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Technical articles, including how to guides, detailed information on equipment, and the science behind it all.
Nordic Pulse Uses GPS Tracking to Improve and Accelerate Communication Between Groomers and Skiers

If there’s a generalization that can be made about cross country skiers, it might be that we like to “know before [we] go.” As the ski season waxes and wanes, or mid-season storms roll through, we relentlessly check the weather forecast and our local grooming report as we fantasize hungrily about the fresh corduroy or classic tracks we hope to enjoy that day. But we can’t always know before we go. Timely grooming reporting asks...

Brick Wheels Hosting On-Snow Ski Fest & Swap

Third Nordic Fall Fest and Ski Swap Brick Wheels, Traverse City, Mich. Sunday, Oct. 21 , 9 AM-6 PM Need a little snow fix? Longingly looking at your waxing bench already? You are in luck this weekend, FC8L Cera F.Liquid. The SkiGo Representative, Roger Knight says for heat Click here for opportunities and times. Sign-up sheet: http://fasterskier.com/2011/10/how-to-wax-for-spit-blood-and-teeth “There’s something special about taking perfectly good snow, that’s gonna melt down a drain, and put it to good...

Gear Preview 2012: Alpina

We continued on our SIA Show tour over at the Alpina booth, where we met up with Steve Kvinlaugh who talked to us about their responsibility to bring more younger skiers into the sport of cross country skiing and what those skiers specific needs were.  From this line of thinking was the development of their new ‘Action’ series of boots as well as a complete bottom up redesign of their elite boots.

Gear Preview 2012: Madshus

Our next stop at the SIA Show was with Madshus where their Marketing Manager Connor Folley walked us through what was new with their 2012 line.  He talked to us about their new nano line of boots and their evolving focus on the hydrodynamics of the ski or in other words the tension that exists between the base of the ski and the snow surface.  

Boulder Nordic Sport (BNS) took us through their West Yellowstone prep on Saturday afternoon, the day before they began the 800+ mile drive to Montana. With a 40-pair test fleet, drawers full of wax gear and about 150 pairs of freshly-ground skis to deliver back to customers, they’ve got a full trailer. Wheels went up on Sunday at 8:00 am, and after spending the night in Bozeman, MT, the crew should arrive in Yellowstone on...

FasterSkier Podcast: Tech Roundtable Part 2

Part 2 of the FasterSkier Tech Roundtable. In what may be a first in the North American skiing, FasterSkier brought together four of the best ski technicians around for a roundtable discussion on a variety of issues. Nathan Schultz of Boulder Nordic Sport, Mark Waechter of Nordic Ultratune, Zach Caldwell of Caldwell Sport, and Patrick Moore of the Alberta World Cup Academy digitally joined FasterSkier Editor Topher Sabot and Associate Editor Audrey Mangan from all...

FasterSkier Podcast: Tech Roundtable Part 1

In what may be a first in the North American skiing, FasterSkier brought together four of the best ski technicians around for a roundtable discussion on a variety of issues. Nathan Schultz of Boulder Nordic Sport, Mark Waechter of Nordic Ultratune, Zach Caldwell of Caldwell Sport, and Patrick Moore of the Alberta World Cup Academy digitally joined FasterSkier Editor Topher Sabot and Associate Editor Audrey Mangan from all corners of the continent. The discussion is...

19 Miles of Cable and One Espresso Machine: Biathlon, from Trail to TV

If you want to know about how biathlon travels from the trails onto television, the first thing you need to know about is cable. In Fort Kent, the site of Maine’s second biathlon World Cup in as many weeks, the stuff is everywhere. It’s mostly black, but also orange, blue, white, red, green, and yellow. It snakes along the sides of the trails, hangs neatly coiled from racks, and explodes into massive, spaghetti-like snarls when...

Timing Snafus Slow SuperTour Results, But Officials Say Accuracy Uncompromised

Thursday’s weather in West Yellowstone was a big improvement from earlier this week, but race timers still found themselves in a perfect storm during the season opening SuperTour races. Coaches and athletes were in the dark all afternoon Thursday, when results from the double sprint qualifier were delayed for hours due to timing snafus. Two different finish lines, a skeleton crew of volunteers due to the holiday, a tight racing schedule, and an overambitious timer...