FasterSkier

Author: events@fasterskier.com

  • Snowshoe Thompson Classic, Far West Junior Olympic Qualifier, 5/10km, Soda Springs, CA

  • Spokane Pursuit JOQ, Pacific Northwest Junior Olympic Qualifier, Spokane, WA

  • Yellowstone Rendezvous, American Ski Marathon, 50/25km, West Yellowstone, MT

  • American Birkebeiner, American Ski Marathon, 50/54km, Cable/Hayward, WI

    The origin of the American Birkebeiner dates back to 1973, when 53 hearty skiers traveled 52 kilometers from Hayward, Wisconsin to Telemark Resort in neighboring Cable. Today, the American Birkebeiner is the largest, most prestigious cross country ski marathon in North America… second to none!

    Skiers from around the world gather every February to celebrate the “Birkie,” a race which has become a tradition in the cross country ski world. The Birkie is a member of the 13-nation Worldloppet League.

    The Birkie exemplifies the true spirit of cross country skiing and has been instrumental in advancing the popularity and success of the sport as we know it today. The 25-kilometer Johnson Bank Kortelopet has grown tremendously over the years, and provides skiers age 13 and over the opportunity to participate in the international camaraderie.

  • Minnesota Finlandia, American Ski Marathon, 50/25km, Bemidji, MN

    Starting just miles from the headwaters of the Great Mississippi River, in the land of the legendary Paul Bunyan, the 25km loop is more or less in two parts, the 15km on the East side of the highway has very gentle terrain after a somewhat steep climb from the start area. Then after skiing through a tunnel to the West side of the highway, the next 10km has sweeping downhill curves and some respectable uphills, including “the wall”, a steep face that presents a real challenge. The setting offers the beautiful old growth woods of northern Minnesota, USA passing several frozen lakes along the route

  • Mora Vasaloppet, American Ski Marathon, 58/35km, Mora, MN

    The Mora Vasaloppet is a special race in the hearts of thousands of skiers who have experienced it. The colorful mass start, the separate 58K and 35K courses, the wooded trails, and the exciting finish line in downtown Mora are reasons why the race is the largest in Minnesota and one of the biggest participation winter athletic events in the United States.

  • Tour of Anchorage, American Ski Marathon, 25/40/50 km, Anchorage, AK

    TOUR OF ANCHORAGE
    Anchorage, Alaska (USA)

    The Tour of Anchorage offers an overall downhill “point to point” course which traverses the wilderness of Hillside Park, then enters a series of trails through the residential and city environment, eventually joining with the Cook Inlet Coastal Trail followed by a final climb up the bluffs to Kincaid Park (site of several major championship events) and the finish. Along the route are spectacular views of the surrounding mountains, Cook Inlet and in the distance…magnificent Denali (Mt. McKinley) itself. The Coastal Trail portion of the race is a truly unique opportunity to ski just a few meters from the Pacific Ocean.

    The city of Anchorage (Population 260,000) offers much in the way of accommodations, restaurants, and nightlife. There is also a 40 km race that eliminates the big hilly section of the 50 km race, and there is a 25 km race that starts at Russian Jack Park in the middle of Anchorage. Both the shorter races use the same course and finish as the 50 km race.

    Contact:
    Tour of Anchorage
    Nordic Skiing Association of Anchorage
    P.O. Box 103504
    Anchorage, AK 99510
    Telephone (907) 561-0949 or (907) 346-2233
    nsaa@alaska.net

  • Boulder Mountain Tour, American Ski Marathon, 32 km, Sun Valley, ID

     

    Starting precisely 32km from the edge of the Sun Valley/Ketchum community at the rustic Galena Lodge, the Tour parallels the Galena Pass Highway as it flows steadily down to the finish. One of the shortest American Ski Marathon Series events, the Tour is also the easiest to navigate featuring a gently flowing course over a series of meadows and grass-covered foothills. Spectacular views of the surrounding mountains unfold continuously with each and every turn.

    The Sun Valley/Ketchum area is known around the world as a major wintertime resort destination featuring a wide variety of activities, accomodations and attractions. A series of fun-filled events surround the actual Boulder Tour event.

