After a difficult 2010 season, Morgan Smyth, 24, seems to be back in business and chasing medals. Wednesday, the former US Ski Team racer won the silver medal in the women’s 10K classic at US Senior Nationals in Rumford, Maine. But nothing has come for free.
What might a cross-country ski racer learn from a 1,400 pound chunk of high-tech composite, space-age metals? As it turns out, there are more similarities than you might think, and the answer is: a lot. Formula One (F1) cars are some of the most advanced pieces of machinery man has ever created. Their engines are nothing short of engineering marvels, and define the limits of combustion-engine performance. Although the engine itself is relatively small, they...
On race morning, with all its accompanying nerves, it’s hard enough for cross-country skiers to choke down a single meal. But for sprinters, that’s a scenario that sometimes must be repeated three more times before the day is over. With races sometimes stretching over several hours, from a qualifying round through three heats, sprinters know that a steady intake of food and drink is crucial to maintaining high energy levels—though that’s easier said than done,...
“It might have been good for me to fall down the drain a little,” Petter Northug said at the press conference in Davos Friday afternoon.
With their doping suspensions completed and competition ban lifted, one Russian biathlete retires and two return to the international racing circuit this weekend.
Odd-Bjoern Hjelmeseth (NOR) thinks the conditions reported from Kuusamo, Finland, caused many skiers to withdraw from the FIS Norway Cup/BUL-sprint events at Gålå, Norway, this weekend.
Cambridge Sports Union has completed its on-line survey examining the prevalence of chronic exertional compartment syndrome (CECS) within the competitive nordic ski community in North America. The purpose of the survey was to gauge the extent of CECS among cross-country skiers, and to collect data that contributes to understanding the etiology of CECS. Fifty coaches responded to the survey, representing roughly 1,500 athletes. The teams represented include youth and regional clubs, the U.S. and Canadian...
“In this situation, the most important for (Petter Northug) is to relax and protect himself from all the commotion around him. He has to find his way back to the starting point and rebuild. Only then can he get back to training,” Per Elofsson (SWE) said to NRK.
Once you complete a workout, the cells in your body are at the most receptive to accept refueling. Make sure you take advantage of this window of opportunity to kick start the recovery process: eat a snack and rehydrate within 30 minutes of finishing your workout.
Norwegians are known world-wide for their habit of packing open-faced sandwiches in paper and bring them along wherever they go. Not a bad habit, but there is more to the world than dry slices of bread in a messy and noisy wrapper.
Days are getting shorter, life is getting busier and ski racing is just around the corner – all kinds of good reasons to make it easy to cook healthy food.
ENGERDAL, NORWAY – For as long as she can remember, Maja Solbakken wanted to do everything her older brother Martin Andersen did. Siblings of accomplished athletes often feed off the energy and determination of their brother or sister — that is true not only for those on the World Cup circuit, but also for those who are the second-tier. The youngest of three siblings, Maja, 16, grew up in the rural Norwegian community Engerdal, close...
Bananas an hour prior to every race. Granola bars afterwards. Pasta the night before. As much as for any other aspect of the sport of cross-country skiing, there are dozens of beliefs, strategies, and misconceptions when it comes to food and nutrition. To clear a few of them up–but by no means all of them–we spoke with recently-appointed U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association (USSA) Sports Dietician Adam Korzun. A native of Alabama, Korzun has worked...
These days, the Food and Drug Administration is debating whether to allow fish farmers to sell genetically modified Atlantic salmon for human consumption in the United States and if so how to label the critters so we know how to identify the frankenfish.
SWEDEN - Two of the biggest favorites for the Oslo 2011 World Championships are choosing different ways to peak for the events in February/March: Charlotte Kalla (SWE) chooses to race the Tour de Ski again, while rival Marit Bjoergen (NOR) chooses the same plan as she did for the 2010 Olympics and skips the Tour.
FasterSkier is planning an interview with recently-appointed U.S. Ski Team Sports Dietician Adam Korzun later this month. If you have any questions about nutrition for which Google is no help, shoot them our way, and we’ll do our best to get you an answer! You can send your queries to us at info[at]fasterskier.com, or just leave them in the comments below.
Josh Smullin is the XC Ability coach for the Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club. He races for Team Rossignol. School has started and the weather is about to get colder. You will soon be spending more time indoors in close quarters with germs and the combination of these stressors increases your likelihood of getting sick. I want to give you a few guidelines to follow that can increase your chances of staying healthy this fall. The...
