The survey below is intended for juniors between the ages of ten and twenty-three. FasterSkier is looking to improve the website and the content we provide. It doesn’t matter what we think is important – we want to know what you think! The survey should only take 3-5 minutes. This information will be extremely useful as we work to improve the site, so we greatly appreciate your participation! This survey is generously supported by Rossignol....
PRESQUE ISLE – The University of Maine at Presque Isle announced today that it has hired a nationally recognized ski coach – whose athletes have garnered World Championship and Junior Olympics National titles and spots on prestigious national and international ski teams – to lead the development of its Nordic Ski Team as it prepares for Division I NCAA status for the 2009-2010 athletic season. Alexei Sotskov, who helped to develop the Gunstock Nordic Association...
PARK CITY, UT – Olympic champions Ted Ligety (Park City, UT) and Julia Mancuso (Olympic Valley, CA) were among numerous national athletes on hand as the first round of U.S. Ski Team and U.S. Snowboarding competitors made their way into the new Center of Excellence. The national training and education center opened its doors to athletes this week in preparation for the Olympics in Vancouver just over nine months away. The Center is the USSA’s...
Norwegian sprint start Tor Arne Hetland and Swiss World Cup veteran, Gion-Andrea Bundi have annoucnced their retirements from international ski racing. The 35-year-old veteran Hetland retired because of a lingering knee injury and asthma.”I feel like I am quitting while I am at the top,” he said. Hetland made significant sprint history, being the first sprint world champion in 2001, the first Olympic champion in sprint in 2002 as well as the first world champion...
Former Austrian nordic skiing coach Walter Mayer was released on Thursday after spending over a month in custody, on suspicion of dealing in doping substances, court sources said. The 52-year-old was arrested on March 22, suspected of obtaining and providing illegal doping substances, including the banned blood booster EPO, according to the prosecution. He was remanded in custody on March 25.
We are extending the deadline for the Swix/FasterSkier Spring Photo Contest. You now have until Monday, May 4th to submit photos with a spring theme. For full details, including a list of prizes:
Featuring the apt slogan of “Welcome to the Kingdom of Skiing” and an incredible “two for one” XC ski vacation, the 2010 Masters World Cup in Falun, Sweden next February is likely to be an irresistible draw for masters around the XC ski world. Recognized as the world’s largest wintersport traveling championship event, the Masters World Cup (MWC) provides over 1,000 adults 30 years and up a full week of racing and social events at...
ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Sisu Nordic Ski Foundation (SNSF), a Twin-Cities-based organization dedicated to the development, support and promotion of Nordic Skiing in Minnesota, today announced that Chad Giese has joined its roster of experienced coaches. Giese, a former National Champion, NCAA All-American and World Cup skier, will be a part-time coach with the organization, assisting all of SNSF’s various Sisu training groups. “We’re excited and fortunate to welcome a coach with Chad’s experience...
A rare winter phenomenon was recently spotted in Southern Idaho. It would have been perfect for our spring photo contest. More photos and a map of the area.
The lawsuit brought by women ski jumpers in their attempt to gain inclusion on the 2010 Olympic Games began this week. Some updates follow. The Vancouver Sun report on the first day of the trial: Point out its flaws, but remember the IOC is tone deaf At this point the general consensus seems to be that the ruling will be in favor of the IOC and against the jumpers. The arguments boil down to whether...
WHISTLER, BC – The U.S. Nordic Combined Ski Team wrapped up the 2009 season on snow as athletes took to the terrain of Whistler to train on what will become their Olympic stage in less than a year. “We had an awesome camp with our group with 10 athletes up there. We got really good skiing in, really good jumping in, and it was just good to train up there,” said World Champion Billy Demong...
We have launched a new blog – “From The Editor.” This blog can be thought of as an editorial column that will feature opinion, observations, updates from the editor, and should provide plenty of fodder for our Twitter fan club. You can visit the blog at:
HAYWARD, WI – Central Cross Country Ski Association is pleased to announce the addition of new programs for Lower Michigan Junior Development and Masters. This program will be led by Igor Badamshin and Yuriy Gusev. Igor (born 1966) is a former Soviet/Russia cross country ski racer who competed from 1989 to 1997. He won a bronze medal at the 1993 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in Falun and earned his best individual finishes of 5th...
In the course of the 2008/09 season, just short of 2 million (1,970,000) spectators attended the FIS World Cup events in the six FIS Olympic disciplines. From October 2008 to March 2009, the Audi FIS Alpine Ski World Cup had more than 460,000 spectators at 28 sites in 13 nations across Europe and North America. In the Viessmann FIS Cross-Country World Cup, almost 450,000 fans enjoyed the performances of their favorite skiers on site during...
As part of the analysis of the past World Cup season FIS, together with its market research partner IFM Research GmbH from Karlsruhe (GER), has been reviewing the TV audience figures in the main ski markets. The initial evaluation, based on live and delayed coverage of the FIS World Cup tours in the 2008/09 season, has revealed some interesting facts. For example, for the Audi FIS Alpine Ski World Cup, the channel with the most...
Editor’s Note: The fight for inclusion of women’s ski jumping has been going on for some time now. The legal avenue was only taken after the IOC refused to meet with representatives. The IOC does not seem to have a valid argument for excluding women’s ski jumpers. Their claim that participation is too low falls flat in the face of women’s Ski Cross, where numbers are a third the level of jumping.
XC Ottawa will be taking applications at their website until April 25th. For more information about the team and the on-line application form, visit
The 2009 season is over and most of us are looking ahead to 2010, but April is transition time. What are you doing this month – getting in your last skis on snow, out already on the rollers, hitting the weight room, touring the backcountry, relaxing, etc? Send your best “Spring” photo to FasterSkier and you could win one of several ski-related prizes from Swix…not to mention everlasting fame! Thanks to Swix (
Registration is still open for the Cross Country Canada FIS Trainers Seminar! While the Canadian quota has been filled, there are still a number of international spots available. This is a great opportunity to learn from some of the best sport science leaders in Cross Country Skiing and check out the Olympic venues, all while spending time in beautiful British Columbia. Full Schedule and Registration Form (PDF)
In response to the recent article on the doping scandal, one reader wanted to know how often US and Canadian athletes are tested. To the best of my knowledge, no US or Canadian cross-country skier has ever failed an international drug test. US Ski Team Coach Pete Vordenberg told me that the US World Cup athletes get tested 4-6 times each summer, and another 4-6 times during the winter. Summer testing can be logistically challenging,...