Sun Valley – FasterSkier

Q and A: Sun Valley’s Rick Kapala on coaching, sport development, and constructing a “complete ecosystem” in the skiing community

Ben TheyerlNovember 20, 2022

“I’m sorry, but once I start talking cross-country skiing, I can’t stop,” admits Rick Kapala. Remove the “talking” from that statement, and it’s still a succinct summary of long-time Sun Valley coach Rick Kapala’s career. This season will mark the first time in thirty-five years that Kapala won’t be manning the wax bench on race day for the Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation. This summer, he turned to a new role at the Sun Valley...

News

“Coming Together Gives Us All A Lift.” The Power And Purpose Of Bob Rosso

Jody ZarkosOctober 21, 2022

TR factor. It’s facing all of us. It is just that not all of us factor in time remaining in our day-to-day lives. For Bob Rosso, the TR factor has been a constant and longtime motivator in how he lives his life. And since receiving a diagnosis of dementia three years ago, Rosso leans hard into this formula, endeavoring to live, love, and enjoy life. We could say even more than he did before, but...

Community General News

(Press Release) SVSEF Welcomes Becky Woods as New Cross Country Program Director

FasterSkierJune 24, 2022

Woods brings wealth of collegiate Nordic team competition, coaching and leadership to SVSEF SUN VALLEY, Idaho – June 19, 2022 – Effective August 1, 2022, Becky Woods will step into the role of Cross Country Program Director at Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation (SVSEF). Woods comes to SVSEF from Bates College in Lewiston, ME, where she served as the Head Men’s and Women’s Nordic Ski Coach alongside additional leadership roles from 1994 to 2022. “We are thrilled to welcome...

Nordic Nation Podcasts

Nordic Nation: Inside the Athlete-Guide Dynamic with Jake Adicoff and Sam Wood

Rachel PerkinsJanuary 22, 2022

In this episode, we have Jake Adicoff and Sam Wood, calling in from Lillehammer as the duo races as athlete and guide at the Para World Championships. Jake is a visually impaired athlete from Sun Valley who grew up racing with the SVSEF cross country program and now trains with the Gold Team. He has raced at both the 2014 Paralympics in Sochi, and the 2018 Games in Pyeongchang, where he won a silver medal...

Continental Cup Racing Regional / Local US Nationals

Sun Valley SuperTour Rundown: Brennan and Norris Lead the 10/15k Mass Start Classic

Rachel PerkinsJanuary 16, 2022

Quick Recap: We’ll have a full race report up tomorrow, including athlete comments and photos, but here is a quick recap of the action in the men’s 15k and women’s 10k mass start classic, which took place this morning in Ketchum, Idaho. The 2022 Sun Valley Nordic Invitational continued this morning with 10/15-kilometer classic races at the Lake Creek Ski Center in Ketchum, Idaho. While temperatures were warmer than at the start of yesterday’s...

Continental Cup Racing Regional / Local US Nationals

Brennan and Hagenbuch Skate Away with Wins in Sun Valley SuperTour 5/10k Interval Start Free

FasterSkierJanuary 16, 2022

By Rachel Bachman Perkins and Ben Theyerl The final weekend of SuperTour racing in Period II, and the final weekend within the Olympic qualification window, kicked off Saturday at the Lake Creek Nordic Center in Ketchum, Idaho. Part of the 2022 Sun Valley Nordic Invitational, the SuperTour races were held in conjunction with a Montana State University RMISA event and an Intermountain XC junior national qualifier. Highlighting the size of the event, there were 157...

Community News Regional / Local

Elite Team Preview: Sun Valley XC Gold Team

Gavin KentchNovember 20, 2021

Team name and location: Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation XC Gold Team (Sun Valley or SVSEF); Ketchum, Idaho Coach: Chris Mallory Current roster: Kevin Bolger, Katie Feldman, Sarah Goble, Sam Wood, Karl Schulz, Johnny Hagenbuch, Peter Holmes, Peter Wolter, Jake Adicoff Who’s new: Peter Wolter and Jake Adicoff Who’s missing: n/a Who’s still on this team, or otherwise involved in American skiing, from when we did this in 2012: No one; Simi Hamilton recently retired, and Patrick...

General News

Sun Valley: Hot Spot

Jason AlbertApril 2, 2020

This story could be about many things; developing coping mechanisms when a stay at home order is in effect; finding ingenious ways to elevate the heart rate in a small space; fighting the urge to deem outsiders as outsiders; knowing when to check the urge to be selfish. Obvious disclaimer here, I live in a tourist town, Bend, Oregon where it’s clear tourists and fresh-air-seeking coronavirus “refugees” should abide by the city’s discouragement of...

