Lauren Jortberg – FasterSkier

Canmore Reporter’s Notebook: Scandinavian Feuds, Nearly-Nudes, Car Crash Recovery, and Doping Doubts

Nathaniel HerzFebruary 12, 2024

CANMORE, Alberta: We’re three days into a six-race series of World Cup racing in North America and I’m just one guy, which means there hasn’t been time to share all the fun little stories and subplots that have been filling my notebook. I’m summarizing a few of the better ones here. Stay tuned for more notes and some feature stories after Tuesday’s final race in Canmore. If you have ideas for stories, tips or feedback...

Feature News World Cup

Norway Wins, US Women Battle to Podium as Germany Disqualified in Team Relay

Ben TheyerlFebruary 5, 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. As the World Cup entered its third day of racing in Toblach for a 4 x 7.5 km Team Relay, the tone was one of anticipation: what would happen in the race?...

Feature News Results US Nationals

Swirbul Sweeps Houghton–Karsrud Takes Men’s Sprint

Ken RothJanuary 7, 2023

HOUGHTON, MICHIGAN: Welcome to FasterSkier’s on-location coverage of the United States National Cross-Country Ski Championships from Houghton, Michigan. This week, Houghton hosts the U.S. National Cross-Country Championships on the Michigan Technological University’s trails system. Today’s event was the freestyle sprint. Even though the race was held under the organizing umbrella of the national championships, today’s event was not a national championship race; as it is part of the US. SuperTour. U.S. Ski and Snowboard has...

Feature News US Ski Team World Cup

New Season, Same Swedes: Ribom Notches First Career World Cup Win, Kern Strong into Semis

Ben TheyerlNovember 25, 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. The temperature was a balmy -11℃ (12℉). A glow hung in the sky and new snow decorated the trees; a welcoming winter scene in Ruka, Finland. With the FIS Cross-Country...

Community Continental Cup Feature News Racing Team nominations US Ski Team

Two Years In, the BSF Pro Team is on the Rise: An Interview with Head Coach Andy Newell

Rachel PerkinsJune 15, 2022

In the spring of 2020, the Bridger Ski Foundation (BSF) launched a new professional racing team, led by Andy Newell, who spent nearly two decades on the U.S. Ski Team as a staple and leader of the American men’s program. Launching early in the pandemic, the BSF Pro Team had few opportunities to show their strength in the first race season, but they came on strong in 2021-22. During U.S. Nationals in Soldier Hollow in...

Community Continental Cup Feature Interviews News

Head Coach Transitions for the SMS T2 Program with Pat O’Brien and Perry Thomas

Rachel PerkinsMay 31, 2022

After eight years at the helm of the Stratton Mountain School (SMS) T2 team, head coach Pat O’Brien is in the process of taking a few steps back, passing the reins to Perry Thomas, who has spent the last five years as the assistant coach at the University of Vermont. Perhaps highlighting this transition and the sharing of responsibilities the two are in the process of navigating, FasterSkier connected with Thomas in mid-May while he...

Racing World Cup

Sundling Dominates Final Sprint; Kern Finishes a Close Fourth

Ella HallMarch 11, 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. We’ve arrived at the final weekend of World Cup racing. After the cancellation of the finals scheduled to take place in Tyumen, Russia and the difficulty of finding a last-minute...

News Racing World Cup

Sundling Leads a Swedish Podium Sweep in Freestyle Sprint, with Diggins in Fourth and Kern Eighth

Rachel PerkinsFebruary 26, 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. Snapping back after a week away from racing, the World Cup resumed in wintery Lahti, Finland with a 1.6 kilometer freestyle sprint. The American women made their presence immediately known,...

Collegiate Continental Cup News Racing Regional / Local

It’s Ogden and Ketterson Again in the Craftsbury SuperTour Freestyle Sprint

Rachel PerkinsFebruary 4, 2022

SuperTour racing continued on Friday in Craftsbury, Vermont, as part of the Henchey Memorial Carnival, which also included Eastern Cup and collegiate racing. The three-day event is presented by the Craftsbury Outdoor Center, NENSA, U.S. Ski & Snowboard, and the University of Vermont (UVM), the EISA carnival host school. Racers were faced with snowy conditions for the opening 1.4-kilometer freestyle sprint as a winter storm made its way across the Northeast. Friday morning’s grooming report...

News Racing Regional / Local

Ketterson and Ogden Take Classic Sprint Win on New Tracks at Mt Van Hoevenberg

FasterSkierJanuary 30, 2022

By Rachel Bachman Perkins and Ben Theyerl After a brief break, the SuperTour picked up in Lake Placid this weekend, with a fluoro-free Period III kicking off with a 1.5-kilometer classic sprint. The frigid forecast called for overnight lows of -5 Fahrenheit, with a wind chill as low as -23F. Highs during the day were only predicted to climb into the low single digits. Qualifiers were scheduled for 10/10:45 am, with quarterfinals for the open...

Continental Cup Racing US Nationals

In-Depth Race Coverage: Slow Heats with Tight Finishes in the SoHo SuperTour Classic Sprint

FasterSkierJanuary 8, 2022

By Rachel Bachman Perkins and Ben Theyerl Precipitation was no longer a threat for the final day of racing in Soldier Hollow on Friday, a 1.5-kilometer classic sprint offered alongside the 2022 U.S. Cross Country Championships, yet classified as SuperTour only. However, athletes still faced unseasonably warm weather as blazing sun brought temperatures into the low 50’s on course during the midday heats. Howling wind and rippling bibs could be heard as background noise as...