  • City of Lakes Loppet, American Ski Marathon, 33/25 km, Minneapolis, MN

    33K Freestyle, 25K Hoigaard’s Classic, cross country ski festival featuring snow sculptures, skijoring, the Luminary Loppet and much more.

    The City of Lakes Loppet is a cross country ski festival featuring the beautiful trails and lakes of the Twin Cities. Join us on the first weekend in February for this celebration of winter in Minnesota.

  • The California Gold Rush, American Ski Marathon, 21km, Lake Tahoe, Ca

    ROYAL GORGE’S CALIFORNIA GOLD RUSH
    Soda Springs, California (USA)

    The California Gold Rush offers a tour of one of the world’s largest trail systems at the magnificent Royal Gorge Cross Country Ski Resort.

    Cruising through beautiful Sierra Nevada forests past snow-covered lakes and offering incredible views throughout, the course is among the most scenic in the world. With a well-known reputation for having some of the deepest snowpacks anywhere, the course can sometimes have up to 30 feet/10 meters of snow in places! In addition, the Gold Rush has also earned a well-deserved reputation for having some of the best weather of any major ski event more often than not featuring sunny skies and fantastic wonderfully firm, fast tracks.

    Includes (new course for 2008!) 42km marathon, 21km Silver Rush, Bronze Rush and special children’s event the day before. Major fundraiser for Far West Division Junior Programs helping up to 4,000 kids and teens each year.

    Contact:
    Royal Gorge
    P.O. Box 1100
    Soda Springs, CA 95728
    (800) 500-3871
    info@royalgorge.com

  • Noquemanon Ski Marathon, American Ski Marathon, 25/51 km, Marquette, MI

    The Marquette General Health Systems Noquemanon Ski Marathon is a 51K cross country ski race taking skiers on a journey from Ishpeming (home of the National Ski Hall of Fame) to Marquette where the finish line is right outside the Superior Dome, the world’s largest wooden dome stadium. It’s sister event, the mBank Half Marathon is a 25K race that utilizes the second half of the Noquemanon course sharing the finish line outside of the Dome. Both races reward both classic and freestyle skiers.

    The course is spectacular with granite outcroppings, Lake Superior vistas, a 1000-foot descent over the last 25K, and friendly volunteers along the trail. The race also shares a weekend with the Ski Hall of Fame induction ceremonies. Come meet the elite ski world and discover the Noquemanon this January!

  • The Craftsbury Marathon, American Ski Marathon, 50/25km, Craftsbury, VT

    January 30, 2010.  The Craftsbury Marathon, with 50 and 25 kilometer classic races, traverses some of Vermont’s most scenic countryside. The Center located on Lake Hosmer in Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom has put this popular event on each year since 1981 and offers accommodations for 90 . The marathon is a point to point event featuring food stations provisioned with delicious soups and fresh baked goodies by local inns.

    Contact:
    Craftsbury Ski Marathon
    Craftsbury Outdoor Center
    535 Lost Nation Road
    Craftsbury Common,VT 05827
    Telephone (802) 586-7767
    stay@craftsbury.com

     

     

  • Now in Sun Valley – Burke Skiing!

    Now in Sun Valley – Burke Skiing!

    The Burke Mountain Academy kicked off its Fall training camp a week ago in Sun Valley Idaho. The plan for the camp was to have a quality training block, taking advantage of the SVSEF facilities and surrounding hiking, biking, and roller-skiing trails.

    The team heading out for a ski ... on October 5th
    The team heading out for a ski … on October 5th

    While we were excited to find miles and miles of perfect rollerskiing and hiking, we weren’t expecting to find ourselves training on snow at the beginning of October!  Yesterday morning we did an easy two hour classic ski on snow about 10 miles up the road from Sun Valley.  We followed an old road up the valley and found some pretty fresh wolf tracks leading our way up the trail.  We hear that they are grooming for skating somewhere nearby, so hopefully it will stay cold and we will continue to be able to take advantage of the early season tracks!

