FasterSkier

Category: XCFeeds

A collection of live feeds from cross-country ski blogs around the web.

  • Final Race in Holmenkollen!

    Mass Start!
    2pm (9am EST) Women’s Mass Start 12.5km
    www.biathlonworld.com
    I started the week knowing I still had some good racing left in me and started the Sprint race know I felt that good. But I also ended the Pursuit yesterday knowing I still had more in me. And in a few hours I am psyched to get to do it. The Pursuit was fun and was an exciting new challenge since this is only the third Pursuit I’ve started in this year. Except starting a little closer to the front put me right in the mix of the top women. With difficult shooting conditions skiing the loops felt relatively calm. I didn’t have superb shooting, but for the day it was good enough. I was confident with my strategy going into the wind and knew what I had to do. Because of this I was able to be bit a more active out on the course and work for every position every chance I got. I had great skis and used them as best I could out there. Actually they must have been the best because they helped sail pass the likes of the Russians, Germans and French. I moved into the top 15 a few times after the range, which felt great and I used it as motivation for only a quick moment. Anything can happen in biathlon, so I continued to stick to my own pace no matter the place. I don’t have a lot of experience in high level pursuits so I don’t always know how much I have left for the sprint at the end, so I pushed it on the last lap anyways, just to see. I might have made an uphill pass too early and wasn’t able to go “full gas” into the final homestretch, but that’s okay. I’ll take that experience. Especially since I get to use nearly 24 hours later in today’s Mass Start. Yesterday was a great reminder to stay calm, go for each hit and enjoy super fast skis!
    The other neat thing about today is that I think this is the first we’ve had 2 women starting in the Mass Start!! All together, we have had 3 women compete in the Mass Start this season. I’ve been doing this sport for awhile now and I am proud to be a part of this momentous step forward. So, cheers to today’s race! 
    Just a few shots from this week in Oslo:
    The stadium takes on a new configuration for the biathlon world cup compared to last weeks nordic World Champs. 
    Typical Scandinavian trail-side picnic.
    Watched the Norwegian Birkebeiner on TV the morning of the Pursuit. This guy was being interviewed at one of the pit-stops during his race. I hope I can do a 54km race when I am that age!
    Waffles and jam never tasted so good. Holmenkollen has been such an amazing experience, especially after being in Russia and after a long season, that everything is just a little bit sweeter here.  
    The view from our wax room. We can look straight down into the shooting range. A bit scary really.
    After the Sprint I took the T-bahn down into town to do my recovery jog on flatter terrain. I was in Oslo 11 years ago and Vigelund Sculpture Park was one of the neatest places. These two women are typical human sculpture’s that form the sculpture park. The layout of the park makes feel more like a monument for humanity because collectively all of Vigelund’s sculptures represent human emotion, interaction, growth and phases of life. 

  • Final Race in Holmenkollen!

    Mass Start!
    2pm (9am EST) Women’s Mass Start 12.5km
    www.biathlonworld.com
    I started the week knowing I still had some good racing left in me and started the Sprint race know I felt that good. But I also ended the Pursuit yesterday knowing I still had more in me. And in a few hours I am psyched to get to do it. The Pursuit was fun and was an exciting new challenge since this is only the third Pursuit I’ve started in this year. Except starting a little closer to the front put me right in the mix of the top women. With difficult shooting conditions skiing the loops felt relatively calm. I didn’t have superb shooting, but for the day it was good enough. I was confident with my strategy going into the wind and knew what I had to do. Because of this I was able to be bit a more active out on the course and work for every position every chance I got. I had great skis and used them as best I could out there. Actually they must have been the best because they helped sail pass the likes of the Russians, Germans and French. I moved into the top 15 a few times after the range, which felt great and I used it as motivation for only a quick moment. Anything can happen in biathlon, so I continued to stick to my own pace no matter the place. I don’t have a lot of experience in high level pursuits so I don’t always know how much I have left for the sprint at the end, so I pushed it on the last lap anyways, just to see. I might have made an uphill pass too early and wasn’t able to go “full gas” into the final homestretch, but that’s okay. I’ll take that experience. Especially since I get to use nearly 24 hours later in today’s Mass Start. Yesterday was a great reminder to stay calm, go for each hit and enjoy super fast skis!
    The other neat thing about today is that I think this is the first we’ve had 2 women starting in the Mass Start!! All together, we have had 3 women compete in the Mass Start this season. I’ve been doing this sport for awhile now and I am proud to be a part of this momentous step forward. So, cheers to today’s race! 
    Just a few shots from this week in Oslo:
    The stadium takes on a new configuration for the biathlon world cup compared to last weeks nordic World Champs. 
    Typical Scandinavian trail-side picnic.
    Watched the Norwegian Birkebeiner on TV the morning of the Pursuit. This guy was being interviewed at one of the pit-stops during his race. I hope I can do a 54km race when I am that age!
    Waffles and jam never tasted so good. Holmenkollen has been such an amazing experience, especially after being in Russia and after a long season, that everything is just a little bit sweeter here.  
    The view from our wax room. We can look straight down into the shooting range. A bit scary really.
    After the Sprint I took the T-bahn down into town to do my recovery jog on flatter terrain. I was in Oslo 11 years ago and Vigelund Sculpture Park was one of the neatest places. These two women are typical human sculpture’s that form the sculpture park. The layout of the park makes feel more like a monument for humanity because collectively all of Vigelund’s sculptures represent human emotion, interaction, growth and phases of life. 

