Health problems related to smoke and pollution in the ski waxing rooms have attracted increased attention in recent years. Leading researchers in this field come from Sweden and Norway. Invited by Inggard Lereim, head of medical and anti-doping for the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships Oslo 2011, these researchers presented their latest results for doctors, head coaches and leaders of the team service teams in a special research seminar on the topic held in Holmenkollen...
Pete Phillips has a coaching resume that is one of the best in North America. He is currently the Head Nordic Coach at
Newton North High School in Newtonville, Massachuessetts. He WOJB. The official race station is 88.9 WOJB. It’s a community station broadcasting off the local reservation. It has eclectic and quirky programming. Starting on Friday, they broadcast wax tips and Birkie-themed music (it’s very corny). It will either get you in the mood for the race or drive you batty. • Bib pick-up. Get your materials before the race, if possible. If you’re in the tenth wave, you’ll...
Those who have been around North American racing for a while will recall Glenn Bond, who raced full-time with the Canadian team from 1992 to 2002. Well, Bond is back. This serves as your warning.
Adam St.Pierre, M.S. is the head coach of the Boulder Nordic Junior Racing Team and an exercise physiologist with the Boulder Center for Sports Medicine. As we approach the heart of the XC ski racing season, it is important that athletes adjust their training to get into peak form for the year’s big races, whether they be World Championships, SuperTours, or local events. Peaking is what endurance athletes try to do just before their most...
His coach announces Petter Northug, 25, the world champion of peaking for a major event. Just over 40 days left until the Oslo world championships.
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 happens when a famous Norwegian couch potato embarks on Petter Northug’s training program and basically follows Northug’s daily routine for eight weeks?
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,...
In the past, our “Pro Workout” series has featured a single training session from an elite North American skier, but this week CXC’s Caitlin Compton gives us a slightly different take. Instead of detailing a favorite workout, Compton addresses an oft-ignored aspect of race preparation – the ability to respond to challenging and unexpected circumstances. Over the past several years, major North American events have been disrupted by everything from volcanic eruptions to frigid temperatures...
It may sound trite, but in cross-country ski racing, you can never have too much speed. If you want proof, ask any of Emil Joensson’s opponents in recent World Cup sprints. The ability to accelerate quickly and reach high maximum speeds, be it in a sprint or during a surge in a mass start race, is critical to racing success. For Brian Gregg, a member of CXC’s elite team, his favorite workout focuses on just...
Holly Brooks of Alaska Pacific University Nordic Ski Club won the 10K skate race with almost a minute to spare to Caitlin Compton (CXC) in second place in extremely soft conditions. That was just the first race of the day.
“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.
It’s that time of year again! Snow is falling, trails are open and groomed, and it’s time to toss the rollerskis in the basement. There are a couple of reasons why rollerskis are great for cross training; they allow you to develop your ski muscles, work on balance, develop arm strength you can’t get while running … and they are the closest thing to actual skiing when you aren’t fortunate enough to live on a...
… And the job is right…. It’s a match made in heaven. That’s pretty much how Robin Brooks feels about being the head coach of the Glacier Nordic Team in Whitefish, Montana. Sometimes coincidences just seem to happen at the right time. Brooks was looking for a new home, Whitefish was looking for her.
With their doping suspensions completed and competition ban lifted, one Russian biathlete retires and two return to the international racing circuit this weekend.
Coming off Bryan Fletcher’s best ever World Cup result with an 18th place at the Kuusamo WC opener last weekend, the US Nordic Combined team is looking to keep building this weekend, and bring the rest of the crew up to standard.
If you’re wondering about your fitness heading into the new racing season, Reese Hanneman has a workout for you. The session—a long threshold interval peppered with 30-second all-out sprints—will give you a good idea of whether you’re ready to rock, or whether you’ve got some more work to do before pulling on a bib. “It’s a good one of those eye-opening workouts,” Hanneman said. Hanneman has only done this session once, in mid-October with the...
“This allows us to race more like a team,” said Joergen Aukland (NOR) of the private marathon project Team Xtra Personell after the launch of “2011 Ski Classics” marathon series Monday.