FasterSkier

Category: XCFeeds

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

  • Congratulations to SMS, NE and VT (updated with new pictures)

    a onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_H2SCM3lmKm8/S54mi-fC1tI/AAAAAAAACmQ/IxUJIsYYxUc/s1600-h/SMSteam.jpg”img style=”display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 308px;” src=”http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_H2SCM3lmKm8/S54mi-fC1tI/AAAAAAAACmQ/IxUJIsYYxUc/s400/SMSteam.jpg” border=”0″ alt=”” id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5448834981495494354″ //aSMS group hams it up at the conclusion of JO’s in Presque Isle, ME.br /a onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_H2SCM3lmKm8/S52CAGdn06I/AAAAAAAAClg/pXlnLKQdIu4/s1600-h/Boobar.jpg”img style=”display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;” src=”http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_H2SCM3lmKm8/S52CAGdn06I/AAAAAAAAClg/pXlnLKQdIu4/s400/Boobar.jpg” border=”0″ alt=”” id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5448654062434636706″ //aWow, what a start to Championship month!div13 of our 14 high school kids made the Jr. Olympic Team and helped lead NE to the higest point total ever at the JO’s./divdivOur girls’ team 3- peated as the top ranked High School team in the US!/divdivOur team ended ranked as the 2nd best Jr. club in the US (congratulations to the top team Alaska Winter Stars)./divdivWe had 9 podiums at JO’s./divdivCoach Boobar (pictured above) was the head NE coach at JO’s. Coach Boswell coached the J1/OJ girls./divdivbr //divdivMeanwhile, Mac helped team VT to wins in the NE J2 Championships and the Eastern HS Chamionships!/divdivbr //divdivHere are some pictures from Herve P. taken at JO’s. Sorry we’re missing Walker. (as always, you can click on the pictures to enlarge)br /a onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_H2SCM3lmKm8/S52BbY6wyyI/AAAAAAAAClY/y3he6Evd3Yc/s1600-h/Rachel-1.jpg”img style=”display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;” src=”http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_H2SCM3lmKm8/S52BbY6wyyI/AAAAAAAAClY/y3he6Evd3Yc/s400/Rachel-1.jpg” border=”0″ alt=”” id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5448653431733537570″ //aRachelbr /a onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_H2SCM3lmKm8/S52BCn4oaSI/AAAAAAAAClQ/rkdooTVqyQM/s1600-h/IssyP.jpg”img style=”display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;” src=”http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_H2SCM3lmKm8/S52BCn4oaSI/AAAAAAAAClQ/rkdooTVqyQM/s400/IssyP.jpg” border=”0″ alt=”” id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5448653006254401826″ //aIssy Pbr /a onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_H2SCM3lmKm8/S52Ae-Sy0uI/AAAAAAAAClI/Q857SC3fStk/s1600-h/Heather.jpg”img style=”display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 266px; height: 400px;” src=”http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_H2SCM3lmKm8/S52Ae-Sy0uI/AAAAAAAAClI/Q857SC3fStk/s400/Heather.jpg” border=”0″ alt=”” id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5448652393794425570″ //aHeatherbr /a onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_H2SCM3lmKm8/S51_7FtTmcI/AAAAAAAAClA/Jpc8__Yqdb4/s1600-h/Gage-1.jpg”img style=”display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;” src=”http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_H2SCM3lmKm8/S51_7FtTmcI/AAAAAAAAClA/Jpc8__Yqdb4/s400/Gage-1.jpg” border=”0″ alt=”” id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5448651777309383106″ //aGage (above) and Cambria (below).br /a onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_H2SCM3lmKm8/S51_V5clyHI/AAAAAAAACk4/dPyYK6wwFt0/s1600-h/Cam-1.jpg”img style=”display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 266px; height: 400px;” src=”http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_H2SCM3lmKm8/S51_V5clyHI/AAAAAAAACk4/dPyYK6wwFt0/s400/Cam-1.jpg” border=”0″ alt=”” id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5448651138362886258″ //abr /The boys also had a good week. Consider that 6 of our 7 boys made the NE JO team. 3 of them placed in the top 10 at JO’s. They were ranked as the 4th overall (and 1st in the East) high school team in the country. Good going boys!a onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_H2SCM3lmKm8/S51-IWpmjPI/AAAAAAAACkw/gWjA1PsYjsc/s1600-h/Ty.jpg”img style=”display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;” src=”http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_H2SCM3lmKm8/S51-IWpmjPI/AAAAAAAACkw/gWjA1PsYjsc/s400/Ty.jpg” border=”0″ alt=”” id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5448649806172294386″ //aTylerbr /a onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_H2SCM3lmKm8/S519ldS_atI/AAAAAAAACko/AHIJcKSrqwI/s1600-h/Sky.jpg”img