The following article was originally published on FasterSkier on October 15, 2008. It was written by CXC (Central Cross Country Skiing) athletes Kristina Owen and Heather Zimmerman. Roughly contemporary photos have been added for this reprinting; the pictures that originally appeared with this article are no longer available. The piece is simultaneously from very much another era, yet also completely timeless. On the one hand, “Caitlin Compton” now has a different last name; Jessie Diggins,...
One author shares his uneasiness with training plans and investigates CXC Academy, an online subscription service that provides nordic tips and regimens for skiers of all ages. "You will go faster when you want to go faster and it will be a lot more enjoyable," founder Yuriy Gusev says.
Jessie Diggins (CXC Elite) might be the youngest on the CXC Elite squad, but the 19-year-old has stepped up to the challenges of the senior circuit. And she still has more to offer.
“Jessie Diggins basically blew by us on the last lap,” said Holly Brooks, who was leading the tour Sunday morning. Sadie Bjornsen (APUNSC) also gapped Brooks at the end, and left Brooks in third place for the overall Nor-Am minitour.
Ivan Babikov (CAN) won the opening leg of the Ski 2 Sea relay at Mount Baker, Wash., Sunday morning.
The American Birkebeiner ski trail is a 52km long, 6m wide ribbon of grass that transects the Chequamegon National Forest between Cable and Hayward, Wisconsin. Maintaining the trail requires almost constant attention. The CXC Vertical Limit Team athletes spent Sunday afternoon doing volunteer trail work to get the trail prepped for the winter. Every five years, [...]
We are winding down another camp in Hayward, WI. This week was speed block #2 for most of the team. We had lots of hard training and we are starting to feel pretty wiped out. This morning, Coach Igor’s wife, Nina Gavrilyuk, joined us for the big OO time trial. Nina [...]
The other week I led a CXC/Birkie Nordic Walking Clinic in Woodruff, WI at Premier Physical Medicine and Wellness Clinic. 42 people made the clinic ranging in age from 8 to 86 years old. It is one thing to hear about nordic as a lifetime sport but it is really cool to see both young [...]
Well, we’re in Hayward again. It’s absolutely nuts how quickly the summer is passing! It’s September already and we can technically consider it fall, yikes. Don’t get me wrong, fall is probably my favorite season, with all of the leaves changing colors and the temperature dropping a bit, but I don’t think I’m quite ready [...]
The International Mountain Bike Association (IMBA) has 10 trails around the world they call “IMBA Epics” – sort of like the Seven Wonders of the World for mountain bikers. Atop IMBA’s list is the most famous ride, so famous that Pink Floyd named a song after the trail, Comfortably Numb. I’m in Whistler, BC at the [...]
The CXC Team Vertical Limit September Camp kicked off this Thursday in Hayward, WI with VO2 max testing on the treadmill. With multiple tests so far this year the results will be a great way to chart progress. Ideally we will have become more aerobically efficient after the long hours of summer training. Hopefully our [...]
AUGUST CAMP August 24, 2009 August starts the downward push towards the ski season. Training increases and specificity transitions from an emphasis on general training to primarily ski specific training. We had a particularly good camp in Ironwood with effective training, comfortable lodging (thanks Bob and Debbie – Wolverine Village) and well prepared meals (thanks Bill Pierce, Bob and [...]
By Gus Kaeding Hey everyone, I am back in Marquette after quite a bit of hopping around. For the past month I have been dealing with the fact that my body seems to be falling apart. Following our last training camp I developed a nasty case of shins splints. I was headed back [...]
(video work by CXC Team Vertical Limit member Audrey Weber)
I enjoy a game of Chicken Bingo. I have never been much for gambling, but as far back as I can remember I have enjoyed this game My brother and Me placing our bets For those of you unfamiliar with the game here are the rules: How it Works: Squares are sold for 50 cents. If the chicken poops on [...]
Yes, you heard it here first, CXC is Trendy. According to Fasterskier.com, Green and Vintage are the two biggest trends of the 2009 dryland season. They have yet to pick up on the growing Nordic Walking trend, but as they say about all things Nordic, “It’s big in Europe.” Bill & I spent the afternoon cutting [...]
Well, the CXC Team Vertical Limit has just wrapped up an awesome camp in Ironwood, Michigan. In order to convince the reader of the awesome-ness of this camp, I am going to recount, in my opinion, ”The Top-10 Reasons Why August Camp Was Awesome.” 10. Homemade pasta dinner. Nothing like combining carbo-loading with a cultural experience. 9. OD [...]
Maria Stuber is a member of the CXC Elite Team. She is a 2009 U.S. National Championship Silver Medalist and a graduate of Northern Michigan University, where she was captain of the women’s cross country ski team. Maria received a bachelor’s degree in Physiology from NMU in 2007 and will complete her master’s degree in Exercise science in December, 2009. She is currently running an Endurance-Based Personal Training program called Alliance Training (info@xcskialliance.com or call...
Pictures from a perfect off day, spend in the waters of the Presque Isle River in the Porcupine Mountains. Sometimes, you just need to take a little break from skiing, and focus on having fun. So on Monday, with no workout scheduled, Kuz, Karl, J. Diggs, Kelly, Audrey and I went in search of adventure. [...]
Birkie Masters Camp August 12, 2009 The August 7-9th Birkie Master’s Camp held at Telemark Resort in Cable, WI was the first CXC camp that was solely for Master’s skiers. The turn out was better than expected with 25 participants (17 masters skiers and 8 of CXC Master’s Team members) and we certainly will look forward to [...]