Ben Sim – FasterSkier

Another Good Day for US in Beitostolen, Two on the Podium

Topher SabotFebruary 14, 2011

The three day Beitostolen FIS race series in Norway concluded with a frigid race, featuring delayed start times and shortened distances. But this did not stop American skiers from continuing to turn in strong performances on the track. The races were originally scheduled as 15/30km freestyle events, but with predicted highs in the low single digits, the always cold-wary Norwegians opted to cut the distance to 10/15km. The US women packed the top of the...

General Interviews News Nordic Combined Olympics Racing US Ski Team World Cup

Matt Dayton: First Jump at Age 19, Olympics at 25

Nathaniel HerzOctober 29, 20101

Ski jumpers don’t usually begin their careers at age 25. Nor do they progress from their first-ever jump all the way up to an Olympic-sized 90-meter hill in the course of one year. But that’s exactly what Australian cross-country skier Ben Sim is trying to do. There aren’t many athletes out there who have taken an approach like Sim’s and met with much success. But in the U.S., there’s one: Matt Dayton, who took up...

Continental Cup General News Nordic Combined Racing

Australian Nordic Combined Program Takes Flight

Nathaniel HerzOctober 29, 2010

One year ago, Australian nordic combined didn’t even exist as a sport. But over the last few months, the country’s program has been gathering steam not just Down Under, but in both hemispheres. Ben Sim, the cross-country skier attempting to make the crossover to nordic combined, has been making consistent progress on ski jumps in Lake Placid and Park City. And in Australia, officials at two ski resorts responded “favorably” to a visit from an...

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On Fourth Attempt, Freeman Finally Gets a Win on Whiteface

Nathaniel HerzOctober 8, 201014

It took him four tries, but the U.S. Ski Team’s Kris Freeman can add a victory at the Whiteface Climb to the Castle to his list of accomplishments. “I finally won the Climb to the Castle!” Freeman said. Stymied in three previous attempts by inferior competition with superior rollerskis, Freeman left his teammate Noah Hoffman behind at halfway mark of this year’s edition of the five-mile race, skiing unchallenged to a 39-second victory. Ben Sim, the...

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Hoppet on Tap Down Under

FasterSkierAugust 25, 2010

Skiers from 23 nations are gathering at Falls Creek in south eastern Australia for this weekend’s Kangaroo Hoppet, the opening event of the 2010 / 2011 Worldloppet season. After a slow start to the ski season in July, good snowfalls over the last two weeks have ensured excellent snow conditions for the event. Australian Ben Sim is favourite for the podium and hoping to make this his fifth Hoppet win after taking the National 10 k...

Continental Cup General News Nordic Combined Olympics Racing Regional / Local Ski Jumping World Cup

Sim, and Australia, Take a Run at Nordic Combined

Nathaniel HerzAugust 20, 20102

A few days before competing in the Engadin Marathon in Switzerland last March, Ben Sim stood atop a snow-covered hill in Germany. Sim, an Australian, was about to find out whether he could make the jump from cross-country skiing to nordic combined. Literally. Observing were Finn Marsland, the coach of the Australian cross-country ski team, and Fabian Mauz, a German coach who had assisted some Australian athletes at the Junior World Championships in the Black...

Racing World Cup

Australian XC Ski Team: Report #6

FasterSkierMarch 31, 20101

Engadin Ski Marathon, Switzerland, March 14 Ben Sim finished up his season with an impressive 11th place in the Engadin Ski Marathon in Switzerland. The Engadin is the world’s biggest freestyle ski marathon, with over 11000 starters racing the 42km course. Sim was only 16 seconds behind the winner, Olympic gold medalist and home favourite Dario Cologna, and was with the leaders almost all the way to the finish. Vasaloppet, Sweden, March 7 Paul Murray’s...

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The Road To Whistler: Ben Sim

December 15, 20091

Ben Sim set history for his country at the opening races of this World Cup season when he took 30th place in the Beitostollen 15km skate, becoming the first Australian cross country skier to earn distance points in a World Cup. Sim grew up in Cooma, Australia, and started skiing with his parents at age 10. Just six years later he was already traveling overseas to compete in FIS and OPA cup races. 2003 was his breakthrough year, as Sim...