style=”display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;” src=”http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_H2SCM3lmKm8/S519ldS_atI/AAAAAAAACko/AHIJcKSrqwI/s400/Sky.jpg” border=”0″ alt=”” id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5448649206661081810″ //aSkylerbr /a onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_H2SCM3lmKm8/S518-Z2dwsI/AAAAAAAACkg/azVXbefjYRg/s1600-h/AustinCaldwell.jpg”img style=”display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;” src=”http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_H2SCM3lmKm8/S518-Z2dwsI/AAAAAAAACkg/azVXbefjYRg/s400/AustinCaldwell.jpg” border=”0″ alt=”” id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5448648535721231042″ //aAustin Caldwellbr /a onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_H2SCM3lmKm8/S54mBQ7bcyI/AAAAAAAACmI/4AYet_JeIlk/s1600-h/relaygirls.jpg”img style=”display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 265px;” src=”http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_H2SCM3lmKm8/S54mBQ7bcyI/AAAAAAAACmI/4AYet_JeIlk/s400/relaygirls.jpg” border=”0″ alt=”” id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5448834402330833698″ //aRelay buddiesbr /a onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_H2SCM3lmKm8/S54lzgu1zwI/AAAAAAAACmA/0H7OimoUpmQ/s1600-h/Izzy_podium.jpg”img style=”display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 234px;” src=”http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_H2SCM3lmKm8/S54lzgu1zwI/AAAAAAAACmA/0H7OimoUpmQ/s400/Izzy_podium.jpg” border=”0″ alt=”” id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5448834166054833922″ //aNE J1 girls take 2ndbr /a onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_H2SCM3lmKm8/S54liaVnSfI/AAAAAAAACl4/74DbO53RsQo/s1600-h/Izzy-1.jpg”img style=”display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 266px; height: 400px;” src=”http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_H2SCM3lmKm8/S54liaVnSfI/AAAAAAAACl4/74DbO53RsQo/s400/Izzy-1.jpg” border=”0″ alt=”” id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5448833872280635890″ //aIsabelbr /a onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_H2SCM3lmKm8/S54lKWtfl2I/AAAAAAAAClw/g2UXzUYK0Fw/s1600-h/heatherpodium.jpg”img style=”display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;” src=”http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_H2SCM3lmKm8/S54lKWtfl2I/AAAAAAAAClw/g2UXzUYK0Fw/s400/heatherpodium.jpg” border=”0″ alt=”” id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5448833458990192482″ //aNE J2 girls winbr /a onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_H2SCM3lmKm8/S54ksb1ZMuI/AAAAAAAAClo/qWEY6XczPPQ/s1600-h/cobbpodium.jpg”img style=”display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;” src=”http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_H2SCM3lmKm8/S54ksb1ZMuI/AAAAAAAAClo/qWEY6XczPPQ/s400/cobbpodium.jpg” border=”0″ alt=”” id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5448832944969429730″ //aRelay Brosbr /a onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_H2SCM3lmKm8/S518hec4RXI/AAAAAAAACkY/0w9Qq-YfA28/s1600-h/Cobbie.jpg”img style=”display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;” src=”http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_H2SCM3lmKm8/S518hec4RXI/AAAAAAAACkY/0w9Qq-YfA28/s400/Cobbie.jpg” border=”0″ alt=”” id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5448648038739887474″ //aAustin Cobba onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_H2SCM3lmKm8/S54rIMeQgOI/AAAAAAAACmg/rK6L-0U-CAw/s1600-h/hallie-1.jpg”img style=”display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 256px; height: 400px;” src=”http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_H2SCM3lmKm8/S54rIMeQgOI/AAAAAAAACmg/rK6L-0U-CAw/s400/hallie-1.jpg” border=”0″ alt=””id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5448840018951962850″ //aHalliebr /a onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_H2SCM3lmKm8/S518Gbdh7SI/AAAAAAAACkQ/w9uDD30OGTA/s1600-h/Bridger-1.jpg”img style=”display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;” src=”http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_H2SCM3lmKm8/S518Gbdh7SI/AAAAAAAACkQ/w9uDD30OGTA/s400/Bridger-1.jpg” border=”0″ alt=”” id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5448647574080843042″ //aBridger./divdivbr //divdivNext weekend we plan to race in Craftsbury and we will end the season at the US Spring Series races in NE Maine. Stay tuned for updates!/divdiv class=”blogger-post-footer”img width=’1′ height=’1′ src=’https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4680416899705879324-4178710947656166495?l=smsxc.blogspot.com’ alt=” //div

  • SPRING FORWARD

    Spring has come with an hour lost – good thing I got a solid 10 hours sleep, regardless. Bad thing that my tulips, crocus and hyacinth have already started to come up (I told them not to). They now have 5 inches of snow over them.

