Swix Sport USA and the American Birkebeiner Ski Foundation came out with some big news for their respective organizations on Tuesday, announcing that Swix signed on as title sponsor for the Birkie's ski events for two years. Swix Sport USA President and CEO Steve Poulin talks about the significance of the partnership and how it will contribute to Birkie Fever.
Upon returning to Park City from her recent training trip to Norway and Sweden, Liz Stephen spoke about the experience of training with Marit Bjørgen and Therese Johaug, overcoming the fear of new things, and how she plans to carry confidence into next season, where she wants to be on the podium at the Sochi Olympics.
When he last attempted to make the Olympics, Mikey Sinnott was four years younger and admittedly a step quicker. But the 28-year-old Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation skier is confident he can offset aging with accumulated experience and earn a spot on the U.S. Olympic Team for the first time in his career.
For Part II of the 'Part of the Team: The Impact of Female Coaches in the U.S.' series, Nancy Fiddler interviews five college coaches about the challenges and rewards of their jobs, how they achieved their respective positions, and what's kept them there so long.
Despite the Scottish location, Andrew Young grew up skiing the way many readers probably did too: in a club, with friends, trying to get fast enough to beat their older sisters. After becoming the youngest man to race a World Cup in 2008, Young relocated to Norway for better training and coaching, and is a lock for his second Olympics this winter.
Ida Sargent made a breakthrough this season when she cracked the top-ten for the first time Kuusamo, Finland, and then topped it in February by making the A-final in Sochi, Russia. Next year she wants to be back there as part of the U.S. Olympic Team. "If you’re not excited and fired up thinking about it, you probably shouldn’t be training for it," she says of the Games.
The Americans need an edge heading into an Olympic season, U.S. Nordic Combined Head Coach Dave Jarrett says, and Marc Nölke could be their answer. The U.S. team recently hired Nölke to take over as jumping coach and replace Chris Gilbertson, who coached the team since 2006.
Jim Galanes already has a lot on his resume: nordic combined World Cup winner. Cross country skiing national champion during the "golden era." U.S. Ski Team coach. Founder of the APU ski program. But after a few years away from the ski world, he's excited to tackle yet another peak: stonegrinding for Edgewise Ski Service in Stowe, which already has a booming alpine business.
When the 2013 season turned into a disaster for Canadian biathlete Megan Imrie, she headed back to her parents' ranch for a few weeks of checking the traplines, bonfires and picnics in the snow, and spending time with her horses. The chance to rejuvenate mid-winter has her ready to go for Sochi, and these days you'll find her making the most of on-snow training with the national team.
FasterSkier recently sat down with ultramarathon legend Scott Jurek over coffee in Boulder, Colo., to ask him about his background in skiing, his lifelong passion for running and his transition to a new phase of his career. When it comes to love of sport, his words are applicable whether you're a runner or a skier.
Over the years, Sadie Bjornsen's learned a thing or two about patience, especially when it comes to getting healthy. This season, the 23-year-old U.S. Ski Team member has a few key priorities and a strategic approach to achieve them.
Heidi Widmer, 22, isn't one for hanging around. Recently promoted to the Canadian Senior Team, Widmer ended the season with a backcountry trip then flew to El Salvador and New Orleans before training in Switzerland, where she'll spend a month with World Cup and national team skiers.
It all started as a running joke. Amanda Ammar wasn’t actually a ninja, people just thought she was. In her third season of racing independently, Ammar invited a few friends to join her fun-loving and flexible training method: Alana Thomas, Zoe Roy and Chandra Crawford.
When Leif Zimmermann first got into skiing at age 13, he had no idea where it would take him. He quickly rose to Junior World and U.S. nationals success, making the U.S. Ski Team, World Cups, 2006 Olympics, and 2009 World Championships before retiring from the sport this spring.
Meet Cendrine Browne, the youngest member of Canada's Senior Development Team. At 19, she's quickly progressed to the elite ranks, and despite her competitive background in triathlons, she's likely to stick with skiing.
Earlier this month, Andrew Musgrave met one of the greatest cross-country racers of all time: Thomas Alsgaard. What was more, they were going to be teammates on the newly formed Team LeasePlan Go. That's right: Alsgaard's back and Musgrave's going to be spending some more QT with veterans like him.
Five years after starting SISU Nordic, Ben Popp has accepted the position of executive director of the American Birkebeiner, North America's largest ski marathon. Popp talks about the "dream job," his goals for the big race, and how he's handling the transition.
Nordic sports are pretty egalitarian, as far as athletics go - but women are still confronted, constantly, with stereotypes about what is and is not appropriate or possible for them to do. In southern France, two researchers are focusing on what effects these stereotypes have on women's participation and performance in a wide range of sports, and explained their findings in an interview.
In its second year, NANANordic reached three times the amount of villages and more than twice as many students in Northwest Alaska. And if you ask founder Lars Flora, they're not done with spreading cross-country skiing just yet.
Just over a week ago, Tad Elliott heard the news he had an inkling was coming: he was not re-nominated to the U.S. Ski Team. With two seasons of international skiing behind him, he's decided to keep on the nordic path while renewing his other passion, mountain biking.