HomeCategory

Regional / Local

Coverage of smaller regional and local events.
Early Season at Hatcher Pass: A Photo Essay
GeneralMultimediaNewsPhoto GalleryRegional / Local

Early Season at Hatcher Pass: A Photo Essay

Gavin KentchOctober 7, 2019

HATCHER PASS, above Palmer, Alaska — The phrase “early season skiing” tends to evoke several things for your average skier: Dark. Cold. Rock skis. November. And so on. Think a training opportunity to be endured as much as enjoyed. Happily enough, none of these things was in evidence Sunday morning at Hatcher Pass, elev. 3,500′, in Independence Mine State Historical Park in the Talkeetna Mountains above Palmer, Alaska. The sun was out. The views were...

CONTINUE READING
A Full Weekend of Rollerski Races in Upstate New York
DrylandNewsRacingRegional / Local

A Full Weekend of Rollerski Races in Upstate New York

Peter MindeSeptember 16, 2019

The NENSA rollerski series ramped up this past weekend outside Lake Placid, New York. As part of the drive to draw more skiers to the rollerski series, Saturday included a two race format known as a doubleday event: event 1 consisted of a 3-kilometer skate prologue followed by a 1.5-k cross-country cross (XCX) featuring several agility segments. Athletes earned a reward for performances in each event. Both events were individual start and their aggregate times...

CONTINUE READING
American Birkebeiner Becomes a Visma Ski Classics Challenger Race
NewsRacingRegional / Local

American Birkebeiner Becomes a Visma Ski Classics Challenger Race

Jason AlbertAugust 29, 2019

Back in June, the Worldloppet International Ski Federation announced the cessation of the FIS Worldloppet Cup. In short, that race series was a collaboration with the International Ski Federation (FIS) and the Worldloppet marrying elite level and popular marathon ski racing. The American Birkenbeiner was intermittently a stop on the FIS Worldloppet Cup. “It was just not getting traction attracting the elite athletes and tying those elite athletes to popular skiing,” said Ben Popp, the...

CONTINUE READING
Race to the Outhouse #2 Ushers in Spring Skiing Season
GeneralNewsRacingRegional / LocalResults

Race to the Outhouse #2 Ushers in Spring Skiing Season

Gavin KentchApril 15, 2019

ARCHANGEL ROAD, above Palmer, Alaska — The tenth annual Race to the Outhouse #2, held amidst the Talkeetna Mountains on April 6, marked a neat bookend to the 2018/2019 race season in southcentral Alaska, and possibly in North America. While this season’s Race to the Outhouse #1 was held in early December 2018, roughly one month later than normal, it still marked the season’s first race in southcentral Alaska, and, behind perhaps only Frozen Thunder and...

CONTINUE READING
Eastern Cup #1 Race Rundown from Craftsbury, Vermont (Updated with Gallery)
NewsRacingRegional / Local

Eastern Cup #1 Race Rundown from Craftsbury, Vermont (Updated with Gallery)

FasterSkierDecember 23, 2018

Day 1 (Sprint) Craftsbury photo gallery. Day 2 (Distance) Craftsbury photo gallery.  Over the weekend in Craftsbury, Vermont the first Eastern Cup series went down. On Saturday skiers raced a 1.6-kilometer freestyle sprint. On Sunday the women raced a 5 k skate, the men 10 k. In the women’s sprint qualifier, Julia Kern (SMS T2) skied the fastest time of 3:12.97 minutes. Ida Sargent (USST/CGRP) was the second fastest qualifier, with Jessica Yeaton (APU) in...

CONTINUE READING
Soon-To-Be Parents, Caitlin and Brian Gregg on the Winter Ahead
Continental CupGeneralInterviewsNewsRegional / Local

Soon-To-Be Parents, Caitlin and Brian Gregg on the Winter Ahead

Alex KochonOctober 9, 2018

The questions started rolling in this spring. How’s training going? Are you going for 2019 World Championships? What’s the plan for next winter? When you’re Caitlin and Brian Gregg, Olympians and local superstars in the Midwest, it’s hard to keep your athletic profile on the DL. Since buying a house on Theodore Wirth Park seven years ago, the couple has immersed themselves in the greater Minneapolis community — both in and out of skiing. They’ve...