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    FasterSkier reader Jack Sibbich submitted the following photo and a link to the Sun Valley Snow Stake Cam so those of us roller skiing away can trak the amount of snow…

    http://www.sunvalley.com/SunValley/info/snowstakecam.html

    Sun Valley Snow (Photo: Jack Sibbich)
    Sun Valley Snow (Photo: Jack Sibbich)

  • Combined Skiers Struggle on Jumps

    VAL di FIEMME, Italy – The Americans struggled on the jumps Sunday in a DKB FIS Nordic Combined World Cup in Val di Fiemme. Johnny Spillane (Steamboat Springs, CO) had the second fastest cross country time to finish ninth, after coming in 21st in jumping, to lead the USA. Norway’s Magnus Moan picked up the win to sweep both events in Val di Fiemme.

    Billy Demong (Vermontville, NY) was 14th, with Bryan Fletcher (Steamboat Springs, CO) scored again, finishing 26th. Brett Camerota’s (Park City, UT) 30th put all four U.S. athletes into the points.

    Demong came into the day on the heels of a good jumping performance in Saturday’s mass start, including a 127.5 meter leap. In the single jump Sunday, though, he only went 113.0 to stand 26th. Spillane, meanwhile, hit 115.5 for 21st, but still a minute, 48 seconds behind leader Ronny Ackermann of Germany.

    Both Demong and Spillane moved up quickly through the field in the 10K cross country, but it was too much time to make up. Spillane was especially impressive with his effort to crack into the top 10.

    The finish was still enough for Demong to remain in third in the World Cup standings.

    One of the bright spots on the weekend for Head Nordic Combined Coach Dave Jarrett was the performance of Fletcher and Camerota, both cracking the top 30. It was a career first for Fletcher and the first points in two years for Camerota. The two are vying for the fourth spot in the Team event at the upcoming World Championships where the USA could be a strong contender with Demong, Spillane, Lodwick and one other.

    The World Cup now heads to North America for a pair of test events on the Olympic venues in Whistler, BC next weekend. Todd Lodwick (Steamboat Springs, CO) will rejoin the Team in Whistler after taking a week off.

    OFFICIAL RESULTS
    DKB FIS NORDIC COMBINED WORLD CUP
    Jan. 10, 2010
    Val di Fiemme, Italy
    Individual Gundersen Start
    (jump rank, XC rank, time back)
    1. Magnus Moan, Norway, (13/3) 27:33.1
    2. Jan Schmid, Norway, (7/9) +4.1 seconds
    3. Pavel Churavy, Czech Republic, (7/10) +4.4
    4. Mario Stecher, Austria, (6/12) +8.3
    5. Ronny Ackermann, Germany, (1/19) +13.1
    –
    9. Johnny Spillane, Steamboat Springs, CO, (21/2) +24.5
    14. Billy Demong, Vermontville, NY, (26/6) +1:03.5
    26. Bryan Fletcher, Steamboat Springs, CO, (28/23) +2:26.6
    30. Brett Camerota, Park City, UT (33/27) +2:52.1

    # # #

    Click here for complete results.

  • Americans find the targets in Oberhof

    Americans find the targets in Oberhof

    Oberhof, Germany – Jay Hakkinen (Kasilof, AK) could have been happier, but not much. Hitting nine out of ten targets in world class time, Hakkinen finished 17th in the ultra competitive Oberhof World Cup Sprint, with a time of 26:55.8, one second behind 15th place and just ten seconds out of tenth. The result moves Hakkinen into 26th place in the overall World Cup ranking and qualifies him for the Mass Start competition on Sunday. Just six seconds back was teammate Tim Burke (Lake Placid, NY) 22nd in 27:01.8 followed by Lowell Bailey (Lake Placid, NY) 39th in 27:26.8. All had just one penalty on the day. Jeremy Teela (Heber, UT) had two misses in prone and but cleaned his standing and finished 46th out of 113 competitors in 27:42.4.

    “The Oberhof sprint is the toughest on the World Cup,” said High Performance Director Bernd Eisenbichler. “The boys handled the transitions in the course really well and this showed in their good times on the second loop, It was impressive to see all of them manage the long uphill approach to the range and shoot clean standing.”

