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Matt Gelso

Although I did a really poor job today on the photos, this was probably our most successful day ever for wax. The wax tip of HF Blue covered by a mix of JetStream Blue powder and XCold powder, both ironed in together was super for the women. For the men, it was the same except a good application of JetStream Blue Bloc on top was even better. It was -9f this morning and there was an inversion, but not as strong as yesterday. The snow stayed very cold and was faster that one would think considering the temperatures. We added in the XCold powder to the blue powder because it was faster. It hardens the JetStream Blue up and makes the skis really slippery on the climbs especially.

SuperTour Preview: Get ‘Em To the World Cups

Ready or not, the 2013 SuperTour season is fast approaching. Here’s what you need to know about the domestic race scene this year. At this point, we’ve pretty much said everything we can about the twelve senior ski programs in the U.S. We ran a series throughout the summer highlighting each team’s past accomplishments and goals for the future. Read back through ‘em for comprehensive rosters and standalone previews (scroll down for links). Now that...

Elite Team Preview: Sun Valley Gold Team

Note: This is the eighth preview in a quick-and-dirty series on U.S. elite teams. We asked coaches to send their 2012/2013 rosters and tell us what’s new for the coming season. We will be publishing additional reports over the next few weeks. Teams are presented in no particular order. Team: Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation (SVSEF) Gold Team Coaches: Colin Rodgers (head coach), Clarke Sullivan (service tech) Roster: Simi Hamilton (U.S. Ski Team), Mike Sinnott,...

Aspen SuperTour: Men’s 10 k Classic Video

In case you missed the action in Aspen, Colorado this weekend, check out the video below of the men’s 10 k classic on Saturday. The individual-start distance race followed the sprint qualifier by about two hours and featured two laps of a rolling 5 k course at over 8,000 feet. Matt Gelso (SVSEF) took home the 10 k title; Leif Zimmermann (BSF) was second and Vegard Kjoelhamar (CU) finished third. 10 k classic results

Zimmermann Skis to Owl Creek Chase Victory

ASPEN, Colo. — The third time was the charm for Leif Zimmermann (BSF) at the Owl Creek Chase on Sunday. He had finished third in Aspen twice before, but for the 2012 edition he claimed the top spot in the 21 k mass start freestyle by 37.9 seconds over Matt Gelso (SVSEF). Pat O’Brien (CGRP) outsprinted Josh Smullin (Rossignol/SSCV) for third (+1:15.6). After what Zimmermann said was a disappointing week at U.S. Nationals in January,...

Nygren, Gelso Take Top Spots in Aspen Classic Races

ASPEN, Colo. — On a bluebird morning in Colorado, the Aspen Nordic Festival kicked off on Saturday with a two-stage classic day; a sprint qualifier in the morning followed by a 10 k individual start for the men two hours later. Karl Nygren (CXC) started the weekend off by posting the fastest sprint time by 2.85 seconds, followed by Dylan McGuffin (CGRP) in second and Pat O’Brien (CGRP) in third (+3.21). The 1.4 k sprint...

On Home Course, Liebsch Wins Stage 1 of Tour de Twin Cities

SuperTour racing resumed on Saturday at Wirth Park in Minneapolis, Minn. with a 10 k individual classic—the first of five events in the inaugural Tour de Twin Cities. Skiing in front of friends and family on his home course, Matt Liebsch (Team Strong Heart/Team Birkie) took his first win of the season by 0.4 seconds ahead of Sylvan Ellefson (SSCV/Team HomeGrown). Karl Nygren (CXC) finished third (+3.5). This was Liebsch’s first effort above threshold since...

  For this Pro Workout series, we went for something a little different, as previous installments pretty much have intervals and over-distance covered. This time, we asked Matt Gelso (Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation) to run us through his pre-race routine—as crucial a part of race day as the main event itself.  When race morning rolls around, it is important to know what you need to do in order to maximize your effort on the...

Norwegian Women An esteemed reported asked me to report back on whether the Norwegian women’s dominant display so far this season is unprecedented. There are numerous different directions one could take that question, mainly having to do with how you choose to measure their dominance. But we’ve got to pick something, so let’s measure the [...] Related posts:

  1. Most Improved: Women’s Sprint
  2. Is It Panic Time For The Norwegian Men’s Distance Skiers?
  3. NOW Is It Panic Time For The Norwegian Men’s Distance Team?

