FasterSkier

Category: XCFeeds

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

  • Slovenia

    A

  • Dear 4th grade: And now, I am in Bled, Slovenia

    div style=”text-align: center;”br //divdiv style=”text-align: center;”a onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_k1DHbqzFvCE/Sz9HgimDWsI/AAAAAAAAAu0/nmfpfoH5u0M/s1600-h/IMG_0110.JPG”br //a/divdiv style=”text-align: center;”br //diva onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_k1DHbqzFvCE/Sz9HfzTX7wI/AAAAAAAAAuk/cMyhP34xGoA/s1600-h/IMG_0105.JPG”/adiv style=”text-align: center;”br //diva onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_k1DHbqzFvCE/Sz9HfTXxIsI/AAAAAAAAAuc/8hHm4DGFBq0/s1600-h/IMG_0103.JPG”/adiv style=”text-align: center;”br //diva onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_k1DHbqzFvCE/Sz9He-CD8GI/AAAAAAAAAuU/xQfZ0whAFwg/s1600-h/IMG_0098.JPG”/adivDoes this not look like Lake Placid at night on Mirror Lake?/divdivbr //divspan class=”Apple-style-span” style=”color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; “img src=”http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_k1DHbqzFvCE/SykVZMkOvxI/AAAAAAAAAtk/4A5VcjTkpJ8/s320/IMG_0068.JPG” border=”0″ alt=”” id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5415883549503831826″ style=”display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; ” //spanI really enjoyed getting to see a new country. Slovenia has a very neat and different feel to it, even though I was only mere hours from Austria and Germany. We arrived in the evening, which is always fun, because the morning brings such suprise about the surrounding area, town and nature.br /divspan class=”Apple-style-span” style=”color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; “img src=”http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_k1DHbqzFvCE/SykVZvDIhMI/AAAAAAAAAts/gi5sN8tsG7k/s320/IMG_0073.JPG” border=”0″ alt=”” id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5415883558760252610″ style=”display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px; ” //spana onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_k1DHbqzFvCE/SykmTOhQwXI/AAAAAAAAAuM/5e9HKv43wwU/s1600-h/IMG_0078.JPG”/adivLooking down towards the shooting range and stadium in Pokljuka, were the races were held./divdiva onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_k1DHbqzFvCE/SykmTOhQwXI/AAAAAAAAAuM/5e9HKv43wwU/s1600-h/IMG_0078.JPG” style=”text-decoration: none;”img style=”text-align: left;display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px; ” src=”http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_k1DHbqzFvCE/SykmTOhQwXI/AAAAAAAAAuM/5e9HKv43wwU/s320/IMG_0078.JPG” border=”0″ alt=”” id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5415902138646708594″ //abr /A “small town” of wax cabins for all of the countries is the place where our skis are made to be fast!br /a onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_k1DHbqzFvCE/SykVbN5SgwI/AAAAAAAAAuE/sEBdmsTTB7c/s1600-h/IMG_0077.JPG”img style=”display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;” src=”http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_k1DHbqzFvCE/SykVbN5SgwI/AAAAAAAAAuE/sEBdmsTTB7c/s320/IMG_0077.JPG” border=”0″ alt=”” id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5415883584220332802″ //aOur poles are all lines up and ready to go:br /a onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_k1DHbqzFvCE/SykVa3nRDMI/AAAAAAAAAt8/orjcjlH5dco/s1600-h/IMG_0075.JPG”img style=”display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;” src=”http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_k1DHbqzFvCE/SykVa3nRDMI/AAAAAAAAAt8/orjcjlH5dco/s320/IMG_0075.JPG” border=”0″ alt=”” id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5415883578239159490″ //aAnd here are all of our training skis:br /a onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_k1DHbqzFvCE/SykVaBDWKQI/AAAAAAAAAt0/V2-XAejVZTQ/s1600-h/IMG_0074.JPG”img style=”display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;” src=”http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_k1DHbqzFvCE/SykVaBDWKQI/AAAAAAAAAt0/V2-XAejVZTQ/s320/IMG_0074.JPG” border=”0″ alt=”” id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5415883563592984834″ //aAll week, every week, we spend a lot of time in the above places, so each week I make sure I get out to enjoy the town I am staying in. The town of Bled is on a lake similar in size to Mirror Lake, but with an island and castle in the middle!br /div style=”text-align: center;”br //divdiv style=”text-align: center;”span class=”Apple-style-span” style=”color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; “img src=”http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_k1DHbqzFvCE/Sz9He-CD8GI/AAAAAAAAAuU/xQfZ0whAFwg/s320/IMG_0098.JPG” border=”0″ alt=”” id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5422131073750659170″ style=”display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px; ” //span/divdiv style=”text-align: left;”Local legend has it that this castle has been a popular wedding spot for a long time and before the wedding the groom must carry the bride of these 99 steps. I think my fiance could hack that:)/divdiv style=”text-align: center;”span class=”Apple-style-span” style=”color:#0000EE;”br //span/divdiv style=”text-align: center;”span class=”Apple-style-span” style=”color:#0000EE;”span class=”Apple-style-span” style=”-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; “img src=”http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_k1DHbqzFvCE/Sz9HfTXxIsI/AAAAAAAAAuc/8hHm4DGFBq0/s320/IMG_0103.JPG” border=”0″ alt=”” id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5422131079478846146″ style=”display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px; ” //span/span/divdiv style=”text-align: left;”I ran around the lake on my last day before heading back home. It is a quite place, but bustling with visitors taking pictures as the stroll around the lake as I did. I was also quite taken by the “villas” and old estates that peppered the shoreline. I remember visiting old “camps” and even the Lake Placid Club when I was young – there is a similar “old” feel to this place./divdiv style=”text-align: center;”span class=”Apple-style-span” style=”color:#0000EE;”br //span/divdiv style=”text-align: center;”span class=”Apple-style-span” style=”color:#0000EE;”span class=”Apple-style-span” style=”-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; “img src=”http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_k1DHbqzFvCE/Sz9HgEQIiMI/AAAAAAAAAus/SsMcIFCfPCA/s320/IMG_0108.JPG” border=”0″ alt=”” id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5422131092600162498″ style=”display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; ” //span/span/divdiv style=”text-align: left;”When I arrived – I new this place had a good feel to it. Training went well, racing went okay, better and better than even I expected after a challenging start to my season. In the Individual race I hit 19 for 20 targets and placed 21st – a personal best for the World Cup and a result which also pre-qualified me for the 2010 Olympic Team. It happened so much faster than I expected, but now in retrospect I believe it all came at the right time. I have worked hard, and am prepared to work even harder. After this next block of World Cups (Germany and Italy) its the home stretch towards the games – both periods will offer me time to train and race with new goals and achievements so that in February I can be at or closer to my peak performance./divdiv style=”text-align: left;”br //divdiv style=”text-align: left;”In 2007, when still with the Maine Winter Sports Center, I was on the Potato Picker’s Special at 4am up in the County during potato harvest with John Farra (who is now head of the Nordic Sports for the US) and I told them the revelation I had when buying a can of beans that was marked with “Best by 2010.” At that point, I new I was on the road to also be “Best by 2010.”/divdiv style=”text-align: left;”br //divdiv style=”text-align: left;”Thank you to all have helped me get this far!/divdiv style=”text-align: left;”br //divdiv style=”text-align: center;”span class=”Apple-style-span” style=”color:#0000EE;”span class=”Apple-style-span” style=”-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; “img src=”http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_k1DHbqzFvCE/Sz9HfzTX7wI/AAAAAAAAAuk/cMyhP34xGoA/s320/IMG_0105.JPG” border=”0″ alt=”” id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5422131088050351874″ style=”display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; ” //span/span/divdiv style=”text-align: left;”span class=”Apple-style-span” style=”color:#0000EE;”br //span/divdiv style=”text-align: center;”span class=”Apple-style-span” style=”color:#0000EE;”span class=”Apple-style-span” style=”-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; “img src=”http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_k1DHbqzFvCE/Sz9HgimDWsI/AAAAAAAAAu0/nmfpfoH5u0M/s320/IMG_0110.JPG” border=”0″ alt=”” id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5422131100745161410″ style=”display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; ” //span/span/diva onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_k1DHbqzFvCE/SykVZMkOvxI/AAAAAAAAAtk/4A5VcjTkpJ8/s1600-h/IMG_0068.JPG”/a/div/divdiv class=”blogger-post-footer”img width=’1′ height=’1′ src=’https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/1362992899157556571-6330194747564682619?l=comeskiwithme.blogspot.com’ alt=” //div

