Alaska Pacific University led from start to finish, with Erik Bjornsen, Rosie Brennan, Scott Patterson, and Chelsea Holmes, to win its third-consecutive mixed relay title at SuperTour Finals on Thursday in Craftsbury, Vt. A hybrid team called Vailbury Green placed second, and Jessie Diggins brought SMST2 from sixth to third at the finish.
Jessie Diggins was once again unstoppable on the second day of the SuperTour Finals in Craftsbury, Vt., winning the classic sprint ahead of fellow U.S. Ski Team members Ida Sargent and Rosie Brennan. Three SMST2 skiers reached the final, with Annie Hart placing fourth and Sophie Caldwell finishing fifth on her birthday.
A former SMST2 elite skier, Annie Pokorny is back in navy blue and white, racing for Middlebury as a senior with junior eligibility and focused on NCAA Championships this Thursday and Saturday in Steamboat Springs, Colo. So how do NCAA amateurism rules work in this case? The 23-year-old Pokorny explains.
The U.S. Ski Team rocked the first stage of the Ski Tour Canada with back-to-back podiums, starting with Jessie Diggins in third in the women's freestyle sprint, followed by Simi Hamilton in third as well in the men's sprint.
A few new competitors broke through on the second day of SuperTour racing in Craftsbury, Vt., in both the men's and women's 10 k classic event. In the women's race, Erika Flowers made a debut SuperTour win, while Liz Guiney and Julia Kern tied for second. Kris Freeman double poled to first in the men's race, ahead of two UVM skiers.
In the SuperTour 5 /10 k freestyle events this past Saturday held in Craftsbury, Vt., Anne Hart beat out Chelsea Holmes by less than three seconds for first, and Paddy Caldwell achieved his first victory of the season. "It was my first ever SuperTour win, so it's nice to cross that off the list,” Hart explained.
U.S. nationals in Houghton, Mich. concluded last weekend with the 1.5 k classic sprints on the Michigan Tech Trails. Here are a collection of photos recapping the final day of the 2016 championships. Special thanks to Christopher Schmidt.
Caitlin Patterson snagged her second title of the week in as many distance races at U.S. nationals in the women's 20 k freestyle mass start on Thursday -- her third podium of the week. She edged Chelsea Holmes by 4 seconds, and Stratton's Katharine Ogden, Anne Hart and Erika Flowers landed in the top five.
Sophie Caldwell mainly had one tactic on Tuesday, and it put her in prime position for the best race of her career: “Push it over the tops, stick on Ingvild on the ups, and have a strong finish," she explained. The American ended up beating Ingvild Flugstad Østberg and another Norwegian, Heidi Weng, to achieve her first World Cup victory.
(Press Release) Sun Valley SuperTour Field Reports – What the teams used in their own words: Classic Sprint Super Tour December 5, 2015. Conditions: Hard track with cold temperatures in the early morning ~7 degrees Fahrenheit warming to mid 20s during the middle of the day. Mid- low humidity and tracks set very nicely despite the warm temps the proceeding days before. Waxes Used: HF Black paraffin base. Toko HF Red. Topcoat: Toko Red 2.0...
With plenty of shovels and smiles, the Sun Valley crew is working hard to make both SuperTour races happen at the Lake Creek trails. "Putting the work in here gives the athletes an opportunity to test themselves appropriately on the kinds of courses that they need to be prepared to ski on," SVSEF Nordic Director Rick Kapala explains.
On Thanksgiving Day, skiers at the Yellowstone Ski Festival tell us what they are thankful for this week. For many of them, it's the snow!
The Yellowstone Ski Festival officially kicked off on Tuesday, with numerous athletes and clubs out skiing the trails. Longtime keeper-of-the-gates at the Rendezvous trailhead, Thor Godar, sets the scene so far.
Note: Two photo captions in this article have been corrected to identify Sun Valley's Rogan Brown as the men's race leader around mile four.
This week, eight USST members returned to Lake Placid, N.Y., to kick off the fall with an intensity camp. They are joined by the SMST2 team, the Sun Valley Gold Team, the NTG and NEG, making for a large group of elite skiers. But because of the shortened camp, the USST will not participate in the Climb to the Castle.
Skyler Davis, former USST member and SMS T2 racer, retired from skiing in 2014. Since then he's picked up soccer and is finding success at the University of Vermont where he was recently named the team's captain.
Alaska Pacific University's first and second teams overcame deep, new snow to claim the top two spots in Tuesday's 4 x 5 k mixed relay at the 2015 SuperTour Finals in Sun Valley, Idaho. Stratton Mountain School T2 skied to third behind the two APU teams.
Ben Saxton of Stratton Mountain School T2 wasn't initially part of the U.S. World Champs squad but was added after a sixth place finish at the U23 Champs. He answered 10 questions before his first World Championships as part of our series on World Champs rookies.
Approximately 40 athletes attended the USST Altitude Camp in Park City, Utah which concluded Oct. 19. The camp is a final opportunity of the best skiers in the country to fine tune their skiing before the winter season starts in November.
FasterSkier caught up with Simi Hamilton during the USST Lake Placid Training Camp to talk with him about his summer training and the winter season ahead. While Hamilton doesn't plan to change much in his routine, several "gear changes" might allow him to achieve even higher results in the coming months.