In a departure from our usual race coverage, here we post another of our occasional first-person staff reports from races we've done. This article covers two of Alaska's 100-mile races and a multi-day backcountry wilderness race.
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FasterSkier provides independent reviews of products, races and places to ski! Race Reviews give you information that is only acquired through actually doing the event, including what you need to know about the course, potential waxing challenges, and much more. Places to Ski reviews are similar – we’ll make sure you hit the best trails, are dressed properly, and get the tastiest post-ski lunch in the lodge. We rigorously test all products that we review and provide a balanced report on the pros and cons of each product.
If you would like to see a specific product, race, or ski area reviewed, please let us know!
2014 Holiday Gift Guide: Under $20
BrainspiralDecember 22, 2013
Welcome to FasterSkier’s Holiday Gift Guide! The holidays are here and it’s time to go hunting for the perfect gifts for your favorite cross-country skiers. Whether it’s a fresh pair of socks or a new wax bench we have recommendations for the best gear out there. Take a look and see for yourself. You’ll walk away with some great ideas to make this ski season one to remember. We’ve broken up our gift guide into...
2014 Holiday Gift Guide: $20 – $50
BrainspiralDecember 22, 2013
Welcome to FasterSkier’s Holiday Gift Guide! The holidays are here and it’s time to go hunting for the perfect gifts for your favorite cross-country skiers. Whether it’s a fresh pair of socks or a new wax bench we have recommendations for the best gear out there. Take a look and see for yourself. You’ll walk away with some great ideas to make this ski season one to remember. We’ve broken up our gift guide into...
2014 Holiday Gift Guide: $50 – $100
BrainspiralDecember 22, 2013
Welcome to FasterSkier's Holiday Gift Guide! The holidays are here and it's time to go hunting for the perfect gifts for your favorite cross-country skiers. Whether it's a fresh pair of socks or a new wax bench we have recommendations for the best gear out there. Take a look and see for yourself. You'll walk away with some great ideas to make this ski season one to remember.
2014 Holiday Gift Guide: $100 – $200
BrainspiralDecember 22, 2013
Welcome to FasterSkier's Holiday Gift Guide! The holidays are here and it's time to go hunting for the perfect gifts for your favorite cross-country skiers. Whether it's a fresh pair of socks or a new wax bench we have recommendations for the best gear out there. Take a look and see for yourself. You'll walk away with some great ideas to make this ski season one to remember.
2014 Holiday Gift Guide: $200+
BrainspiralDecember 22, 2013
Welcome to FasterSkier’s Holiday Gift Guide! The holidays are here and it’s time to go hunting for the perfect gifts for your favorite cross-country skiers. Whether it’s a fresh pair of socks or a new wax bench we have recommendations for the best gear out there. Take a look and see for yourself. You’ll walk away with some great ideas to make this ski season one to remember. We’ve broken up our gift guide into...
You asked, we answered! Welcome back to another installment of our Question and Answer series. This time around, the owners of Woodski, Inc. shed some insight on rollerski speed and off-road models. Got questions of your own? Email RollerSkiShop.com, wrote in an email his company doesn’t carry off-road rollerskis, but listed some pros and cons: “Pros: Can roll over bigger stuff for smoother ride, go on gravel and crushed limestone opening up more routes. Cons: Bulky,...
The ski industry comes out with better, faster, lighter equipment every year, and one of the most-hyped new skis unveiled at the SIA On-Snow demo this month was Fischer's new Speedmax ski.
FasterSkier contributor Gerry Furseth recently asked a few top European World Cup skiers about their favourite places to race internationally. Of course, there's some bias (since the interviews were done in Canmore), but several athletes didn't hesitate to reveal their top picks.
With the holidays practically upon us it’s time to get serious about shopping for the ski enthusiasts on your list. If you’ve put off this dreaded task for as long as we have, the good news is that shopping for skiers is pretty easy. There are so many products and pieces that go into the whole production, all you have to do is cast around and pick one (or five). And if all else fails,...
With the holidays practically upon us it’s time to get serious about shopping for the ski enthusiasts on your list. If you’ve put off this dreaded task for as long as we have, the good news is that shopping for skiers is pretty easy. There are so many products and pieces that go into the whole production, all you have to do is cast around and pick one (or five). And if all else fails,...
With the holidays practically upon us it’s time to get serious about shopping for the ski enthusiasts on your list. If you’ve put off this dreaded task for as long as we have, the good news is that shopping for skiers is pretty easy. There are so many products and pieces that go into the whole production, all you have to do is cast around and pick one (or five). And if all else fails,...
With the holidays practically upon us it’s time to get serious about shopping for the ski enthusiasts on your list. If you’ve put off this dreaded task for as long as we have, the good news is that shopping for skiers is pretty easy. There are so many products and pieces that go into the whole production, all you have to do is cast around and pick one (or five). And if all else fails,...
With the holidays practically upon us it’s time to get serious about shopping for the ski enthusiasts on your list. If you’ve put off this dreaded task for as long as we have, the good news is that shopping for skiers is pretty easy. There are so many products and pieces that go into the whole production, all you have to do is cast around and pick one (or five). And if all else fails,...
The thing about Royal Gorge is, nobody really knows how big it is. Trail reports have varied since the cross-country ski resort went up on Donner Summit in 1971, suggesting the nearly 3,000-acre property offers anywhere between 195 to 320 kilometers of groomed terrain. Back in the early stages of the Royal Gorge’s rapid development in Soda Springs, Calif., founder John Slouber claimed it was the largest nordic ski area in North America. Forty years...
When his younger sister qualified for Junior Nationals, East Duluth, MN native Joel LaFrance made a handful of wax benches to help his family fund raise for the competition. Fast forward five years and LaFrance is still producing handcrafted wax benches for True North Woodworking, a small business he’s grown as a way to continue his family’s love of craftsmanship and creative way to save for his son’s future college education. “I love working with my...
2010 FasterSkier Holiday Gift Guide: $20-$50
Shana KeilsonDecember 14, 2010
The holidays are coming up fast. This part of our Gift Guide series covers gifts between $20 and $50, taking some of the guesswork out of the equation!
Due to unforseen circumstances, the FasterSKier Rollerski Reviews were on hiatus for the second half of the summer. But they are back now, and though you may not want to admit, there are still months of rollerskiing left before the snow flies. Additionally, most rollerski models remain the same from year-to-year, so the information will be relevant next spring. And now back to business! Woodski Inc is a small company based in Manchester, New Hampshire...
Maplus is an Italian company, specializing in ski wax and roller skis. North American distributor Innovation Inc. has been importing these products since 2005, and Maplus is an official wax supplier to the US Ski Team. Maplus roller skis were used for the 2009 US Nordic Combined National Championships last October in Lake Placid. All racers competed on new Maplus Speed skate skis. All Maplus skis feature aluminum shafts, officially described as a “patented frame...
Pursuit roller skis are sold exclusively by the RollerskiShop.com, a business started in 2004 with a mission of providing low-cost roller skis. The RollerskiShop introduced their own brand, Pursuit, in 2005. There are currently six models of Pursuit skis available, all skate, ranging in price from $150 to $220. The RollerskiShop keeps costs down by using shafts extruded in the US and machined near the distribution center in Minnesota. Additionally, there is no physical store. ...