From June 28 to July 1, the Alaska Pacific University Nordic Ski Center held its third-annual Masters Glacier Camp, hosting nine skiers ranging in age from their 30s to their early 70s. While Pyeongchang may be decidedly out of reach for these nine older athletes, it could be argued that no group of Eagle Glacier skiers — this month or ever — will have more fun.
Dasha Gaiazova was on the fence about continuing her ski career after the 2014 Olympics.The Russian-born Canadian had competed at back-to-back home Olympics, and in May, she wasn't named to Canada's World Cup or senior development teams. "I felt like I wanted to keep racing," she recalled. “The team got announced and I didn't get on the team, and I was like, I gotta think about some things.”
Cool off with a protein-packed, peaches-and-cream dessert that you can make in an afternoon and enjoy for the rest of the weekend.
No, no, it's not paddle boating: stand-up paddle boarding requires balance, strength and technique, all things that could translate to improved skiing come winter. Plus, it's a fun cross-training option for oh-so-hot summer days.
Sometimes a complicated meal just isn’t going to happen. This postworkout meal, one-pot quinoa, chicken and veggies, is brimming with high-quality carbohydrates and protein without a lot of fuss. If you have leftovers, it also makes a great lunch.
Chandra Crawford stuck with skiing long after winning gold as a U23 at the 2006 Olympics because she remembered when Beckie Scott and Sara Renner explained "it would take ten years to get good." She committed, and after three Olympics, Crawford, 30, retired from the sport to pursue higher education -- cutting right to the chase with an MBA to better serve Fast and Female.
Tor-Arne Hetland is officially part of the Canadian crew after wrapping up his first training camp with the Canadian World Cup Team in May. Onboard since April, he says he's eager to give the perspective and stability that Cross Country Canada wants. "It is asked for new ideas into the team and I’m ready to give this," Hetland says. "And also more stability in the World Cup."
Are your a winter warrior but springtime sally when it comes to skiing? This author asks the question that several not-so-elite skiers might be dying to ask: are rollerskis right for us mortals, and if so, how do we use them without risking road rash?
While you're tipping back a beverage of choice this Memorial Day weekend, here's a look at Sylvan Ellefson's new enterprise with the 10th Mountain Whiskey & Spirit Company in Vail, Colo., which pays tribute to the members of the 10th Mountain Division in the form of locally sourced whiskey, bourbon, vodka, and cordials. Ellefson retired from full-time nordic racing this spring.
"It's not about skiing," Shungnak School Principal Roger Franklin wrote in an email to FasterSkier about NANANordic, newly expanded and known as Skiku. "It's much more, and it's saving lives daily." This year, the program brought skiing to 27 villages in Northwest Alaska.
Got nothing for mom yet? If you live close, try these Breakfast of Champions bars to make her feel like the superwoman she is. No cooking necessary!
“When I look at a trail, I look at it as a big earth sculpture,” Thom Perkins says. It’s the old joke: what do you do with a fine-arts degree? For Perkins, who spent the last 38 years as executive director of the Jackson Ski Touring Foundation, degrees in sculpture and photography led to sculpting land.
Having the opportunity to teach 8 days of cross country skiing to the remote villages of Alaska is both rewarding and demanding. It’s hard to pin down an exact ‘workout’ we do up there, because by the end of just one day, your feet burn, and your mental focus just got tested by 100+ eager Inupiaq kids, thirsty for time on skis. There can, however, be progress made toward personal growth depending on how you want to slice it.
Holly Brooks was the one well-known name left off the U.S. Ski Team's nomination list for 2014/2015, and that's by her choosing, she says. Rather than retire, she's hoping to tweak her training to get back to podium contention, especially in marathons and distance races.
This interview with 19-year-old Austin Huneck gives a glimpse of what it's like to be a postgraduate skier and make the transition to full-time training and racing after high school. Huneck liked it so much, he's onboard with the MWSC for the second-straight year.
Wishing you were with NANANordic teaching skiing in Northwest Alaska right now -- or wonder what the program's like? Check out these videos.
This past weekend, nearly the entirety of the adult population of Midwestern skiers made their way to Hayward for the annual get-together of the ski community: The Birkie. The American Birkebeiner (or Birkie, for short), is the biggest ski race in North America. For many skiers, the race represents their culmination of training for the whole year. Read a first-timer's perspective on the race, the trail, and Birkie Fever.
Erik Bjornsen enjoys the finer things in life: hot chocolate, Sequence and 1994 Ford Rangers. More about the younger of the Bjornsen siblings and first-time Olympian, who's racing at U23 World Championships starting Wednesday in Val di Fiemme, Italy.
On her 26th birthday, this northern Vermont native still has the smallest feet on the World Cup, can drink maple syrup straight, and is a self-described "horrible swimmer." More fun facts about Ida Sargent in the weeks leading up to her first Olympics.
Jessie Diggins is a banana-bread junkie, has a healthy fear of clipless pedals, and is one of the few people who will admit they like listening to Taylor Swift. More fun facts about the 22-year-old Minnesota native headed to her first Olympics.