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A few photos from skiing in and around West Yellowstone during the 2003 Fall Camp.

The annual 2003 West Yellowstone Fall Camp in West Yellowstone, Montana ended last weekend. The ski conditions were the best I have seen at that time of year in more than a decade — maybe the best ever. Between 800 and 1000 skiers visited the town from November 20 — December1 – and some are still there enjoying some great skiing. Approximately 150 took part in the three or five day ski clinic, several hundred...

This story orginally appeared on Zack Simons' website:

In the previous two articles in this series, we wrote that an athlete’s maximal oxygen uptake – VO2max – is the most important element of aerobic performance. We also said that recent research has showed that the VO2max can be improved by increasing the heart’s stroke volume. Based on research studies, it is suggested that the most efficient way of increasing stroke volume (and therefore VO2max) is to do interval sessions at 90 – 95%...

For the week of November 23-30th, Patrick Weaver, a two-time Olympian and current Atomic Team skier will be tracking his daily workouts in West Yellowstone using a lightweight GPS unit. After each workout Patrick will upload his workout data to EndlessPursuit.com, where you can get an inside perspective on just what it takes to be an Olympian. To check out Patrick Weaver’s daily workouts visit:

Sprinter Havard Bjerkeli Talks About His Team's Fall Training Many skiers on the Norwegian Sprint National team are equally ambitious about the regular races as sprint racing. Havard Bjerkeli, the winner of Friday’s Norwegian opening sprint race feels that this is (negatively) affecting the training: “It has affected some of the workouts” Sprint team members Eldar Ronning, Kristian Horntvedt, John Kristian Dahl and partly Tor Arne Hetland and Havard Bjerkeli himself are all trying to...

Nordic skiers, as a breed, love to get out and about. They spend whole winters on top of their skis: hours whizzing along groomed trails, days spent kicking track to explore the backcountry. After any cross-county skiing expedition, great or small, the common question is: “How far do you think we went?” Cyclists have it easy. They hop on their bicycles to go for a ride and their cycling computers, ubiquitously mounted on the handlebars,...

I have in several articles this fall discussed what I consider being a good approach to distance training, intervals and training volume. See the Fasterskier.com archives (Training section) to re-read these articles: “Interval Training That Works” — Sept. 23 “Update and Fall Training Ideas” — Oct. 3 “Distance Training That Makes You Better” — Oct.6 “One Very Good Interval Session” — Oct.22 Some key factors that effect decisions regarding training should be: – How you...

Editor: Much of the material for this article is based on articles in Norwegian magazine SkiSport and misc. Norwegian newspaper articles Getting oxygen to the working muscles In the previous article, we decided that a person’s Max Heart Rate is genetic, and can not be changed. The only way to increase the amount of blood the heart can deliver to our working muscles is therefore by increasing the stroke volume of each heartbeat. In terms...

Contrary to earlier research conclusions, a study at the University of UmeÃ¥, Sweden, has shown that you renew and re-build muscles and muscle fibers even though they hurt and are sore after training. This means you can train the day after a hard session, without worrying about getting injured. Even though you are sore, this does not mean that you have injured the muscles or the connective tissue. Rather the opposite. You have improved. –...

The Norwegian Men’s team has under new coach Krister Sorgard's guidance systematically worked to improve technically. They will continue with technique work toward the upcoming World Cup races at Beitostolen. Sorgard explains: “We have worked hard to improve the skier’s technique in both skating and classic. We started this summer and I think it’s looking good”. Some time has been used on classic, but it’s especially in skating they have focused on improving. The goal...

Continue to read if you are curious to see how the Norwegian junior National Team is training. The team’s new coach, Jon Arne Schjetne is dividing the year into seven different blocks. Each such block or period is focusing on certain things that get high priority in this period. This can be: especially long workouts, easy training, strength, speed or capacity (max VO2).

Steinar Mundal had ambitious adult racers in mind when he wrote this article. The suggestions can however just as well be applied to juniors and masters. From Langrenn.com: I hope really hope that (you) ski racers are as stressed at this time of year as us coaches. The last thing we do in the evening before we go to bed is to check the weather forecast, and the first thing we do in the morning...

We at FasterSkier are excited to welcome Torin Koos as a contributing author. This account of US Ski Team’s summer training in Park City is the first of Torin’s articles about life as an elite racer. Altitude training uniquely stresses the body. Less oxygenated air naturally raises hemoglobin and hematocrit values. One’s oxygen transport system improves, but at a price. Recovery takes longer. Training too ambitiously at high altitude for a week could push one...