If you’ve ever had one of those days where nothing seems to go right, you should be able sympathize with the Canadian men, because things could probably not have gone much worse for the first two legs of Canadian mens’ 4×10 k relay team Sunday in Sjusjeon, Norway. Devon Kershaw, a veteran of the Canadian National Ski Team (CNST) who is known for his skill and love for the 10 k classic opening-leg of the...
With the Norwegian women taking the top two spots earlier in the day in the 4×5 k, the Norwegian men had the bar for success set high for their four-man relay effort. As always, Petter Northug Jr. was anchoring Norway I, supported to Eldar Roenning and Finn Haagan Krogh on classic skis, while Lars Berger, biathlete, brother of Tora Berger, and occasionally cross-country relay selection skied third in the 4×10 k race in Sjusjøen, Norway,...
Sticky skis and icy conditions — they don’t always mix. You didn’t have to tell Ida Sargent that. But it wasn’t about the number of times Sargent fell down on Sunday’s rock-solid course at Sjusjøen, Norway, that mattered. As the starting leg of the U.S. women’s cross-country ski team in the 4×5 k World Cup relay, she had to get back up. “I didn’t want to lose anymore time than I already had,” Sargent wrote...
After packing seven women into the top 10 on Saturday, it was undisputed that Norway was the team to beat in Sunday’s 4×5 k women’s relay. And the Norwegians showed no signs up letting up, starting four teams that all contained talented skiers. However, it was obvious that only one was a clear standout – Norway I. Featuring the same quartet — Vibeke Skofterud, Therese Johaug, Kristin Stoermer Steira, and Marit Bjoergen — as they...
where she pulled away from Marit Bjoergen and Justyna Kowalczyk to become World Champion in the 30 k skate. Most importantly, Johaug’s prowess broke up the Bjoergen-Kowalczyk club, and introduced a new power into womens skiing. With Bjoergen knocking the stuffing out of every single woman on the circuit this year, and Johaug stepping up to a new level, the Norwegians have an unbeatable 1-2 punch in women’s skiing. Add in the aging but putting...
If the U.S. Nordic Combined Team got together for Thanksgiving, there might be less football watching and more talk about the kids. That’s the way life is for almost half of the seven-man squad, with each of the “Big Three” aged 30 or older and with at least one child. “It’s a different dynamic than it has been in the past,” said head coach Dave Jarrett, who has two kids of his own. “But it’s...
It almost came down to a recall, but the results are in for the FasterSkier First Tracks Photo Contest. We got a lot of submissions, and it was great to see evidence of skiers from all over North America gleefully enjoying early season snow. Podium prizes are: First Place: FastWax glide wax Second Place: FasterSkier Sporthill hoodie Third Place: Skadi bootmate Only the top three get prizes, but we wanted to share more than just...
man-on-a-mission dethronement of Petter Northug on the Norwegian superstars home turf in Oslo which was unforgettable. Not to be out-done, Charlotte Kalla incredibly dramatic (or heart-breaking if you’re Canadian) fashion. While their sprinters are great, FasterSkier would be remiss if we failed to mention the distance skiing ability the Swedes displayed. Daniel Rickardsson led the men’s squad, finishing third in the World Cup Overall, skyrocketing up from his previous-best of 17th. The late-blooming Rickardsson (he...
Many European skiers arrive in the U.S for college and are exhausted from year of trying to “make it” at the international level. While they find success in NCAA skiing, for some it is the last hurrah of a career that’s already lasted twenty years. Snorri Einarsson was not one of those skiers. For one thing, when the Norwegian arrived at the University of Utah, he was just 20 years old. For another, he...
(Note: this preview doesn’t include college or junior skiers, although many will be competing in the opening SuperTours. College racing will have its own preview at a later date.) With one week until the opening SuperTour races in West Yellowstone, it’s time to start remembering what the domestic race circuit looks like. A number of top athletes retired after last season, but their spots have been filled by recent college graduates. Here’s what you need...
