img src=”http://26.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_kz57zfcy2S1qzt3xbo1_500.jpg”/br/br/pJoennson, Northug, strongNewell/strong. Congrats Andy./p
Category: XCFeeds
A collection of live feeds from cross-country ski blogs around the web.
-
Newell 3rd in Drammen Sprint
First, Congratulations to Newell on his podium finish today. That was really cool. The Drammen World Cup is one of the more prestigious and competitive sprints on the circuit so this is awesome.
20,000 people packed around a 1.2km loop in the city. I wasn’t sure what to expect. I wish I had some pictures to really show what it is like. Unfortunately I didn’t really get any of the race.
Athlete Lounge… pretty nice
We are staying at the same hotel all week (in Oslo) so we took the 45 min shuttle to Drammen and arrived pretty early. Newell found us this place to hang out in. We had to wander through a maze in a building to get here but it was really nice.
These boxes of fruit are all over the place. In front of each countries wax room too. I like it. I think it helps keep the wax techs closer to the athletes weight. What do you think Fish?
A 11 am the course is open to wax techs. At 1 pm it is open to athletes for 55 minutes before the women start. Everyone was ready with there skis. All of the US skiers had two pairs of classic skis to test and a pair of skate skis to try. The course was soft and everyone I saw used classic skis.
The wax service team here is top notch. Everything was very smooth: adding structure, adjusting grip, changing baskets. The crew did a really great job.
Classic sprints are not my best, but I felt pretty good with today. It was pretty warm and sloppy and I struggled to stay smooth striding the first 300 meters of the course. The second half is mostly double pole and I felt really good. It is hard for me to understand where I lost 23 seconds out there. This is a long way back (the top 30 were separated by 6 seconds).
My expectations were not high today. The 50km is my focus event this week and today was a good experience. I didn’t really notice the crowd during my race, but warming up it was really cool. I had to keep telling myself to keep it easy, I was so fired up.
Kikkan crossing the river in Drammen
I wish I had some pictures from the race. It was an incredible sight. Classic sprinting is not my strong suit, but I am hear to race and when I race I am focused and don’t want distraction. I was planning to take more pictures after my race, but my options back to the hotel in Oslo were a 3:30 shuttle or a 7:15 shuttle. I wanted to cheer on Andy, but I need to focus on my recovery and the 50km.
Watching Newell's Podium Finish
We got stuck in traffic and missed the exciting quarterfinal. We ran from the van to the lobby television to watch the finals.
-
false alarm
I have too much on my plate to ressurect this site. Please see my blog on www.fasterskier.com for updates. I will continue to hold onto this domain for future use.
-
Olympic Slideshow
Join Garrott Kuzzy, 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympian, for a slideshow at the Ideal Market and Rivers Eatery in downtown Cable, Wisconsin this Saturday, March 13 at 6:30pm.
You’ve been following www.garrottkuzzy.com, this is your chance to hear about the adventure from Garrott himself while he’s in town between competitions. Kuzzy will share photos and stories from his training, travels, and racing leading up to the Olympics and experiences during the Games.
The slideshow is free and open to all. Stop in early to order your pizza (possibly even the now famous “Kuzzy” pizza) to enjoy during the show!
-
Sweet Redemption
Sometimes the difference between being a champ and a chump is a slip here or a broken pole there.br /Congratulations to ANDY NEWELL and the USST for his 3rd place finish in the World Cup at Drammen Norway today!br /THAT’S WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT!!!!!div class=”blogger-post-footer”img width=’1′ height=’1′ src=’https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4680416899705879324-8099470500316870308?l=smsxc.blogspot.com’ alt=” //div
-
Hollmenkollen
Another beautiful day here at Hollmenkollen arena. I skied in the afternoon to get my body used to going at 2pm (qualifying time for Drammen sprints). Hardwax barely worked and I could have skied in my t-shirt.
The new jump and stadium
Happy to have this opportunity
Chris, this picture is for you
The ski world is small. I ran in to Anders Folleras (former UVM and MSU skier) on the trails today and we did some speed together. I enjoyed dinner with my good friend Kjetil Dammen and his parents. It was fun to recall our years at UAA together and to catch up on our recent adventures.
We catch the transport bus to Drammen in 20 minutes. I am excited for my first Euro World Cup. Classic City Sprint. 5 racers (Newell, Hamilton, Hinckley, Me, and Kikkan)
Info at: http://www.worldcupdrammen.no/engelsk
Live Results at: http://www.fis-ski.com/uk/604/1228.html?cal_suchsector=CC&event_id=27069
-
Trying the Atomic FeatherLight Skate Skis
a onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_T8lplfcx_Ro/S5guvVnIrZI/AAAAAAAAAdU/DePuSMwk0Yo/s1600-h/Atomic_tips.JPG” target=”_blank”img style=”margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 74px; height: 320px;” src=”http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_T8lplfcx_Ro/S5guvVnIrZI/AAAAAAAAAdU/DePuSMwk0Yo/s320/Atomic_tips.JPG” alt=”” id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5447155140094635410″ border=”0″ //aa onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_T8lplfcx_Ro/S5gujxS6FYI/AAAAAAAAAdM/QJS38lscX3k/s1600-h/big-midi-7590.jpg” target=”_blank”img style=”margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 10px; height: 400px;” src=”http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_T8lplfcx_Ro/S5gujxS6FYI/AAAAAAAAAdM/QJS38lscX3k/s400/big-midi-7590.jpg” alt=”” id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5447154941367555458″ border=”0″ //aA couple days ago a ski box arrived at the shop. Okay, so that’s not particularly momentous at Nordic Ultratune. Ski boxes arrive daily.br /br /But this small, “one pair” box, had a pair of the 2010/2011 Atomic skate skis. Atomic has made the name a bit more complicated since Atomic calls it the World Cup Red Cheetah FeatherLight. Most people are calling it the “FeatherLight” or “World Cup FL”.br /br /The naming might be confusing but there is no confusion about the skis. Maybe you saw some of these while watching the Olympics? New graphics? Click that picture on the right to make it bigger; go ahead and try it.br /br /Atomic keeps the bold, bright graphics. Lots of red and white, but they’ve added some darker-colored accents. Eye catching on the podium.br /br /The FeatherLight keeps the camber characteristics of the Red Cheetah skis, but reduces weight a little bit by changing some internal sidewall material. The camber design, the layup, the base, the side-cut — all those features remain the same.br /br /The Featherlight has been in use on the World Cup for over a year. I’ve worked on quite a few of them at Ultratune, but only a handful of skiers have had them. For 2010/2011 they are entering the mainstream and are available to everyone.br /br /I know that there are some of you who can’t get enough of those bright yellow suits that Slovenia wears, so here’s a picture of Barbara Jezeršek. She’s rocking Atomic.br /br /a onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_T8lplfcx_Ro/S5gu6xz6E2I/AAAAAAAAAdc/SOJI8VAQdIQ/s1600-h/BarbaraJ.JPG” target=”_blank”img style=”margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 250px; height: 320px;” src=”http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_T8lplfcx_Ro/S5gu6xz6E2I/AAAAAAAAAdc/SOJI8VAQdIQ/s320/BarbaraJ.JPG” alt=”” id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5447155336642958178″ border=”0″ //aThe Atomic skate skis are fitted differently than other brands (each brand is fitted differently, so it’s not just Atomic that’s “different”), and care is needed to pick a good flex in order to get the best performance. From my experience, the error fitting Atomic skis is usually in picking them too stiff rather than picking them too soft.br /br /As with any non-NIS ski, positioning the bindings has to be done with care. As a note, this pair of 190cm skate skis weigh in at 506 grams per ski, which is right where they’re advertised (the smaller sizes weigh a bit less).br /br /On the snow, the skis feel like the 2009/10 version. They’re quick, stable, and a blast to ski on. They’re super on technical descents, and very nimble climbing. I think they’re really great all around skate skis, handling sugar well and firmer conditions well, too. The test pair is running on an “i5” structure from the Ultratune Mantec grinder, and they’re fast. When I’m picking the Atomic skaters, I usually recommend the “cold” version as having the best camber for an all-around ski.br /br /So, in total, the skis feel much like the current version. That’s great! The graphics got an overhaul, and the skis are a little lighter. They’re a winner.br /br /span style=”font-style: italic;”br /br /br //spanspan style=”color: rgb(255, 0, 0); font-style: italic;”END OF SEASON SALE ON REMAINING SKIS/spanbr /br /With the ski season winding down, the remaining Rossignol, Madshus, and Atomic skis and boots are on sale. As always, the skis are top quality and all skis come with a grind and hotbox service at no additional charge. Sale prices are limited to in-stock items.
-
SMS Nordic 2010-03-11 03:09:00
a onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_xxDw1qNK1JA/S5jsbVyjq2I/AAAAAAAAAkc/toF7fgPIGsA/s1600-h/2010+JO%27S+013.jpg”img style=”display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;” src=”http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_xxDw1qNK1JA/S5jsbVyjq2I/AAAAAAAAAkc/toF7fgPIGsA/s320/2010+JO%27S+013.jpg” border=”0″ alt=”” id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5447363703754435426″ //abr /a onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_xxDw1qNK1JA/S5jr9GJuV6I/AAAAAAAAAkU/e5iRsnI9808/s1600-h/2010+JO%27S+010.jpg”img style=”display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;” src=”http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_xxDw1qNK1JA/S5jr9GJuV6I/AAAAAAAAAkU/e5iRsnI9808/s320/2010+JO%27S+010.jpg” border=”0″ alt=”” id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5447363184160561058″ //adiv class=”blogger-post-footer”img width=’1′ height=’1′ src=’https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4680416899705879324-2586116282204040932?l=smsxc.blogspot.com’ alt=” //div
-
968 to 584 (Alaska Cup points after day 2)
Day 2 of racing by Walker, John Austin and Tyler:br /br /Today was the (formerly mass start) individual start classic race, the Ice Cream Social, and the mid-week awards ceremony. New England once again won the day and holds a commanding lead in the Alaska Cup Standings. It was sunny all day and perfect klister conditions. The wax tecs hit the wax again and almost everyone enjoyed perfect kick and lots of glide. Today the highlights for SMS were another 2nd place for Heather, 3rd place for Izzy, a 7th for Cam and Cobby, and a 5th for SMS alum Chase Marston. At the awards ceremony there were many opportunities to cheer for SMS and New Englanders as well as our new Midwest friends.br /br /br /br /br /
-
Pictures, pictures, pictures!!
At long last, here are some Olympic action shots that I promised awhile back! nbsp; I don’t have pics of everyone, but here is a selection. nbsp;Better late than never!br /br /I’m in Maine right now…more on JO’s in a bit. nbsp;-Holly nbsp;:)br /br /br /div style=”text-align: center;”James finishing on stadium curve./divdiv class=”separator” style=”clear: both; text-align: center;”
-
Pictures, pictures, pictures!!
At long last, here are some Olympic action shots that I promised awhile back! nbsp; I don’t have pics of everyone, but here is a selection. nbsp;Better late than never!br /br /I’m in Maine right now…more on JO’s in a bit. nbsp;-Holly nbsp;:)br /br /br /div style=”text-align: center;”James finishing on stadium curve./divdiv class=”separator” style=”clear: both; text-align: center;”
-
This NCAA championship brought to you by Bud Light. (NCAA rules…
img src=”http://28.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_kz3uofo68Y1qzt3xbo1_500.jpg”/br/br/pThis NCAA championship brought to you by Bud Light. (NCAA rules ban alcohol sponsorship.)/p
-
Perhaps the best use yet for a Salomon s-lab boot. (corkdog…
img src=”http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_kz3uda8EDM1qzt3xbo1_500.jpg”/br/br/pPerhaps the best use yet for a Salomon s-lab boot. (corkdog mundahl)/p
-
This open wound brought to you by the 2010 Junior Nationals…
img src=”http://26.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_kz3usi1oYU1qzt3xbo1_500.jpg”/br/br/pThis open wound brought to you by the 2010 Junior Nationals Sprint Event. (C.M photo)/p
-
Brian’s first European World Cup
The best skiers in the world are gathered in Norway for the Drammen World Cup Sprint. This will be Brian’s first European World Cup. The qualifier will be at 5am PCT with live results at:
Live Results of Drammen World Cup
GO Bri GO! We are all rooting for you back home. -
Winding down.
It seems that after the Birkie the season always seems to start to wind down really fast. This year after the Birkie the weather seemed to immediately change from Winter into Spring. For the past two weeks I have not skied without it being over 40 degrees and sunny. It really has been amazing, but […]
-
Winding down.
It seems that after the Birkie the season always seems to start to wind down really fast. This year after the Birkie the weather seemed to immediately change from Winter into Spring. For the past two weeks I have not skied without it being over 40 degrees and sunny. It really has been amazing, but […]