  • Final Race in Holmenkollen!

    Mass Start!
    2pm (9am EST) Women’s Mass Start 12.5km
    www.biathlonworld.com
    I started the week knowing I still had some good racing left in me and started the Sprint race know I felt that good. But I also ended the Pursuit yesterday knowing I still had more in me. And in a few hours I am psyched to get to do it. The Pursuit was fun and was an exciting new challenge since this is only the third Pursuit I’ve started in this year. Except starting a little closer to the front put me right in the mix of the top women. With difficult shooting conditions skiing the loops felt relatively calm. I didn’t have superb shooting, but for the day it was good enough. I was confident with my strategy going into the wind and knew what I had to do. Because of this I was able to be bit a more active out on the course and work for every position every chance I got. I had great skis and used them as best I could out there. Actually they must have been the best because they helped sail pass the likes of the Russians, Germans and French. I moved into the top 15 a few times after the range, which felt great and I used it as motivation for only a quick moment. Anything can happen in biathlon, so I continued to stick to my own pace no matter the place. I don’t have a lot of experience in high level pursuits so I don’t always know how much I have left for the sprint at the end, so I pushed it on the last lap anyways, just to see. I might have made an uphill pass too early and wasn’t able to go “full gas” into the final homestretch, but that’s okay. I’ll take that experience. Especially since I get to use nearly 24 hours later in today’s Mass Start. Yesterday was a great reminder to stay calm, go for each hit and enjoy super fast skis!
    The other neat thing about today is that I think this is the first we’ve had 2 women starting in the Mass Start!! All together, we have had 3 women compete in the Mass Start this season. I’ve been doing this sport for awhile now and I am proud to be a part of this momentous step forward. So, cheers to today’s race! 
    Just a few shots from this week in Oslo:
    The stadium takes on a new configuration for the biathlon world cup compared to last weeks nordic World Champs. 
    Typical Scandinavian trail-side picnic.
    Watched the Norwegian Birkebeiner on TV the morning of the Pursuit. This guy was being interviewed at one of the pit-stops during his race. I hope I can do a 54km race when I am that age!
    Waffles and jam never tasted so good. Holmenkollen has been such an amazing experience, especially after being in Russia and after a long season, that everything is just a little bit sweeter here.  
    The view from our wax room. We can look straight down into the shooting range. A bit scary really.
    After the Sprint I took the T-bahn down into town to do my recovery jog on flatter terrain. I was in Oslo 11 years ago and Vigelund Sculpture Park was one of the neatest places. These two women are typical human sculpture’s that form the sculpture park. The layout of the park makes feel more like a monument for humanity because collectively all of Vigelund’s sculptures represent human emotion, interaction, growth and phases of life. 

  • Race Snapshot: IBU WC Pursuit

    Another good day for the US women; nice job ladies!

    Related posts:

    1. <Race Snapshot: IBU WC 1 Men/Women’s Pursuit
    2. <Race Snapshot: IBU WC 2 Men’s Pursuit
    3. <Race Snapshot: IBU WC 2 Women’s Pursuit


  • Race Snapshot: WCF Pursuit

    Sorry for posting these so late in the day. I had a race, then drove home, etc.

