FIS World Cup – FasterSkier

The First World Cup

John TeafordFebruary 16, 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. On February 17-18, the FIS Cross Country World Cup returns to the USA with events in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It’s been a long time since a World Cup was staged in the United States:...

Feature News Tour de Ski World Cup

Tour de Ski—Flipping the Script

John TeafordDecember 29, 2023

And—just like that—the script is flipped. Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo (NOR)—every bookmaker’s favorite to take the Overall and Sprint world Cup Crystal Globes in 2024—today announced that he WILL NOT participate in the 2024 Tour de Ski. This changes everything . . . Klaebo took to his Instagram page to make the announcement: Often the highlight of the International Ski Federation (FIS) World Cup season, the Tour de Ski celebrates its 18th edition in 2024. Seven...

Feature News World Cup

Klaebo: Record-Tying Win, History-Defining Cup

John TeafordMarch 26, 2023

This World Cup 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 most dominant World Cup season ever by a male skier; a tally of wins that ties Theresa Johaug (NOR) for the greatest number of victories in a single season (20) by...

Feature News World Cup

What’s Up with World Cup Points this Season?

Ben TheyerlDecember 15, 2022

The FIS instituted an overhaul of the points system used to determine the best individual skier in the World. We’re already seeing the consequences. Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo had won all three races of the World Cup’s opening weekend races in Ruka. Any offseason doubts spurred by reports of his injuries or independent training practices went away. He was still the best skier in the world. Then, the following Friday in Lillehammer, illness forced Klaebo to...

Podcasts The Devon Kershaw Show

The Devon Kershaw Show: U.S. Ski Team veteran coach Matt Whitcomb

Devon KershawAugust 26, 2022

Matt Whitcomb has been a staple of the U.S. Ski Team coaching staff for a decade, seeing it through some of its most successful years. We hear from him about the coaching lifestyle, equal distance racing and other topics in another episode that we took a litttttle too long to post. You can email us at devon@fasterskier.com and nat@fasterskier.com.

Multimedia Nordic Nation Podcasts

Nordic Nation: Cross-Country Program Director Chris Grover on Looking Back and Planning Ahead

Rachel PerkinsMay 26, 2022

I think we can all agree that the last two years have been a wild ride. For those at the helm of the cross-country program at U.S. Ski & Snowboard, added layers of COVID safety precautions and expensive testing have increased the otherwise mounting demands of preparing for an Olympic Games. There have been numerous domestic and international competitions canceled, including a full season of SuperTour racing in 2020/2021, numerous World Cups canceled, and three...

News Podcasts The Devon Kershaw Show

The Devon Kershaw Show: Distract yourself with Drammen

Devon KershawMarch 3, 2022

There’s a war going on in Ukraine, and we touch on its impacts on the World Cup. But ski racing is also continuing, so we’re forging on, with respect for and acknowledgment of the tragedy that’s unfolding in Europe. For a few hours at least, on Thursday, the classic Drammen city sprint provided one heck of a distraction, and Devon and Nat are back to break down some performances for the ages by Norway’s Maiken...

News Racing World Cup

After a week of upheavals, the World Cup sprint show goes on in Drammen; France’s Jouve wins, while China gets its first podium

Ben TheyerlMarch 3, 2022

This World Cup coverage is made possible through the generous support of Marty and Kathy Hall and the 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. Cross country skiing’s most ancient, classic, weekend of racing in Norway (the Holmenkollen ski festival) began with a sprint through the center of Drammen, about 45-kilometers (30 mi)...

Multimedia Podcasts The Devon Kershaw Show

The Devon Kershaw Show: Closing it Out — Diggins Wins the Overall and the Engadin Experience with Bill McKibben

Devon KershawMarch 14, 2021

The main point of the weekend was the coronation of Jessie Diggins as the overall winner of the cross-country World Cup. She becomes the first American woman to do so. Historic? Yes. Adding to the crystal collection, she’ll haul across the Atlantic on her trip home the distance globe too. We discuss the racing in Engadin, Switzerland which consisted of mass start classic races on Saturday and fun point to point skate races on Sunday...

Multimedia Podcasts The Devon Kershaw Show

The Devon Kershaw Show: The Norway, Sweden, Finland Opt-Out Episode

Devon KershawDecember 9, 2020

Not two weeks ago, despite the pandemic, it appeared the FIS World Cup had dodged the proverbial positive-test bullet. The Ruka, Finland round of the World Cup went down with fantastic racing, and, as far as we know at the time of dropping this episode, no positive Covid-19 cases among the athletes in Ruka. The cracks began to appear shortly after the racing in Finland concluded. Several of Norway’s star skiers independently withdrew from World...

World Cup

Trying to Catch-Up on the Whirlwind of World Cup News

Jason AlbertDecember 9, 2020

The Norwegian newspaper Dagbladet published a story Monday claiming the Norwegian Ski Federation would not send cross-country skiers to any remaining World Cups before the World Championships starting on February 23, in Oberstdorf, Germany. No official statement has been published by the Norwegian Ski Federation regarding a long-term Norwegian World Cup hiatus. Although, Dagbladet claims that is imminent. It appears the rationale for a total withdrawal from World Cup races through February appears premised on...