  • Dear 4th grade: Hochfilzen, Austria and Race Preparation

    divMy second week of racing was spent in Hochfilzen, Austria. We stayed in a hotel at the bottom of the valley beneath tall mountains such as this one shown below./divdivbr //diva onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_k1DHbqzFvCE/SykUs_MGFoI/AAAAAAAAAtc/K7VtM-CRVW8/s1600-h/IMG_0065.JPG”img style=”display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;” src=”http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_k1DHbqzFvCE/SykUs_MGFoI/AAAAAAAAAtc/K7VtM-CRVW8/s320/IMG_0065.JPG” border=”0″ alt=”” id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5415882789998696066″ //aThe venue is up at the top of the valley, and when it poured rain down below it snowed wet, big, heavy flakes on the ski trails.br /a onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_k1DHbqzFvCE/SykUsVFnAGI/AAAAAAAAAtU/myC65HjV_cE/s1600-h/IMG_0042.JPG”img style=”display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;” src=”http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_k1DHbqzFvCE/SykUsVFnAGI/AAAAAAAAAtU/myC65HjV_cE/s320/IMG_0042.JPG” border=”0″ alt=”” id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5415882778697203810″ //aThis is the view of the orange “start” house, next to the shooting range. The stands rise just to the left of this photo in this very spectator friendly venue. All of the trails are out in the open and weave throughout numerous spectator sections. divbr //divdivRace day begins right here at the start. First, I need to zero my rifle. Do you remember the paper targets that I showed you during my visits? In the photo below, you can see the target numbers and 10 black dots below – those are the paper targets I brought in. On the left you can see a scope, which a coach uses to watch each athletes shots. We check our rifles each day we shoot to adjust for wind, light and a new range. It is very important to be as accurate as possible./divdivbr /a onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_k1DHbqzFvCE/SykUsNjR2cI/AAAAAAAAAtM/HGchck2e2As/s1600-h/IMG_0045.JPG”img style=”display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;” src=”http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_k1DHbqzFvCE/SykUsNjR2cI/AAAAAAAAAtM/HGchck2e2As/s320/IMG_0045.JPG” border=”0″ alt=”” id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5415882776674163138″ //abr //divdivNext, skis are tested. We have a staff of wax technicians who test our skis and the best ski wax for the day. Usually, our skis are quite fast and that makes racing quite fun. Just as we need to be accurate with shooting, we also need to pay close attention to how accurate our skis are for the day. There are many different snow conditions that we can encounter during the race season. For each condition we have a certain pair of skis; one for wet snowball snow, one for dry new snow, for example. Our wax technicians help us determine the best pair for race day./divdivbr /divspan class=”Apple-style-span” style=”color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; “img src=”http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_k1DHbqzFvCE/SykTWdMPCeI/AAAAAAAAAsM/eIvbVjQhrao/s320/IMG_0044.JPG” border=”0″ alt=”” id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5415881303403727330″ style=”display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px; ” //spanAfter ski testing and zero, it is time to warm up my body and mind. I spend one or two more loops inspecting the course so that I know which technique to use where, or where to ski hard and where to relax. I make a mental check of what I want to focus on during the race, make sure I have my race bib on and head to the start./divdivbr //divdiva onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_k1DHbqzFvCE/SykUH9yiMoI/AAAAAAAAAtE/_EG9j4w36rc/s1600-h/IMG_0047.JPG” style=”text-decoration: none;”img style=”text-align: left;display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; ” src=”http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_k1DHbqzFvCE/SykUH9yiMoI/AAAAAAAAAtE/_EG9j4w36rc/s320/IMG_0047.JPG” border=”0″ alt=”” id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5415882153967891074″ //aInspecting even means noticing the unique scenes along the course; someone had fun building this cheering snowman.br /br /a onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_k1DHbqzFvCE/SykUHd0bQRI/AAAAAAAAAs8/LcFi-lwy18k/s1600-h/IMG_0049.JPG”img style=”display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;” src=”http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_k1DHbqzFvCE/SykUHd0bQRI/AAAAAAAAAs8/LcFi-lwy18k/s320/IMG_0049.JPG” border=”0″ alt=”” id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5415882145385890066″ //abr //divdivThe crowd too is getting excited and ready for the start, flags wave and horns are blown./divdivbr /a onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_k1DHbqzFvCE/SykUHGcU3WI/AAAAAAAAAs0/6SWNM-Dr_Zg/s1600-h/IMG_0056.JPG”img style=”display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;” src=”http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_k1DHbqzFvCE/SykUHGcU3WI/AAAAAAAAAs0/6SWNM-Dr_Zg/s320/IMG_0056.JPG” border=”0″ alt=”” id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5415882139110792546″ //aOn Sunday, I got to watch the women’s relay. Here is a photo just before the start, as the 23 teams leading woman prepares to get into the starting line-up./divdivbr /a onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_k1DHbqzFvCE/SykUGoppy2I/AAAAAAAAAss/fHquJgRnX_g/s1600-h/IMG_0055.JPG”img style=”display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;” src=”http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_k1DHbqzFvCE/SykUGoppy2I/AAAAAAAAAss/fHquJgRnX_g/s320/IMG_0055.JPG” border=”0″ alt=”” id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5415882131113626466″ //abr //divdivHere, spectators line the hill on the course and cheer exuberantly as the racers go by./divdivbr /a onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_k1DHbqzFvCE/SykUGXvTZPI/AAAAAAAAAsk/f3O5v4s7i5g/s1600-h/IMG_0062.JPG”img style=”display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;” src=”http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_k1DHbqzFvCE/SykUGXvTZPI/AAAAAAAAAsk/f3O5v4s7i5g/s320/IMG_0062.JPG” border=”0″ alt=”” id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5415882126573921522″ //abr /a onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_k1DHbqzFvCE/SykTXNd6yII/AAAAAAAAAsc/R4jfy2vfYWE/s1600-h/IMG_0063.JPG”img style=”display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;” src=”http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_k1DHbqzFvCE/SykTXNd6yII/AAAAAAAAAsc/R4jfy2vfYWE/s320/IMG_0063.JPG” border=”0″ alt=”” id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5415881316362799234″ //abr /a onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_k1DHbqzFvCE/SykTW-ye9DI/AAAAAAAAAsU/tIqRmHq7reI/s1600-h/IMG_0064.JPG”img style=”display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;” src=”http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_k1DHbqzFvCE/SykTW-ye9DI/AAAAAAAAAsU/tIqRmHq7reI/s320/IMG_0064.JPG” border=”0″ alt=”” id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5415881312422523954″ //aI had to head back down for lunch, so I didn’t get to see the first shooting stage. It was an exciting race to watch because the leaders continued to change with each leg. In the relay there are 4 legs, each skiing 6km and shooting twice. The bonus of a relay is that you get three extra rounds for each shooting stage. So, if you miss you get a few extra chances. For the men’s relay, they also have 4 legs, but they ski 7.5km each./divdivbr //divdivI competed in the Sprint race this week (7.km, 2 shooting stages, penalty loops for missed shots) and was happy with some better shooting. I skied the course well, but still do not feel like I am up to my race speed yet. But, that’s okay. I have three more races in Slovenia in the following week. /div/divdiv class=”blogger-post-footer”img width=’1′ height=’1′ src=’https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/1362992899157556571-6780653263634889927?l=comeskiwithme.blogspot.com’ alt=” //div