    Related posts:

    1. <Race Snapshot: IBU WC 1 Men/Women’s Pursuit
    2. <Race Snapshot: IBU WC 2 Women’s Pursuit
    3. <Race Snapshot: Rybinsk 10/20km Pursuit


  • Craftsbury Mini Tour

    Most of our team is at Craftsbury this weekend for their mini-tour. The skiing is great and the competition is fierce, but friendly. Most of the competitors are staying at the center so we all get to hang out in the great weather when we are not racing. The Craftsbury Green Team and the entire UVM team headline the competition. When you throw in Justin Freeman, some Dartmouth girls, skiers from Bates, UNH etc..there is plenty of “get up and go” at the start line.
    Yesterday we had a 3 km classic prologue and we had some spectacular results with Sophie, Rachel, Heather and Isabel placing 1,2,4,5 sandwhiching Ida in 3rd and whipping the rest of the field. Issy P was 14th in the stacked field, beating several NCAA qulifiers. On the boys side, Nick had his best race of the season with all of our boys doing well.
    This morning everyone raced a 15 km continuous pursuit. We had solid results throughout, but the highlight had to be J2 Tyler Foulkes posting a blistering skate leg. He had the same time as Alex Howe and was 30 seconds off of the fastest time.
    No pictures yet because the internet is very slow here.
    We are all having a great time and enjoying the fantastic skiing and weather.

  • Well, I was in 8th place…

    Unfortunately, I can’t say I stayed there. Let me explain.


    The Sprint in Oslo on Thursday went well. I had one penalty and finished 23rd-just 0.7 seconds behind my teammate, Haley Johnson. Today was the pursuit, and it was really exciting having the two of us starting so close. I shot well, with only 1 penalty in the first three stages. Leaving the range after cleaning my first standing shooting, I heard the announcer say I was in 8th position. I focused on skiing my own race, and tried to catch a ride when another woman passed me out on the trail. As I came in to shoot, I tried to think about my own race and doing things the same as any other stage, and not about the fact that I would be shooting on point 9…because I was in 9th place. Unfortunately, my legs and my nerves did not cooperate and I missed 3 targets. I was able to have a solid last loop and finished in 20th place. Haley also had a solid result, finishing just behind in 21st. It was an amazing experience for me, one that I will learn a lot from and certainly benefit from in the future. I would have loved to have shot better in the final stage, but even so it was a great race. And next time, I’ll be better prepared and hopefully things will go differently. It really allowed me to see what’s possible and where I should strive for next season.

    The course in Holmenkollen overlooking Oslo.

    The best part of the results was that both Haley and I qualified for the Mass Start tomorrow. It’s the first time, perhaps ever, that two US women have started a World Cup Mass Start. It will be a tough race at the end of a long season, but it will be a great way to end this fantastic year. And then-back to the US for some much deserved rest and relaxation! Just one more time!

  • Well, I was in 8th place…

    Unfortunately, I can’t say I stayed there. Let me explain.


    The Sprint in Oslo on Thursday went well. I had one penalty and finished 23rd-just 0.7 seconds behind my teammate, Haley Johnson. Today was the pursuit, and it was really exciting having the two of us starting so close. I shot well, with only 1 penalty in the first three stages. Leaving the range after cleaning my first standing shooting, I heard the announcer say I was in 8th position. I focused on skiing my own race, and tried to catch a ride when another woman passed me out on the trail. As I came in to shoot, I tried to think about my own race and doing things the same as any other stage, and not about the fact that I would be shooting on point 9…because I was in 9th place. Unfortunately, my legs and my nerves did not cooperate and I missed 3 targets. I was able to have a solid last loop and finished in 20th place. Haley also had a solid result, finishing just behind in 21st. It was an amazing experience for me, one that I will learn a lot from and certainly benefit from in the future. I would have loved to have shot better in the final stage, but even so it was a great race. And next time, I’ll be better prepared and hopefully things will go differently. It really allowed me to see what’s possible and where I should strive for next season.

    The course in Holmenkollen overlooking Oslo.