    Me and the boys (Cam, Billy, Kent, Brian & Mike)


    I have had the chance this spring     to get up on the hill with my buddies and spend some extra time with my 5th graders. I still have fatigue and a sporadic chest cough from my virus (2 months running) but I am okay with taking the extended break. After 6 solid years of ski training and racing, I need a bit more than 2 weeks off this spring.

    I hiked powder yesterday with a girl friend (Kate Underwood) and am paying the price today (hence sleeping until 10 and waking up coughing again). I am hot tub bound with my pot of green tea to soak up some of this Sun Valley sun momentarily.

    With the spring comes cleaning and maintaining. My car, Justy, is in the shop. Some water has leaked into the dash and has made some of the circuits wonky. I am not fixing that however – what I am fixing is the gas leak. Loose circuits don’t play nice with gas leaks (that’s the college education talking). So Justy (pictured below) is getting a new gas tank. Unfortunately they don’t make a 7.5-gallon Justy tank from 1988 anymore (the nerve, I know) so he is getting a 5-gallon bladder. The 11-gallon, which would have been SWEET on our 52 mpg streak wouldn’t fit. I will still be able to go over 250 miles on a tank and since Justy is a bit beyond long off-road adventures currently, I think we will be okay.


    Kate + Justy forever: a portrait by brother Jake

    I am also moving, as you know from my post previous. I have visited Aspen, Carbondale, Crested Butte and Boulder from Colorado; Bozeman, Livingston, Billings and Red Lodge (I love Red Lodge) from Montana. On my list of considerations are also the Burlington area of Vermont and… well, I am trying to narrow it down. Thank you for all of the suggestions (comments, emails and phone calls alike).

    More to come as it becomes clear to me. Until then, enjoy everyday like it’s your last – It’s spring-time baby!

  • SPRING FORWARD

    Spring has come with an hour lost – good thing I got a solid 10 hours sleep, regardless. Bad thing that my tulips, crocus and hyacinth have already started to come up (I told them not to). They now have 5 inches of snow over them.

    Me and the boys (Cam, Billy, Kent, Brian & Mike)


    I have had the chance this spring     to get up on the hill with my buddies and spend some extra time with my 5th graders. I still have fatigue and a sporadic chest cough from my virus (2 months running) but I am okay with taking the extended break. After 6 solid years of ski training and racing, I need a bit more than 2 weeks off this spring.

    I hiked powder yesterday with a girl friend (Kate Underwood) and am paying the price today (hence sleeping until 10 and waking up coughing again). I am hot tub bound with my pot of green tea to soak up some of this Sun Valley sun momentarily.

    With the spring comes cleaning and maintaining. My car, Justy, is in the shop. Some water has leaked into the dash and has made some of the circuits wonky. I am not fixing that however – what I am fixing is the gas leak. Loose circuits don’t play nice with gas leaks (that’s the college education talking). So Justy (pictured below) is getting a new gas tank. Unfortunately they don’t make a 7.5-gallon Justy tank from 1988 anymore (the nerve, I know) so he is getting a 5-gallon bladder. The 11-gallon, which would have been SWEET on our 52 mpg streak wouldn’t fit. I will still be able to go over 250 miles on a tank and since Justy is a bit beyond long off-road adventures currently, I think we will be okay.


    Kate + Justy forever: a portrait by brother Jake

    I am also moving, as you know from my post previous. I have visited Aspen, Carbondale, Crested Butte and Boulder from Colorado; Bozeman, Livingston, Billings and Red Lodge (I love Red Lodge) from Montana. On my list of considerations are also the Burlington area of Vermont and… well, I am trying to narrow it down. Thank you for all of the suggestions (comments, emails and phone calls alike).

    More to come as it becomes clear to me. Until then, enjoy everyday like it’s your last – It’s spring-time baby!

  • SPRING FORWARD

    Spring has come with an hour lost – good thing I got a solid 10 hours sleep, regardless. Bad thing that my tulips, crocus and hyacinth have already started to come up (I told them not to). They now have 5 inches of snow over them.

    Me and the boys (Cam, Billy, Kent, Brian & Mike)


    I have had the chance this spring     to get up on the hill with my buddies and spend some extra time with my 5th graders. I still have fatigue and a sporadic chest cough from my virus (2 months running) but I am okay with taking the extended break. After 6 solid years of ski training and racing, I need a bit more than 2 weeks off this spring.

    I hiked powder yesterday with a girl friend (Kate Underwood) and am paying the price today (hence sleeping until 10 and waking up coughing again). I am hot tub bound with my pot of green tea to soak up some of this Sun Valley sun momentarily.

    With the spring comes cleaning and maintaining. My car, Justy, is in the shop. Some water has leaked into the dash and has made some of the circuits wonky. I am not fixing that however – what I am fixing is the gas leak. Loose circuits don’t play nice with gas leaks (that’s the college education talking). So Justy (pictured below) is getting a new gas tank. Unfortunately they don’t make a 7.5-gallon Justy tank from 1988 anymore (the nerve, I know) so he is getting a 5-gallon bladder. The 11-gallon, which would have been SWEET on our 52 mpg streak wouldn’t fit. I will still be able to go over 250 miles on a tank and since Justy is a bit beyond long off-road adventures currently, I think we will be okay.


    Kate + Justy forever: a portrait by brother Jake

    I am also moving, as you know from my post previous. I have visited Aspen, Carbondale, Crested Butte and Boulder from Colorado; Bozeman, Livingston, Billings and Red Lodge (I love Red Lodge) from Montana. On my list of considerations are also the Burlington area of Vermont and… well, I am trying to narrow it down. Thank you for all of the suggestions (comments, emails and phone calls alike).

    More to come as it becomes clear to me. Until then, enjoy everyday like it’s your last – It’s spring-time baby!

  • SPRING FORWARD

    Spring has come with an hour lost – good thing I got a solid 10 hours sleep, regardless. Bad thing that my tulips, crocus and hyacinth have already started to come up (I told them not to). They now have 5 inches of snow over them.

    Me and the boys (Cam, Billy, Kent, Brian & Mike)


    I have had the chance this spring     to get up on the hill with my buddies and spend some extra time with my 5th graders. I still have fatigue and a sporadic chest cough from my virus (2 months running) but I am okay with taking the extended break. After 6 solid years of ski training and racing, I need a bit more than 2 weeks off this spring.

    I hiked powder yesterday with a girl friend (Kate Underwood) and am paying the price today (hence sleeping until 10 and waking up coughing again). I am hot tub bound with my pot of green tea to soak up some of this Sun Valley sun momentarily.

    With the spring comes cleaning and maintaining. My car, Justy, is in the shop. Some water has leaked into the dash and has made some of the circuits wonky. I am not fixing that however – what I am fixing is the gas leak. Loose circuits don’t play nice with gas leaks (that’s the college education talking). So Justy (pictured below) is getting a new gas tank. Unfortunately they don’t make a 7.5-gallon Justy tank from 1988 anymore (the nerve, I know) so he is getting a 5-gallon bladder. The 11-gallon, which would have been SWEET on our 52 mpg streak wouldn’t fit. I will still be able to go over 250 miles on a tank and since Justy is a bit beyond long off-road adventures currently, I think we will be okay.


    Kate + Justy forever: a portrait by brother Jake

    I am also moving, as you know from my post previous. I have visited Aspen, Carbondale, Crested Butte and Boulder from Colorado; Bozeman, Livingston, Billings and Red Lodge (I love Red Lodge) from Montana. On my list of considerations are also the Burlington area of Vermont and… well, I am trying to narrow it down. Thank you for all of the suggestions (comments, emails and phone calls alike).

    More to come as it becomes clear to me. Until then, enjoy everyday like it’s your last – It’s spring-time baby!

  • Highs and Lows

    So I was figuring I’d wait and do a final blog post on my Estonia trip once I’d downloaded my pictures.  But unfortunately my camera was in my ski bag and I don’t think I’ll get it for at least a few more days, so I’ll give a quick update on the end of the trip sans photos.

    High Points:

    • The sprint race last Saturday: it was the one really sunny day of the trip, which always makes me happy.  And I had a good race!  I missed 3 out of 10, which isn’t great, but its pretty good for me, and I came in 38th.  I skied much more consistent splits too, and I finally felt like I was beginning to figure out this whole racing-in-Europe thing.  And did I say it was sunny out?
    • Eurosport came to the weekend races. It was crazy! While we were hanging out at the hotel the morning before our race, we got to watch the boy’s races LIVE on Estonian TV! It was SO cool!
    • I had fun doing the pursuit on Sunday, even though I missed 11 shots.
    • On my last lap of the pursuit, most of the coaches from other countries had cleared off the course, since their skiers had finished.  But there were a few still out there, and this one guy yelled at me in some sort of Eastern European accent: “It is not so bad! I like, I like!”  It reminded me so much of Pepa, I just had to smile and go faster.
    • I had fun getting to meet some skiers from other countries at the bar Sunday night.
    • On my way home, I got to see the city of Stockholm, and got a free night at an airport hotel and a free gourmet dinner!
    • I made it home eventually!

    Low Points:

    • I had been really psyched for the pursuit, and for being able to ski around other girls during it.  But then I missed 11 shots, which put me pretty out of the competition…
    • On the way home, my layover in Stockholm was only an hour, and my bags couldn’t be checked through because the airlines I was using didn’t have a baggage agreement.  Then my flight got in a bit late, and by the time I’d claimed my bags and found the check-in line 20 minutes before my next flight, they told me I was too late.
    • The next flight I could get was 24 hours later.  So I stayed in Stockholm for the day, which wasn’t too bad, I as noted above.
    • My flight the next morning from Stockholm was canceled. So they routed me through Copenhagen first, and then to Newark.  In Newark, my bags didn’t come and I had missed my flight to Burlington.  So I waited in lines for 4hours, then another few hours to get a later flight.
    • My bags still aren’t here.  The rifle got detained at customs in Newark, which I can’t call until Monday, and they won’t give me my ski bag until the rifle gets released.

    Despite the traveling on either end though, it was a great trip!  And maybe when I finally get my bags I’ll put up some pictures.

  • Holmenkollen

    Yesterday was rough. For whatever reason my body took a good hour to feel normal. I almost didn’t make it that long. The course here is brutal. Pretty much the first 1/3 of the 8.3 k loop we raced is up hill. Then a few more significant hills are mixed in the next 5 k that makes for one of the toughest courses I have seen. I dig it. To add to the abusiveness of that the snow here is pretty tricky. Big variations of dry to wet, firm to mush to ice. I also learned last night that the snow they make here is from lakes so there is a lot of organic material in there that make structure clog up quickly. Very challenging waxing venue and yesterday showed with all the people dropping and guys who are usually on top finishing back in the field. I got hit with a little of that as well. I’ll spare you the details but my #3 pair in testing ended up being my best ones by a bit and it took two ski changes (we were allowed 3) to figure that out. On to my race…

    The start was rough and I was in the accordion at the back 3rd of the pack that finally snapped and I just had nothing. People would come up from behind and I could do nothing to stay with them. Just felt like there was no power left in my body. I knew I was in for a really long day and seriously considered pulling out of the race midway into the second lap. Then I started to suck it up and remember that this is Holmenkollen. Who knows if I ever get to race here again and I will not let myself drop out in the biggest race there is. The next ski change I got on a faster pair and my body started to come around. I managed to pick off quite a few guys over the last 30k of the race but by that time any hope of a good result was long up the trail and it was just an inner battle. The crowd out there was unbelievable, all 50,000 of them, and I heard quite a few American voices along the way. 

    I just now got back from dinner and drinks at the US Embassy here in Oslo following Kikkan getting 2nd in the sprint this afternoon. Pretty awesome. 

  • Holmenkollen

    Yesterday was rough. For whatever reason my body took a good hour to feel normal. I almost didn’t make it that long. The course here is brutal. Pretty much the first 1/3 of the 8.3 k loop we raced is up hill. Then a few more significant hills are mixed in the next 5 k that makes for one of the toughest courses I have seen. I dig it. To add to the abusiveness of that the snow here is pretty tricky. Big variations of dry to wet, firm to mush to ice. I also learned last night that the snow they make here is from lakes so there is a lot of organic material in there that make structure clog up quickly. Very challenging waxing venue and yesterday showed with all the people dropping and guys who are usually on top finishing back in the field. I got hit with a little of that as well. I’ll spare you the details but my #3 pair in testing ended up being my best ones by a bit and it took two ski changes (we were allowed 3) to figure that out. On to my race…

    The start was rough and I was in the accordion at the back 3rd of the pack that finally snapped and I just had nothing. People would come up from behind and I could do nothing to stay with them. Just felt like there was no power left in my body. I knew I was in for a really long day and seriously considered pulling out of the race midway into the second lap. Then I started to suck it up and remember that this is Holmenkollen. Who knows if I ever get to race here again and I will not let myself drop out in the biggest race there is. The next ski change I got on a faster pair and my body started to come around. I managed to pick off quite a few guys over the last 30k of the race but by that time any hope of a good result was long up the trail and it was just an inner battle. The crowd out there was unbelievable, all 50,000 of them, and I heard quite a few American voices along the way. 

    I just now got back from dinner and drinks at the US Embassy here in Oslo following Kikkan getting 2nd in the sprint this afternoon. Pretty awesome. 

  • Holmenkollen

    Yesterday was rough. For whatever reason my body took a good hour to feel normal. I almost didn’t make it that long. The course here is brutal. Pretty much the first 1/3 of the 8.3 k loop we raced is up hill. Then a few more significant hills are mixed in the next 5 k that makes for one of the toughest courses I have seen. I dig it. To add to the abusiveness of that the snow here is pretty tricky. Big variations of dry to wet, firm to mush to ice. I also learned last night that the snow they make here is from lakes so there is a lot of organic material in there that make structure clog up quickly. Very challenging waxing venue and yesterday showed with all the people dropping and guys who are usually on top finishing back in the field. I got hit with a little of that as well. I’ll spare you the details but my #3 pair in testing ended up being my best ones by a bit and it took two ski changes (we were allowed 3) to figure that out. On to my race…

    The start was rough and I was in the accordion at the back 3rd of the pack that finally snapped and I just had nothing. People would come up from behind and I could do nothing to stay with them. Just felt like there was no power left in my body. I knew I was in for a really long day and seriously considered pulling out of the race midway into the second lap. Then I started to suck it up and remember that this is Holmenkollen. Who knows if I ever get to race here again and I will not let myself drop out in the biggest race there is. The next ski change I got on a faster pair and my body started to come around. I managed to pick off quite a few guys over the last 30k of the race but by that time any hope of a good result was long up the trail and it was just an inner battle. The crowd out there was unbelievable, all 50,000 of them, and I heard quite a few American voices along the way. 

    I just now got back from dinner and drinks at the US Embassy here in Oslo following Kikkan getting 2nd in the sprint this afternoon. Pretty awesome. 

  • Holmenkollen

    Yesterday was rough. For whatever reason my body took a good hour to feel normal. I almost didn’t make it that long. The course here is brutal. Pretty much the first 1/3 of the 8.3 k loop we raced is up hill. Then a few more significant hills are mixed in the next 5 k that makes for one of the toughest courses I have seen. I dig it. To add to the abusiveness of that the snow here is pretty tricky. Big variations of dry to wet, firm to mush to ice. I also learned last night that the snow they make here is from lakes so there is a lot of organic material in there that make structure clog up quickly. Very challenging waxing venue and yesterday showed with all the people dropping and guys who are usually on top finishing back in the field. I got hit with a little of that as well. I’ll spare you the details but my #3 pair in testing ended up being my best ones by a bit and it took two ski changes (we were allowed 3) to figure that out. On to my race…

    The start was rough and I was in the accordion at the back 3rd of the pack that finally snapped and I just had nothing. People would come up from behind and I could do nothing to stay with them. Just felt like there was no power left in my body. I knew I was in for a really long day and seriously considered pulling out of the race midway into the second lap. Then I started to suck it up and remember that this is Holmenkollen. Who knows if I ever get to race here again and I will not let myself drop out in the biggest race there is. The next ski change I got on a faster pair and my body started to come around. I managed to pick off quite a few guys over the last 30k of the race but by that time any hope of a good result was long up the trail and it was just an inner battle. The crowd out there was unbelievable, all 50,000 of them, and I heard quite a few American voices along the way. 

    I just now got back from dinner and drinks at the US Embassy here in Oslo following Kikkan getting 2nd in the sprint this afternoon. Pretty awesome. 

