Carl Swenson – FasterSkier

From the Archives: Norway Beats Italy in Olympic Relay in Soldier Hollow (February 2002)

Gavin KentchFebruary 1, 2022

This humble website went live twenty years ago today. (How long ago was that? Pretty long, judging from this recent Buzzfeed listicle.) As a later retrospective on this site would explain, “FasterSkier was founded in January 2002 by Torbjœrn Karlsen, Cory Smith and Erik Stange. FasterSkier.com was launched on February 1, 2002 and quickly grew to become one of the most trusted sources for Cross-Country skiing information in the United States … .” The ur-articles...

Biathlon Biathlon Canada Racing

Biathlon Canada Names Head Coach for Season: Justin Wadsworth

Gerry FursethOctober 7, 2019

Last week, Biathlon Canada announced Justin Wadsworth as the Head Coach for the 2019-2020 season. In April, 2019, Wadsworth took on a temporary role as the team’s summer coach. That fill-in-the-gap stint will extend through this season’s racing. Wadsworth joins Canadian biathlon at a challenging time, with limited funding and after the retirement of many top athletes. “My job is really just for the national team — we have 12 athletes and I would say...

News Racing Regional / Local

Twenty Years Ago Today: The Story of the Earliest FIS Race

Gavin KentchNovember 2, 2016

The earliest FIS race ever held on natural snow in the Northern Hemisphere occurred in Fairbanks on this date in 1996. It was also one of the best races that two-time Olympian Ben Husaby ever had.

General Interviews News

Celebrating 27 Years of College Coaching, Patterson Departs Dartmouth

Gabby NaranjaJune 2, 2016

After 27 years of leading the Dartmouth men's nordic team and 10 years coaching with the U.S. Ski Team, Sun Valley native Ruff Patterson is venturing into the next chapter of his life and heading back west.

General News Olympics

Nearly a Decade Later, Hoffmann’s Ban Prompts Thoughts

Alex KochonDecember 8, 20117

Two years ago, Austrian cross-country skier Christian Hoffmann removed himself from the international-racing scene by retiring. That didn’t keep him out of headlines. On Monday, Austria’s anti-doping agency, NADA, handed the world champion a six-year ban from the sport. The decision was retroactive from 2009, in which Hoffman had been suspended two years for being associated with a Vienna blood bank, Humanplasma. NADA most recently found the 36-year-old Hoffmann guilty of having his blood taken...

Interviews Lifestyle News

Where Are They Now: Carl Swenson

Alex KochonNovember 10, 2011

This article is the second installment of the ‘Where Are They Now’ series, made possible through the generous support of Fischer Sports. Learn more about their products at Swenson after winning the first Kismet Cliff Run, a five-mile trail race in North Conway, N.H., in September 2009. Photo courtesy of Kismet Rock Foundation. Driving home from work to his apartment in downtown Portsmouth, the 41-year-old Swenson spoke on the phone about how he ended up...

Continental Cup General News Racing World Cup

Elliott to Emphasize Skiing, Scale Back Cycling

Nathaniel HerzMarch 11, 20117

Nordic skiing already claimed the talents of one dual-sport prodigy five years ago, when Canadian Alex Harvey gave up a promising mountain biking career to focus on cross-country. Now, it has gained another: American Tad Elliott says he’s also making a shift away from mountain biking, and will put more of an emphasis on skiing this coming off-season. “That’s kind of the focus now, is putting more chips into skiing, and wanting to do World...

General News Racing World Cup

Among Ski Companies, Subtle Differences on Doping

Nathaniel HerzJune 18, 20108

Do cheaters deserve a second chance? Gerhard Urain thinks so. And since Urain is the nordic race director for Fischer Skis, that means that his company is willing to sponsor athletes who have returned from serving two-year doping suspensions, like Russian Olympic medalist Irina Khazova. “I always try to compare it with normal life,” Urain said. “If you sent somebody to prison…and the punishment is finished, then everyone is having a resocialization program.” In an...

Racing Regional / Local

Simons, Dong Take Boulder Mountain Tour Titles

FasterSkierFebruary 7, 2010

Sun Valley, ID — Zack Simons successfully defended his Boulder Mountain Tour title, while Evelyn Dong improved on her third place finish in 2009 to take the title in 2010. Simons captured the title in a tight race that saw the top four places separated by less than three seconds. Edged to second place was Didrik Smith, finishing just three-tenths of a second behind Simons. Marshall Greene, 1.4 seconds off Smith’s pace, finished third. The...