CONTINUE READING
Minneapolis to Host 2020 FIS Cross Country World Cup
GeneralNewsRacingRegional / LocalUS Ski TeamWorld Cup

Minneapolis to Host 2020 FIS Cross Country World Cup

FasterSkierSeptember 28, 2018

(Press release) The International Ski Federation (FIS) today officially confirmed that Minnesota will host a World Cup cross-country ski event in Minneapolis in March 2020.  U.S. Ski & Snowboard and the Loppet Foundation will serve as hosts of the World Cup event, taking place at the new ‘The Trailhead’ facility in Theodore Wirth Park. “A Minnesotan who brought home a gold medal has now helped us bring home the World Cup,” said host committee co-chair RT...

CONTINUE READING
Why Skiing and How I Survived the Summer: Part IV
GeneralLifestyleMastersRacingRegional / Local

Why Skiing and How I Survived the Summer: Part IV

FasterSkierAugust 23, 2018

In March of 2016, we published an article penned by Scott “Bjorn” Cummings, a Postbaccalaureate student working towards his Academic Behavorial Strategist K-12 (ABS) Special Education License at the University of Minnesota Duluth (UMD), titled “Part III” update in February. Here’s the latest on his summer. *** There is an old saying in teaching that “the three reasons why I teach” are: June, July and August. As a teacher, I have the benefit of getting my summers...

CONTINUE READING
Novak, Rudd Take Tour of Anchorage Wins
GeneralNewsRacingRegional / Local

Novak, Rudd Take Tour of Anchorage Wins

Gavin KentchMarch 6, 2018

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Hannah Rudd had never raced a 50 k before. Jack Novak was doing his second one in as many weekends. They took different paths to get there, but both ended up in the same place on Sunday afternoon: first in the flagship 50-kilometer freestyle race of the Tour of Anchorage. The 30th annual Tour (pearl anniversary!) set off from Service High School, beneath the foothills of the Chugach Mountains at the eastern...

CONTINUE READING
Why Skiing (and Am I in the Right Birkie Wave?): Part III
GeneralLifestyleRacingRegional / LocalTraining

Why Skiing (and Am I in the Right Birkie Wave?): Part III

FasterSkierFebruary 23, 2018

In March of 2016, we published an article penned by Scott “Bjorn” Cummings, a Postbaccalaureate student working towards his Academic Behavorial Strategist K-12 (ABS) Special Education License at the University of Minnesota Duluth (UMD), titled “Part II” update in September. Here’s his latest Birkie leadup piece. *** The annual benchmark nordic ski race is here. The American Birkebeiner in Hayward, Wisconsin, for nordic skiers is like the Hajj in Mecca for Muslims. Everyone who is physically and...

CONTINUE READING
Alaska Racing Returns with Scenic Race to the Outhouse
GeneralNewsRacingRegional / Local

Alaska Racing Returns with Scenic Race to the Outhouse

FasterSkierNovember 6, 2017

HATCHER PASS, above Palmer, Alaska — Thank you Ullr for the early-season weather and snow! The 2017/2018 ski season started for me on Sept. 30 with an overnight trip to the Snowbird Glacier in the Talkeetna Mountains above Palmer. The Mat-Su Ski Club (MSSC) believed to be the first cross-country ski race in the U.S. this winter, and the first ski race on natural snow anywhere on the continent. The race was held under partly cloudy skis and...

CONTINUE READING
Alaskans Revel in October Skiing at Hatcher Pass, Birch Hill
GeneralNewsRegional / Local

Alaskans Revel in October Skiing at Hatcher Pass, Birch Hill

Gavin KentchOctober 23, 2017

Note: We’re seeking submissions for this year’s “U.S. or info@fasterskier.com with the subject line: “Fall Skiing”. Deadline for submissions is Nov. 3. *** HATCHER PASS, above Palmer, Alaska — Winter is in the eye of the beholder, but whatever you’re looking for to mark the skier’s favorite season, this spot at 3,500 feet in the Talkeetna Mountains probably has it. Seven kilometers of groomed trails? Check. Literally Extra Blue conditions? Check. A nearby lodge with a...

CONTINUE READING
Don’t Overfill Your Cup: APU Coach Erik Flora and the Complete Athlete
GeneralInterviewsNewsRegional / Local

Don’t Overfill Your Cup: APU Coach Erik Flora and the Complete Athlete

Gavin KentchSeptember 13, 2017

This week’s featured articles are made possible thanks to the generous support of Masters World Cup 2018. noted following the 2014 Man Camp at Eagle Glacier, “Flora has nailed the grooming. (It helps that he never sleeps.)”) Within a year, Erik’s parents, Sam and Berit Flora, had followed him to Bend. A period of athletic wanderlust and nomadism followed, as Flora fils “kind of bounced around to different places around the West.” There was a...

