Erik Valnes – FasterSkier

The Cost of Being the Best: Norway Finally Locks In Its Olympic Squad

Matthew VoisinJanuary 20, 2026

This article was made possible through the generous support of our voluntary subscribers. If you value coverage like this, please support FasterSkier with a voluntary subscription. Norway’s greatest competitive advantage in cross-country skiing has always been depth. In an Olympic selection season, that depth becomes a headache. When the federation gathered to finalize its 2026 team, the conversation was not about who belonged at the Games — those results and calculus had been logged. It was...

Feature World Cup

Davos Team Sprint: Norway and Sweden Dominate

Ken RothDecember 12, 2025

This coverage is made possible through the generous support of Marty and Kathy Hall and A Hall Mark of Excellence Award. To learn more about A Hall Mark of Excellence Award, or to learn how you can support FasterSkier’s coverage, please contact info@fasterskier.com. “I’ll tell you; I never get no respect.” That was the lament of the immensely popular comedian Rodney Dangerfield, the loveable schlub who became an American icon by continually reminding everyone how unloved...

Feature Olympics World Cup

Let the Chaos Reign: Norway’s Impossible Eight-Man Puzzle for the Olympics

Matthew VoisinDecember 9, 2025

On most race weekends, I take my job seriously — up at 3:00 am EST, fresh coffee made, woodstove loaded, notebook out, logged on to coverage early to make sure I don’t have a technical issue. Then once the race starts, I begin looking for subtle, important moments to describe in greater detail in the race report. But there are also weekends, like this past one, when I toss my journalism hat onto the mantle...

Feature World Cup

Klaebo’s 100th: Norwegian Sprint Cauldron Boils Over in Trondheim

Matthew VoisinDecember 5, 2025

This coverage is made possible through the generous support of Marty and Kathy Hall and A Hall Mark of Excellence Award. To learn more about A Hall Mark of Excellence Award, or to learn how you can support FasterSkier’s coverage, please contact info@fasterskier.com. Johannes Høsflot Klaebo’s 100th World Cup win did not arrive with the roar he’d grown used to on this course. Granåsen last March had been a cauldron—tens of thousands of fans in plastic...

Feature News US Ski Team World Cup

Inside — okay, actually, outside — Johannes Høsflot Klæbo’s Trondheim victory party

Nathaniel HerzMarch 10, 2025

TRONDHEIM, NORWAY — Johannes Høsflot Klæbo, the Norwegian gold-medal winner of all six competitions at this year’s World Championships here, was refreshingly blunt when asked about his plans to celebrate. “You need to remember that I’m allergic to gluten, so I don’t drink much beer,” he told an audience of reporters at a news conference following his last race. But, he added: “If you ask me about vodka-Red Bull, it’s a little bit different.” The 28-year-old...

Feature News The Devon Kershaw Show US Ski Team World Cup

The Devon Kershaw Show: Full saturation at wet and wild Trondheim team sprints

Nathaniel HerzMarch 5, 2025

Whew. The weather in Trondheim hasn’t let up, and neither has the racing. Norwegian marathon skier and TV commentator Petter Soleng Skinstad joins us for the recap. We’ll back back tomorrow; as always, Devon’s email is nat@fasterskier.com.

Feature News Racing World Cup

Klaebo, Valnes, Vike—Red Sprint Podium in Falun

John TeafordFebruary 14, 2025

This coverage is made possible through the generous support of Marty and Kathy Hall and A Hall Mark of Excellence Award. To learn more about A Hall Mark of Excellence Award, or to learn how you can support FasterSkier’s coverage, please contact info@fasterskier.com. Erik Valnes (NOR) might be the most durable skier of his generation: seemingly never sick, hardly ever injured, lined up at just about every World Cup event on every available weekend, and always in...

Feature News Racing World Cup

Norway Sweeps Cogne Sprint, Schoonmaker 9th, Ogden 12th

John TeafordFebruary 1, 2025

This coverage is made possible through the generous support of Marty and Kathy Hall and A Hall Mark of Excellence Award. To learn more about A Hall Mark of Excellence Award, or to learn how you can support FasterSkier’s coverage, please contact info@fasterskier.com. It’s rumored that World Cup Sprint (and Overall) leader, Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo will return to action next week in Falun, Sweden, leaving room at the top for a host of contenders to battle for...

Feature News Racing Tour de Ski World Cup

Kreuger Flies up Alpe Cermis, Klaebo Wins Tour de Ski

John TeafordJanuary 5, 2025

This coverage is made possible through the generous support of Marty and Kathy Hall and A Hall Mark of Excellence Award. To learn more about A Hall Mark of Excellence Award, or to learn how you can support FasterSkier’s coverage, please contact info@fasterskier.com. Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo doesn’t like this hill . . . he’s a sprinter, after all: he powers up short, punchy hills on his way to shrug-punctuated finish lines. That’s the way World Cups are...

Feature News Racing Tour de Ski World Cup

Klaebo Controls 20 k Skiathlon

John TeafordJanuary 4, 2025

This coverage is made possible through the generous support of Marty and Kathy Hall and A Hall Mark of Excellence Award. To learn more about A Hall Mark of Excellence Award, or to learn how you can support FasterSkier’s coverage, please contact info@fasterskier.com. The 2024-2025 Tour de Ski has already been a long, challenging adventure, and the end of the tour (tomorrow atop Alpe Cermis) offers a unique and daunting set of challenges. While Stage 6 of...

