Harald Østberg Amundsen

Campfires, screaming crowds and flaming moonshine: A day of worship in Norway, where skiing is religion

Nathaniel HerzMarch 2, 2025

This article was made possible through the generous support of our voluntary subscribers. If you would like to see more articles like this one, please support FasterSkier with a voluntary subscription. TRONDHEIM, NORWAY — A few minutes before 11 a.m. on the side of a ski trail Saturday, a Norwegian plumber named Sven has handed me a cup of karsk: hot coffee mixed with moonshine. Sven touches a lit match to the surface. It is now...

Multimedia Podcasts The Devon Kershaw Show US Ski Team World Cup

The Devon Kershaw Show: A breakout McWeekend in Ruka, and much more from Finland

Nathaniel HerzDecember 2, 2024

Devon has a cold, but don’t let that deter you — he perseveres, and we welcome special guess Zanden McMullen after his breakout weekend in Ruka. We’ve got recaps of the astonishingly entertaining racing in Finland, plus bonus discussion of sponsorship feuds and other news. Send us your questions, comments, fan mail and hate mail: nat@fasterskier.com and devon@fasterskier.com. We’ll be back after Lillehammer.

Feature News World Cup

Canmore World Cup Reporter’s Notebook: Signed Bib Edition

Nathaniel HerzFebruary 14, 2024

CANMORE, ALBERTA — The World Cup circuit, cross-country skiing’s top level of racing, has officially finished its visit to Canmore, and now heads to Minneapolis for the first events in the U.S. in more than two decades. A number of teams are on a direct, early morning flight Wednesday from Calgary to Minneapolis, while others are taking an extra day in Canmore and waiting to travel until Thursday. The events in Minneapolis are sure to...

The Devon Kershaw Show US Ski Team World Cup

The Devon Kershaw Show: Canmore is lit and so was the racing

Nathaniel HerzFebruary 9, 2024

The World Cup gave us two great races in Canmore today to start a 10-day swing through North America. Devon and Nat recap the results, and hear from a couple of special guests at the tail end of the show. We’ll be back tomorrow. Questions? Comments? nat@fasterskier.com and devon@fasterskier.com.

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...

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...

Podcasts The Devon Kershaw Show US Ski Team World Cup

The Devon Kershaw Show: Ringing in 2024 and the Tour with Gus Schumacher

Nathaniel HerzJanuary 2, 2024

American star Gus Schumacher joins us from Switzerland to break down the first three stages of the 2024 Tour de Ski. And Devon gives us the goods on Norway’s social event of the year: Therese Johaug’s wedding. Send us your questions and feedback: devon@fasterskier.com and nat@fasterskier.com. We’ll be back in a couple days.

The Devon Kershaw Show US Ski Team World Cup

The Devon Kershaw Show: Recapping a soggy, fluoro-free weekend in Trondheim

Nathaniel HerzDecember 18, 2023

Eli Brown, a member of the U.S. Ski Team’s waxing and ski service staff, joins us this week to talk about his job and the new enforcement of the rules banning fluorocarbons on the World Cup circuit. We recap another strong weekend for American athletes, along with all the hijinks that happened in Trondheim, Norway at the test event for next season’s World Championships. The World Cup takes a break next weekend before the Tour...

The Devon Kershaw Show US Ski Team World Cup

The Devon Kershaw Show: U.S. rocks Ruka as 2024 season kicks off

Nathaniel HerzNovember 26, 2023

Damn. What a weekend for the U.S. Ski Team, with three podiums in three days of racing at the World Cup opener in Finland. Erik Bråten, a Norwegian who coaches the Swiss ski team, joins Devon and Nat to recap and share his experiences across a range of international ski cultures. Send us questions, feedback and anti-vax screeds to: devon@fasterskier.com and nat@fasterskier.com — we’ve already got some questions stacking up for a mailbag episode in...

The Devon Kershaw Show World Cup

The Devon Kershaw Show: Recapping the 15k with the Jessie Diggins of Swedish ski journalism

Nathaniel HerzMarch 1, 2023

Tomas Petterson, a veteran sports reporter for the Swedish newspaper Expressen, joins us to recap the men’s 15 k at World Championships, and to discuss Sweden’s fantastic women’s team and the country’s hopes for its raw, talented men’s squad. Reach us at devon@fasterskier.com and nat@fasterskier.com. Seven days down, four to go.

Racing World Cup

North American Men End on High Note in Falun 15 k Free; Patterson 7th, Léveillé 9th, Ketterson 15th

Rachel PerkinsMarch 12, 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. Following the men’s Olympic 50-turned-28.6 k in Zhangjiakou, long-time American distance champion Kris Freeman and Devon Kershaw called Scott Patterson an “Olympic Specialist”, commenting on how Patterson had found many...

News Racing World Cup

Krüger Dominates the 15k Skate in Davos; Schumacher 29th

Ian TovellDecember 12, 2021

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. The second day in Davos, Switzerland started with the Men’s 15K Freestyle individual race. In contrast to yesterday’s snow and wind, it was a beautiful blue sky...

Racing World Cup

Norway Takes the Relay Win at Home in a Close Match; United States I Team Races to 9th, Canada 10th

Ian TovellDecember 5, 2021

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. Most-often the champions of the event, the Norwegian men’s program has been waiting for another crack at the 4 x 7.5-kilometer relay on home turf for the last two...

General News

News Roundup: TV Viewing, West Yellowstone Ski Festival Cancellation, Results From FIS Races in Beitostølen and Gällivare

Rachel PerkinsNovember 22, 2021

Broadcast Updates: We have a quick update to the information we published last week regarding cross country broadcast schedules from Tom Horrocks, Communications Manager for the Davis U.S. Cross Country Ski Team. After finalizing schedules, NBC will have all World Cup events available for streaming through their PeacockTV platform. As mentioned in the first post, there is also a new streaming platform, Ski and Snowboard Live, which is owned by the production company InFront. This...

News

Madshus Launches Game-Changing Wet Condition Ski With Transparent Green Bases

Inge ScheveMarch 4, 2021

Harald Østberg Amundsen won the bronze medal in the 15-kilometer skate race at the FIS Nordic World Championships in Oberstdorf (GER) on skis with a cutting-edge new base technology. Despite a brutal crash on the final lap of the 15-kilometer skate race, the 22-year-old Norwegian national team rookie impressed from the first pole plant and cruised onto the podium in his first ever World Championship at the senior level – on skis with a revolutionary...

Racing US Ski Team World Cup

Another Norwegian Sweep in the 15-Kilometer Skate: Holund, Krüger, and Amundsen

Rachel PerkinsMarch 3, 2021

This World Championship coverage is made possible through the generous support of Marty and Kathy Hall and their 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. Here we are in the back half of the 2021 World Championships in Oberstdorf, Germany. As athletes strive for their peak fitness, storylines from the World Cup season, pandemic,...

Juniors Racing

U23 World’s 15 k / 30 k Mass Start Rundown

Jason AlbertMarch 5, 2020

U23 Women’s 15 k Mass Start Sweden-Sweden-Sweden: Ebba Andersson, Moa Lundgren, and Emma Ribom went 1-2-3 for the all Sweden podium. If one thing is certain from our race coverage this season, we know Sweden is ready for World Cup podiums now. The U23 sweep in Oberwiesenthal, Germany at these U23 World Championships likely means more to come. Andersson crossed the finish line alone in 35:44.4. Lundgren came across 37.1 seconds back, Ribom 45.2 seconds...

Juniors Racing

U23 World’s U23 10 k / 15 k Classic Rundown

Jason AlbertMarch 3, 2020

Doubling up in this U23 World’s 10 kilometer and 15 k interval start classic rundown. U23 Women’s 10 k Classic Yes, Sweden’s Ebba Andersson remains a U23 despite her clutch fourth overall in the SkiTour 2020. The force that is Andersson took her talents to Oberwiesenthal, Germany where she tapped out the 10 k classic win in 28:28.7 minutes. This was a race, beyond the likes of Andersson, where some shifting occurred after the race’s...

Continental Cup General Juniors News Nordic Combined Other Racing World Cup

Saturday Rundown: Relay Silver for U.S. Men; Loomis 4th; Plus Hakuba & Gatineau

FasterSkierFebruary 3, 2018

(Note: This article has been updated to include comments from Americans Ben Loomis, Luke Jager and Gus Schumacher.) Junior World Championships (Goms, Switzerland): Men’s and women’s relays Two individual medals and a relay podium. That’s how the U.S. team fared this week at Junior World Championships in terms of a medal count, but the significance of its breakthroughs go way beyond the hardware. Hailey Swirbul became the most successful American nordic skier at Junior World...

General Juniors News Nordic Combined Other Racing

Thursday Rundown: Swirbul 3rd in Junior Worlds Skiathlon; U.S. NoCo Relay 7th (Updated)

FasterSkierFebruary 1, 2018

(This article has been updated to include comments from Americans Hailey Swirbul and Gus Schumacher.) Junior World Championships (Goms, Switzerland): 10/20 k skiathlons second in the 5 k classic for her first individual medal and the best-ever finish for the U.S. at Junior Worlds. “This means so much,” she told race organizers after taking third in Thursday’s skiathlon. “I’m so happy to represent the United States here and show how we can improve in the...

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