Once the kid who crushed from the secluded Methow Valley, Erik Bjornsen (28) has evolved into an all-arounder on the World Cup for the U.S. Ski Team and man with a plan. The plan is part travel business start-up co-mingled with a take it year by year approach when it comes to his elite level racing status. America’s World Cup skiers commonly remain in Europe over the holidays and prep for either the Tour de...
Marathon racer Astrid Øyre Slind (NOR) demolished her competitors in the Ski Classics, Madshus cross-country skiers cleaned up the podiums in the U23 Norwegian Championships, while Madshus biathletes claimed victories and podium finishes both at the IBU Cup and the IBU World Cup. Starting with the Ski Classics, Øyre Slind literally crushed her competitors in the La Diagonela in Switzerland, winning the 65-kilometer classic race by three and a half minutes to the next racer. Øyre...
The news came trickling out of Anchorage on November 2nd. U.S. Ski Team athlete Hannah Halvorsen was hit by a car while crossing a street in downtown Anchorage. “I was crossing a one way street, and a woman was turning into the lane, so she looked left where cars would be coming from and didn’t look right, where I was, and just turned right into the street and hit me at 25 miles an hour,”...
The author, Katharine Ogden, is a Junior at Dartmouth College. She recently completed the 2019-2020 Tour de Ski. Ogden is a decorated skier. You can read more about her ski career here. By: Katharine Ogden 01/06/20 The Tour de Ski is an iconic set of world cup races. It tests athletes in every way and pushes you to your limits physically and emotionally. Seven races over the course of nine days evokes giggles, tears, and...
BeFAST Sportgear has made custom headwear for the hosts of the first World Cup Nordic Ski event hosted on American snow in 19 years. In cooperation with the Loppet Foundation, BeFAST has designed two headbands to be sold for the Minnesota World Cup events to be held at Theodore Wirth Park in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Both products are already available for purchase at Boulder Nordic Sport’s newest location in The Trailhead at Theodore Wirth Park. The...
The Winter Park Competition Center in Winter Park, Colorado is currently seeking a Lead Coach available Wednesday-Sunday through March 22, 2020 with a possibility of continuing to year-round. This coach will work primarily with 10-14 year old skiers and assist the Head Coach at races as needed. As a recently reinstated Nordic program within the larger Competition Center, this program has tremendous potential, benefitting from world class training venues in the area, an invested Nordic community, a...
From January 9-22, Tara Geraghty-Moats (USA) will be an ambassador for girls at the first IOC Youth Olympics with Nordic Combined competitions for girls. The 26-year-old US Nordic Combined racer is looking forward to the opportunity, and points out the significance of the 2020 Youth Olympics in Lausanne, Switzerland. “I am so proud to be an athlete role model at the first Games that are gender-neutral. This is truly a historical moment,” Geraghty-Moats says....
Junior Helene Fossesholm (NOR) crushed the elite women at the FIS Scandinavian Cup; Madshus Team Beijing 2022 racers delivered on several arenas on the first race weekend of the new decade. Although this was Fossesholm’s first time racing a 20-kilometer, the 18-year-old won the women’s 20-kilometer skate event in Nes (NOR) on Saturday by more than a minute down to the next racer. “I have raced a few marathons before, but it’s not something I do...
This post will be updated throughout the day with additional information. The last time Erik Bjornsen (APU/USST) raced at mid-season U.S. Nationals, it was January 2014. Competing at Soldier Hollow in a series of races designed to choose the American team for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Bjornsen captured his last mid-season national title when he won the 15-kilometer classic interval start race. He was followed by Reese Hanneman, Kris Freeman, and Sylvan Ellefson,...
Midway through the 2020 U.S. Cross-Country Championships in Houghton, Michigan, a couple of things are becoming clear. SMST2 skiers are skiing very well, with podium finishes for Ben Saxton, Alayna Sonnesyn, Sonnesyn again, Kyle Bratrud, and Ian Torchia. APU skiers are skiing well, with podiums for Hailey Swirbul, Erik Bjornsen, and Swirbul again. And 19-year-old Gus Schumacher of Alaska Winter Stars has arrived, his brace of podium finishes announcing him as likely the most dominant American junior...
Lucky you! Here is how to make sure you get the most out of your new equipment. The short version: Go ski on them! While new skis are ready to be enjoyed right out of the box, there are a few additional steps that will make them even better, prolong their life expectancy and increase the fun: Keep them clean, glide wax the glide zones (skate and classic) and sand the kick zone (traditional classic...
Bogus Basin Nordic Team (BBNT), based in Boise, ID, became a Paralympic Sports Club this year, the first cross-country ski team in the United States to do so. Paralympic Sports Clubs are partnerships between US Paralympics and community organizations across the country that, according to the US Paralympics website, “provide local sports programming for individuals with Paralympic-eligible impairments.” They are “designed to be implemented within an organization’s menu of programs,” thus bridging the gap between...
After successful alpine experiences with Andrew Weibrecht last season, Nordic skiers can also join Andrea Henkel Burke this winter on local cross-country trails Last winter, the Mirror Lake Inn Resort and Spa in Lake Placid successfully debuted Ski With Andrew, an exclusive opportunity for hotel guests to cruise the trails of nearby Whiteface Mountain with Andrew Weibrecht, Olympic silver and bronze medalist in Super G, and son of resort owners Ed and Lisa Weibrecht. Andrew...
The custom headwear company, based out of St. Paul, Minnesota, signed a promotional deal with the host of this year’s Senior National host Michigan Technical University. As a sponsor of the event, BeFAST will be providing each athlete participant a headband from their ever-popular RaceSport Headband line. In addition, the company will be donating knit hats to the 50 volunteers of the event. Each hat and headband will be customized with the 2020 logo of...
Borah Teamwear, a leader in high-performance custom team apparel since 1997, is seeking energetic athletes to join its 2020 Borah ambassador team. The brand ambassador team will be comprised of 25 athletes from across the USA to promote Borah’s Wisconsin-made custom cycling apparel and the Borah advantage. Ambassadors will have a unique opportunity to share their cycling adventures and passion for Borah with the world. Team members will each receive free Borah apparel, special discounts...
To the point: thoughts and opinions on WADA’s decision to ban Russia from major international competitions for four years.
If you are still looking for some last minute holiday gift ideas we have some suggestions for you and that passionate cross-country skier on your list. Dermatone Dermatone is a waterless skin protector and frost guard made in Sweden. It is the best skin protection against winter drying, chapping and frostbite we’ve ever found and makes a great stocking stuffer. Apply to your nose, cheeks, and ears on those bitter days! Price: $7 Purchase: New...
Another amazing weekend for Madshus racers, netting 23 podiums and several top-10 finishes across two continents. Astrid Øyre Slind (NOR) crushed her competitors in the Ski Classics event La Venosta in Italy on Saturday, winning the 40-kilometer classic race by more than three minutes on her new Madshus Redline Double-Pole skis. This was Slind’s first victory for the season, but second podium finish. Two weeks ago, the marathon specialist was second at the 15-kilometer Ski...
Friday began the weekend series of IBU World Cup racing in Hochfilzen, Austria. The women and men raced the 7.5-kilometer and 10 k sprint, respectively. For the women, Italy’s Dorothea Wierer won in 21:26.5 while missing a single target. She began and ends the day wearing the yellow bib as the World Cup overall leader. Norway’s Ingrid Landmark Tandrevold placed second (+5.9; 0+0), and Russia’s Svetlana Mironova third (+18.3; 0+1). It was Mironova’s first World...