What's hot this winter? FasterSkier took inventory of some of the latest gear and equipment displayed at this year's West Yellowstone Expo, including seamless suits, Kikkan poles and Diggins-designed race wear.
Regardless of when winter officially starts, it's here as far as the ski world is concerned, and there's a lot to be excited about in North American racing. Canadian biathletes Rosanna Crawford and Nathan Smith jumped out to a relay podium in the first IBU World Cup race, and Canadian cross-country skier Alex Harvey took second in the men's 10 k skate in Kuusamo, Finland, for his first early season podium.
Whatever Sadie Bjornsen was doing the first lap of Sunday's 10 k classic pursuit wasn't working for her, so she revamped and tackled the final three laps with a whole new attitude. "I gave myself a little smacking and realized I had to make my opportunity today," she said after placing 14th in the Ruka Triple for her best overall finish in Kuusamo, Finland.
It was a fight for every second in the women’s 5-kilometer freestyle on Saturday. Sadie Bjornsen led the U.S. women in 14th and teammate Jessie Diggins was less than two seconds back in 16th. “The difference between a good race and your best race ever here can be ten seconds,” U.S. coach Matt Whitcomb explained.
This time last year, Ida Sargent had a career-best fifth in the first Word Cup of the season: the Ruka classic sprint in Kuusamo, Finland. She came close on Friday, finishing seventh and missing the final by 0.37 seconds. Teammate Sadie Bjornsen won her quarterfinal and placed 12th overall.
Jessie Diggins collected back-to-back victories in the U.S. Ski Team's first races of the season in Gällivare, Sophie Caldwell, Andy Newell and Canadian Alex Harvey all placed second, and Caitlin Gregg reached the podium as well.
Jessie Diggins did it again, winning her second-straight race in Gällivare, Sweden, on Sunday by 10 seconds over Czech skier Petra Novakova. Caitlin Gregg also reached the podium -- in day reminiscent of the 2015 World Championships 10 k -- and Liz Stephen and Rosie Brennan placed fourth and fifth.
In their first race of the season, Jessie Diggins and Sophie Caldwell of the U.S. Ski Team finished first and second, respectively, in the FIS classic sprint in Gällivare, Sweden. “It’s the best I’ve seen Jessie classic sprint ever,” coach Matt Whitcomb said. “It gives us a big boost as we move into the World Cup season next week.”
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Winter is coming and Podiumwear is ready with new additions to the Jessie Diggins line. Men’s and Women’s Silver one-piece ski suits. New Silver jacket, new cut, new fabric. New Silver vest, new cut. Podiumwear is 100% Made in MN Custom Nordic Apparel. If you’d like to learn more about what sets us apart, please check out this page detailing our partnership with Jessie Diggins.
This week, eight USST members returned to Lake Placid, N.Y., to kick off the fall with an intensity camp. They are joined by the SMST2 team, the Sun Valley Gold Team, the NTG and NEG, making for a large group of elite skiers. But because of the shortened camp, the USST will not participate in the Climb to the Castle.
USSA National Coaches Symposium and L200 Training Wraps Up in Lake Placid (Press Release) Summary: It’s been a busy and informative 5 days for coaches around New England, with time for some fun too. Last Wednesday and Thursday, 18 coaches took part in the first ever L200 coach certification training to be held in the East. Bryan Fish, development coach for the USST taught this very informative course, and with any luck, and some hard...
The Toppidrettsveka race series wrapped up yesterday with an exciting pursuit in Trondheim, Norway. While some of the USST racers fell or broke a pole or two, the team as a whole had another successful day and is leaving the camp knowing what they need to do to improve before winter.
The Toppidrettsveka race series continued on Friday with a 15 kilometer skiathlon. The USST had more strong results, with Liz Stephen and Kikkan Randall finishing in 6th and 7th and Andy Newell and Simi Hamilton placing in the top 30.
The U.S. Ski Team is in Aure, Norway, for their second training camp of the summer, preparing for this week's Toppidrettsveka rollerski races. FasterSkier caught up with some of the coaches and athletes to see how they are preparing for the three-day series.
For its first on-snow camp of the summer, the U.S. Ski Team traveled to New Zealand to train at the Snow Farm in Wanaka. With a full 15 days of skiing, the team was able to make some mid-summer improvements to technique while logging some serious distance on skis.
The USST recently wrapped up its 2015 spring training camp in Park City, Utah. Although the camp was moved from Bend and Mt. Bachelor, Ore. due to lack of snow, it was deemed a success by USST Head Coach Chris Grover.
FasterSkier's cross country performances of the year come from Alex Harvey at the 2015 World Championships where he won silver and bronze medals in the sprint and skiathlon. Jessie Diggins and Caitlin Gregg are co-recipients of the women's award for their historic 2-3 finish in the 10 k freestyle at Worlds.
The U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association (USSA) announced its cross-country team nominations for the 2015/2016 season on Thursday, naming 16 athletes to the team, four more than the previous year.