Before getting to the ski gear (I promise you its here), there’s a touch more background to cover. Just as IM can be found in almost every piece of gear we use, CNC machining is used throughout the industry and one of the reasons equipment has become light, reliable and fast. Most of the machine work for the ski industry is not used on the actual gear itself. The vast majority of lathe, milling and...
Toko Carbon GripSpray MSRP: $13.00 Klister skiing can be one of the true pleasures of life – perfect kick and perfect glide! But application can be another matter. Toko’s GripWax sprays are an effective, quick alternative to the heat gun and tube. A great gift for the person who laments the fact that every time the conditions call for klister, he/she goes skating. Bold Beautiful Biathlon MSRP: $20 (Canadian) Support the Canadian Women’s Biathlon team...
Before jumping into how Nordic ski gear is made, I thought it prudent to spend some time explaining several manufacturing techniques. These methods are used in almost every piece of gear we use. While eager to start explaining individual pieces of ski gear, having the back ground and basic understanding of manufacturing techniques will keep all of us speaking the same language and hopefully give the reader a better insight into the production and hidden...
Product Review: Mila PLS 100 Headlamp The Mila Headlamp is a high luminosity rechargeable headlamp designed for outdoor endurance athletes. Summary: I have been testing the Mila PLS 100 for a full year now, using the lamp for a variety of activities in all types of conditions. Overall, the Mila is an excellent rechargeable headlamp and is highly recommended. Pros: Extremely bright, dual lighting settings, headpiece is light and comfortable. Cons: No charge indicator, price....
Last month the New York Ski Education Foundation hosted the “Climb to the Castle†rollerski race, a challenging hill climb up Whiteface Mountain in Lake Placid, New York. The field included many of the top skiers in the country, and blog posts on FasterSkier discussed equipment, heart rates, lactate levels and other metrics used to gauge fitness and readiness to compete at the elite level. The field was also filled with the not-so-elite participants too,...
Kris Freeman has one really amazing pair of skis. He’s got lots of good skis, but just one that is really amazing, and really amazing in just about all conditions. Last May when Nathan and I were testing skis at the US Ski Team camp in Whistler we got to ski on a lot of good skis. We had a whole bunch of next year’s Peltonens to try out. We were also skiing on a...
Nordic manufacturers have traditionally offered their top of the line race boots in just one width. To make sure the boots provided a good secure fit for the lateral demands of skating, race boots have only been available in different variations of narrow. Athletes with feet slightly wider than average found themselves buying the number 2 boot in a line in order to have a comfortable fit. Atomic is changing all of that for this...
Karl Saidla is a member of XC-Ottawa and the Alpina Racing team. The following does not necessarily represent the views of FasterSkier.com. While at the Canadian Championships at Whistler Olympic Park, I was given the opportunity to test next year's prestigious Red Dot award winning Alpina ECL classic boots. The new boots represent a very significant redesign, but in ways that I think most racers will appreciate. For pictures of the boots, as well as...
Ski flex can be as simple or as complicated as you wish to make it — as simple as finding a ski to fit you, or as complicated as finding a fast ski. Several years ago, I met a Finnish ski technician named Harri Altonen. Harri introduced me to the concept of measuring the pressure areas, or contact zones, with the snow to figure out if and when a pair of skis will be fast....
The following blog entry re-prints an article from “Sports Engineering” describing the system in more detail and even has a photograph. Early development is obviously focussed on alpine skiing. Speedier Skis On Course For World Cup Glory?
Editor's Note: The following does not necessarily represent the views of FasterSkier.com, its editors, or sponsors. We fully support open dialogue on the issues raised in the following article. Please feel free to use the comments section to express your views. When Bill Marolt came on board as CEO of the USST (a long time ago), I began writing him urging him to start a development program in cross country. I predicted poor results for...
John Caldwell’s series on the state of US skiing has generated significant discussion on FasterSkier.com. Whether you agree with John or not, it is good to talk about these issues, and FasterSkier provides an excellent forum. Unfortunately there have been several instances of inappropriate commenting. Thanks to the many readers who pointed out the offensive posts. They were removed immediately. FasterSkier.com will not tolerate racial, ethnic, or religious slurs, of any type — even in...
Editor's Note: The following does not necessarily represent the views of FasterSkier.com, its editors, or sponsors. We fully support open dialogue on the issues raised in the following article. Please feel free to use the comments section to express your views. So why aren’t we getting good results at the international level? Lots of reasons. First of all, our skiers are not training enough. The present US staff is correct in urging more training because...
Editor's Note: The following does not necessarily represent the views of FasterSkier.com, its editors, or sponsors. We fully support open dialogue on the issues raised in the following article. Please feel free to use the comments section to express your views. The United States Ski Team’s cross country program is broken, has been for about 25 years, and it’s time it tried a different approach. It’s doubtful, especially with the present program, the Ski Team...
It's a false claim that taking performance-enhancing drugs is simply 'the way it is,' Olympic gold medalist Edwin Moses writes. He says a hard-core training regimen is the secret to his success. By Edwin Moses, Special to The Los Angeles Times June 12, 2007 Like the parabolic mirror that ignites the flame in Olympia every two years, the avenging spirit of sport recently has focused its heat upon yellow jerseys and ski boots. Now I...
Note: The opinions expressed in this article are the opinions of Rob Whitney and Ian Case. They do not neccessarily reflect the view of Fasterskier.com as an entity. Enjoy! Swedish Skidsport.com has started a petition in an attempt to eliminate the mass start in pursuit and other long races that the World Cup has been favoring the last few years. Over 1000 fans in Sapporo have signed a petition with hundreds more signing on every...
Coach Jarmo Risk is banned for life from international competitions following the Finish team’s doping scandal in the 2001 Lahti Worlds. He is now the coach for World Cup leader Virpi Kuitunen. The Finnish head coach Magnar Dalen has no problem handling the dilemma. – Jarmo Riski was not the main source for the doping scandal in Lahti, said Dalen to Skidsport on Tuesday. Magnar Dalen was the head coach for Sweden when it was...
Norwegian national team skier Ella Gjœmle was sick at the start of Tour de Ski, but followed all the races on TV and wrote articles for Norwegian Langrenn.com after each race. She believes the Tour will be even more important next year since next season is without a major championship.
The glide technician in the Norwegian wax team, Johnny BerÃ¥s, has quit his job allegedly due to conflicts about waxing philosophy within the team, according to Norwegian newspaper Aftenposten. Sportchief Ã…ge Skinstad is not willing to comment why Johnny BerÃ¥s has quit his job with the Norwegian waxteam. – This is a personal case, says Skinnstad. BerÃ¥s has been the top glide technician for the Norwegian skiers since 1999. Norway’s head wax technician, Knut Nystad,...
Will Win Gold on High-Heels By Johan Prestvik Translated from vg.no Posted on 9/25/2006 Article in Norwegian w/Picture: