Late last month, Billy Demong spoke on behalf of his sport at the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Foundation trustees' annual meeting. What came out of it was 15 Gold Passes, valued at $10,000 apiece, which U.S. Nordic Combined is currently trying to sell to help pay for its 2014/2015 season.
When Callum Watson crashed in the sprint at Australian National Championships, it seemed like any other crash. But the consequences were devastating: the other racer's ski punctured and collapsed his lung. Watson is looking towards the future as he recovers, but is set back by the cost of the ambulance helicopter flight that saved him. This article includes a link to his fundraising page.
SMST2 and U.S. Ski Team D-team member Ben Saxton describes a workout his Stratton team does almost every other week in the summer. "It is perfect for building a strong base as we move forward into higher intensity intervals later on in the training year," he explains.
Nine Canadian skiers, headed by Olympian Perianne Jones, were involved in the fundraising and on-site construction work of a school in Nicaragua. Fasterskier talked earlier this month with Jones and a couple of her "Skiers 4 SchoolBOX" accomplices about their experience this spring.
Kristin Størmer Steira's in the game for another season, but she's not so sure what the next four years hold -- definitely some school and not another Olympics. "I learned from my earlier mistakes saying this is my last year, but I don’t think longer than Falun ... we’ll see," she says in an exclusive interview.
Lowell Bailey went 2 for 2 on the weekend in Jericho, and two different U.S. women edged Canada's Rosanna Crawford for victories at the North American Rollerski Championships at the Ethan Allen Firing Range.
Up for voting at the IBU Congress in September will be proposals for how to deal with mid-race cancellations, whether to amend the penalty in youth individual races, and whether age limits are appropriate at Open European Championships - as well as the creation of an entirely new junior racing circuit.
In the 2013 World Junior Championships sprint, half of the male competitors in the final were born in the last five months of the eligibility window. Is this a case of a relative age effect - and what are the implications for elite sports on the whole, or retaining youngsters to be recreational athletes for life?
Devon Kershaw's friends said he'd never make it to the summit of Mera Peak -- not without popping the question to his girlfriend Kristin Størmer-Steira first. But he didn't crack in Kathmandu, like they predicted, before their three-week climbing trek in April.
With another World Cup crystal globe in hand, Finnish biathlete Kaisa Mäkäräinen, 31, is gearing up for another season and World Championships at home in Kontiolahti. It hasn't been easy: she was sick for two months from May through June.
Convicted in arranging the attempted murder of a regional governor in 2000, Alexander Tikhonov is never dull. One of the best biathletes of all time, he hopes to return to the international spotlight by becoming IBU President. Canada's Jim Carrabre is also taking on Anders Besseberg, who has held the position since 1993.
Despite being handed a two-year ban at age 33, Germany's Evi Sachenbacher-Stehle isn't throwing in the towel. Rather, she's seeking a three-month ban instead so she can repair her image and retire on a high note.
Following the final week of training in Finland and three days of rollerski races at the coveted Blink Festival in Norway, U.S. Biathlon coach Jonne Kähkönen gives an across-the-pond update from his native Finland.
The NNF-supported U16 Camp just wrapped up in Jackson Hole, Wyo. The National Nordic Foundation caught up with one of the camp’s founders, Sun Valley's Rick Kapala on what the U16 Camp and NNF Pillar Project means in the scope of skiing development.
Back in April, July 31 seemed like dark cloud looming in the distance. But it wasn't that far off, and fortunately for U.S. Nordic Combined, it wasn't all that dreary. "Things are moving forward for sure, and it’s a little bit more hopeful than in April," head coach Dave Jarrett says, explaining that he kept his job and hopes to have two other coaches and two wax techs help him this season.
The Canadian World Cup Team and about 23 training-centre skiers ventured south to Bend, Ore., in late June for a 12-day camp that was more about finding good pavement than snow. "We felt like it was the best place for an all-around camp with a big group," coach Justin Wadsworth says.
After July 31 next week, USSA will stop funding U.S. Nordic Combined. Sounds like doomsday, but U.S. NoCo has a plan. Bryan Fletcher explains how they've already teamed up with U.S.A. Ski Jumping to form a unified "U.S.A. Ski Jumping and Nordic Combined".
From his home in Ruffieux in south-eastern France, Canadian head wax tech Yves Bilodeau talks about retiring from racing and taking a new role as wax technician in 1995, reflects on what he called the “Sochi drama,” and explains who he’ll be working with this World Cup season.
Nous avons joint Bilodeau à sa demeure savoyarde, battue derechef par une forte pluie contraignant le passionné de pêche à délaisser temporairement le Rhône. L’homme revient avec humour sur ses débuts en 1995, nous présente ses compagnons d’armes oeuvrant au sein de l’équipe canadienne et se prononce sans détour sur les déconvenues de Sochi.
With two biathlon gold medals under his belt from Sochi, France's Martin Fourcade is setting his sights on competing in both skiing and biathlon World Championships in 2015. It's not an easy team to join: the French men took bronze in the 4 x 10 k relay in Sochi. So Fourcade is joining them for training camps.