    The best part of the results was that both Haley and I qualified for the Mass Start tomorrow. It’s the first time, perhaps ever, that two US women have started a World Cup Mass Start. It will be a tough race at the end of a long season, but it will be a great way to end this fantastic year. And then-back to the US for some much deserved rest and relaxation! Just one more time!

  • Well, I was in 8th place…

    Unfortunately, I can’t say I stayed there. Let me explain.


    The Sprint in Oslo on Thursday went well. I had one penalty and finished 23rd-just 0.7 seconds behind my teammate, Haley Johnson. Today was the pursuit, and it was really exciting having the two of us starting so close. I shot well, with only 1 penalty in the first three stages. Leaving the range after cleaning my first standing shooting, I heard the announcer say I was in 8th position. I focused on skiing my own race, and tried to catch a ride when another woman passed me out on the trail. As I came in to shoot, I tried to think about my own race and doing things the same as any other stage, and not about the fact that I would be shooting on point 9…because I was in 9th place. Unfortunately, my legs and my nerves did not cooperate and I missed 3 targets. I was able to have a solid last loop and finished in 20th place. Haley also had a solid result, finishing just behind in 21st. It was an amazing experience for me, one that I will learn a lot from and certainly benefit from in the future. I would have loved to have shot better in the final stage, but even so it was a great race. And next time, I’ll be better prepared and hopefully things will go differently. It really allowed me to see what’s possible and where I should strive for next season.

    The course in Holmenkollen overlooking Oslo.

    The best part of the results was that both Haley and I qualified for the Mass Start tomorrow. It’s the first time, perhaps ever, that two US women have started a World Cup Mass Start. It will be a tough race at the end of a long season, but it will be a great way to end this fantastic year. And then-back to the US for some much deserved rest and relaxation! Just one more time!

  • Well, I was in 8th place…

    Unfortunately, I can’t say I stayed there. Let me explain.


    The Sprint in Oslo on Thursday went well. I had one penalty and finished 23rd-just 0.7 seconds behind my teammate, Haley Johnson. Today was the pursuit, and it was really exciting having the two of us starting so close. I shot well, with only 1 penalty in the first three stages. Leaving the range after cleaning my first standing shooting, I heard the announcer say I was in 8th position. I focused on skiing my own race, and tried to catch a ride when another woman passed me out on the trail. As I came in to shoot, I tried to think about my own race and doing things the same as any other stage, and not about the fact that I would be shooting on point 9…because I was in 9th place. Unfortunately, my legs and my nerves did not cooperate and I missed 3 targets. I was able to have a solid last loop and finished in 20th place. Haley also had a solid result, finishing just behind in 21st. It was an amazing experience for me, one that I will learn a lot from and certainly benefit from in the future. I would have loved to have shot better in the final stage, but even so it was a great race. And next time, I’ll be better prepared and hopefully things will go differently. It really allowed me to see what’s possible and where I should strive for next season.

    The course in Holmenkollen overlooking Oslo.

    The best part of the results was that both Haley and I qualified for the Mass Start tomorrow. It’s the first time, perhaps ever, that two US women have started a World Cup Mass Start. It will be a tough race at the end of a long season, but it will be a great way to end this fantastic year. And then-back to the US for some much deserved rest and relaxation! Just one more time!

  • Red Group Racing 2011-03-19 06:32:14

  • 3 tykes and a fjord

    Checking out some of Holmenkollen’s trails and spectators after the Sprint on Thursday.
    World Cup Final Pursuits today:
    2pm (9am EST) Women
    4pm (11am EST) Men
    www.biathlonworld.com
    ……Or you can watch anyone of these races happening in the world today:
    Cross-Country World Cup Final Men’s and Women’s Pursuit races in Falun, Sweden
    Norwegian Birkebeiner (I’m watching the finishers come in now)
    Enjoy the final days of winter!

  • 3 tykes and a fjord

    Checking out some of Holmenkollen’s trails and spectators after the Sprint on Thursday.
    World Cup Final Pursuits today:
    2pm (9am EST) Women
    4pm (11am EST) Men
    www.biathlonworld.com
    ……Or you can watch anyone of these races happening in the world today:
    Cross-Country World Cup Final Men’s and Women’s Pursuit races in Falun, Sweden
    Norwegian Birkebeiner (I’m watching the finishers come in now)
    Enjoy the final days of winter!

