Lars Flora – FasterSkier

Holly Brooks’s Letter of Support, Signed By Alaska Olympians

BrainspiralSeptember 19, 2016

(letter of support, addressed to the University of Alaska President Jim Johnsen, and granted permission to post.) *** Dear President Johnsen, My name is Holly Brooks and I am one of Alaska’s Olympic Cross Country skiers. I am writing this on behalf of several of our local Olympians, who have agreed to sign their names below, and encourage you to take the time to read this letter and gain an understanding of how much we...

General Lifestyle Travel

Learning While Teaching Skiing with NANANordic in Northwest Alaska

Seth AdamsMay 15, 2015

In April, FasterSkier contributor Seth Adams joined the volunteer ranks of NANANordic and headed north to Noorvik -- a remote city in the Alaska's Northwest Arctic. The following is his editorial recapping the experience.

General Lifestyle

NANANordic Grows Into New Name: Skiku Reaches More Than 3,000 Students

Seth AdamsMay 15, 2014

"It's not about skiing," Shungnak School Principal Roger Franklin wrote in an email to FasterSkier about NANANordic, newly expanded and known as Skiku. "It's much more, and it's saving lives daily." This year, the program brought skiing to 27 villages in Northwest Alaska.

News Other News

Flora to Present NANANordic to International Olympic Academy

BrainspiralJune 6, 20131

(Press release) ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Lars Flora, two-time Olympian and executive director and founder of NANANordic, is one of three U.S. representatives chosen to participate in the International Olympic Academy (IOA) from June 11 – 25, 2013, in Athens and Olympia, Greece. The other two are U.S. Olympic Committee staffers. The IOA’s goal is to educate and motivate young people to use their experiences and knowledge gained from the session productively in promoting the Olympic...

Biathlon General News Racing

In Land of Caribou Hunts and 10-Dollar Gas, Biathlon’s Message Rings True

Chelsea LittleMay 8, 20131

After a successful demo in the small Alaskan village of Kiana last year, former national team biathlete Zach Hall coordinated an effort to introduce biathlon to six villages this year as part of Lars Flora's NANANordic program. For kids in the villages, the combination of skiing and hunting just makes sense; for the athlete coaches, it was the experience of a lifetime.

General Interviews News Other Regional / Local

No Easy Feat: NANANordic Gets Nearly 2,000 Rural Alaskans on Skis

Alex KochonMay 7, 2013

In its second year, NANANordic reached three times the amount of villages and more than twice as many students in Northwest Alaska. And if you ask founder Lars Flora, they're not done with spreading cross-country skiing just yet.

XCFeeds

How long will Freeman and Randall remain on top?

JoranAugust 30, 2012

Kris Freeman and Kikkan Randall have been basically the top US skiers for quite some time now. (I’m sort of brushing Andrew Newell under the rug here, mostly just due to time contraints. I’ll do a follow up on him next week.) Freeman has been more or less unquestionably the best US male distance skier [...] Related posts:Victims & Nemeses: Kris Freeman Is Qualifying In The Top Ten A Good Sign For Kikkan? Top 10 Qualification vs. Making The Final

Camps Dryland General Interviews Juniors News Training

Skiing, Rafting and a Sleepover: Fire and Ice Camp Recap

Alex KochonJune 26, 2012

After a massive wave of spring skiers left Bend, Ore., last month, the groomers at Mt. Bachelor hardly packed it in. The U.S. and Canadian national teams and several elite squads were gone, but nearly the same amount of skiers – 150 – were expected to flock to the snow-covered trails in June. The Mt. Bachelor Nordic Center and its club, the Mt. Bachelor Sports Education Foundation (MBSEF), planned accordingly. On June 16, the MBSEF...

General Interviews News

Flora Brings Skiing to Northwest Alaska

Alex KochonMay 18, 20121

While most of his cross-country skiing brethren kicked up the last bits of snow at Spring Series in Craftsbury, Vt., Lars Flora was hard at work at home in Anchorage, Alaska, crunching numbers and finalizing details of his upcoming trip. It would have been easy if he had been the only one traveling to Northwest Alaska, but Flora had 17 volunteer coaches and two doctors to accommodate, the NANA Development Corporation to run by, and...

General News Racing

Elite Racers Ready for Birkie

Alex KochonFebruary 25, 2012

All American Birkebeiner coverage is brought to you through the generous support of SkiErg. CABLE, Wis. – Matt Liebsch’s wife had been in a car accident. Lars Flora couldn’t feel his fingers nearly two weeks after a ski mountaineering race in Vail, Colo. Holly Brooks had just returned home to Alaska to recharge. Caitlin Gregg was waiting for an OK from her doctor. Tad Elliott wasn’t sure what to do with a weekend off from the...

Continental Cup General News Racing Results US Nationals

Hoffman Uses Smarts, Grit to Win 30 K

Alex KochonJanuary 6, 2012

RUMFORD, Maine – There was no sugarcoating it. U.S. Ski Team member Noah Hoffman wasn’t happy with his performance on Thursday at the 2012 U.S. Cross Country Championships. The 22-year-old had gone out too hard in the men’s 15 k freestyle individual start at Black Mountain. The definitive race leader for the first two laps, Hoffman dealt with the consequences of his pacing – or lack thereof – on the last two. With the fourth-place...

Continental Cup Racing US Nationals

Koos Claims Third-Straight National Sprint Title

Audrey ManganJanuary 4, 2012

RUMFORD, Maine — Torin Koos (Bridger Ski Foundation/Rossignol) made it three straight U.S. National sprint titles Tuesday at Black Mountain, using his veteran racing experience to navigate a fast, tactical day. In a tightly packed A-final, Bend Endurance Academy’s Dakota Blackhorse-von Jess was close behind in second, and in a fight for bronze that was close enough to protest, Tyler Kornfield (University of Alaska Fairbanks) completed the men’s podium in third mere millimeters ahead of...

Racing World Cup

Kershaw Breaks Out For 4th in Davos, Leading North American Men

Audrey ManganDecember 12, 2011

When a starter of the men’s sprint final in Davos, Switzerland asked Devon Kershaw (CAN) what lane he’d like to take, he didn’t think the official was serious. “I was like, ‘Are you sure I get to pick second?’” said Kershaw. He didn’t know he’d won his semi-final, and had to double check the starter had the right guy. After deciding on a start lane, Kershaw finished 4th, which is one of the best World...

Racing World Cup

Davos World Cup Preview – No Cheese Here

Kieran JonesDecember 9, 20116

After a weekend of city sprinting in Germany, including gluhwein, spills, and DSQ’s, the FIS World Cup heads to Davos, Switzerland, this weekend for another pair of skate races. Saturday sees a rare beast on the World Cup — a long distance individual start skate race (15 for the women, and 30 k for the men) — while Sunday features what might be the most intense sprint of the World Cup season. While Dusseldorf...

Racing US Ski Team World Cup

World Cup Preview: USST Focuses on Tour, Consistency and Developing Rookie Talent

Audrey ManganNovember 17, 2011

With the biggest squad in recent memory, the U.S. Ski Team (USST) looks to continue building on last season’s results on the World Cup this year, starting with the salvaged opener on November 19. Mild weather put the Americans’ travel plans in limbo last week, delaying their arrival to Europe. With their planned tune-up race in Beitostølen, Norway canceled, Saturday’s race in Sjusjøen will be the first time most of the U.S. contingent puts on...

News Other News

MBSEF: Fire and Ice Summer On-Snow XC Ski Camp

Inge ScheveJune 2, 2011

dansimoneau@bendcable.com or 541-350-9126. Registration forms for the Fire and Ice camp are available at www.mbsef.org/programs/crosscountry/ or visit BendCamp on Facebook. MBSEF: 563 SW 13th, Suite 201 – Bend, OR 97701. Tel: 541-388-0002 – www.mbsef.org

Continental Cup Racing

US and Canada Share FS Continental Skier of the Year Awards

Topher SabotMay 5, 2011

FasterSkier Continental Skier of the Year With two different continental cup series and two sets of national championships, determining the top domestic racers can be challenging. Head-to-head match ups are usually limited, and it can be difficult to compare field strength. Such was the case this year. A strong argument can be made for both the overall SuperTour winner and the NorAm Cup. Champions. As is sometimes the case, we felt there was no better...

Continental Cup General News Racing

Sinnott Takes The Win, and the Cash, In Sunny Sprint

Nathaniel HerzApril 1, 2011

After the quarters and semifinals of Friday’s classic sprint in Sun Valley, it looked like there would be two separate races in the men’s final. The first would be for Andy Newell (USST/SMS), who had dominated his first two heats and looked to be in a class by himself. The second would be between Lars Flora (APU) and Mike Sinnott (SVSEF), who were locked in a battle for first place in the overall SuperTour sprint...

Canadian National Ski Team Continental Cup General News Racing US Nationals

Sun Valley 50 K Notes: Waxing, Sandau, and the Rabbits

FasterSkierMarch 26, 20111

When a race lasts for more than two-and-a-half hours, there’s bound to be a little more material than can fit inside a single race report. Below, some extra tidbits that didn’t make the first cut: –The conditions for the race could have ended up being a lot more challenging for waxers, had the temperature warmed more than it did—in the end, hard wax did the trick. While most of the lead men ended up with...

Continental Cup General News Racing World Cup

Flora Weathers Tough Trip To Europe, Could End Career in Idaho

Nathaniel HerzMarch 24, 2011

Lars Flora’s 2011 European campaign didn’t go the way he wanted, but at least it went out with a bang. After some disappointing races at the World Championships in Oslo, and at the World Cup Final in Falun, Sweden, Flora finally put it together on Sunday, just in time for his last start before heading back to the U.S. In the 15 k handicap start in Falun, Flora was 30th, less than two minutes behind...

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