  • Dear 4th Grade: Ostersund, Sweden

    div!–StartFragment– p class=”MsoNormal”span style=”font-size:13.0pt;font-family:ArialMT”Thank you all for your birthday and holiday wishes last week! Well, I am finally catching up with you and a have some photos of where I have been racing the past few weeks. These first ones are from Ostersund, Sweden./span/pp class=”MsoNormal” style=”text-align: center;”span class=”Apple-style-span” style=”font-family:ArialMT, serif;font-size:180%;”span class=”Apple-style-span” style=”font-size: 17px;”A bit of holiday cheer on the course./span/span/p/diva onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_k1DHbqzFvCE/SykSSCeZufI/AAAAAAAAArs/B7jqAhwWmEc/s1600-h/IMG_0022.JPG”img style=”display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;” src=”http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_k1DHbqzFvCE/SykSSCeZufI/AAAAAAAAArs/B7jqAhwWmEc/s320/IMG_0022.JPG” border=”0″ alt=”” id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5415880128001063410″ //adiv style=”text-align: center;”This is the stadium. From left to right you have the finish area, the start area and the firing range. The city of Ostersund is behind and below this venue which sits up on a hill. The ski course is in the foreground. If you could guess which time this photo was taken, would even imagine that this is about 3pm in the afternoon! This far north the sun is only ever rising or setting. On this particular race day we competed under very bright lights./divdivbr /a onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_k1DHbqzFvCE/SykSRvj1UrI/AAAAAAAAArk/QPNbSSCu5j4/s1600-h/IMG_0021.JPG”img style=”display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;” src=”http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_k1DHbqzFvCE/SykSRvj1UrI/AAAAAAAAArk/QPNbSSCu5j4/s320/IMG_0021.JPG” border=”0″ alt=”” id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5415880122923569842″ //abr //divdiv style=”text-align: center;”Looking due west towards Norway from the ski course./divdivbr /a onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_k1DHbqzFvCE/SykSRRBpssI/AAAAAAAAArc/Xbe_Lb07xZY/s1600-h/IMG_0020.JPG”img style=”display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;” src=”http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_k1DHbqzFvCE/SykSRRBpssI/AAAAAAAAArc/Xbe_Lb07xZY/s320/IMG_0020.JPG” border=”0″ alt=”” id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5415880114727137986″ //abr //divdivThis past weekend was the Scandinavian holiday, Santa Lucia. It is a celebration of lights ushered in by “Santa Lucia” in a white gown and a crown candles. One of our teammates, Tim Burke from Paul Smiths, did exceptionally well here this week and during his prize giving ceremony in the city center we were entertained by traditional Swedish music and winter celebration.br /span class=”Apple-style-span” style=”color:#0000EE;”br /span class=”Apple-style-span” style=”color:#000000;”br //span/spandivspan class=”Apple-style-span” style=”color:#0000EE;”span class=”Apple-style-span” style=”color:#000000;”span class=”Apple-style-span” style=”color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; “img src=”http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_k1DHbqzFvCE/SykSSRUB0ZI/AAAAAAAAAr0/8YIVAMm1nMs/s320/IMG_0023.JPG” border=”0″ alt=”” id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5415880131984085394″ style=”display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; ” //span/span/spandivbr //divdivI really enjoy skiing here in Ostersund and was here only a few months ago for a training camp. I felt ready for the season, but unfortunately had a challenging start this year. And as I am learning, that is sometimes how sport goes. Week one of racing is complete, and now its off to Hochfilzen, Austria./div/div/divdiv class=”blogger-post-footer”img width=’1′ height=’1′ src=’https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/1362992899157556571-3594802966011734646?l=comeskiwithme.blogspot.com’ alt=” //div

  • PNW Racing

    I thought it would be worthwhile to compile a list of upcoming events for the Pacific Northwest.br /br /Dec 28 –

  • The Season So Far

    With the 2010 Vancouver Olympics on the horizon, numerous athletes were vying for a chance to represent their country in February. Most of the usual suspects – Northug and Hattestad on the men’s side with Saarinen and Majdic – having risen to the top already. It appears Northug has started off where he left off last season even after a couple injuries in the summer and is tied with Finland’s Matti Heikinnen for top spot in the Overall standings. Even though Hattestad showed his immense power in Kuusamo to get his first victory of the year. He looked strangely human in Davos as he failed to qualify for the semi-finals, but even champions have off days…

    The utter domination of Majdic over the other athletes in the sprint will be put under threat this year as the women’s sprint field is far deeper in years past with more and more specialists coming through the junior ranks. Names to lookout for include a couple of Majdic’s teammates, Katja Visnar and Vesna Fabjan who will be serious threats for top 10 positions this year. Every weekend there seems to be a new name that qualifies in the top 30 and that trend will continue this year, especially on the men’s side with previously unheard of Russians, Norwegians, and Swedes posting impressive debut results and with more sprint races this year we should see more and more potential stars rise up and try to grab some of the spotlight.

    This season has seen two notable comebacks from Bjørgen to the form that spectators have come to expect in recent years by placing in the top 10 in every World Cup race she has entered thus far. Also, Kristina Smigun (now Smigun-Vaehi) is showing that she won’t be replicating the embarrassment of post-pregnancy Julija Tchepalova as she has already posted a podium place in Davos after coming back from the birth of her first born.

    Of course there have already been some surprises after only four World Cup weekends. None bigger than the emergence of Sweden’s Hanna Falk. The Swede has three top 10 placings in her first three World Cup starts, but it’s no co-incidence as she was a stand out junior, hitting the podium in almost every race she entered last year. It looks like the sky is the limit for this soon-to-be superstar. Adding her to Sweden’s sprint team has already paid dividends with a chances in the sprint relay with a 2nd place in Düsseldorf. The other surprise was Norwegian biathlete Ronny André Hafsås taking the first win of the season in Beitostølen. Even though there have been reports of him wanting to represent Norway in cross-country for the Olympics, I think he’ll be a long shot to make the team.

    On the North American front, Kris Freeman is showing no signs of weakness as he continues to chase that very elusive podium spot in the 15km classic. In Kuusamo, he missed the podium by 2.1 seconds. This is the third time he has been so close yet so far in World Cup and World Championship races in this technique at this distance. Last year in Liberec, he was 1.3 seconds out and in 2003 in Val di Femme he was out 2.1 seconds. Perhaps, he’ll be able to break the curse by seasons end with the current form he has? The Canadian team came out of the gates rather slow but after a very successful training camp in Davos, they hit their stride in last weekends World Cup. With some of the team flying home for Christmas, hopefully the remainder will continue the moment in Rogla.

    There is only one more set of World Cup races before the Christmas break and the Tour de Ski. We’ll have a much more detailed preview in the upcoming days.

    Til Then.

    ø

  • “Top 10 Things Not to Miss on Your Trip To Anchorage” coming this week. Major Alaskan…”

    ““Top 10 Things Not to Miss on Your Trip To Anchorage” coming this week. Major Alaskan community input has been thoroughly researched. You will laugh, cry, sing melodiously, scream in terror, and likely throw any J2’s at hand in front of speeding traffic after you read it.”br/br/ – em  From our sources to the north, just in time for the holidays./em

  • “Top 10 Things Not to Miss on Your Trip To Anchorage” coming this week. Major Alaskan…”

    ““Top 10 Things Not to Miss on Your Trip To Anchorage” coming this week. Major Alaskan community input has been thoroughly researched. You will laugh, cry, sing melodiously, scream in terror, and likely throw any J2’s at hand in front of speeding traffic after you read it.”br/br/ – em  From our sources to the north, just in time for the holidays./em

  • Change in Address

    There have been some changes behind the scenes at Nordic Xplained. The biggest being that we have changed blog sites. We are now over at

  • Midweek Videos

    Last week, the FIS linked to a video of one of Matti Heikkinen’s training days at Ramsau. The video’s sponsored by Polar, the Finnish heart-rate monitor company, so it is a bit Euro-cheesy and pretty heavy on the HR data, but it’s still an interesting look into an elite athlete’s training regimen. I guess his “long hard hill workout” (1:40 and 24km long, with an average HR of 160 bpm and 40

  • Davos

    the number 7

  • Speedy Recovery Part 2

    You guys absolutely need to check out this new video that some of the SMS boys put up. Click “Contrast Bathing” in the links side bar.br /br /We have been discussing the importance of recovery. If you want to be able to take full advantage of all the multi-workout days and time away from school during a camp, you have to recover well. Otherwise you need to skip workouts to rest. That equates to wasted time.br /br /After taking about the post training glycogen window the boys took it to a new level with speed chugging a 4:1 carb:protien beverage. Next we were on the topic of contrast bathing. The basic premise is to create a pump though constriction and dialation of the vascular system. This occurs through an extreme differential in ambient temperature. By submerging the body in a liquid you can maximize the conduction of the temperature deep inside the fatigued muscle fibers. By opening and closing the “pump” you can flush out metabolites, and possibly alleviate minor muscle trauma and inflamation, all of which remain from previous workouts. Once Mac and Magnus got wind of this idea they once again took it to a whole new level.br /br /What you see in this video opens a whole new realm in the area of recovery. This kind of breakthrough recovery performance is typically only seen at the highest levels of athletics. It is kind of like Mac showing up at 5k J2 race and finding out it is actually a 6k! He just shrugs it off and cranks out that extra K like nobodies business and dominates the event. br /br /Don’t try this at home or anywhere for that matter without first consulting a physician and your coach.br /br /Enjoy.div class=”blogger-post-footer”img width=’1′ height=’1′ src=’https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4680416899705879324-2646965787018772658?l=smsxc.blogspot.com’ alt=” //div

  • BC TO AB

    The team left Silver Star, British Columbia Canada yesterday morning and made the crazy-beautiful drive to Canmore, Alberta.

    One view from the back of the bus – not to shabby

    I woke this morning to a small head-cold and an unplanned day off. I will be out skiing tomorrow if things don’t get worse. For now, I am eating lots of Thyme, Cumin and heading for a nap.

    Back in connection with the World Wide Web (aka, World Wide sans our last location) so check back soon.

  • BC TO AB

    The team left Silver Star, British Columbia Canada yesterday morning and made the crazy-beautiful drive to Canmore, Alberta.

    One view from the back of the bus – not to shabby

    I woke this morning to a small head-cold and an unplanned day off. I will be out skiing tomorrow if things don’t get worse. For now, I am eating lots of Thyme, Cumin and heading for a nap.

    Back in connection with the World Wide Web (aka, World Wide sans our last location) so check back soon.

  • BC TO AB

    The team left Silver Star, British Columbia Canada yesterday morning and made the crazy-beautiful drive to Canmore, Alberta.

    One view from the back of the bus – not to shabby

    I woke this morning to a small head-cold and an unplanned day off. I will be out skiing tomorrow if things don’t get worse. For now, I am eating lots of Thyme, Cumin and heading for a nap.

