skier friendly” price of $14.95. According to the DVD description on Click here to view/buy the item at the Birkie Store Cost: $14.95 Includes: Great Birkie week highlights – Barnebirkie, Giant Ski, Barkie Birkie, etc. Highlights with commentary from the Skate race The FULL uncut Skate...
original announcement that the job title had been changed from Program Director to Program Manager. The context of the new hire (namely, the position’s vacancy for an entire season and the nordic program’s recent budget problems) next led to more questions about the reasoning behind the shift in staff hierarchy, which all ultimately boil down to: What does this actually mean? The difference between the directorship and the managerial position replacing it mainly involves USSA’s...
What do Vegard Ulvang, Bjørn Dæhlie, Marcus Hellner, Charlotte Kalla, Alex Harvey, and Devon Kershaw have in common? Aside from gold medals from the Olympic Games or World Championships? All of them, at one point or another, were coached by Inge Bråten, a fixture on the World Cup circuit who died last week at the age of 63. Bråten led his country’s national team from 1990 to 1994—a period in which Norway collected no fewer...
It’s 80 degrees and you have five elite ski races to pull off for hundreds of athletes within a week. Go. This was the outlook Northern Vermont’s Craftsbury Outdoor Center faced in the week leading up to the start of spring series at the end of March. Such a forecast might have cowed even the most experienced race organizers, but with its new snowmaking system in place, a bit of foresight, luck, and a...
After operating without a Director for an entire season, there is a new leader at the helm of the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association’s (USSA) nordic operations. On Thursday the governing body revealed Joey Caterinichio as its Nordic Program Manager. As the founder and head coach at Alaska Nordic Racing in Anchorage, Caterinichio has built up a wide breadth of experience in the sport. She was a chief organizer for U.S. Nationals when they were...
That last ski of the season might not have set well this year. You weren’t exactly ready. Some places enjoyed sufficient snow dumpings this winter, but on the whole, it just wasn’t enough. It ended too soon. Certain parts of the country aren’t quite in summer mode yet. Snow has been known to make April appearances, and some ski towns recently saw a late-season blast of the white stuff. But in Hayward, Wis., home of...
CRAFTSBURY, Vt. — The women endured 20 laps and the men rounded the 1.5-kilometer loop 33 times in their respective 30- and 50-kilometer freestyle mass starts at U.S. Distance Nationals last weekend. Wondering how it played out with up to 90 racers on course at once? Take a look at our Women’s 30 k Women’s 30 k | Women’s |
CRAFTSBURY, Vt. – Shaking out the legs, clicking into their skis and moving their bodies just before the Friday’s 30-kilometer mass start at U.S. Distance Nationals, about 50 women looked straight ahead, all likely thinking the same thing. This is it. One more and we’re done. Some prepared for 20 times around a 1.5 k loop thinking each was a victory lap. Afterward, they’d be finished for the season. Four to five months of racing...
click here. Women’s hill climb video footage from the hill with interviews
CRAFTSBURY, Vt. — Photo galleries from the men’s and women’s 1.6 k classic sprints are up on FasterSkier’s start list. For the heats, check out the Women’s qualifier photos | Men’s qualifier photos |
JAY, Vt. – Every uphill has to end at some point. But what if it’s a mountain, and what if you can’t see the top? Nearly 70 women and 90 men probably thought something along those lines as they ascended a 1.8-kilometer freestyle hill climb at the Jay Peak alpine resort on Wednesday. As part of the SuperTour Finals, the event was a pursuit with the mini-tour leader starting first and the rest of the...
