Last year I was a senior Economics major at Colby College. This meant that I had to do a final project that involved a lot of my own research and said something new about what I found. I decided to do my project on skiing. Specifically, I wanted to see if there was any relationship between the quantifiable factors that describe a given cross-country ski center and the price that that ski center charges. Without...
This morning we crossed the 50% mark in the Sean McCabe Memorial Fundraiser! We had a large spike in donations following my rather vehement expression of displeasure at the initial response. Since that article, we have had an additional 63 individual donations, totaling $3600. It has been great to see the response – and from such a wide range of people. Kikkan Randall posted a message of support on her blog and backed up her...
In a wild final heat in Davos, Norwegian John Kristian Dahl pulled out a squeaker of a victory over his teammate Petter Northug and Russian Alexei Petukhov. After following Petukhov up the first big hill, Dahl made his move on the course’s final rise, slotting in front of the Russian and holding him and Northug off in a drag race over the final 100 meters. It’s the first career win for the 28-year-old Dahl, who...
For the first time this year, Petra Majdic took the victory in a World Cup sprint race, edging out Marit Bjorgen and Aino-Kaisa Saarinen on a tough course in Davos, Switzerland. “I just wanted to show everybody that I can win again,” Majdic told NRK1 television after the race. American Kikkan Randall finished in eighth, just missing out on a spot in the finals with a third place finish in her semifinal heat. Majdic, in...
Today was the second race of the IBU World Cup weekend in Hochfilzen, Austria. The 12.5 km pursuit finish came down to a sprint finish, as Emil Hegle Svendsen (NOR), Simon Eder of (AUT), and Ole Einar Bjoerndalen (NOR) entered the stadium together and traded leads several times before the finish line. Bjoerndalen, who missed 2 targets in the third stage for a total of 3 penalties was still able to stay competitive with Svendsen and Eder, who only had...
SuperTour Overall Standings (12/7/2009) Swix Athletes are currently top three in the overall SuperTour Standings. Congratulations to Holly & Garrott on their World Cup selection and congratulations to Swix Partnership Teams Alaska Pacific University (Swix wax & poles) and CXC Vertical Limit (Swix poles). Women 1. Holly Brooks / APU –SWIX WAX & SWIX POLES 2. Laura Valaas / APU – SWIX WAX & SWIX POLES 3. Becca Rorabaugh APU – SWIX WAX & SWIX...
Today’s IBU World Cup races were held in Hochfilzen, Austria. Tim Burke lead the U.S. team with a 20th place finish and two penalties. He was one minute behind winner Ole Einer Bjoerndalen of Norway who shot clean in both stages of the 10km sprint. The second U.S. biathlete to finish was Jay Hakkinen, with one penalty, in 38th place. Womens full results
In the wake of my earlier post, admonishing the ski community for not stepping up on the McCabe fundraiser, I have received a number of questions. I will clarify below. I appreciate the questions, and apologize for not making certain things more clear initially. The biggest issue seems to be the issue of raining money to “purchase” paintings for the McCabes that the McCabes already own. This is understandably confusing. Sean McCabe was the primary...
You may applaud it’s fairness and simplicity, or you may think the policy reads like a paragraph out of Vonnegut’s “Harrison Bergeron”, but like it or not, the United States Biathlon Association is implementing a “same wax” protocol throughout the December biathlon trials at Mt Itasca. The waxing protocol will apply to both the IBU Cup Team Trials held December 12th – 22nd and the Jr/Youth World Team Trials, held December 19th – 22nd. Standard...
2009 FS Holiday Gift Guide: Under $20 2009 FS Holiday Gift Guide: $50 – $100 Read the review. This product is available here. Fischer Carbonlite Skate NNN Boot MSRP: $339.99 If you can’t ski in the World Cup, you might as well ski on the same boot used by World Cup skiers. Fischer’s Carbonlite Skate boost are becoming one of the most popular options on the market. Madshus Nano SKC Mens Skate Ski Boots MSRP:...
