Alaska – FasterSkier.com

https://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2021/02/Screen-Shot-2020-12-19-at-11.12.33-AM-2.png

Feature RacingRacing in the Time of Covid, Part I: The Nature of the Problem

Gavin KentchFebruary 22, 2021

The winter of Covid continues. Most of the FIS races scheduled for this country this year did not happen. A few did. No one in Canada has done a single official high-level race this winter. No one in Vermont has, either. Some athletes from Canada and Vermont did not race and were chosen for international travel teams. Some athletes in Alaska raced a ton and were not. It’s been a tumultuous winter for everyone, for...

https://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2020/12/131401554_10159206166665844_5496032996605259103_o-1117x720.jpg

Racing Regional / LocalMaubet Bjornsen Repeats, Wonders Leads Men in Distance Skate in Anchorage

Gavin KentchDecember 22, 2020

This article has been updated with additional information about the history of the Kincaid Hairpin FIS course, and with a link to an article compiling national club time trial results. ANCHORAGE — Sunday, the second day of FIS races in Anchorage, saw, at some level, more of the same: fresh snow (though much less than the day before), soft and slow conditions, and Sadie Maubet Bjornsen at the top of the results sheet. There were...

https://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2020/12/Natalie-Hood-1250x720.jpeg

Racing Regional / LocalMaubet Bjornsen, Jager Take Wins in Snowy Classic Sprint in Anchorage FIS Races

Gavin KentchDecember 22, 2020

ANCHORAGE — Sadie Maubet Bjornsen, Luke Jager, and Hunter Wonders won FIS races at Kincaid Park over the weekend against strong fields, in what would typically be statewide races used for Junior Nationals qualification but were this year held as a mostly Anchorage-based weekend after a state sponsoring body declined to host. This race writeup covers Saturday’s classic sprint qualifier, which along with Sunday’s freestyle distance races were the first FIS races held on this...

https://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2017/02/hoarfrost.jpg

Racing Regional / LocalFluoros, FIS Races, and Foiled Plans: Overview of the 2020/21 Domestic Race Season

Gavin KentchNovember 16, 2020

This article has been updated with additional information about the Birkie, about all races in Vermont, and about the current state of emergency orders in Anchorage. FasterSkier has previously reported on the significance of FIS points, points earned in races sanctioned by the International Ski Federation that can be used to compare skiers to one another even when they did not engage in head-to-head competition. Under normal circumstances, an athlete’s FIS points are used for...

https://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2019/10/IMG_7159.jpg

General Multimedia News Photo Gallery Regional / LocalEarly Season at Hatcher Pass: A Photo Essay

Gavin KentchOctober 7, 2019

HATCHER PASS, above Palmer, Alaska — The phrase “early season skiing” tends to evoke several things for your average skier: Dark. Cold. Rock skis. November. And so on. Think a training opportunity to be endured as much as enjoyed. Happily enough, none of these things was in evidence Sunday morning at Hatcher Pass, elev. 3,500′, in Independence Mine State Historical Park in the Talkeetna Mountains above Palmer, Alaska. The sun was out. The views were...

https://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2019/04/outhouse.jpg

General News Racing Regional / Local ResultsRace to the Outhouse #2 Ushers in Spring Skiing Season

Gavin KentchApril 15, 2019

ARCHANGEL ROAD, above Palmer, Alaska — The tenth annual Race to the Outhouse #2, held amidst the Talkeetna Mountains on April 6, marked a neat bookend to the 2018/2019 race season in southcentral Alaska, and possibly in North America. While this season’s Race to the Outhouse #1 was held in early December 2018, roughly one month later than normal, it still marked the season’s first race in southcentral Alaska, and, behind perhaps only Frozen Thunder and...

https://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2016/07/IMG_2315.jpg

Dryland General News Other RacingYeaton, Norris Take Dramatic Mt. Marathon Wins

Gavin KentchJuly 5, 2018

The 91st annual Mount Marathon Race, one of the oldest footraces in the country, once more descended on the small town of Seward, Alaska, on July 4. Crowds estimated at up to 30,000 perennially throng to the waterfront community, population less than 3,000, to watch racers push themselves up a steep mountain and hurl themselves back down. At the end of the day, a pair of Alaska Pacific University (APU) skiers, Jessica Yeaton and David...