    Back in connection with the World Wide Web (aka, World Wide sans our last location) so check back soon.

  • BC TO AB

    The team left Silver Star, British Columbia Canada yesterday morning and made the crazy-beautiful drive to Canmore, Alberta.

    One view from the back of the bus – not to shabby

    I woke this morning to a small head-cold and an unplanned day off. I will be out skiing tomorrow if things don’t get worse. For now, I am eating lots of Thyme, Cumin and heading for a nap.

    Back in connection with the World Wide Web (aka, World Wide sans our last location) so check back soon.

  • BC TO AB

    The team left Silver Star, British Columbia Canada yesterday morning and made the crazy-beautiful drive to Canmore, Alberta.

    One view from the back of the bus – not to shabby

    I woke this morning to a small head-cold and an unplanned day off. I will be out skiing tomorrow if things don’t get worse. For now, I am eating lots of Thyme, Cumin and heading for a nap.

    Back in connection with the World Wide Web (aka, World Wide sans our last location) so check back soon.

  • Five technique pointers

    Five technique pointers
    Tuesday, December 15, 2009

    Five technique pointers
    Now that most of the ski country has snow and skiing, I thought it would be timely to write about technique ideas. After all, the first snow means transition time from rollerskiing to snow, and the inherent bad habits can be carried over–or corrected–from summer training. It’s easy to create bad habits early on snow when you get fatigued– because the snow is slow, and the tendency is to ski a lot, getting you tired.
    The first pointer is to correctly tighten pole straps. This is not a silly idea, because it is rather helpful in setting up proper wrist position and allowing pendulum-like arm swing. So the pole straps should be tightened enough so that the poles stay up in the air when you extend the arm (like at the end of the arm swing.) So many times the mistake is for skiers to grab at the pole leading to “wrist-flicking.”
    Second, the wrists in poling need to be kept at a slightly flexed position . So when you are standing with your arms at your sides wrist flexion means to bring your fingers “in” or toward your body. Skiing with flexed wrists, as weird-sounding as it seems inconsequential, is key to proper body position. It helps to keep our arms close in to the body and preserve the relaxed arm swing. Skiers with extended wrists are often the ones trying to grab their pole handles (which are too loose), and this mistake sets them up for a bent arm swing.
    Third, is to ski with a pendulum arm swing. (This is the opposite of the bent arm swing.) The arm swing is the return motion of the poling phase, the recovery phase, and it is important for setting up good rhythm of the stride. Proper arm swing is what helps us propel down the track (arm momentum helps us run up hills easier), as well as create relaxation in the ski stride cycle. So the arm swings at the shoulder, like a pendulum.
    Four, is to adopt a upper body position with a rounded lower back. This position sinks the hips almost like squatting–but it’s really a pelvic tilt forward. This position allows the body to use the strong gluteal/hamstring muscle combination, rather than the quadriceps muscles. In order to NOT be squatting and to use a high-hips position we have to have flexed ankles, where we lean our entire body forward (with the soles of our feet on the ground) only through a bend in the ankles.
    Five, practice small ski movements through the use of specific isolation drills on easy terrain; Ie. ski classic and skate without poles and focus on the leg movements. Try to ski with hard pushes and gain lots of relaxed glide time. Or you can double- or single-pole on easy terrain, and again practice the relaxed arm swing.
    I hope these pointers can help you better understand proper technique and gain the most from early season skiing.
    John Bauer

