smst2 – FasterSkier

Magic Mountain, Indeed: SMST2 and West River Nordic Party on Vermont’s Very Last Snow.

John TeafordJune 12, 2023

June 3, Magic Mountain Ski Area, Londonderry Vermont It’s full summer in the Green Mountains of Vermont: high temperatures and summer thunderstorms, every tree leaf-covered, every meadow knee-deep in new grass, and the entire world the richest shade of green. Even those New England resorts that pride themselves on being the very last to keep their chairlifts turning had packed it in a week ago. But there’s still snow at Magic Mountain, stored for just...

Community Feature Racing US Ski Team

Resilient and Focused: Julia Kern Looks Ahead

Pasha KahnAugust 17, 2021

Julia Kern finds herself heading into an Olympic season as one of the veterans for the US women’s cross country ski team. At the age of twenty-three, she’s ready to take on the leadership role left by the retirements of long-time team members Sadie Maubet Bjornsen and Sophie Caldwell Hamilton. After a lackluster season — by her own lofty standards — she has shaken off the disappointment, along with a hamstring injury she picked up...

Dryland General News

Elite Programs Ramp Up for Modified Training

Jason AlbertMay 20, 2020

Although the training cycle has officially begun, it decidedly has a different vibe and look. Adding some complexity to our short-term new normal are a crosshatch of state, county, and city regulations as it relates to mitigating the community spread of Covid-19. The core question elite cross-country ski programs are asking is this: How can we most responsibly promote safe and effective training for their athletes? (The United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC) has...

Racing US Ski Team World Cup

World Cup Preview: North America

Rachel PerkinsNovember 28, 2019

United States Overall in Nations Cup Last Year: 5th Women’s Ranking 2018/2019: 4th Men’s Ranking 2018/2019: 11th Americans to Watch: Seven men and nine women will be lining up in stars and stripes for the World Cup’s opening: Finland’s Ruka Triple. Three race series features a classic sprint followed by a two-day distance pursuit. At the top of the ranks, Jessie Diggins (USST/SMS T2) finished the 2019 season 6th in distance and 7th in sprint....

Collegiate Continental Cup General Juniors Lifestyle Racing Resources Training US Ski Team

The College Conflict: Part 2

FasterSkierSeptember 24, 2018

The following was written by Alayna Sonnesyn, a new member of the Stratton Mountain School (SMS) T2 Team who graduated from the University of Vermont (UVM) this past spring. Originally from Plymouth, Minnesota, Sonnesyn, 22, raced on the UVM Ski Team for four years and qualified for four NCAA Skiing Championships teams. She placed second and third in two races at 2017 NCAA Championships, and in her senior season, won the first five Eastern Intercollegiate Ski Association...

Multimedia Nordic Nation Podcasts

Nordic Nation: The Patrick O’Brien (Patty O’) Epsiode

Jason AlbertSeptember 14, 2018

He’s another skier who bleeds maple syrup. Raised in Putney, Vermont. Skied at the Statton Mountain School (SMS), Dartmouth, and post-collegiately with the Craftsbury Green Racing Project — take a breath — and yes, still in Vermont as the SMS T2 Team head coach is Pat O’Brien. Thirty years old this summer, O’Brien has been at the helm of one of the dominant elite level programs in the U.S. since 2014. As he begins his fifth...

Collegiate Continental Cup General Juniors Lifestyle Racing Resources US Ski Team

The College Conflict: Part 1

FasterSkierSeptember 10, 2018

Camps Continental Cup General News Racing Results US Ski Team

Americans Dominate the Field, Podiums at Winter Games NZ (Updated)

Rachel PerkinsSeptember 6, 2018

Note: This article has been updated to include comments from Simi Hamilton of the U.S. Ski Team (USST) and Stratton Mountain School (SMS) T2 Team, and Kevin Bolger of the USST and Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation. *** It’s that time of year again where several members of the U.S. Ski Team, along with top-level skiers from the Craftsbury Green Racing Project (CGRP) and Stratton Mountain School (SMS) T2 Team are training at the Snow...

Continental Cup Resources Training Workouts

Wednesday Workout: L3 Ski Walking Up Stratton Mountain

FasterSkierAugust 8, 2018

For this week’s workout, we feature the Stratton Mountain School T2 Team, also known as the Elite Team, out of Stratton, Vermont. The team’s full-time athletes live near the base of the alpine resort and take advantage of the following Level 3 (L3) ski-walking workout right out their front door. In an email, coach Patrick O’Brien explained why they often repeat this workout during the summer: “We can safely have a large number of people training...