  • Holmenkollen

    Yesterday was rough. For whatever reason my body took a good hour to feel normal. I almost didn’t make it that long. The course here is brutal. Pretty much the first 1/3 of the 8.3 k loop we raced is up hill. Then a few more significant hills are mixed in the next 5 k that makes for one of the toughest courses I have seen. I dig it. To add to the abusiveness of that the snow here is pretty tricky. Big variations of dry to wet, firm to mush to ice. I also learned last night that the snow they make here is from lakes so there is a lot of organic material in there that make structure clog up quickly. Very challenging waxing venue and yesterday showed with all the people dropping and guys who are usually on top finishing back in the field. I got hit with a little of that as well. I’ll spare you the details but my #3 pair in testing ended up being my best ones by a bit and it took two ski changes (we were allowed 3) to figure that out. On to my race…

    The start was rough and I was in the accordion at the back 3rd of the pack that finally snapped and I just had nothing. People would come up from behind and I could do nothing to stay with them. Just felt like there was no power left in my body. I knew I was in for a really long day and seriously considered pulling out of the race midway into the second lap. Then I started to suck it up and remember that this is Holmenkollen. Who knows if I ever get to race here again and I will not let myself drop out in the biggest race there is. The next ski change I got on a faster pair and my body started to come around. I managed to pick off quite a few guys over the last 30k of the race but by that time any hope of a good result was long up the trail and it was just an inner battle. The crowd out there was unbelievable, all 50,000 of them, and I heard quite a few American voices along the way. 

    I just now got back from dinner and drinks at the US Embassy here in Oslo following Kikkan getting 2nd in the sprint this afternoon. Pretty awesome. 

  • A Good Race for Me…first top 40 WC

    Post Race, Dry Clothes, Eating, Drinking, Smiling….Good Day

    Some pictures of the actual race today would be nice.  I would really like one on one of the bigger climbs out there where one of the fans was dressed as a moose and break dancing on the side of the trail.

    My goal today was top 40 and I finished 39th, a strong result for me.  Awesome race out there today.  It was pretty sweet.  Mike, James and I had a US train going for parts of the race.  Lots of USA cheers out there.  Tons of cheers by name too. Crazy fans.

    I felt good.  Avoided any major cramping in the legs, although I did have a bit in the triceps.  I have been working on skiing more relaxed and it is making a big difference.

    We were allowed 3 ski exchanges.  That was nice, the fresh skis were the fastest for sure.  I raced on two new pairs of Salomon from Bertrand.  My boards felt competitive with the group I was with.

    Wish I could have hung on the pack, it strung out pretty early.  Huge
    slinky effect in the back.  I had to walk up some of the first climbs only to hammer over the top to catch back up.   Later in the race,  I tried to bridge to other groups but it is so much more work up front.  I skied a conservative race after blowing up pretty good in the 15km in Canmore.

    Had quite the battle with the Finn out there.  He was all over my skis on the uphills.  At one point is was so bad that I actually tripped and fell on the uphill.  I am still not sure how that happened.  We did switch pulls and work together.  He got away when we were skiing in a pack with a Swiss guys and I couldn’t close.

    Ran a bit with some speeds. Rolling, stretching, ice bath. Time to get ready to sprint.

  • Olsoprinter

  • Historical Day for Norway

    A

  • The Race

    Everything is ready for the race this afternoon.  I am feeling good and am excited.  I am a bit nervous about my legs with all the climbing and my issues with cramping, but everything else feels great. I have eaten as much breakfast as possible (I was in there for almost an hour).

    We are wearing GPS units out there today so it should be easy to follow splits and positions.  Women start at 11:00, Men start at 12:45.  It will be fun to watch the women start on tv back at the hotel and arrive at the venue to watch them finish while we warm up.

    Race Website: http://www.oslo2011.no/

    Watch the Race Online: http://www.fromsport.com/

    Watch Live Splits: http://www.fis-ski.com/uk/604/1228.html?cal_suchsector=CC&event_id=27073