  • Five technique pointers

    Five technique pointers
    Tuesday, December 15, 2009

    Five technique pointers
    Now that most of the ski country has snow and skiing, I thought it would be timely to write about technique ideas. After all, the first snow means transition time from rollerskiing to snow, and the inherent bad habits can be carried over–or corrected–from summer training. It’s easy to create bad habits early on snow when you get fatigued– because the snow is slow, and the tendency is to ski a lot, getting you tired.
    The first pointer is to correctly tighten pole straps. This is not a silly idea, because it is rather helpful in setting up proper wrist position and allowing pendulum-like arm swing. So the pole straps should be tightened enough so that the poles stay up in the air when you extend the arm (like at the end of the arm swing.) So many times the mistake is for skiers to grab at the pole leading to “wrist-flicking.”
    Second, the wrists in poling need to be kept at a slightly flexed position . So when you are standing with your arms at your sides wrist flexion means to bring your fingers “in” or toward your body. Skiing with flexed wrists, as weird-sounding as it seems inconsequential, is key to proper body position. It helps to keep our arms close in to the body and preserve the relaxed arm swing. Skiers with extended wrists are often the ones trying to grab their pole handles (which are too loose), and this mistake sets them up for a bent arm swing.
    Third, is to ski with a pendulum arm swing. (This is the opposite of the bent arm swing.) The arm swing is the return motion of the poling phase, the recovery phase, and it is important for setting up good rhythm of the stride. Proper arm swing is what helps us propel down the track (arm momentum helps us run up hills easier), as well as create relaxation in the ski stride cycle. So the arm swings at the shoulder, like a pendulum.
    Four, is to adopt a upper body position with a rounded lower back. This position sinks the hips almost like squatting–but it’s really a pelvic tilt forward. This position allows the body to use the strong gluteal/hamstring muscle combination, rather than the quadriceps muscles. In order to NOT be squatting and to use a high-hips position we have to have flexed ankles, where we lean our entire body forward (with the soles of our feet on the ground) only through a bend in the ankles.
    Five, practice small ski movements through the use of specific isolation drills on easy terrain; Ie. ski classic and skate without poles and focus on the leg movements. Try to ski with hard pushes and gain lots of relaxed glide time. Or you can double- or single-pole on easy terrain, and again practice the relaxed arm swing.
    I hope these pointers can help you better understand proper technique and gain the most from early season skiing.
    John Bauer

  • Uncover the Speed

    This past weekend was another tough one for the MOD Squad. We took part in two NorAm Cup races in Silver Star, B.C. where the competition rivals that of a National Championships. For the Canadians it determined Olympic team alternates, for the Americans it was another chance to earn those crucial points which would help pick our own 2010 Team. Sadie, Erik and I all went in hoping that we could turn around the pattern of disappointing races (with the notable exception of Sadie’s sprint result in Bozeman) and post a result to hang our hats on. For Saturday’s 15K skate race it was not to be; the continued fatigue resulting from our bout of overtraining earlier this fall prevented strong performances from any of us. Sadie posted a 22nd place finish and Erik and I were 64th and 59th, respectively.br /br /After Saturday’s race I clenched my jaw and looked towards Sunday. A skate sprint, it was my best event. Despite the fatigue, despite the poor performances that were already stacking up in the season, I was steadfast in my belief that I can throw down some speed. We had excellent speed and intensity training this year, and are confident that those abilities have remained intact. However, knowing that I probably didn’t have the stamina to be strong through all the heats, I set my sights on posting the strongest performance I could in the qualifying time trial. I started strong and tried to save my turbo for the final straightaway in the stadium. Despite this strategy, I certainly didn’t have “snap” across that finishing stretch; rather, I flung myself across the line in a somewhat haphazard frenzy. But soon after I finished I was told by several coaches and spectators that my time was well in range of the top guys. When the results list came out, I was 8th overall, 5th American. In a similar fashion, Sadie drove herself to a solid 16th and Erik was 32nd overall and 1st junior.br /br /My quarterfinal was more indicative of my current state. I again approached it with the damn-the-torpedoes mentality that if I had only one ounce of strength left, I was gonna leave it all on the trail. But 200m into the race I got tangled with two other skiers and went down, watching the five others ski away. There was no way I could regain the pack and hope to move on; they had put probably 10-15sec on me at that point. I jumped up and focused on a strategy of fighting my way back to at least finish in close proximity. I gained back maybe 8-10sec of what I lost in the fall by the finish, and was completely spent.br /br /a onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Mg2hQbkHkNs/SykdeModNcI/AAAAAAAAATc/BeyDRjHXFEk/s1600-h/Skiing+Nov-Dec+063.jpg”img style=”margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;” src=”http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Mg2hQbkHkNs/SykdeModNcI/AAAAAAAAATc/BeyDRjHXFEk/s320/Skiing+Nov-Dec+063.jpg” alt=”” id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5415892431513925058″ border=”0″ //abr /These early season races have taught us a hard lesson which we have all taken to heart, but from my perspective it’s been essential experience for us all. Aside from discovering where we need to show prudence in our training, these races have shown our strengths. Fighting through fatigue and flatness we have all posted significant results in the sprints, displaying our innate speed and power which needs only to be fostered with more rest to show its true potential. I’m confident we’ll be ready for Nationals in two weeks and will earn redemption for these early struggles. The fight continues.div class=”blogger-post-footer”img width=’1′ height=’1′ src=’https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/2910103639238326543-5382797940323599937?l=methowolympicdevelopment.blogspot.com’ alt=” //div