Continental Cup General Interviews News Racing

Back in Bozeman, Flowers Switches Gears

Gabby NaranjaJuly 20, 2018

It wasn’t until recently that Erika Flowers learned the meaning of her middle name. At the time of her birth, her father had been cutting around Montana’s mountain slopes on Elan alpine skis. Though the brand’s company is based out of Slovenia, the definition of élan, according to Webster’s dictionary, is a vigorous spirit or enthusiasm. Whether Flower’s father, Pat, had researched the word’s meaning or whether the name had simply struck him, the skis...

Continental Cup General News Racing US Ski Team

Spring Series Rundown: Undefeated Diggins Edges Bjornsen for 30 k Victory

FasterSkierMarch 27, 2018

2018 U.S. Distance Nationals (Craftsbury, Vermont): 30 k classic mass start Jessie Diggins swept SuperTour Finals once again, after doing so 2016 SuperTour Finals the year before in Craftsbury, Vt. Back in Craftsbury on Tuesday, and coming off three-straight victories in the classic sprint, 10-kilometer freestyle mass start and mixed relay with her Stratton Mountain School (SMS) T2 Team teammates, Diggins, 26, pulled out her fourth-straight win in her last race of the season: the...

Continental Cup General News Racing

Spring Series Rundown: Diggins Anchors Another Stratton Mixed-Relay Win

FasterSkierMarch 25, 2018

2018 U.S. SuperTour Finals (Craftsbury, Vermont): Mixed relays For the second-straight year at the SuperTour’s season-ending Spring Series, the Stratton Mountain School (SMS) T2 Team won the mixed relay, with three of the four athletes who raced on last year’s 4 x 5-kilometer mixed relay squad. Simi Hamilton, Sophie Caldwell, Paddy Caldwell, and Jessie Diggins combined for the win on Sunday in Craftsbury, tagging off in that order, with Diggins crossing the finish line first...

Continental Cup News Racing

Gelso Wins Back-to-Back in West; Guiney Garners First SuperTour Title

Gabby NaranjaDecember 5, 2016

The second day of SuperTour racing in West Yellowstone came to a close on Sunday with the men's and women's distance classic events. Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation skier, Matt Gelso took his second win in a row, claiming the men's 15-kilometer classic race title, while the Craftsbury Green Racing Project's Liz Guiney garnered her first ever SuperTour win.

Continental Cup General News Racing

Gelso Wins First SuperTour Sprint; ‘Big Win’ for Bender in West

Gabby NaranjaDecember 3, 2016

The 2016/2017 SuperTour race series opened on Saturday with a men's and women's 1.3-kilometer freestyle sprint. Taking his first ever SuperTour sprint victory was Matt Gelso of the Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation. In a photo finish, Jennie Bender of the Bridger Ski Foundation bested SMST2 skier Erika Flowers for the women's win.

Continental Cup General Interviews News

Eric Packer: From Incremental Gains to World Cup Starts

Gavin KentchNovember 30, 2016

Alaska Pacific University skier Eric Packer, the 2015/2016 SuperTour leader currently spending World Cup Period 1 in Europe, opens up about the training that got him there, as well as his career highlight to date. Plus the Birkie, breakfast, and beards.

General News

October in SoHo: Photos from U.S. and Canadian Ski Team Camps in Park City

BrainspiralNovember 5, 2016

A photo gallery of images from the cross-country national team camps held in Soldier Hollow and Park City, Utah, last month, mostly of the U.S. Ski Team and its development contingent.

General Interviews News Other Racing Training

USST Returns From New Zealand Training Camp (with Photo Gallery)

Gabby NaranjaSeptember 20, 2016

Earlier this month, the U.S. Ski Team returned to New Zealand's Snow Farm for on-snow training and racing. “The primary goal was extended time on snow working on group and individual technique needs,” head coach Chris Grover explained. “Another goal of the camp was to touch base with racing." Ten U.S. skiers started 2-4 races, and several racked up podiums.

General Lifestyle

What SMS Elite Skiers Eat for Breakfast

BrainspiralJune 10, 2016

Now that you know the eating habits of some of APU's top skiers in Anchorage, Alaska, we posed the question to Stratton Mountain School skiers based in southern Vermont. Their responses (and accompanying photos) will make your taste buds tingle.

General News Racing

FasterSkier’s U.S. Breakthrough Skiers of 2016: Kaitlynn Miller and David Norris

BrainspiralApril 18, 2016

The FS awards continue this week with domestic Breakthrough Skiers of the Year, starting with two winners and two honorable mentions from the U.S., several of which surprised themselves.

Continental Cup News Racing US Ski Team

After Demolishing 30 k Classic, Diggins ‘Pretty Crushed’ at Season’s End

Kaitlyn PattersonMarch 26, 2016

Jessie Diggins maintained her streak through the final race of the season, winning the women's 30 k classic mass start -- what used to be her weakest race format -- on Saturday at U.S. Distance Nationals. She broke away on the first of nine laps, making it a race for second among Ida Sargent, Caitlin Patterson and Liz Stephen.

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