    Running through the performance of the team Head Coach Per Nilsson was clearly pleased with the results of his boys. “Jay promised himself he would master his concentration on the range and he did a great job – clean [no penalties] and the 4th fastest time in standing, prone was a little low and his miss was at 6 o’clock.” Commenting on Tim Burke who was ill in December he said “Tim’s not 100% yet but he is coming – he knows he’ll b ready for World Championships.” Lowell Bailey was satisfied with his performance on his least favorite World Cup course and Teela’s standing shooting “was really outstanding,” said Nilsson.

    “The team spirit was pretty low after the relay where we struggled with our equipment and missed too many targets but today we started to see what we can do when things go our way,” said Eisenbichler. “The form is coming better and better.”

    Complete Results | Photo Gallery

    Hakkinen’s top 30 World Cup ranking earns him a place in the Mass Start competition at 10:00 AM Eastern Time Sunday. Watch streaming video of the race live at www.usbiathlon.org. The next stop on the World Cup tour is Ruhpolding Germany where the men will start in the relay on Thursday at 11:40 AM Eastern Time.

    Source: USBA

    Jay Hakkinen, photo courtesy of Max Cobb, USBA
    Jay Hakkinen, photo courtesy of Max Cobb, USBA
    Tim Burke, photo courtesy of Max Cobb, USBA
    Tim Burke, photo courtesy of Max Cobb, USBA
    Lowell Bailey, photo courtesy of Max Cobb, USBA
    Lowell Bailey, photo courtesy of Max Cobb, USBA

  • Demong Takes Fourth in Italy

    VAL di FIEMME, ITALY – Billy Demong (Vermontville, NY) just missed the podium finishing fourth in a mass start Saturday as the DKB FIS Nordic Combined World Cup opened a two-event weekend in Val di Fiemme. Germany’s Bjoern Kircheisen took the win, moving into second in the World Cup standings as Demong dropped to third.

    The mass start reverses the normal routine, with skiers first taking on a 10K course with a mass start, followed by a pair of jumps. Penalty points are assigned after the cross country leg based on time behind the winner. With the changes in every other World Cup event to a single jump with a 10K race, the two-jump mass start event heavily favors the jumpers as the jump points remain the same, even though there are two opportunities.

    “I was pretty satisfied with fourth, all things considered,” said Demong, whose strong suit is cross country skiing. “It’s a little frustrating when it favors the jumpers.”

    U.S. Ski Team Head Nordic Combined Coach Dave Jarrett played a strategy, together with the Norwegians, to set a torrid pace in the mass start cross country race to hopefully put as much time and points on the jumping specialists as possible to hopefully even the playing field. “We wanted to control the race, making sure the pace was high the whole way,” said Jarrett. “It was just keep the pedal to the metal and try to make the biggest gap possible on the jumpers. And it worked.”

    American Johnny Spillane (Steamboat Springs, CO), who won a world title in the sprint event in 2003 in Val di Fiemme, set the early pace and led through the 5K point before dropping back. Demong hung in a pack with the leaders, but ultimately was fourth behind Norway’s Magnus Moan.

    “It was a hard race,” said Demong. “I wouldn’t say it was one of my best days but I pretty much had to try to follow the leader. The plan worked, for sure, but it was really, really tough.”

    The 10K course in Lago di Tesero was one of the toughest of the year with hard and fast snow.

    In the opening round of jumping, Demong soared 122.0 meters. That was enough to move him up to second behind Kircheisen. In the second round, he pushed it out to 127.5, but was caught by Austria’s Bernhard Gruber and Norway’s Jan Schmid, two of the best jumpers on the tour, and dropped to fourth.

    “Billy’s second jump was fabulous,” said Jarrett. “If he does that tomorrow, there’s nobody who is going to be in his way. He’s getting that confidence where he knows what he needs to do on the jump hill.”

    Spillane ended up 19th on the day. Teammate Bryan Fletcher (Steamboat Springs, CO) cracked the top 30, finishing 28th for his first World Cup points.

    “My hats off to Bryan for his first World Cup points,” said Jarrett. “He skied a great race and held his own in jumping. It’s a big step for our Team.”

    Action continues Sunday in the Italian nordic hotbed with a traditional Gundersen start event with a single jump followed by a 10K cross country event. You can follow the action live at FIS Live Timing. The jump is scheduled for 4:00 a.m. ET with cross country at 9:15 a.m. ET.

    OFFICIAL RESULTS
    DKB FIS NORDIC COMBINED WORLD CUP
    Jan. 10, 2010
    Val di Fiemme, Italy

    Mass Start
    (rank in XC, rank in jump 1, rank in jump 2, total points)

    1. Bjoern Kircheisen, Germany (2/11/2) 258.5
    2. Bernhard Gruber, Austria (13/2/1) 258.0
    3. Jan Schmid, Norway (12/3/2) 254.7
    4. Billy Demong, Vermontville, NY (4/12/7) 252.2
    5. Janne Ryynaenen, Finland (24/4/2) 246.0
    –
    19. Johnny Spillane, Steamboat Springs, CO (7/17/28) 218.7
    28. Bryan Fletcher, Steamboat Springs, CO (21/35/25) 208.0
    43. Brett Camerota, Park City, UT (40/44/-) 124.7

    Click here for complete results.

  • 5th Annual Maple Onion 15k, East Montpelier, VT

  • Thank You To The Volunteer

    Justin Easter is the Editor for SkiPost and Head Coach for Summit Nordic Ski Club, CO. This article first appeared in SkiPost – http://www.skipost.com For more information on the Saab Salomon Factory Team, visit http://www.enjoywinter.com

    I’ve been sitting in my basement office for the last week thinking of how nice and warm it was compared to what was being experienced in Alaska at US Nationals.

    It didn’t take long for my mind to wonder back to my days of racing in, but more importantly dealing with, race situations that are right around a legal starting temperature. The toll that this type of weather takes on the mental and physical state of athletes is extraordinary. It involves an amazing amount of discipline and race experience to deal with this type of adversity. Most athletes are very concerned about their race, their warm-up, their wax, themselves. But at the core, athletes can be some amazingly gracious, and humble individuals.

    The reason for writing today is to take the athlete perspective and put it into words of graciousness to the volunteer base in Alaska and around the country. Without the volunteers, races don’t go. Without dedicated volunteers, it would be simply impossible to have a race in adverse conditions. My last US Nationals experience was in Houghton, Michigan where the snow was nearly non-existent. Somehow, the volunteer base in the UP was able to salvage every scrap of snow within a mind-staggering radius and pull together a truly noteworthy competition.

    My early memories of US Nationals are similar. I was in the fifth grade when my father took me out of school to help volunteer alongside my late grandmother and still-volunteering grandfather at US Nationals in Rumford, ME (1992 – wow, time is going by). We hiked to the highest point on course to be technique control, we came in after and acted as, US Ski Team Coach, Justin Wadsworth’s shadow before drug testing, and we were part of something special. To each volunteer there is a reason for being on course or in the start/finish area, but to each volunteer this is a special opportunity. As a young skier my experience eventually, without me knowing it at the time, changed the course of my life. My early memory of volunteerism at US Nationals has had a lasting impression, and led me to this computer week after week to bring you stories from some of the finest athletes, and people in the sport.

    Volunteers are the backbone of our sport. The community that is created around race venues is the community we wish we lived in every day of our lives. It is the type of community that will risk their own wellbeing to make sure someone else has finest experience possible.

    As a coach, it is difficult to relay to an athlete how hard a volunteer works to make a race happen. Everyone has a job, and every one of those people will put in some very discernable form of sacrifice to make an event take shape. When I was talking to one of my athletes in Anchorage about her experience, I asked her if she had warmed up enough before the skate race. She said, “Well, I warmed up like you said, went to the line warm, and right when I got there I was wrapped in a big wool blanket by one of the volunteers.” That volunteer didn’t have a big wool blanket around them, but they were out there in that unforgiving weather to be sure you were safe…if only that lesson could have been the point of our conversation.

    This week has been one for the history books. Some of the finest athletes in the country were not ready for the weather. Some of those athletes were shaken in their head by the never-ending warm-up. Some of those athletes pushed beyond the limitations that were out of their control and stepped to the line ready to race. Everyone reacted differently, but the volunteers didn’t falter.