CONTINUE READING
Craftsbury Outdoor Center’s Economic ‘Ecosystem’ at Risk
GeneralNewsRegional / Local

Craftsbury Outdoor Center’s Economic ‘Ecosystem’ at Risk

Jason AlbertAugust 3, 2017

A critical issue looms in Craftsbury, Vt. — home to what nordic skiers know as the Craftsbury Outdoor Center (COC). The COC runs sculling camps on the adjacent Great Hosmer Pond. Currently, motorboats and scullers share access on the pond. The tippy-sleek sculls are best on glassy water — meaning no wind and restricted speeds for any motor boats. Some homeowners along the pond are frustrated with what they claim is the COC’s monopolization of...

CONTINUE READING
Wirth’s Big Facelift: Loppet Foundation Breaks Ground on Trailhead
GeneralNewsRegional / Local

Wirth’s Big Facelift: Loppet Foundation Breaks Ground on Trailhead

Peter MindeAugust 2, 2017

After six years, the end is in sight: construction is underway for The Loppet Foundation’s Masters World Cup Jan. 19-26 at Wirth Park. Winning the World Masters bid added urgency to the project, and it’s given The Loppet Foundation an eye for future major nordic competitions. “We would like to bring in events like Junior Nationals, senior nationals and maybe even a World Cup,” Munger said. Brian Gregg, a 2014 Olympian and one of the highest-profile athletes associated...

CONTINUE READING
Race of Truth: Husain, Lawson Win App Gap Challenge
DrylandGeneralNewsRacingRegional / Local

Race of Truth: Husain, Lawson Win App Gap Challenge

Peter MindeJuly 25, 2017

FAYSTON, Vt. — This past Sunday, July 23, Kam Husain and Alex Lawson won the 2017 App Gap Challenge and set some of the fastest times on the grueling course in the process. Husain, a 19-year-old Vermont native and former Stratton Mountain School skier, set a new men’s course record of 30 minutes, 28 seconds. Lawson, a Craftsbury Nordic skier coming off her senior year at St. Johnsbury Academy, was the second-fastest woman ever on the...

CONTINUE READING
Over Before It Really Began: Burke and Sweetser Part Ways
GeneralJuniorsNewsRegional / Local

Over Before It Really Began: Burke and Sweetser Part Ways

Gavin KentchJuly 19, 2017

A recently promised revival of the nordic program at Vermont’s Burke Mountain Academy (BMA) now seems to be on hold, following a recent change in leadership and what appears to be the school’s subsequent decision to cut ties with its describes itself as “the preeminent ski academy” was bright. A a May 26 article on FasterSkier. “We felt really welcomed there,” Sweetser said of the Burke community. He dismissed concerns that the school’s nordic program...

CONTINUE READING
Q&A: Beckwith’s Return to Skiing as NENSA Competitive Program Director
GeneralInterviewsNewsRegional / Local

Q&A: Beckwith’s Return to Skiing as NENSA Competitive Program Director

Ian TovellJune 22, 2017

About a year and a half after Colin Rodgers. GMVS went through some transitions. I am staying in the Mad River Valley, which is amazing; another great part of the job is that I get to stay where I am and sort of create some of that vision and move it in a way. It’s a pretty cool job, it’s a very cool lifestyle, it’s something that I am so passionate about. I was just...

CONTINUE READING
Q&A: Burke New Head Coach Will Sweetser
GeneralInterviewsNewsRegional / Local

Q&A: Burke New Head Coach Will Sweetser

Ian TovellMay 26, 2017

If you are from New England, you’ve probably heard of Will Sweetser. Originally from Auburn, Maine, Sweetser, 47, has been coaching nordic for the last 25 years. He skied for Dartmouth and coached at Bates College, the Jackson Hole Ski Club, Carrabassett Valley Academy, and Rangeley Lakes Ski Club before spendingOutdoor Sports Institute and expanded its mission to four seasons of outdoor sports in Maine. With a baby on the way, Sweetser and his wife, Sarah Dominick,...

CONTINUE READING

Newer Posts

Older Posts