Anchorage-area high-school ski coaches agreed to ban the use of fluorinated waxes in non-championship races this season, citing health, cost and time saved as the primary reasons.
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At long last, for the big items on your list (or what could be), $200-and-up gift ideas. And with that the Holiday Gift Guide is complete. Happy Holidays!
2015 FasterSkier Holiday Gift Guide: $75-200
Alex KochonDecember 17, 2015
Oh, the things you can buy for the cross-country skier or all-around winter enthusiast! Go crazy with a cool duffel, toasty warm boots or overboots, a Strider bike made for little skiers, and more!
2015 FasterSkier Holiday Gift Guide: $25-75 (Updated)
Alex KochonDecember 16, 2015
Willing to spend a little more than $25 but less than $80? Check out these extra-thoughtful and wicked-cool gift ideas.
It's here! FasterSkier’s Holiday Gift Guide, divided into four categories by price points, is meant to help you manage the holidays, whether it's browsing you seek or last-minute shopping ideas.
Looking for a workout you can do year-round, with or without snow? Momentum Northwest's Sam Naney has one for you, and it incorporates strength, speed, endurance, and agility/technique, all in one.
This week's workout comes from Kari Øyre Slind, and it's one the 24-year-old Norwegian cross-country skier only does once or twice a year. “This workout is really tough, but I also feel that it really lifts me to a new level," she explains.
Colds and flu are an inevitable part of winter. Athletes who limit their exposure, get vaccinated for seasonal flu and follow a physician-approved return to training plan can protect themselves from the dangerous consequences of getting sick and maximize their time out on the snow.
Sun Valley Videos: Chatting with USST Rookies Kern and Ogden (+ Sprint Course Preview)
Gabby NaranjaDecember 4, 2015
FasterSkier sat down with the youngest members of the U.S. Ski Team, the Stratton Mountain School's Julia Kern and Katharine Ogden, both 18, to talk about their training seasons and outlook, and Kern helped us preview the Sun Valley SuperTour classic sprint.
With plenty of shovels and smiles, the Sun Valley crew is working hard to make both SuperTour races happen at the Lake Creek trails. "Putting the work in here gives the athletes an opportunity to test themselves appropriately on the kinds of courses that they need to be prepared to ski on," SVSEF Nordic Director Rick Kapala explains.
U.S. Devo Coach Fish Hosts Jam-Packed Junior Clinic: ‘Keep Them Moving, Keep Them Active’
Gabby NaranjaDecember 3, 2015
Where does the development of a strong ski program begin? U.S. Ski Team Development Coach Bryan Fish talks about the importance of engaging youth in nordic skiing. "Keep them moving and keep them active, keep challenging them, that’s what brings them back," Fish said last week in West Yellowstone, Mont.
The Rocky Mountain Racers team has a standby dryland workout called Ski Specific Strength that's as useful as it is brutal. While rollerskiing uphill, athletes pull a coach on a bike behind them, while their coach applies the brakes. "It’s pretty black and white if your power is going in the wrong direction," Andrea Dupont says.
What’s New and Trending for 2016 (As Seen in West)
Jeremy BlazarDecember 1, 2015
What's hot this winter? FasterSkier took inventory of some of the latest gear and equipment displayed at this year's West Yellowstone Expo, including seamless suits, Kikkan poles and Diggins-designed race wear.
On Thanksgiving Day, skiers at the Yellowstone Ski Festival tell us what they are thankful for this week. For many of them, it's the snow!
Thanksgiving Camp Guide: Where To Go in the U.S. and Canada
FasterSkierNovember 26, 2015
Sure, West Yellowstone's the biggest and one of the longest-standing annual November ski camps in North America, but there are several other options across the U.S. and Canada for early season skiing. Start planning next year's trip now.
Hailey Swirbul of the Aspen Valley Ski Club takes us through a workout her team recently did in West Yellowstone, one designed to prepare them for this weekend's races and the season ahead: Level 3/ Level 4 combination skate-intensity.
Best of Both Worlds: MSU Measures VO2max and Upper Body at the Same Time (with Video)
Gabby NaranjaNovember 16, 2015
While "a high VO2max is never a disadvantage -- ever!” Dr. Dan Heil of Montana State University explains that honing in on upper-body strength may be the way to go. "If [an athlete is] interested in being able to track their training progress, maybe all they need to be able to track is changes in upper-body power."
FS caught up with one of the most experienced elite female coaches club in the U.S., Pepa Miloucheva. Head coach for the Craftsbury Green Racing Project, Miloucheva details the path of the program, as well as her own, over the past 20 years.
Wednesday Workout: Training in the Dark with Mansfield Nordic
Adam TerkoNovember 11, 2015
What to do about shoulder season and the lack of daylight after school and work? Adam Terko, head coach of the Mansfield Nordic Club, shares some ways to fit in quality (and fun) training in the dark.
Oldies But Goodies: Canadians Talk About Their Beloved 1999 Fischer Classics
Jason AlbertNovember 10, 2015
Why did World Cup veterans Alex Harvey and Devon Kershaw sometimes race on what looked like antiquated Fischer skis? The duo talks about the almost-magic qualities of those boards, which belonged to a former team tech, and what life is like without them. “If I see Poltoranin on those skis, that will weird me out big time,” Kershaw says.