  • 3 tykes and a fjord

    Checking out some of Holmenkollen’s trails and spectators after the Sprint on Thursday.
    World Cup Final Pursuits today:
    2pm (9am EST) Women
    4pm (11am EST) Men
    www.biathlonworld.com
    ……Or you can watch anyone of these races happening in the world today:
    Cross-Country World Cup Final Men’s and Women’s Pursuit races in Falun, Sweden
    Norwegian Birkebeiner (I’m watching the finishers come in now)
    Enjoy the final days of winter!

  • 3 tykes and a fjord

    Checking out some of Holmenkollen’s trails and spectators after the Sprint on Thursday.
    World Cup Final Pursuits today:
    2pm (9am EST) Women
    4pm (11am EST) Men
    www.biathlonworld.com
    ……Or you can watch anyone of these races happening in the world today:
    Cross-Country World Cup Final Men’s and Women’s Pursuit races in Falun, Sweden
    Norwegian Birkebeiner (I’m watching the finishers come in now)
    Enjoy the final days of winter!

  • Week In Review: Friday Mar 18th

    I’m on the road again for 50k number two of the season. Not looking forward to this one as much. The course doesn’t really excite me, and there are a ton of crazy fast runners here so it’ll be a miracle if the leaders haven’t flown home by the time I finish. Stupid fast people!

    Anyhoo, the season’s almost done…

    • We had the Lahti XC World Cup races: the pursuits and the sprints, and some brief recaps, despite a few snafus with the live timing.
    • The World Biathlon Champs wrapped up with the mass start races.
    • I gave a very general assessment of how the US and Canadian teams fared at World Biathlon Championships compared to the past.
    • The final weekend of biathlon WC racing is under way starting with some sprints, and a recap in which I managed to put my foot in my mouth.
    • Now the XC World Cup Final mini-stage race thingy is going on, starting with a classic sprint (recap) and continuing with the prologue.

    Related posts:

    1. <Week In Review: Friday Jan 14th
    2. <Week In Review: Friday Feb 18th
    3. <Week In Review: Friday Feb 25th


  • Engadin Video

    Back home in Minneapolis after a stellar week in St Moritz.  Surprisingly, the 40 degree and sunny weather here doesn’t feel much different than in Switzerland.

    Check out this Swiss video from the Engadin last Sunday, specifically from 1:15 to 1:35.  Check out that tall, lanky American sitting in the draft of eventual race winner, Remo Fischer, at about 20km into the race.

    I’m off to Wisconsin for a fish fry tonight, then to the Porkies for the Wayne Fish memorial ski tomorrow morning.  Looks like a great weekend ahead!

  • IBU WC Sprint: Americans

    Yesterday’s biathlon WC sprint saw a mix of results for the Americans. First, things seem to have sort of reversed themselves from early in the season with Laura Spector struggling and the other ladies skiing quite well:

    An excellent race from Haley Johnson and Sara Studebaker, but a pretty dismal one for Spector, who shot rather poorly. From the looks of things, shooting should for sure be a priority for these ladies going into next season.

    Tim Burke almost had a great race yesterday, but with two misses it ended up being just pretty good:

    Burke has clearly struggled with his shooting this year. I have almost no personal experience with biathlon (not none, just almost none) but I’m always tempted to think about shooting as analogous to pitching in American baseball. Pitching can be fairly fickle, even for the best of them. Excellent pitchers will suddenly suck one year for no apparent reason.

    Related posts:

    1. <Athlete Profile: Tim Burke
    2. <Race Snapshot: IBU World Cup 1 Women
    3. <WBC Men’s Sprint Recap


  • Teammate and Inspiration

    What a great video by Kikkan Randall about skiing. It has been fun to get to know Kikkan over the course of this year from summer training to racing on the road with her in Europe. I truly am inspired by not only the way she skis, but also by who she is. I am lucky to be able to train along side her and learn from her as a racer and a person. This video is just a little glimpse into the life of “Chikkan Randall”

  • Race Snapshot: WCF Prologue

    Sigh. Prologues. They count for FIS points. They count for World Cup points. And yet, somehow, I just don’t really care that much about them. Still, a race is a race, so here are the requisite snapshots:

    Related posts:

    1. <Race Snapshot: TdS Prologue
    2. <Race Snapshot: TdS Pursuit
    3. <Race Snapshot: TdS Final Climb