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...
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,...
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...
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;...
AUBURN, N.H. – Fischer Skis announced today that five of the seven U.S. Ski Team cross-country athletes will race on Fischer skis for the next two years. Kikkan Randall (Anchorage, Alaska), Andrew Newell (Shaftsbury, Vt.) and Kris Freeman (Andover, N.H.) have used Fischer Skis throughout their entire international competitive careers on the World Cup circuit and at World Championship and Olympic events. Newcomers Morgan Arritola (Ketchum, Idaho) and Simeon Hamilton (Aspen, Colo.) both competed at...
One day into their three-race series in New Zealand, it’s U.S. 1, Canada 1. In Friday’s 10/15 k classic mass start at the Waiorau Snow Farm, the North American teams stamped their authority on the trails of the southern hemisphere. In the women’s race, Liz Stephen (USA) bested teammate Morgan Arritola in a lunge at the line, while Canada’s Devon Kershaw took the victory over American Kris Freeman in the men’s edition. Kikkan Randall (USA),...
The World Cup opener is still 100 days away, but for the U.S. and Canadian national teams, the 2010-2011 cross-country season kicks off today with a 10/15 k classic mass start event. The race is part of the ANC series – the Australian and New Zealand Continental Cup. It is being held at the Snow Farm in New Zealand, and will feature an elite, if small, field. The U.S. Ski Team (USST) will start their...
After a nine-mile battle with first-place finisher Sopagna Eap, US Olympian and US Ski Team (USST) member Morgan Arritola finished the inaugural USA Half Marathon Trail Championship in second place, less than a minute behind Eap. The runner-up performance was particularly impressive given that Arritola is in the midst of summer training for a different sport and was competing against the best of the USA Track and Field team. “I was a little surprised,” Arritola...
For elite skiers, resting well can be just as important as high-quality training. Morgan Arritola and Liz Stephen each learned that lesson the hard way, and both say that next year, they won’t make the same mistakes again. Arritola, 24, and Stephen, 23, are entering their second year of World Cup racing for the U.S. Ski Team (USST). Both struggled to maintain their form for the full duration of their rookie winter, and neither cracked...
Fort Kent, ME—Spring has come early to Aroostook County, but the snow has stayed with us. Daytime highs in the 40s and 50s with cold, clear nights well below freezing have made for excellent crust skiing, fast early morning conditions and softening snow in the afternoons. Currently, our extended forecast calls for similar conditions with chances of freezing precipitation and snow on Thursday night and next Monday. While the snowpack is well below normal for...
Oslo, Norway – The Canadian men’s team, just off a record-breaking Olympics, was unable to re-capture the magic. The “Big-4” of Devon Kershaw, Ivan Babikov, Alex Harvey, and George Grey all dropped out of the race, leaving Graham Nishikawa as the sole finisher in 48th place, +19:24. Kershaw was complimentary of his teammate, and very disappointed in his own performance. “Nish is a tough MF’er. Ivan, George, Alex and I pulled the pin. I had...
Lahti, Finland – The Olympics have come and gone, but there is still plenty of racing to be done. The World Cup did not miss a beat, restarting less than a week after the Olympic 50k with a 15/30km pursuit as part of the annual Lahti Ski Games. The fields were competitive, but lacked many of the top skiers who are taking some time to recover after the Games. In the women’s event, the “Queen...
The silver lining is out there somewhere, but time is running out for the Americans to find it in Whistler. Despite a beautiful day of sunny skies and spring-like conditions, the U.S. mood was somber after its third day of dismal results at the 2010 Olympics. Only one American woman, Morgan Arritola, cracked the top-forty in the 15k pursuit Friday, finishing 38th. The other three—Caitlin Compton, Holly Brooks, and Liz Stephen—were far back in 43rd,...
Canmore, Alberta – Tune-up? Small field? Sure, but it’s still the World Cup. In front of hundreds of fans in Canmore, Sweden’s Charlotte Kalla gave her Olympic hopes a boost by winning the women’s 10k freestyle here on a course tailored to her strengths. She finished ten seconds up on Justyna Kowalczyk of Poland today, with Russia’s Irina Khazova in third. Kalla excels on steep uphills and through transitions, and she said afterwards that she...
PARK CITY, UT – World Championship medalist Kikkan Randall (Anchorage), along with Andy Newell (Shaftsbury, VT) and Kris Freeman (Andover, NH) headline a group of eight athletes announced Tuesday by the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association (USSA) for the 2010 Olympic Cross Country Ski Team. USSA President and CEO Bill Marolt, together with the U.S. Olympic Committee and Team partner Visa, announced the roster of athletes to compete in the cross country events at the...
Kikkan Randall (USST/APU), Liz Stephen (USST/BMA) and Morgan Arritoal (USST/SVSEF) putting the hammer down during the women’s 10km freestyle race today at the US National Championships in Anchorage, Alaska.
Willie’s 5k Run for the Environment was held on a perfect clear crisp Saturday morning, Oct 17th. Organized in honor of Willie Neal, of Jackson Hole, WY, who lived in Sun Valley in 2008-09, training and racing as a Post Grad with SVSEF. Tragically, Willie was killed in June 2009 when hit by a car while roller skiing in Maine. In his memory, SVSEF Comp Team member Daniel Sundali organized this run as a school project. The...
268 trail runners and off season Nordic Skiers turned out on a hot sunny summer morning for the annual Elephant’s Perch Backcountry Run(10 miles/16.5 miles), north of Ketchum. The runners traversed from Hulen Meadows through Adams Gulch on a trail with many steep climbs and long descents, mostly single track. Many SVSEF skiers were among the racers. Mike Sinnott, SVSEF ODT, won the Men’s 10 mile race, posting a time of 57.29, more than 3...
Birthdate: 5/13/1986 Hometown: Born in Bend, OR Current Residence: Sun Valley, ID Ski Club: Sun Valley Olympic Development Team Status on U.S. Ski Team: Continental Cup Team Height: 5’4″ Weight: 117lbs Best Results: Top 30 World Cup Finish last year, 11th U23 15K Skate, 2nd Place Nationals 2008 Sponsors: Fischer Skis, Alpina Boots, Swix Poles, Rudy Project eyewear Full Interview When did you start ski racing, and what were some highlights of your young skiing...