Opinion World Cup

In her words: Anchorage skier Rosie Brennan Grapples with what’s Safe and what isn’t on the World Cup Circuit (Republished with Permission from the ADN)

Rosie BrennanDecember 4, 2020

This article originally appeared in the Anchorage Daily News and is republished with permission. Anchorage resident Rosie Brennan is a World Cup cross-country skier who trains with the Alaska Pacific University nordic team and is a member of the U.S. Ski Team. She’s an athlete representative for US Ski and Snowboard and is currently racing in Europe. She was one of the top racers at last week’s season-opening competitions in Finland. We asked her...

Racing World Cup

Sweden and Finland Follow Norway and Withdraw from December World Cups (Updated)

FasterSkierDecember 2, 2020

Yesterday Norway announced it would cease sending skiers to the World Cups in Davos, Switzerland and Dresden, Germany due to Covid-19 concerns. Rumors swirled that Sweden would make a similar decision. Twenty-four hours later the Swedish Ski Federation announced they too would withdraw from December’s competitions. “We learned some lessons about the implementation of a World Cup competition in Ruka. We have found that it went well. But we may also have been lucky. As it stands,...

World Cup

FIS Cross-Country Committee Sets Schedule and Extends Maternity Protection Status

FasterSkierOctober 5, 2020

Last week, the International Ski Federation (FIS) concluded its fall Cross-Country Committee meetings. The most pressing issues are COVID related and concern the calendaring and running of safe events. Many variables remain in play, like how each hosting country experiences a predicted uptick in COVID cases this winter. Within this context, the Cross-Country Committee made several recommendations that have yet to be approved by the FIS Council. The FIS Council is scheduled to meet...

Racing World Cup

A Small Glimpse of the World Cup Season

Jason AlbertMarch 18, 2020

A time of unsettling news. How else to describe the global specter? With all do respect to those involved in the cross-country world, including FasterSkier, we understand our place in the prioritization hierarchy. A line from The New Yorker online, in a piece titled ‘When Tom Brady Said Goodbye’ by Louisa Thomas, resonated: “Among the many functions that sports serve is to give people something silly to argue passionately about during serious times.” True words....

General News

Changes for Next Season’s World Cup on the Agenda (Updated)

FasterSkierJune 3, 2019

Here is a link to U.S. Ski Team Head Coach Chris Grover’s blog in which he discusses the changes discussed and adopted at the most recent FIS meetings. The International Ski Federation (FIS) held a FIS Calendar Conference in Dubrovnik, Croatia last week. The FIS Cross-Country Committee provided the following changes and proposals which were voted upon by the FIS Council on June 2. Of note, it appears the final race of next season’s...

News Racing World Cup

Manificat Gets his Win; Harvey Returns for Ninth

Jason AlbertJanuary 26, 2019

The tension in the interval start race comes down to watching the clock. The seconds tick, the time checks pass, the squirm of the of the skier in the leader’s chair only quelled after the top-prospects slide past the finish — and there’s only a reference to time back. On Dec. 12, that was France’s Maurice Manificat, the thirty-two-year-old skate skiing star, residing where he often belongs, sitting in the leader’s chair in Davos,...

General News Racing World Cup

Norway’s Falla Leaves No Doubt with Otepää Win; Diggins in 12th

Jason AlbertJanuary 19, 2019

Some proverbs hang in there. From situation to situation they simply capture, in the moment, how best to move forward. “Patience is a virtue,” has an etymology going way back. Yet the timeworn saying and it’s wait-wait-wait underpinnings helped dictate the outcome of Saturday’s World Cup 1.3-kilometer classic sprint in Otepää, Estonia. That is until Maiken Caspersen Falla broke up the final. But we’ll get to that in a moment. It was the modern course...

General News Racing World Cup

Saturday Race Rundown: Otepää Classic Sprints and Beyond (Updated 2x)

FasterSkierJanuary 19, 2019

FIS World Cup Otepää, Estonia 1.3 k / 1.6 Classic Sprint Starting the day’s performance benchmarks off was Stina Nilsson of Sweden with the fastest qualifier in the women’s 1.3-kilometer classic sprint in Otepää on Saturday. She stopped the clock in 3:07.62 minutes. The U.S. Ski Team’s (USST) Jessie Diggins was the top-qualifying North American in 18th (+5.37). Sadie Bjornsen (USST) qualified 20th (+5.71), and Ida Sargent 27th (+8.38). On a course rewarding patience and...

Racing World Cup

Klæbo Takes Davos Sprint for First Win of the Season; Simi Hamilton in 12th

Gretchen BurkholderDecember 15, 2018

As seems fitting for all things Davos, Switzerland: the racers enjoyed a bluebird day for the 1.5-kilometer freestyle sprint on Saturday. And just when we thought Johannes Høsflot Klæbo of Norway might be too spent from a year of media coverage and big-effort racing, he scored his first win of the season in gorgeous Davos. He began the day at full-throttle in the men’s qualifier, placing first with a time of 2:22.39 minutes. Lucas Chanavat...

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