We arrived on Monday night to Muonio, Finland, after a solid 30 or so hours of travel time. We are way up here, where it is dusk all the time. The sun is always rising or setting, but here, you don't base your day's plans around the hours of daylight...
Some skiers love to run; others tolerate it. The U.S. Ski Team’s Liz Stephen is the former. And while uphill running intervals present plenty of challenge for most, Stephen not only wants a solid grade and 20+ minutes of active time – she wants a steady downpour, mud, slippery footing, and whatever else nature can throw at her. “For me it is always more fun when it is raining out,” said Stephen. “It is muddy…your...
United States of America Nations Cup Ranking: 15th (803 pts) Men: 12th (527 pts) Women: 16th (276 pts) 2010/2011 A Team Men Andy Newell Kris Freeman Women Kikkan Randall Liz Stephen Morgan Arritola What you may have missed last season: Let’s be honest, you’re reading FasterSkier – you probably have not missed a thing on the American World Cup squad. When an article on the US team changing the color of their ski suits garners...
Really creative post by Johnny Klister, I think. Wow. Really creative.http://johnnyklister.com/2010/10/johnny-klister-halloween-costume-guide-put-down-the-lady-gaga-costume/
NEW DVD- Cross Country Skiing Dryland Drills and Fundamentals
More than 150 training days, countless kilometers of rollerskiing, and dozens of loads of dirty laundry: A summer and fall’s worth of preparation will be put to the test in just over two weeks, when the U.S. Ski Team (USST) makes its departure for Europe. All seven members will fly to Finland on November 7 for a weekend of tune-up racing north of the Arctic Circle in Muonio. From there, the squad will part ways,...
After an awesome camp in Sun Valley/Ketchum, Idaho, I headed to The Dells in Wisconsin for the 2nd annual century bike ride for Shelley Glover. Now, every town has their thing, and the towns that don't, build some sort of large sculpture and call them...
Chalk one up for the biathletes. Just over halfway through Friday’s Climb to the Castle race on Whiteface Mountain, U.S. National Biathlon Team member Laura Spector went to the front of a five-strong women’s pack and left behind four of the country’s best cross-country skiers. Churning her way through fierce gusts of wind—which staff at the summit estimated at 60 miles per hour—the diminutive Spector crossed the line with a big gap on U.S. Ski...
Every region in the U.S. seems to have its own iconic dryland hill climb. In Alaska, there’s Mount Marathon. Out west, it’s Agony. In the Midwest—well, uh… forget about the Midwest. But in the northeast, there’s one of the most brutal: the Whiteface Climb to the Castle. Okay, okay, we know. Mount Marathon’s got more history. Agony’s steeper. This year’s Climb to the Castle is only the fourth-ever edition of the event. But there’s no...
This summer, Andrew Nesbitt, a rising senior at Gould Academy traveled to New Zealand on a trip organized by Alexei Sotskov. Five junior skiers from around New England made the journey. Andrew sent regular email updates to family and friends in the US, providing a first-hand account through the eyes of a junior skier. Perfect conditions, hanging with the US and Canadian National Teams and an epic storm were just some of the highlights....
SUN VALLEY, ID (Sept. 14) – World Championship medalistAndy Newell (Shaftsbury, VT) and top distance athlete Liz Stephen (E. Montpelier, VT) and Noah Hoffman (Aspen, CO) and 2010 Olympian Morgan Arritola, Fairfield, ID (Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation; Fischer, Salomon, Kris Freeman, Andover, NH (Andover Outing Club; Fischer, Alpina, Alpina, Swix ) 10/14/1980* Kikkan Randall, Anchorage (Alaska Pacific University Nordic Ski Center; Fischer, Salomon, Salomon, Swix) 12/31/1982* Noah Hoffman, Aspen, CO (Aspen Valley Ski Club;...
Camp is going great. Today is an off day then back into some hard training through the end of the week. Really great weather here in Sun Valley, so we have been soaking up the last days of real summer before heading into fall. Morning off. Coffee, b...
Rossignol is proud to be the exclusive distributor of Oneway in North America. Over the past 3 years the two brands have forged a stong partnership with both product and competitive teams. Rossignol / Oneway are excited to introduct the new DS10 pole. The new DS 10 pole has a 100% carbon super light shaft with a new titanium coated carbon insert making the pole stiff and ultra light weight. The rabbit strap allows for...
Oh, them too, but I meant....This guy....and this guy....And all those guys. Pigs are the worlds cutest creatures. Someday I will have one named Foxtrot, when I own a farm, and I will wear overalls and flannels every day. Dream big.
Fresh Tracks Farm and Winery just opened a new wine tasting building that I went to visit when I was home a couple weeks ago. I highly recommend going to check it out, especially if you have not tried any of their wine before. I would suggest getting...
Vermont Day at Fenway was designed as a way for the Red Sox to thank their loyal fans from the “Freedom and Unity” state. One of those fans, USST’s own Liz Stephen, was lucky enough to take part in the day’s celebration. As one of several Vermont Olympians, Stephen was invited out onto the field for an introduction to the crowd. Stephen made a special trip to Boston to partake in the event, but said...
Onion River Nordic invited me on their annual epic adventure day last Sunday. Super fun group of kids and I was fired up to be a part of it all. Thanks for all the wonderful support from the parents and of course to Dan Voisin for setting the whole thi...
Wally, Chelsea Marshall (Olympic downhill skier), me and Matt on the field at Fenway. Yes, I took some dirt home. It was sweet.Let me just say, fairly high stoke level at this point.
Mo, Bernie and SimiTeam photo. Left to right: Noah, Kikkan, Andy, Morgan, Simi, me, Kris.Left to right: me, Simi, Lev (a Russian athlete), and Andy. Day off in Queenstown.Pete working with Bird on some technique goals. The coaches put a ton of effor...
Sure, it’s only August. Sure, it’s the Southern hemisphere. And yeah, okay, the Americans and Canadians have been training over 20 hours a week during their camps in New Zealand. But all this notwithstanding, most people would still agree that winning a skate sprint over Andy Newell is a great way to start your rookie season on the U.S. Ski Team. And that’s what Simi Hamilton did on Saturday, nipping Newell by inches at the...