Masters Racing Resources

A Beginner’s Guide: The Boulder Mountain Tour

FasterSkierJanuary 13, 2020

Sponsored Content A certain amount of pre-race nerves can be beneficial. A sharpened central nervous system can rev the body for a 34-kilometer skate race. But the jitters can distract. There’s the possibility of low-quality sleep. Time wasted on variables out of your control, or, perhaps, beyond your budgetary control — cross-country ski racing can get pricey fast. In this guide, catering to BMT neophytes, we attempt to take the edge off and foster fun...

Collegiate Community Interviews Resources

Unraveling the College Athlete Admission Process: A Look Into Post Graduate Gap Year Programs with Paul Smith of SVSEF

Rachel PerkinsOctober 14, 2019

Deciding how to handle the “college conflict”, as aptly phrased by Alayna Sonnesyn, is a daunting and somewhat mysterious prospect, particularly for athletes and families who are unfamiliar with the process. How does a junior athlete know that they are cut out for a collegiate program? NCAA or USCSA? What about a gap year? In this series, FasterSkier spoke with collegiate and junior coaches and athletes who have chosen different pathways to create a resource...

National U16 Camp Announces Selections & Program for Summer 2017

National Nordic FoundationApril 14, 2017

rick@svsef.org. Please provide these divisional selections no later than May 1st, 2017 and also be sure to inform the discretionary picks of their selection. Attendees are required to organize their own flights into either Sun Valley, ID or Boise ID to arrive on Sunday, July 23 in Boise by 3pm or to Sun Valley by 5pm and to depart on the following Sunday, July 30 by 5pm at either airport. For skiers arriving and departing...

General Interviews Juniors

Under 23 Questions with Jack Hegman

FasterSkierFebruary 4, 2017

In an effort to showcase the North Americans competing at this week’s International Ski Federation (FIS) 2017 USANA Nordic Junior World Championships and U23 Cross Country World Championships at Soldier Hollow in Midway, Utah, we asked those qualifying athletes several questions about themselves — actually, we had them fill in the blanks. Here we have 22-year-old Jack Hegman, of the Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation (SVSEF) Gold Team, who’s representing the U.S. at his first U23 Worlds....

General Interviews Other Racing

Under 23 Questions with Cole Morgan

FasterSkierJanuary 31, 2017

In an effort to showcase the North Americans competing at this week’s International Ski Federation (FIS) 2017 USANA Nordic Junior World Championships and U23 Cross Country World Championships at Soldier Hollow in Midway, Utah, we asked those qualifying athletes several questions about themselves — actually, we had them fill in the blanks. Here we have 22-year-old Cole Morgan, of the Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation (SVSEF) Gold Team, who’s representing the U.S. at his first U23 World...

Dryland General Resources Training Workouts

Wednesday Workout: Moosehoofing for Speed and Capacity with Chris Mallory

Jason AlbertSeptember 28, 2016

"The goals of the workout are to increase classic striding leg speed and explosiveness, make neuromuscular gains, and increase aerobic capacity," explains Chris Mallory, new head coach of the SVSEF Gold Team. "The workout is fairly short and sweet, but very effective, and it helps to sharpen the athletes up as we near race season."

General News Other Racing

‘Turning August Into February’: Sun Valley Gold Team Spends Month in Australia

Gabby NaranjaAugust 22, 2016

When the SVSEF Gold Team found out that Falls Creek, a ski resort located in Victoria, Australia, had premium on-snow training in August, several team members said yes to the trip Down Under for a monthlong camp.

News

Chris Hall: Getting Bold for the Boulder

SwixJanuary 28, 2016

With the 2016 Boulder Mountain Tour just weeks away, it is not too early to start getting race skis ready for their final layer of race wax before the big day. Doing a little work on your skis now makes a big difference in time spent waxing the night before the race. Below are some tips to save time, energy and stress the night before the BMT.

Sun Valley SuperTour Field Reports

TokoDecember 15, 2015

(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...

General News Racing

Bonus Photos from Sun Valley SuperTour

BrainspiralDecember 8, 2015

Sun Valley hosted the second set of SuperTour races -- with a classic sprint and classic mass start -- and we have an assortment of photos recapping the action.

Continental Cup General News Racing Results

Patterson Drops Pack for Sun Valley 15 k Win; Strøm Outlasts Packer for 2nd

Austin CobbDecember 7, 2015

After rebounding from separate scary incidents, APU's Scott Patterson and Eric Packer showed their desire to be back on top of the SuperTour, placing first and third in Sunday's 15 k classic mass start in Sun Valley. Patterson won by more than 30 seconds and CU's Mads Strøm edged Packer for second.

Continental Cup General News Racing

Rorabaugh Strides to Sun Valley Sprint Win, Holds Off Craftsbury’s Miller and Patterson

Austin CobbDecember 6, 2015

On a bluebird day in Sun Valley, APU's Becca Rorabaugh skied to her strengths to win the women's SuperTour classic sprint final, while Craftsbury skiers Kaitlynn Miller and Caitlin Patterson fed off their teammates' success to round out the podium in second and third.

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