https://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2018/05/Kikkan-BC-rski.png

General Interviews News US Ski Team World CupKikkan Randall: The Exit Interview (Part II): Looking Forward

Gavin KentchMay 18, 2018

As discussed last week in 30-kilometer classic mass start at 2018 Spring Series this past March in Craftsbury, Vermont. She crossed the finish line in third, leading out a four-racer chase pack to claim the final podium spot in the final race of her career. She followed U.S. Ski Team (USST) teammate Jessie Diggins and USST and APU teammate Sadie Bjornsen, who took first and second in a tight finish. Randall was the oldest skier...

https://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2018/05/Screen-Shot-2018-05-10-at-2.05.14-PM.png

General Interviews News Olympics Racing US Ski Team World CupKikkan Randall: The Exit Interview (Part I): Looking Back

Gavin KentchMay 11, 2018

Kikkan Randall competed in her first World Cup race in 2001, and her last in 2018. In between, she won 14 World Cup races, three Sprint Cup Crystal Globes, three World Championships medals, and one Olympic gold medal accompanied by one very enthusiastic broadcast call from Chad Salmela. She appeared in television ads, received the Skis to the City from the mayor of Anchorage, and had an ice-cream flavor named after her. And long before...

https://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2018/04/jensen-crop.png

General Lifestyle News Resources TrainingWho’s Still Skiing? More People Than You May Think

Gavin KentchApril 25, 2018

This article has been updated with additional information on pro skiers who volunteered with Skiku, and additional pictures from Montana and New York. * * * It’s the last week of April. Skier New Year, May 1, looms next Tuesday. It’s roughly six months till So, caveat lector: Just because your favorite skier has been taking a well-deserved break from finding and curating Instagram-worthy content for your enjoyment, this doesn’t mean that they’ve been sitting on their...

https://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2018/02/Biathlon-Race-in-FBX.jpg

Biathlon Interviews Juniors News Racing20-for-20 with Grace Gilliland

FasterSkierMarch 2, 2018

In an effort to showcase the North Americans competing at this week’s International Biathlon Union (IBU) 2018 Youth and Junior World Championships in Otepää, Estonia, we asked those qualifying athletes several questions about themselves — actually, we had them fill in the blanks. Here we have 18-year-old Grace Gilliland, who is representing the United States at her second World Youth Championships. On Friday, Gilliland placed 55th in the youth women’s 6 k sprint, meeting her...

https://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2018/02/6FDD581E-8E4E-400E-87C5-BAAC2A8F18A3.jpeg

Biathlon Interviews Juniors News Racing20-for-20 with Helen Wilson

FasterSkierFebruary 28, 2018

In an effort to showcase the North Americans competing at this week’s International Biathlon Union (IBU) 2018 Youth and Junior World Championships in Otepää, Estonia, we asked those qualifying athletes several questions about themselves — actually, we had them fill in the blanks. Here we have 16-year-old Helen Wilson, who is representing the United States at her second Youth World Championships. On Wednesday’s 3 x 6 k. *** “My full name is Helen Wilson but...

https://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2018/02/the-four.jpg

General Interviews Juniors Other RacingUnder 23 Questions: Luke Jager

FasterSkierFebruary 3, 2018

In an effort to showcase the North Americans competing at this week’s International Ski Federation (FIS) 2018 Nordic Junior/U23 World Championships in Goms, Switzerland, we asked those qualifying athletes several questions about themselves — actually, we had them fill in the blanks. Here we have 18-year-old Luke Jager, of Alaska Pacific University (APU), who’s representing the U.S. at his first Junior Worlds. Jager started his week by racing to 60th in the freestyle sprint then...

