Day 1 | Day 3 | Day 5 *** Day 6: Kick-Ass Gear There is gear and then there is kick-ass gear. You know what I’m talking about — that backpack that you got in college, have taken all over the world, and is still going strong? Those skis that always seem to do well in testing despite getting “a little long in the tooth.” Your lucky “windies,” the wind briefs that have help guide you...
Day 1 | Day 3 *** Day 4: Casual Wear Even though I clearly established on Day 2 with training clothing, and on glove model, but did you know that this hunky Dartmouth graduate also has a vision to “Make Skiing Great Again?” It’s true. Now before everyone gets all worked up that we (really, he, in particular if you are mad – write Zach, NOT me) are normalizing the theme that this hat is...
his SuperTour win last Sunday and I told him that it was nice to see a good guy win. His response was excellent too, as he asked me, “Thanks FBD, but honestly, are there any guys out here who aren’t good guys that you wouldn’t want to see win?” This is such a good point and it goes to show you that even at the highest level in the sport, those fighting tool and nail...
(The following op-ed is an opinion piece submitted by an author unassociated with FasterSkier. Viewpoints do not necessarily reflect that of FasterSkier’s staff or sponsors. We fully support open dialogue and encourage the use of the comments section at the bottom of this page to express varying views. To submit an op-ed, email in its 2018 national team selection criteria. pneumonia. The World Cup start rights that were given to Patterson baffled the rest of...
The following firsthand account was written by FasterSkier intern Ian Tovell, who attended this year’s American Birkebeiner in February, which was estimated 10,000 people coming out for a casual ski on a 5-kilometer loop, on-snow demos, live music, food and a beer garden. Photos from Ian, FasterSkier contributor Vince Rosetta, and the American Birkebeiner Ski Foundation. *** The 2017 American Birkebeiner will be a race that no one will ever forget. It will be remembered for a tremendous...
Plenty of athletes, such as Therese Johaug, have been suspended from sport based on the concept of "strict liability": they are responsible for any prohibited substance which enters their body. The IOC has forgone that principle in dealing with Jamaican sprinters at the 2008 Olympics.
John Aalberg, senior consultant to the Oslo Bid Committee for the 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Games, weighs in on why Norway pulled out of the game this month, while encouraging Salt Lake to aim for 2026.
Are your a winter warrior but springtime sally when it comes to skiing? This author asks the question that several not-so-elite skiers might be dying to ask: are rollerskis right for us mortals, and if so, how do we use them without risking road rash?
One author's take on the whole Northug fiasco, including the consequences it could hold for the 28-year-old Norwegian skiing star.
This past weekend, nearly the entirety of the adult population of Midwestern skiers made their way to Hayward for the annual get-together of the ski community: The Birkie. The American Birkebeiner (or Birkie, for short), is the biggest ski race in North America. For many skiers, the race represents their culmination of training for the whole year. Read a first-timer's perspective on the race, the trail, and Birkie Fever.
With the Super Tour in our neighborhood last week we got to see some fast skiing! Craftsbury Outdoor Center hosted the tour finals and closed out the week with a Fast & Female Clinic on Sunday. Several girls in our Mansfield Nordic Club attended Fast and Female and raved about it (see their comments below). But some other interactions with the USA and Canadian women gave insight to their class, beyond their fast skiing. At...
All 2012 FIS World Cup Finals coverage is brought to you through the generous support of STOCKHOLM, Sweden – Just about every athlete we talked to at the Royal Palace Sprint in Stockholm raved about the venue, and it was easy to see why. The location, literally on the steps of the King of Sweden’s home, overlooking the bay, cannot be beat, but the additional details that might not be evident on camera take it...
Former USST coach Rob Kiesel died in Joseph, Ore., on October 24th. While the nordic community across the globe mourns his loss, Kiesel was also remembered for his innovative work during the glide-wax revolution. Marty Hall, a former US Ski Team coach in his own right remembers Rob in this piece. You can read the read this earlier article from October on Rob’s passing away. Rob had just become my Assistant Coach in the Spring...
FasterSkier had the chance to catch up with Corey Schwartz, Head Ski Coach of University of New Hampshire (UNH) to get some of his thoughts on skiing. Schwartz has been the head director of the UNH ski program for 25 years, during which he has mentored 27 student-athletes to 37 All-American team selections. He himself skied as a Wildcat for three NCAA Championship teams, and as coach served for both the Eastern USSA Sr. Committee...
This year, the U.S. Biathlon Association (USBA) had a radical shift in its athlete development strategy: instead of sending a full squad to the World Cup and leaving the rest of the American biathlon field at home, they would minimize their World Cup presence to only those athletes who were succeeding, and field a much larger team at the IBU (International Biathlon Union) Cup races. While the U.S. biathletes that FasterSkier talked to, on and...
Patrick Stinson is an avid Fasterskier.com reader who was born and raised in Alaska. Fanatical about living life to the fullest, he left a solid music software writing job to travel, explore, and train for skiing for a year. Included below is a short bit that he wrote (over Thanksgiving in West Yellowstone) describing his pursuit. Fasterskier.com is excited to share with its readers another side of skiing in this short essay. So I left...
The lack of a World Cup 50K race has Soedergren frustrated. “XC skiing is well on its way to lose its identity and its character,” Soedergren said to zsport.se.
Morgan Arritola, Ketchum, ID,23 SWIX Holly Brooks, Anchorage, AK, 27, SWIX Caitlin Compton, Minneapolis, MN 29, SWIX Kris Freeman, Andover, NH, 29, SWIX Torin Koos, Leavenworth, WA, 29, EXEL Garrott Kuzzy, Minneapolis, MN, 27, SWIX Andy Newell, Shaftsbury, VT, 25, SWIX Kikkan Randall, Anchorage, AK, 27, SWIX James Southam, Anchorage, AK, 31, SWIX Liz Stephen, Montpelier, VT, 22, ONEWAY Swix is a proud supporter of the US Ski Team. Swix Star CT1 poles have garnered...
Another US Nationals has come and gone – and as usual the week featured big fields, great battles, enthusiastic crowds, and lots of hard work by organizers and volunteers. It seems that every year that there is a burst of optimism around this event. Racing is intense, people are going for it, and the competition is high level. Whomever does well is looked at as the next potential World Cup star or Olympic hopeful. But...
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.