Community News Regional / Local

Elite Team Preview: Bridger Ski Foundation Pro Team

Gavin KentchNovember 15, 2021

Team name and location: Bridger Ski Foundation Nordic Pro Team (BSF); Bozeman, Montana Coaches: Andy Newell (Nordic Pro Team), Hannah Cole (Post Grad Team) Current roster: Finn O’Connell, Graham Houtsma, Hannah Rudd, Lauren Jortberg, Leah Lange, Logan Diekmann, Mariah Bredal, Reid Goble, Simon Zink, Erika Flowers Who’s still on this team, or otherwise involved in American skiing, from when we did this in 2012: No one; Torin Koos and Leif Zimmermann haven’t raced in years,...

News Other Racing

Frozen Thunder Day 2 Distance Race Rundown: Canada’s Emily Nishikawa and Russell Kennedy Win

FasterSkierOctober 30, 2018

Frozen Thunder (Canmore, Alberta) 7.5k/10k Freestyle On Tuesday, Frozen Thunder at the Canmore Nordic Centre in Canmore, Alberta hosted women’s and men’s individual start freestyle races. The women raced 7.5 kilometers, the men 10 k. Canada’s Emily Nishikawa (AIAWCA/CNST) won the women’s 7.5 k skate race in a time of 21:05.9 minutes. Nishikawa’s pacing was peerless as she skied the fastest splits at every checkpoint. Dahria Beatty (AIAWCA/CNST) placed second, stopping the clock 24.0 seconds...

News Racing Results

Frozen Thunder Booms on Day 1 Classic Sprint

Gerry FursethOctober 30, 2018

The North American season kicked off today with classic sprints at Frozen Thunder in Canmore, Alberta. Most of the top athletes were treating this as a chance to do some race intensity and were more focused on training and process goals than on actual results. The day’s results are summarized in the rundown. Chief of Competition Thomas Holland had expected a smaller turnout this year, partly from fewer people traveling to Frozen Thunder in a...

News Other Racing

Frozen Thunder Day 1 Classic Sprint Run Down

Jason AlbertOctober 29, 2018

Day 1 Frozen Thunder (Canmore, Canada) Classic Sprint The first day of race season at Canmore Nordic Centre’s Frozen Thunder began with a classic sprint. Frozen Thunder is an annual on-snow event at the Canmore Nordic Centre run on a ski loop crafted from last season’s stored snow. The tracks are open to both high-performance athletes and the general public depending on training and race schedules. In the senior men’s category, Russell Kennedy (Team...

General Langrenn News Racing World Cup

Saturday Rundown: NCAA Champs; Holmenkollen 50 k; Kontiolahti Relays

FasterSkierMarch 10, 2018

NCAA Skiing Championships (Steamboat Springs, Colorado): 15/20 k freestyle mass starts On the fourth and final day of NCAA Skiing Championships at Howelsen Hill in Steamboat Springs, Katharine Ogden skied to her second-straight national title, Ian Torchia became an NCAA champion and the University of Denver (DU) won its 24th NCAA National Championship. Ogden, a Dartmouth College freshman, raced to a 38.4-second victory in the women’s 15-kilometer mass start, finishing in 43:22.0 minutes for her...

Continental Cup General Juniors News Other Racing

Friday Rundown: U23 Worlds Skiathlons; Eastern Canadian Champs

FasterSkierFebruary 2, 2018

(Note: This article has been updated to include comments from Americans Lauren Jortberg and Ian Torchia.) U23 World Championships (Goms, Switzerland): 15/30 k skiathlons On the final day of U23 World Championships racing in Goms, Russia stole the show in the women’s and men’s skiathlons. Anastasia Sedova led them in the first race of the day on Friday, the women’s 15-kilometer skiathlon, which she won in 44:03.6 minutes. Russia swept the podium and had four...

General Juniors News Other Racing

Wednesday Rundown: U23 Worlds 10/15 k Classic (Updated)

FasterSkierJanuary 31, 2018

(Note: This article has been updated to include comments from Americans Lydia Blanchet and Ian Torchia.) U23 World Championships (Goms, Switzerland): 10/15 k classic Russia put two in the top three in both the women’s and men’s races on Wednesday at U23 World Championships in Goms, and for the second-straight race, Canada’s Monday’s skate sprint), finishing third, 29.6 seconds behind Kirpichenko. In Monday’s sprint, Kirpichenko qualified fourth and ended up fifth in the final. She is...

General Juniors News Racing

Monday Rundown: Leclair Leads North Americans in 15th in U23 Worlds Sprint (Updated)

FasterSkierJanuary 29, 2018

(This article has been updated to include comments from Canada’s Laura Leclair, Katherine Stewart-Jones and Maya MacIsaac-Jones, as well as American Julia Kern.) U23 World Championships (Goms, Switzerland): Freestyle sprints On the first day of U23 World Championships racing in Goms, Switzerland, Norway’s Tiril Udnes Weng tallied her first individual world title in the women’s 1.2-kilometer freestyle sprint, winning the A-final in 2:50.24 minutes, just 0.08 seconds ahead of Swiss World Cup regular Nadine Fähndrich...

Canadian National Ski Team General Juniors News Racing Team nominations US Ski Team World Cup

U.S. and Canada Annouce Squads for FIS World Junior & U23 Championships

FasterSkierJanuary 12, 2018

The U.S. and Canada have named their squads for FIS Cross Country World Junior and U23 Championships, set to begin later this month in Goms, Switzerland. Both countries’ selections include athletes who excelled against the senior fields at recent domestic races (U.S. National Championships and NorAms) which served as selection races for Olympic teams. In fact, Canada’s U23 women did so well against their senior compatriots that it’s unclear who will represent Canada at the...

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