Continental Cup General News Racing US NationalsReese Hanneman Wins Qualifier, Second Sprint Title of Week at Nationals

Gavin KentchJanuary 9, 2018

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — No two races are exactly alike, the saying goes, and there’s a lot of truth to this cliché. But if you step back just a little bit, two race days can start to look awfully similar to one another. For example, for the second time this week, a Hanneman brother won the sprint qualifier, Reese Hanneman won the final, and Alaska Pacific University (APU) put three athletes in the final and two on...

https://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2018/01/Reese-final.jpg

Continental Cup General News Racing US NationalsHanneman Bros. Headline National Skate Sprint: Logan Wins Qualifier, Reese Wins Final

Gavin KentchJanuary 6, 2018

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Friday was a good day for Team Hanneman and its friends. Younger brother Logan Hanneman won the qualifier, older brother Reese Hanneman won the final, and Alaska Pacific University (APU) put three skiers in the final and two on the podium in the men’s freestyle sprint on a bluebird day at Kincaid Park on Day 2 of racing at the 2018 U.S. Cross Country Championships. A long day of sprint racing got...

https://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2018/01/IMG_9605-e1515065116425.jpg

Continental Cup General News Racing Results US NationalsCaitlin Patterson Captures Third National Title in Anchorage 10 k Skate

Gabby NaranjaJanuary 4, 2018

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — It was what most locals, or those familiar to the area, referred to as standard Anchorage weather: heavy, wet snow, temperatures reading around 31 degrees Fahrenheit, and a darkened sky that seemed to be brooding over whether or not to let the sun out of bed — the sky covered in a shroud of gray. With the Pacific Ocean just 600 meters to the southwest and Kincaid Park’s nordic venue, the host...

https://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2017/11/IMG_2733-e1509951802720.jpg

General News Racing Regional / LocalAlaska Racing Returns with Scenic Race to the Outhouse

FasterSkierNovember 6, 2017

HATCHER PASS, above Palmer, Alaska — Thank you Ullr for the early-season weather and snow! The 2017/2018 ski season started for me on Sept. 30 with an overnight trip to the Snowbird Glacier in the Talkeetna Mountains above Palmer. The Mat-Su Ski Club (MSSC) believed to be the first cross-country ski race in the U.S. this winter, and the first ski race on natural snow anywhere on the continent. The race was held under partly cloudy skis and...

https://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2017/10/luke-at-hatcher.jpg

General News Regional / LocalAlaskans Revel in October Skiing at Hatcher Pass, Birch Hill

Gavin KentchOctober 23, 2017

Note: We’re seeking submissions for this year’s “U.S. or info@fasterskier.com with the subject line: “Fall Skiing”. Deadline for submissions is Nov. 3. *** HATCHER PASS, above Palmer, Alaska — Winter is in the eye of the beholder, but whatever you’re looking for to mark the skier’s favorite season, this spot at 3,500 feet in the Talkeetna Mountains probably has it. Seven kilometers of groomed trails? Check. Literally Extra Blue conditions? Check. A nearby lodge with a...

https://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2017/07/image2-1.jpeg

Camps General Juniors News TrainingAlaska REG Recap: Into the Wild

FasterSkierJuly 18, 2017

The following Regional Elite Group (REG) camp recap was submitted by NSCF-FXC Interim Head Coach Alasdair Tutt. FasterSkier encourages coaches and athletes from any regional offseason camps (dryland or on-snow, in the U.S., Canada or abroad) to submit their own recaps and photos to Western and previous REG camps. The course saw the athletes wind up beside an alpine run before appearing out onto the road overlooking the sea. The fastest times were set by Ti Donaldson and...

https://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2017/03/IMG_0084.jpg

Biathlon Biathlon Canada Canadian National Ski Team Collegiate Juniors News Racing US Biathlon US Ski Team World CupSaturday Rundown: Holmenkollen, Kontiolahti, Jackson, and Lake Placid (Updated x4)

FasterSkierMarch 11, 2017

NCAA Skiing Championships (Jackson, N.H.): 15/20 k freestyle mass starts On the final day of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Skiing Championships in northern New Hampshire, the University of Utah pulled out a 16.5-point victory over the University of Colorado-Boulder (and finished 17.5 points ahead of the University of Denver) in the team standings, and the Petra Hyncicova, achieved their second-straight titles in as many nordic races this week. On a frigid Saturday morning in Jackson,...

Older Posts