Feature News The Devon Kershaw Show US Ski Team World Cup

The Devon Kershaw Show: RIP OG Tour de Ski — stages 1 and 2 recap

Nathaniel HerzDecember 30, 2024

It’s the most wonderful time of the year — or is it? The Tour de Ski has returned, but Devon has some beef with this year’s watered down format. Plus, recaps of the four races we’ve been through so far, including Jessie Diggins sprint win from heat five. Send feedback, hate mail and love letters to devon@fasterskier.com. You can send love letters to nat@fasterskier.com. See you in a couple of days. `

News The Devon Kershaw Show World Cup

The Devin Kershaw Show: Canmore is a wrap. On to Minneapolis.

Nathaniel HerzFebruary 14, 2024

We’re back, with our fourth? Fifth? episode in the past week. It’s been a whirlwind, but we’re still here to wrap up the last day of World Cup racing in Canmore. Amazingly, Nat is posting this podcast from a moving airplane between Calgary and Toronto, with Victoria Carl and Katharina Hennig sitting a few rows up. We’ll be back with more action from Minneapolis, including a show with a live audience late Sunday afternoon at...

News

The Devon Kershaw Show: Go big and go Goms

Nathaniel HerzJanuary 29, 2024

Goms! These races, in Switzerland, were unambiguously awesome. Wipeouts, sun, fondue, North American podiums and breakout performances. And an Alaskan guest who watched the races firsthand. We really went above and beyond the call of duty this week — we’ve got sounds from the side of the trail and even a profanity-laced tirade from Devon if you stick it out to the end of the show. We’ll be on scene at the next round of...

Feature News World Cup

Picking a Winner—Team Norway’s Unique Dilemma

John TeafordJanuary 24, 2024

Team Norway has swept most distance race podiums this season, and has consistently placed a rotating series of Norwegian stars atop those podiums, as well. It’s become a foregone conclusion that a Norwegian man will win the Overall World Cup title this season. Even so, if any of those Norwegian contenders miss a couple of races, their chances of contending for the season-lone Crystal Globe all but evaporate. Just ask Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo; He’s podiumed...

The Devon Kershaw Show US Ski Team World Cup

The Devon Kershaw Show: A French Canadian-inflected, 90-minute recap from Oberhof

Nathaniel HerzJanuary 22, 2024

Prince of Quebec Alex Harvey and his protege on the Canadian team, Tony Cyr, check in with us after a three-day weekend of racing in Germany. We went kinda long. Also: We have a first-of-its-kind waxing and service report from U.S. Ski Team technician Eli Brown. Let us know what you think: We’re at devon@fasterskier.com and nat@fasterskier.com. We’ll be back after another weekend of racing in Switzerland before the World Cup circuit heads to North...

Feature News World Cup

Second Day in a Row—Valnes Emerges at the Front

John TeafordJanuary 20, 2024

This coverage is made possible through the generous support of Marty and Kathy Hall and A Hall Mark of Excellence Award. To learn more about A Hall Mark of Excellence Award, or to learn how you can support FasterSkier’s coverage, please contact info@fasterskier.com. For World Cup racers, mass start racing is always tense, nervous, high-risk, rough-and-tumble. Long skinny skis and long fragile poles make close-quarters racing—on courses seldom more than four tracks wide—a bit of...

The Devon Kershaw Show US Ski Team World Cup

The Devon Kershaw Show: Laukli, Diggins crown a historic Tour de Ski finish for USA

Nathaniel HerzJanuary 8, 2024

They’ve reached the summit — the athletes, have, anyway. Devon certainly has not, thanks to frozen pipes in his Oslo apartment. He and Nat persevere to bring you the recap of this year’s final Tour de Ski stages, which featured some spicy and sloppy racing in Italy. Stay tuned til the end for an ode to Le Gruyère cheese. Next week, during the break from the World Cup, we’ll have a mailbag episode. Send us...

Feature News Tour de Ski World Cup

International Flair at Tour de Ski—Amundsen, Moch, Lapalus

John TeafordJanuary 7, 2024

This coverage is made possible through the generous support of Marty and Kathy Hall and A Hall Mark of Excellence Award. To learn more about A Hall Mark of Excellence Award, or to learn how you can support FasterSkier’s coverage, please contact info@fasterskier.com. The origin story of the Tour de Ski suggests that it was invented to mirror cycling’s Tour de France: multiple stages, mountaintop finishes, leader’s jerseys, thrilling competitions, glorious champions. Today’s Stage 7 of...

Feature News Tour de Ski World Cup

Amundesen Protects Big Lead Going Into TDS Finale

Ken RothJanuary 6, 2024

This coverage is made possible through the generous support of Marty and Kathy Hall and A Hall Mark of Excellence Award. To learn more about A Hall Mark of Excellence Award, or to learn how you can support FasterSkier’s coverage, please contact info@fasterskier.com. The men’s Tour de Ski (TDS) began last week with team Norway back on its heels as France and the USA challenged Norway’s domination; that seems a lifetime ago. Ever since the third...

The Devon Kershaw Show US Ski Team World Cup

The Devon Kershaw Show: Davos delivers flamethrowers, snow squalls and U.S. podiums

Nathaniel HerzJanuary 4, 2024

We’re in deep to the Tour de Ski now, after a couple of legitimately rad days of racing in Davos, Switzerland. Mikael Gunnulfsen of Norway joins us to talk about the stunning performance of Henrik Doennestad, and of course we catch you up on the latest successes of Americans Jessie Diggins and Rosie Brennan and, oh yeah, Gus Schumacher. Get at us at nat@fasterskier.com and devon@fasterskier.com. We’ll be back once the athletes hit the top...

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