    It is my intention to simply extend, on behalf of all the racing community, a healthy and sincere THANK YOU to all volunteers out there this week. It is my further intention to say to everyone who has volunteered, and will continue volunteering to insure the safety of our athletes and preserve the experience of the race, perpetual thanks. Without you, this sport would no longer be possible.

    You are the silent hero among us who quietly do what is asked, and never ask for anything in return. Thank you.

  • Biathlon in Oberhof – Mens Relay Preview

    Biathlon in Oberhof – Mens Relay Preview

    Oberhof, Germany – The American Team Head Coach, Per Nilsson, is looking forward to seeing his squad of men back on the Biathlon World Cup circuit after the holiday break. “We had some sickness with a couple of the men in December, but they got in some good training over the break and seem to be back in form now. The whole team got a good mental break and have come back very focused.”
    Oberhof is widely known for having the largest crowds of any venue on the World Cup and over 25,000 are expected for the mens relay on Thursday. The event has been sold out for months and Nilsson said they have even added more space for spectators along the course. “It is the only venue in the world where we have spectators on the downhills” Nilsson added. “The crowd is so enthusiastic that it can be deafening and there is no place to hide out there. With the team we really emphasized the need two have two personalities – to make a deliberate transition coming into the stadium and arrive at the range ready to be a marksman.”

    “The snow conditions in Oberhof are excellent this year,” said High Performance Director Bernd Eisenbichler. Oberhof has always managed to hold their annual World Cup but sometimes fog and rain have made holding the event a Herculean effort. For example, a couple of years ago, they trucked in crushed ice from 300 miles away to make the course skiable. “The course is firm and the temperatures are -10 c (14 F) and our ski techs are hard at work finding the best combinations of base structure and wax for each of the athletes.” Every athlete on the World Cup depends on their team of hard working technicians to meet him at the start area with a fast pair of skis.

    For the 4 x 7.5 km relay the American team will have start number 14 and “will go with the same order we ran with at the World Championships in 2008” said coach Nilsson: Lowell Bailey (Lake Placid, NY), Jay Hakkinen (Kasilof, AK), Tim Burke (Lake Placid, NY) and Jeremy Teela (Heber, UT). There are 21 teams entered and so far this season, the Russians and Austrians have split the victories. However, the home course advantage counts for a lot in biathlon, so maybe the as-yet struggling German men will find the targets and give the home crowd something to roar about. Start List

    Follow all the action of this and every Biathlon World Cup online with live streaming video of the race Thursday stating at 11:20 AM Eastern Time at www.usbiathlon.org Competitions continue through the weekend with the women’s 7.5 km Sprint on Friday at 11:30 AM Eastern, the men’s 10 km Sprint is Saturday at 11:20 AM Eastern and the women’s and men’s Mass Starts on Sunday at 7:00 AM and 10:00 AM Eastern respectively.

    The US Biathlon website has an RSS feed, available by clicking the RSS logo on our homepage to get the address and all of the latest biathlon news.

    The United States Biathlon Association is the National Governing Body for the sport of biathlon in the United States as recognized by the United States Olympic Committee and the International Biathlon Union. The US Biathlon Association supports the US Biathlon Team and development of the sport on all levels within the United States.

    TD Banknorth is the title sponsor of the US Biathlon Team. adidas®, Stewart Filmscreen®, Lapua, and Exel Ski Poles are supporting sponsors of the US Biathlon Team.

    Source: USBA

    USBA Logo

  • Alka-Seltzer Plus Sponsors the US Ski Team

    Alka-Seltzer Plus Sponsors the US Ski Team

    MORRISTOWN, NJ – Alka-Seltzer Plus® cold medicine will help keep athletes on the slopes this winter season as part of a two-year deal to be the official cold medicine of the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association (USSA), the parent organization of the U.S. Ski Team and U.S. Snowboarding, Bayer HealthCare, the makers of Alka-Seltzer Plus (BHC) announced.

