It’s been a little bit since we’ve had an update to the site, but it’s been with good reason. This spring has been a little different than how it normally goes. Instead of Lindsey heading off to ski one more series of ski races, we headed to Switzerland for a couple weeks of travel and [...]
Wilson Dippo is a sophomore on the
Axel Teichmann always thought that the stabbing pains in his legs at the end of races were a normal consequence of exerting himself. But revelations have emerged from Norway that he has actually been hamstrung by Haitian voodoo, practiced by none other than Teichmann’s chief rival, Petter Northug. The news of the witchcraft came out when reporters from Norway’s Dagbladet found Northug in the team’s locker room before one of the races at the World...
Park City, Utah – In an emotional and free-wheeling press conference here today at the National Center of Excellence, Olympic Gold Medalist in the Downhill, Lindsey Vonn, announced that she is retiring from the U.S. Ski Team and making a bid to rejoin the team as a Nordic racer. With a mix of tears and smiles she told her story to a stunned ski press, “When I won the World Cup this year for the...
In a surprise move, the Pulitzer board has created a new category, increasing the number of annual awards to 22, and awarded it not to an individual, but to a general community. The new “Excellence in Anonymous Website Commenting” Pulitzer was awarded, en masse, to the nameless individuals who have provided supplementary commentary on FasterSkier.com. “This is truly a great day,” said FasterSkier editor Topher Sabot. “It is so rewarding to see our vision come...
What? Yeah, that’s right, there are lots of great reasons to be a Nordic skier, but one of them is that there are a whole lot of fit, attractive people wearing spandex. Here is a list of some of the hottest European skiers on the World Cup. We may have forgotten a few so feel free to write them into the comment section and we will add them to the list. We did not want...
The Italian legend Hilde Pedersen are excellent examples of elite cross country ski racers who continued to excel at the international level into their 40’s. While continuing to compete on the World Cup circuit at that age may not be common, cross country skiing is known for its athletes developing later than in other sports. Top skiers often continue to be competitive through their late 30’s. In light of these observations, it is natural to...
There were 43 entries in the FasterSkier SuperTour Finals “Pick the Podium” contest. Participants picked the top-3 in each of the SuperTour Finals races as well as the overall standings. Points were awarded as follows: First place in a race – 5 points Second place in a race – 3 points Third place in a race – 1 points Pick the whole podium for a race and get an additional 5 points. First place overall...
Since Kikkan Randall began Sunday’s 5 k hill climb with a 1:30 advantage over CXC’s Rebecca Dussault, the biggest question was not who would win. Rather, it was why Randall was racing in the German national team’s suit. Turns out she traded for it after the Olympics were over. But regardless of the reason, it didn’t get in the way of her skiing, as Randall rolled to another victory in the mini-tour in Fort Kent....
Today’s 7 k men’s hill climb in Fort Kent was scripted to end with an exciting finish. It didn’t disappoint. At the bottom, Andy Newell (USST) started the day with a 1:20 advantage over Ivan Babikov (Canada), one of the best pure climbers in the world. By the time they arrived at the top, Babikov had made up all the time. But he couldn’t shake Newell, who had saved just enough for the one kilometer...
A third of the way through the finals in Saturday’s classic sprint in Madawaska, Ida Sargent (CGRP) was doing something that nobody else had done over the last two days: giving Kikkan Randall (APU) a run for her money. At the bottom of the course’s main climb, Sargent shot past Randall out of the draft, then went stride for stride with the Alaskan up the first half of the hill. Randall ultimately pulled away over...
Andy Newell (USST) and Torin Koos (USST) are the two best male sprinters in the United States. But not until this frigid March day, in one of the furthest-flung corners of the country, did they finally go head-to-head in the classic sprint at the 2010 SuperTour Finals in Madawaska. It was worth the wait. After a qualifying round, a quarter, and a semifinal heat, the battle came down to a double-pole drag race in the...
Tim Burke wrapped up a banner season on the World Cup by finishing 16th in Saturday’s 15 k mass start event in Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia. He finished 1:14 behind the winner, Austria’s Dominik Landertinger. Arnd Peiffer (GER) and 40-year-old Halvard Hanevold (NOR) were second and third. Like in yesterday’s sprint, Burke was again one of the strongest on the course, finishing with the fifth-fastest ski time. But he couldn’t overcome four misses. “My skiing shape was...
It’s a difficult prospect after a half-dozen personal bests, a World Cup podium, and a front-page article in the New York Times sports section, but Kikkan Randall just keeps finding ways to impress this winter. After grinding out a victory in Wednesday’s 30 k just three days removed from competing in Europe, a better-rested Randall delivered an Alaska-sized beatdown to her competitors in Friday’s 7 k classic mass start race, the opening event of the...
On his way to the line for what he thought would be a second-place finish in Friday’s men’s 10k classic mass start, Andy Newell (USST) came across a surprising sight: Canadian skier Ivan Babikov skiing backwards in a parallel lane. Babikov had missed the sign where the finish split off from the lap lane, and was backtracking. In the process, Newell cruised by to take the victory, with Lars Flora (APU) and Torin Koos (USST)...
The following is a letter from members of the Russian National Ski Team to Russian President Dmitri Medvedev. Following a disappointing Olympics, Medvedev called for the resignation of all the heads of Russian Winter Olympic sports. This letter was originally published on skisport.ru. Respected Dmitri Anatolyevich Medvedev, The Russian National Ski Team is asking you for help. It has become a necessity that we change the way our Ski Federation runs. Right now, people are...
Everyone’s excited about the three-day mini-tour at the 2010 SuperTour Finals, and why not? Featuring a mass start classic race, a classic sprint, and an uphill climb, the event has something for everyone: sprinters and distance specialists, climbers and all-rounders, fans, and the media. The only ones who might have reservations are the coaches, since they have to wax all the skis and tackle the logistics. But a survey of those here in Fort Kent...
Midway through the U.S. 50 k Championship race on Wednesday, Ivan Babikov was a nation of one. The lone Canadian in a group of five Americans, he was ineligible for the U.S. title. But that didn’t stop him from skiing away with the win, and the $1,200 check that goes with it. Nearing the end of the last of five ten kilometer laps, Babikov put the hammer down, dropping CXC’s Tad Elliot and APU’s Lars...
After four races and flying across half a dozen different time zones in the last week, Kikkan Randall probably had a tough time telling up from down and left from right on Wednesday. But in the U.S. 30 k National Championship, she could still do the one thing she does best: ski fast, and win. “My body really doesn’t know what to think,” she said. “But it’s in good shape, so we’ll just keep rolling.”...
Fort Kent and Madawaska may not be the most scintillating of towns, but there are, in fact, a handful of things to do aside from eat potatoes and chase moose around. We talked to a couple of locals to get the skinny on Fort Kent and Madawaska. Here are some suggestions. Fort Kent In terms of restaurants, there’s pretty much one game in town for dinner, and that’s The Swamp Buck, on Main Street. Nothing...