Vuokatti – FasterSkier

American Teams Announced for 2021 World Juniors/U23s in Vuokatti

Gavin KentchJanuary 19, 2021

Last week, U.S. Ski & Snowboard announced team nominations for 2021 FIS Nordic Junior and U23 World Ski Championships, which will be held in Vuokatti, Finland, in early February. The athletes selected were as follows: U23 World Championships Team Women: Hailey Swirbul (APU Nordic Ski Center/El Jebel, Colo.) Sophia Laukli (Middlebury College/Yarmouth, Maine) Alex Lawson (Middlebury College/West Burke, Vt.) Hannah Halvorsen (APU/Anchorage, Alaska) Renae Anderson (Loppet Nordic Racing/Golden Valley, Minn.) Alternate 1: Leah Lange (University...

Continental Cup General Racing Training

Closing the Gap: Racing in the Dark

FasterSkierDecember 20, 2017

Editor’s Note: The following is part of a series proposed by Maks Zechel, a 20-year-old Canadian cross-country skier embarking on his first season training abroad. In August, he made the big move to Norway, where he’ll be training and racing with Team Asker for the entire winter. Through these updates, Maks hopes to share his personal “observations, stories and lessons learned” to help close the gap between North American and Scandinavian nordic skiing. Previous posts: #2, #4, #6, and

Collegiate Interviews Lifestyle News Racing Training

Summer Training… All Over Finland with Krista Niiranen

Chelsea LittleJuly 20, 2017

A World Junior Championships and World U23 Championships skier for Finland who had racked up top-10 finishes in her country’s competitive national-championships field, Krista Niiranen moved to the American Southwest last year. “I had been studying law in the University of Lapland in Finland, but for the last season I transferred to the University of New Mexico and represented the UNM Ski Team,” she explained. Niiranen made a splash on the SuperTour and NCAA circuits,...

General News Para Nordic Racing

Masters Ends IPC World Cup Season Undefeated in Cross Country

Gabby NaranjaMarch 24, 2016

Oksana Masters of the U.S. Paralympics Nordic team never lost a cross-country World Cup race all season en route to a convincing overall World Cup win for the second-straight year. “Oksana brought impressive consistency to her racing this season,” coach Eileen Carey told FS.

Masters Racing

Masters World Cup: More Than Just The Races

Inge ScheveMarch 16, 2016

You don't have to be a World Cup racer to ski similar distances on the world's best courses. While many masters focus on traditional ski marathons, the annual Masters World Cup presents an opportunity for skiers 30 and older to ski up to four races of regular World Cup distances in a week.

General News Racing World Cup

Ketelä, Nousiainen Take to the Snow and Win Finland Cup Sprints

Chelsea LittleOctober 31, 2015

The Finnish national team were among the nearly 200 racers kicking off the 2015-2016 season in Vuokatti, Finland, on Saturday. Matthias Strandvall crossed the line first in the men's sprint final, but was relegated for causing Ville Nousiainen to crash; Nousiainen's wife Mona-Liisa (formerly Malvalehto) won the women's race.

General Interviews Masters News

Oregon’s Downing Elected World Masters President

Inge ScheveOctober 19, 2015

XC Oregon founder J.D. Downing was recently elected president of the World Masters Cross-Country Ski Association. While he'll continue to hold his post as a U.S. national director, Downing has big goals for the international organization, including an increase in participation and keeping skiers under 55 "in the game."

General News Para Nordic Racing

From Students to Favorites: Masters, Soule Lead IPC World Cup Before Finals in Norway

Alex KochonMarch 11, 2015

Heading into next week's IPC World Cup Finals in Surnadal, Norway, two Americans lead the overall World Cup standings: Oksana Masters and Andy Soule. “It’s a great feeling knowing what I have been working on is working,” Masters explained. “I feel like anything can happen...”

Continental Cup News Nordic Combined Racing World Cup

Weekend Roundup: ‘Way More is Possible’

FasterSkierDecember 16, 2014

Catch up on what you may have missed this weekend, as nordic competitions across the globe are begging to heat up. Here, we recap everything from biathlon in Austria to the cross country World Cup in Switzerland and everything in between.