  • Good Things Come in Three’s

    Today we raced the 5/10k classic mass start. The start was a little tamer than last weeks 5k skate mass start. Unlike last week, the course was a bit more challenging and started off with 3 climbs in the first kilometer. This broke up the pack almost immediately. I had a solid start, putting myself in 8th place after the first climb. I skied relaxed and smooth and noticed that I had good kick going up the hills, compared to the other girls. I used this to my advantage and made up some ground. I was in 4th place, a few seconds behind the lead pack of three coming into the last half a kilometer. Unfortunately my skis weren’t quite as fast on the downhill and I lost some time in the finishing stretch. I ended up 6th overall…another solid race.br /br /div style=”text-align: center;”a onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_bfd1dFDmRWA/S5vQgMMsUHI/AAAAAAAAAmM/d53SvFq4pj4/s1600-h/Europe+2010+099.jpg”img style=”margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;” src=”http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_bfd1dFDmRWA/S5vQgMMsUHI/AAAAAAAAAmM/d53SvFq4pj4/s320/Europe+2010+099.jpg” alt=”” id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5448177425683599474″ border=”0″ //aspan style=”font-style: italic;”Another beautiful day of racing!br //span/divbr /After the race, I cheered for the men and little did I know that Petra Majdic was standing next to me. I said hello and asked if she would take a picture with me. She was very nice! I was very careful not to bump her side…she is slowly recovering from her fall at the Olympics. She says that it is feeling better but it is a slow process.br /br /div style=”text-align: center;”a onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_bfd1dFDmRWA/S5vQfmrTwnI/AAAAAAAAAmE/tQ_KicpHAeI/s1600-h/Europe+2010+092.jpg”img style=”margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;” src=”http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_bfd1dFDmRWA/S5vQfmrTwnI/AAAAAAAAAmE/tQ_KicpHAeI/s320/Europe+2010+092.jpg” alt=”” id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5448177415611466354″ border=”0″ //aspan style=”font-style: italic;”Petra Majdic and I!br //span/divbr /The fun did not stop this morning with a good race and meeting Petra! It got even better! The sledding track was open! It is a track that takes you 1.5k you down the mountain at 40 km/hr! It was pretty fun!br /br /div style=”text-align: center;”a onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_bfd1dFDmRWA/S5vQfWjQOzI/AAAAAAAAAl8/cbtJiJajGZA/s1600-h/Europe+2010+105.jpg”img style=”margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;” src=”http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_bfd1dFDmRWA/S5vQfWjQOzI/AAAAAAAAAl8/cbtJiJajGZA/s320/Europe+2010+105.jpg” alt=”” id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5448177411282713394″ border=”0″ //aspan style=”font-style: italic;”Getting ready for a crazy ride with Noah Hoffmanbr //span/divbr /Tomorrow we have 10k skate race, pursuit style. I am hoping for a good starting position and a good result. After the race, we are headed to Munich. Half of the team is flying back to the states on Monday and the other half of us are spending a day, checking out the sights in Munich.br /br /I will update again as soon as possible!div class=”blogger-post-footer”img width=’1′ height=’1′ src=’https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5903545846797966075-520973478034646821?l=in-the-arena-nicole.blogspot.com’ alt=” //div

  • “Ironically, most of the All-Americans are anything but.”

    “Ironically, most of the All-Americans are anything but.”br/br/ – emReese Hanneman, via Twitter./em

  • Brian in the Holmenkollen World Cup

    The 50km Holmenkollen  mass start freestyle World Cup is tomorrow in Oslo Norway.  Brian has been looking forward to this event all year and we (his family) are excited to be able to watch the race (via streaming in the US) even though it starts at 3:45 AM Pacific Time.  (Can you say Coca Cola)  In case anyone else is up here is the link for the live video feed:
    http://www.fromsport.com/video-199376.html 

    Note: since the video is live it can only be viewed between 2 and 5:45am PCT

    Results and race updates can also be found at the fis web site:
    http://www.fis-ski.com/uk/604/1228.html?cal_suchsector=CC&event_id=27073

  • Yeah JOS!

    So….. I have raccoon eyes from Presque Isle Maine – who would have thought? nbsp;For those en route, bring your sunscreen and klister skis not to mention crust cruising skis because it’s good!br /br /It’s been great putting the “coach hat” back on for the week. nbsp;It adds good balance to my life as a skier and I absolutely love working with the kids. Its funny to see the same nervousness that I experienced just two weeks ago at the Olympics (myself) in them now. It really brings the experience full circle. All in all, they did a great job and I’m really proud of each and every one of them.br /br /div class=”separator” style=”clear: both; text-align: center;”

  • 24 hours until the Junior Nationals Dance.  Hide the J2s.  (via…

    object width=”400″ height=”336″param name=”movie” value=”http://www.youtube.com/v/54rtMgumO4krel=0egm=0showinfo=0fs=1″/paramparam name=”wmode” value=”transparent”/paramparam name=”allowFullScreen” value=”true”/paramembed src=”http://www.youtube.com/v/54rtMgumO4krel=0egm=0showinfo=0fs=1″ type=”application/x-shockwave-flash” width=”400″ height=”336″ allowFullScreen=”true” wmode=”transparent”/embed/objectbr/br/p24 hours until the Junior Nationals Dance.  Hide the J2s.  (via sortofquickskier)/p