VERNON, British Columbia — After five years on the NorAm Cup circuit, all Kevin Sandau needed was a little verification. Seeded first and the last to start in the men’s 15 k classic individual start on Sunday at Sovereign Lake, that meant something. The 23-year-old, who recently returned from several weeks of racing in World Cup and FIS races, had never started last in a Continental Cup race before. He had also never won one....

Killick Claims 10k Classic for First Victory of Season; Sinnott Maintains SuperTour Leadership

Graeme Killick (Alberta World Cup Academy) may have felt more confident about his classic ability going into Saturday’s SuperTour 10 k classic in West Yellowstone, but certainly didn’t expect a win. Nevertheless, strong execution on a frigid morning in Montana brought the 22-year-old Canadian his first victory of the season, a nice cash prize, and a certain amount of confidence going into the Silver Star NorAms in two weeks time. Sylvan Ellefson (Team Homegrown) took...

Zimmermann Keeps Streak Alive with 15k Win in West

Leif Zimmermann (BSF/Madshus) made it three in a row by winning the 15-kilometer freestyle race in West Yellowstone, Montana. The 28-year-old from Bozeman, Montana weathered an intense snow squall and a strong challenge by Sylvan Ellefson (Team Homegrown) to earn a 23 second victory on the three lap course. Ellefson claimed second, closely followed by Wednesday’s Sprint Showdown winner Mike Sinnott (SVSEF). Sinnott barely edged out teammate Matt Gelso for the final podium spot, claiming...

About halfway up Sun Valley’s Bald Mountain, Chelsea Holmes strained to see the top. Without much luck, she put her head down and poles forward, reciting a familiar mantra to push her to the finish. “Just keep swimming, just keep swimming,” a little fish sang out in her head. In her first time racing Idaho’s Baldy Hill Climb on Saturday, the 24-year-old Holmes wasn’t hallucinating. She actually felt pretty good scaling 3,140 vertical feet on...

Far West Launches Senior Farm Team, Looking to Grow

TRUCKEE, California – “The hope is that in the future, this can become a team on par with the Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation, CXC and XC Oregon,” said Ben Grasseschi, the head coach of the newly established Far West Senior Farm Team based in Truckee, California. The squad’s mission, to create a premium senior race team, is partly a personal goal for Grasseschi, who himself was left dangling after his collegiate skiing career. “I...

Champions may be made in the summer, but if Matt Gelso is any proof, they don’t have to be made on rollerskis. Gelso, the 2010 NCAA champion in the 10 k classic, detests rollerskiing. It’s dangerous, he says, and it can cause compartment syndrome. And it hurts his elbows. “If there’s one thing that’s going to make me quit skiing, it’s going to be too much rollerskiing in the summer,” Gelso said. But while collegiate...

With just several days before the first-ever National Training Group camp in Park City, USSA has released a list of participants, including many of the top young skiers in the country. The group is led by Ida Sargent, currently attending Dartmouth College and a member of the Craftsbury Green Racing Project. With a strong season, Sargent established herself as arguably the second-best female sprinter in the US behind only Kikkan Randall. She placed an impressive...

Maempel Repeats as Collegiate Skier of the Year; Bernstein Takes Men’s Award

Collegiate Skier of the Year Last year this category posed the biggest challenge with tough decisions for both the men’s and women’s award, but 2010 posed no such problems.  Both winners were very strong during the regular season and dominating at the NCAA Championships. Collegiate Skier of the Year (women): Antje Maempel (GER).  Maempel, racing for Denver University, became the first repeat winner of this award, following up her close win last year with a...

Gelso and Grafnings Take Gold Rush Titles

Over 260 racers ranging in age from 3 years old to 81 years old skied either the Gold, Silver, Bronze, or Junior Rush on a warm, sunny day at Royal Gorge. Snow conditions began with very firm tracks in the morning, leading to some exciting downhill turns, but as the day warmed up the snow slowly began to soften up. The 45 km Gold Rush was won by former Far West Nordic Junior Matt Gelso...