Team Canada wrapped up its World Cup selection trials in Canmore on Tuesday with a pair of mass start races, which were won by Megan Imrie and Nathan Smith. With barely any snow in Scandinavia, the team was lucky to be at home in Canmore, where there has been skiing thanks to “Frozen Thunder,” a snow-saving operation. The team was racing to select two women and one man to join prequalified racers Imrie, LP Leguellec,...
apparently likes running in one-piece suits. Renato Pasini turned back the clock to 2009, and finished in the top 10 three times on his way to 9th in the Sprint Cup. But it was young Pellegrino who punched his way onto the World Cup in style, winning qualification during the skate sprint in Davos, Switzerland, before ending his day last in the final. He qualified in the top 15 four other times, and also picked...
When Cliff Field met his parents for dinner in Steamboat Springs, Colo., last weekend, the family of three knew the discussion wouldn’t be easy. A few days earlier, Field had stumbled on his mother’s quotes in a Drive for 25,” urging skiers to donate $25 to the sport on Nov. 15, the NNF was happy to create a similar donation link online for nordic combined. A few weeks after U.S. Nordic Combined launched NNF website...
winning the fourth stage of the Tour de Ski before going into hibernation for a few weeks, only to reappear at World Championships, winning the 15 k classic. Jauhojaervi was frustratingly inconsistent, either finishing in the top 10, or out of the points, and ended the season with just one medal, a bronze from Kuusamo, Finland. But the biggest ride of the season for the Finnish men was the two World Championship relays. During the...
Finnish Newspaper Ilta Sanomat reports that cross-country skier Juha Lalluka (FIN) has tested positive for human growth hormone (HGH). Lalluka’s A-sample came back positive—B-sample results are pending. Lalluka, a relative unknown on the international race scene, has made occasional appearances at elite events, including last year’s World Championships where he placed an impressive eighth in the 50k freestyle, and skied the fastest third leg of the relay, tagging to teammate Matti Heikkinen in first place....
goatee’d wonder Axel Teichmann. He had his worst points total in ten seasons on the World Cup, finishing in the top five just once before the bronze medal in the relay at World Championships, and ending his season after Oslo. So if the Germans were that bad, how did they finish sixth? It was scoring World Cup points by committee for the red, yellow, and black suits, as 13 men and seven women chipped in....
massive black visor was so our preview last seasonwe were excited about the group Cologna had supporting him, and in 2010-2011 they showed why. In the very first relay of the season they were outstanding, finishing fourth. Three weeks later in La Clusaz, France, the foursome cruised to a 30 second victory over an incredibly talented Russian team. Of the three non-Cologna Swiss primarily distance-skiing men, Perl was by far the best, finishing a career-high...
Vittoz Vittoz said au revoir to life as an athlete. The great French hope had his worst season since 2002, finishing (for him) a measly 23rd in the overall World Cup rankings. Vittoz had some good races – he finished fourth in the final climb in the Tour de Ski and third in the 20 k pursuit in Lahti – but he wasn’t his old medal-winning self. While the most famous Frenchman might have had...
When the parade of brightly-colored spandex suits heats up the domestic circuit this year, competitors and spectators will see a new squad: Stella Racing. And while America’s first elite women-only team in more than a decade might be small, it will definitely be fast. Morgan Smyth, Evelyn Dong, and Zoe Roy decided to start a team based out of Salt Lake City, Utah, and have spent the spring and summer making it happen. Their rationale...
With anticipation for the first bit of racing in Europe and North America reaching a fever pitch, attention has turned to attire. Specifically, the Canadian National Ski Team (CNST), and the digs they’re going to be sporting this winter. When the Canadians inked a deal earlier this year with OneWay Sport, the nordic equipment manufacturer, the announcement raised some eyebrows. OneWay has a history of making some exciting suits, including the intense Slovenian neon, and...