MINNEAPOLIS, Minnesota — With temperatures staying in the mid-20s overnight on Friday, it was a warm, slightly sticky start to the 2018 Masters World Cup on Saturday in Minneapolis. However, despite temperatures in the upper 30s to low 40s, the 7.5-kilometer loop course at Theodore Wirth Park held up well — an important thing, as Saturday was all classic races. According to Tom Ajax, a Minneapolis-based skier who raced in the men’s 30 k classic...
Note: This story has been updated to include thoughts from David Chamberlain, who was later proclaimed the 2012 American Birkebeiner classic champion. *** All American Birkebeiner coverage is brought to you through the generous support of SkiErg. Before and during the American Birkebeiner 54 k classic race on Saturday, the thought of being disqualified never crossed Joe Dubay’s mind. The 21-year-old said he didn’t think twice when his College of Saint Scholastica teammate Chris Parr gave...
When Mother Nature fails to deliver bountiful snow, races are often held on a surface that resembles a dirty ice rink. Artificial snow, old snow, dirt, ice and moisture stick together in a weird conglomerate that can be very challenging for wax technicians. Athletes are forced to train in less than optimal conditions, stressing them physically and mentally. Given the dearth of snow in North America this season and the very likely chance that the...
Boulder Nordic Sport (BNS) took us through their West Yellowstone prep on Saturday afternoon, the day before they began the 800+ mile drive to Montana. With a 40-pair test fleet, drawers full of wax gear and about 150 pairs of freshly-ground skis to deliver back to customers, they’ve got a full trailer. Wheels went up on Sunday at 8:00 am, and after spending the night in Bozeman, MT, the crew should arrive in Yellowstone on...
Caribou, ME — Maine Winter Sports Center is pleased to announce the hiring of Amber Dodge as Development Coach. Dodge will take the reins of the highly successful MWSC Development Team from departing coach David Chamberlain. Amber was born in Worthington, Massachusetts and started skiing in her backyard with her family. She joined the local Bill Koch Youth Ski League at the age of 4 and grew up running, hiking, skiing and canoeing. Her most influential...
Will Sweetser and Mike Smith Named Division Heads. David Chamberlain joins staff.
A three-time participant at World Championships, David Chamberlain is currently training and racing with the Maine Winter Sports Center (MWSC). Last year, Chamberlain was on the podium at three different Super Tours: he won the 10 kilometer classic race at Mt. Itasca, MN and placed second at both the 10 kilometer classic in Telemark, WI, and the classic sprint in Rumford, ME. FasterSkier: You’re currently living up in Aroostook County in northern Maine, right? How...
At the recently completed 2009 US Cross Country National Championships in Anchorage, Alaska, Fischer skiers won 3 out of the 4 races held during the bitterly cold week. Originally scheduled for 8 races, cold temperatures below the FIS minimum standard forced the cancellation of the Men’s and Women’s distance classic race and the Men’s and Women’s team sprint competition. On Monday, January 5th, both the Women’s 5km freestyle and the Men’s 10km freestyle races were...
Stowe, VT— University of Vermont skier Jennie Bender (Johnson, VT) opened a large gap on the final hill of yesterdays’s one kilometer women’s sprint final at Trapp Family Lodge and earned victory in the season’s first Eastern Cup. In the men’s final, Maine Winter Sports Center’s David Chamberlain (Caribou, ME) similarly skied away from the field, earning the victory by a large margin. Dartmouth College teammates Sophie Caldwell (Peru, VT) and Ida Sargent (Orleans, VT)...