We launched the Sean McCabe Memorial Fundraiser just over a week ago. In that time we have raised $2500 – reason to celebrate? I don’t think so. Last night a reader posted the following comment on the You can read more about the fundraiser here.
1960 Winter Olympic Games and Ski History Artifacts Sought. [Olympic Valley, California] Did you attend the 1960 Olympics as a spectator? Were you involved as a volunteer or athlete? Does your family have a long time connection to skiing in the region? If so, the Squaw Valley Ski Museum Foundation would love to hear about your experiences and is seeking donations of artifacts and memorabilia. Artifacts will be on display at this January’s Olympic...
Whether you want to get fast or look faster this Holiday Gift Guide installment is for you. Today features products ranging from $100 to $300. Incase you missed them do not forget to check out other great gift suggestions from earlier this week; 2009 FS Holiday Gift Guide: $20 – $50 Boulder Nordic Sport, Free Heel and Wheel, High Peaks Cyclery, Ski Rack, WebSkis. W’s Primaloft Jacket MSRP: $119.00 Want the warmth of down but the reliable protection against...
ANCHORAGE, AK – The Alaska Nanook men’s and women’s ski teams claimed their fourth consecutive Alaska Nordic Cup title, winning both relay races Sunday afternoon at Hilltop Park in the 6th annual series. With a one point lead entering the second day of competition (21.5-20.5), the Nanooks knew they needed to win at least one of the two relay races for the overall victory. However, they did one better and swept both races for a...
The Canadian World Cup Team is recharged and ready for Davos: Chandra Crawford and Perianne Jones come off a weekend of solid sprint finishes while the rest of the team had a training week of great sun and snow in the northern Alps of Italy. Currently there are seven members on the team: Men’s team: Devon Kershaw, George Grey, Ivan Babikov, and Alex Harvey. Women’s team: Sara Renner, Chandra Crawford, and Perianne Jones. While Crawford and Jones raced the World Cups in Dusseldorf,...
On the third day of the Holiday Gift Guide, FasterSkier sent to me… Yes, we know that you woke with such excitement and rushed straight to your computer to check what gifts could be found ranging in price from $50 to $100. Incase you missed them do not forget to check out other great gift suggestions from Monday and Tuesday; 2009 FS Holiday Gift Guide: $20 – $50 Snowman Junior Ski Set MSRP: 54.95 The Snowman...
The Sean McCabe Memorial Fundraiser is off to a good start. In five days we have raised $2,000 with contributions ranging from $5 to $500. We are well on our way to making our goal, but still have quite a bit of work to do. So far we have had 32 people donate to this very important cause. FasterSkier often has that many visits 10 minutes! If each visitor contribute $5 to $10, we could...
This weekend’s Alberta Cup in Canmore, Alberta, hosted a distance skate and a classic sprint. The fastest Canadian racers who were not already on the World Cup competed, including the racers who had placed in the top spots at the West Yellowstone Supertours. Dasha Gaiazova and Shayla Swanson, who took first and third at the West Yellowstone sprints, finished first and second at Canmore, with Andrea Dupont placing 3rd. In the men’s sprint, Phil Widmer topped the results. Frédéric...
2009 FS Holiday Gift Guide: Under $20 Swix Fanny Pack MSRP: $23.95 This Swix Fanny Pack is small, lightweight and comfortable with a clip waist strap. Great for longer skis when you need to pack extra clothing, food and/or a camera. This product is available here. W’s Power Dry Crewneck MSRP: $24.50 This Polartec® Power Dry® crewneck is an affordable base layer option, providing excellent moisture-wicking properties at a great price. Bula Stereo Hat MSRP:...
Skifire, Inc., the Club Andino Ushuaia, and Spanish coach Noel Marcen Cinca are working on a cross-country ski based camp for juniors paired with language classes to take place in and around Ushuaia, Argentina during the 2010 austral winter. Skifire’s Matt Muir was in Ushuaia in 2007 when Marcen Cinca and one other Spanish coach led a group of Spanish juniors on a training camp trip there, Marcen Cinca and Muir stayed in touch, and...