Stage 6 of the Ski Tour Canada featured a brutal course for both the women's 15-kilometer and the men's 30 k skiathlons. It was simply survival of the fittest as the classic loop featured a grueling 1.2 k climb while the skate leg was punctuated by dicey soft-snow corners navigated at high speed.
On Sunday, the U.S. Ski Team released its 24-athlete roster for the upcoming Ski Tour Canada, with eight stages in 12 days starting Tuesday. (Note: this article has been updated as Caitlin Patterson will not be starting due to illness.)
With fewer than two weeks remaining until the Ski Tour Canada visits Gatineau, Montreal, Quebec City, and Canmore from March 1-12, we spent some time breaking down the provisional North American picks and estimated costs for Canadian nation's group skiers at the season-ending World Cups.
A few new competitors broke through on the second day of SuperTour racing in Craftsbury, Vt., in both the men's and women's 10 k classic event. In the women's race, Erika Flowers made a debut SuperTour win, while Liz Guiney and Julia Kern tied for second. Kris Freeman double poled to first in the men's race, ahead of two UVM skiers.
In the SuperTour 5 /10 k freestyle events this past Saturday held in Craftsbury, Vt., Anne Hart beat out Chelsea Holmes by less than three seconds for first, and Paddy Caldwell achieved his first victory of the season. "It was my first ever SuperTour win, so it's nice to cross that off the list,” Hart explained.
David Norris and Kelsey Phinney broke through on Day 1 of the Lake Placid SuperTour this past weekend in the Adirondacks of northern New York, while Caitlin Patterson rolled to another distance victory in the classic individual start on Day 2.
In just over two weeks time since she won her first individual World Cup, American Jessie Diggins proves she deserves a place on the podium once again, racing to a third place finish overall in the women's 10 k freestyle individual start race on Saturday in Nove Mesto. “It’s been so fun to have all that hard work and all the hours of training pay off in such a big way,” Diggins said.
Though four U.S. skiers qualified for the freestyle sprint heats in Planica, Slovenia, none advanced beyond the quarterfinals. With a fresh mindset, the U.S. Ski team is looking to move forward for the next freestyle sprint: the team sprint on Sunday.
An assortment of photos featuring some of the top moment's from Thursday's 20 and 30 k freestyle mass starts at 2016 U.S. nationals in Houghton, Mich.
Caitlin Patterson snagged her second title of the week in as many distance races at U.S. nationals in the women's 20 k freestyle mass start on Thursday -- her third podium of the week. She edged Chelsea Holmes by 4 seconds, and Stratton's Katharine Ogden, Anne Hart and Erika Flowers landed in the top five.
After her brother Scott Patterson won the opening race of U.S. nationals on Sunday, the men's 15 k classic, Caitlin Patterson joked that she had to match him. "That was encouraging, but also a little bit of competition," she said. Both rose to the top spot of their respective men's and women's podiums.
Sun Valley hosted the second set of SuperTour races -- with a classic sprint and classic mass start -- and we have an assortment of photos recapping the action.
With a tough psyche and plenty of team support, Chelsea Holmes raced to her first win of the season during the women's SuperTour 10 k classic mass start on Sunday in Sun Valley, Idaho, ahead of APU teammate Becca Rorabaugh in second and Craftsbury's Caitlin Patterson in third.
On a bluebird day in Sun Valley, APU's Becca Rorabaugh skied to her strengths to win the women's SuperTour classic sprint final, while Craftsbury skiers Kaitlynn Miller and Caitlin Patterson fed off their teammates' success to round out the podium in second and third.
The first SuperTour races of the season have come and gone in West Yellowstone, but this photo gallery captures the essence of much of the racing -- including some shots that didn't make it into the race recaps.
Katharine Ogden didn't realize what kind of race she was having, or how close she was to winning, until she saw her coach at the bottom of the last climb in Saturday's SuperTour 10 k skate. There, she kept Chelsea Holmes in her sight and beat the veteran skier by 1.8 seconds.
Rosie Brennan racked up six victories in eight races in the U.S. before finishing her season in Europe, and Dakota Blackhorse-von Jess also won both national sprints and subsequently qualified for World Championships, making them our Continental Skiers of the Year.
Thursday's SuperTour Finals action welcomed the 30 and 50 k U.S. Distance Nationals, where Canada's Ivan Babikov won over Colorado's Rune Malo Ødegård and USST/SSCV's Noah Hoffman, who claimed the title of national champion. Caitlin Gregg (Team Gregg/Madshus) won the 30 k by just under three minutes over USST/Burke's Liz Stephen.
Alaska Pacific University's first and second teams overcame deep, new snow to claim the top two spots in Tuesday's 4 x 5 k mixed relay at the 2015 SuperTour Finals in Sun Valley, Idaho. Stratton Mountain School T2 skied to third behind the two APU teams.
Sadie and Erik Bjornsen accomplished a mutual goal to both land on the top of the podium on the same day after winning their respective races at the first competition of the 2015 SuperTour Finals in Sun Valley, Idaho. They each won their respective 10/15 k races by roughly a minute.