    “We are thrilled to partner with the U.S. Ski Team and U.S. Snowboarding,” said Jay Kolpon, Vice President Marketing and New Business Development, Bayer HealthCare. “These athletes perform under extremely challenging conditions where speed and reliability are a must. Alka-Seltzer Plus understands that people suffer from cold and flu symptoms that can hold them back from being their best. Our products are designed to help people, even world-class athletes, win against the winter cold.”

    Alka-Seltzer Plus plans to activate an integrated marketing program over the next two years through its advertising agency BBDO and its sports marketing agency Paragon Marketing Group. The program, entitled “Win Against the Winter Cold”, will include national promotions and U.S. Ski Team branded commercials. This cold season, the promotion will feature alpine skiing overall World Cup champion Lindsey Vonn (Vail, CO) and nordic combined World Championships silver medalist Billy Demong (Vermontville, NY). Both Olympic athletes also have individual endorsements with Alka-Seltzer Plus.

    “Having Alka-Seltzer Plus on our team is a natural fit,” said Ted Morris, USSA Vice President of Sales and Marketing. “Our athletes and coaches have to be at the top of their game and a cold shouldn’t slow them down. We’re excited about our partnership with Alka-Seltzer Plus and how we can all win together this winter and on the road to Vancouver.”

    As part of the partnership, the Alka-Seltzer Plus logo will be on U.S. Ski Team uniforms seen around the world. The brand plans to interact with winter sports fans through sampling booths at more than 15 domestic U.S. Ski Team and U.S. Snowboarding competitions. Alka-Seltzer Plus® is also an associate sponsor of four elite events: Alpine races in Colorado, Aspen Winternational Women’s World Cup (Thanksgiving weekend) at which Vonn was fourth in a giant slalom and slalom, Visa Freestyle International at Deer Valley Resort in Utah (Jan. 29-31) and the Nature Valley U.S. Alpine Championships (March 26-31) as well as the Sprint U.S. Freestyle Championships (Mar. 26-29). All events will be televised on NBC, Versus and Universal Sports.

    Alka-Seltzer Plus®, available in effervescent tablets, liquid and liquid-gels, has formulas which provide relief from multiple cold symptoms, including nasal congestion, sneezing, coughing and all-over body aches. The brand recently reformulated several of the effervescent formulas so that they now contain even more pain relieving power. In addition, the brand introduced a Mucus and Congestion formula to its liquid-gel to their line.

    About Bayer HealthCare
    The Consumer Care Division of Bayer HealthCare LLC, is headquartered in Morristown, N.J.  Bayer’s Consumer Care Division is among the largest marketers of over-the-counter medications and nutritional supplements in the world. Some of the most trusted and recognizable brands in the world today come from the Bayer portfolio of products. These include Bayer® Aspirin, Aleve®, Alka-Seltzer Plus®, Bactine®, Citracal®, RID®, Phillips’® Milk of Magnesia, Midol®, Alka-Seltzer®, One A Day ® and Flintstones™ vitamins.

    The Bayer Group is a global enterprise with core competencies in the fields of health care, nutrition and high-tech materials. Bayer HealthCare, a subsidiary of Bayer AG, is one of the world’s leading, innovative companies in the healthcare and medical products industry and is based in Leverkusen, Germany. The company combines the global activities of the Animal Health, Consumer Care, Diabetes Care and Pharmaceuticals divisions. The pharmaceuticals business operates under the name Bayer Schering Pharma AG. Bayer HealthCare’s aim is to discover and manufacture products that will improve human and animal health worldwide. Find more information at www.bayerhealthcare.com.

    About the U. S. Ski & Snowboard Association
    The U.S. Ski Team and U.S. Snowboarding are governed by the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association, the national governing body for Olympic skiing and snowboarding. The century old organization manages year-round nationwide development and elite programs, including the national teams, in six distinctly different Olympic sports: alpine, cross country, freestyle, nordic combined, ski jumping and snowboarding, as well as two Paralympic sports – adaptive alpine and adaptive cross country. USSA is based in Park City, Utah. For more information about the Teams, visit www.usskiteam.com or www.ussnowboarding.com

    Source: USSA

    ussa