FasterSkier

Category: XCFeeds

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

  • 4 Days ‘Til Winter

    We’re four days out from West Yellowstone- it’s about time.  And for the first time in a few years, it sounds like there is plenty of snow waiting for us.  I’ve been watching their webcam for the last week or so- yea, maybe a little weird but if you can’t be present for the first snow fall of the season, keeping it in a constant state of refresh online is probably the next best thing.

    This will be my first time back to West in a few years- I had to cancel a flight out there junior year at Middlebury because they didnt have snow.  We lucked out and got dumped on at Mont Ste. Anne that year.  Last year I didn’t even try buying a ticket- the races went off out there albeit on the plateau.  Again- we got lucky in the east at a little known, pretty obscure, and just straight up weird place called Salmon Hills in NY.

    It feels good that the waiting game with winter is over for this year’s Thanksgiving camp.  I’m not packing rollerskis- and that always feels pretty dam good.  Four to go until we get snow underfoot and that nice reminder of why we’ve been logging so many hours on cold and rainy roads.  Racing Season is here!

    -Yesterday’s conditions at Rendezvous-

    Yesterday's conditions at Rendezvous

  • 4 Days ‘Til Winter

    We’re four days out from West Yellowstone- it’s about time.  And for the first time in a few years, it sounds like there is plenty of snow waiting for us.  I’ve been watching their webcam for the last week or so- yea, maybe a little weird but if you can’t be present for the first snow fall of the season, keeping it in a constant state of refresh online is probably the next best thing.

    This will be my first time back to West in a few years- I had to cancel a flight out there junior year at Middlebury because they didnt have snow.  We lucked out and got dumped on at Mont Ste. Anne that year.  Last year I didn’t even try buying a ticket- the races went off out there albeit on the plateau.  Again- we got lucky in the east at a little known, pretty obscure, and just straight up weird place called Salmon Hills in NY.

    It feels good that the waiting game with winter is over for this year’s Thanksgiving camp.  I’m not packing rollerskis- and that always feels pretty dam good.  Four to go until we get snow underfoot and that nice reminder of why we’ve been logging so many hours on cold and rainy roads.  Racing Season is here!

    -Yesterday’s conditions at Rendezvous-

    Yesterday's conditions at Rendezvous

  • 4 Days ‘Til Winter

    We’re four days out from West Yellowstone- it’s about time.  And for the first time in a few years, it sounds like there is plenty of snow waiting for us.  I’ve been watching their webcam for the last week or so- yea, maybe a little weird but if you can’t be present for the first snow fall of the season, keeping it in a constant state of refresh online is probably the next best thing.

    This will be my first time back to West in a few years- I had to cancel a flight out there junior year at Middlebury because they didnt have snow.  We lucked out and got dumped on at Mont Ste. Anne that year.  Last year I didn’t even try buying a ticket- the races went off out there albeit on the plateau.  Again- we got lucky in the east at a little known, pretty obscure, and just straight up weird place called Salmon Hills in NY.

    It feels good that the waiting game with winter is over for this year’s Thanksgiving camp.  I’m not packing rollerskis- and that always feels pretty dam good.  Four to go until we get snow underfoot and that nice reminder of why we’ve been logging so many hours on cold and rainy roads.  Racing Season is here!

    -Yesterday’s conditions at Rendezvous-

    Yesterday's conditions at Rendezvous

  • 4 Days ‘Til Winter

    We’re four days out from West Yellowstone- it’s about time.  And for the first time in a few years, it sounds like there is plenty of snow waiting for us.  I’ve been watching their webcam for the last week or so- yea, maybe a little weird but if you can’t be present for the first snow fall of the season, keeping it in a constant state of refresh online is probably the next best thing.

    This will be my first time back to West in a few years- I had to cancel a flight out there junior year at Middlebury because they didnt have snow.  We lucked out and got dumped on at Mont Ste. Anne that year.  Last year I didn’t even try buying a ticket- the races went off out there albeit on the plateau.  Again- we got lucky in the east at a little known, pretty obscure, and just straight up weird place called Salmon Hills in NY.

    It feels good that the waiting game with winter is over for this year’s Thanksgiving camp.  I’m not packing rollerskis- and that always feels pretty dam good.  Four to go until we get snow underfoot and that nice reminder of why we’ve been logging so many hours on cold and rainy roads.  Racing Season is here!

    -Yesterday’s conditions at Rendezvous-

    Yesterday's conditions at Rendezvous

  • 4 Days ‘Til Winter

    We’re four days out from West Yellowstone- it’s about time.  And for the first time in a few years, it sounds like there is plenty of snow waiting for us.  I’ve been watching their webcam for the last week or so- yea, maybe a little weird but if you can’t be present for the first snow fall of the season, keeping it in a constant state of refresh online is probably the next best thing.

    This will be my first time back to West in a few years- I had to cancel a flight out there junior year at Middlebury because they didnt have snow.  We lucked out and got dumped on at Mont Ste. Anne that year.  Last year I didn’t even try buying a ticket- the races went off out there albeit on the plateau.  Again- we got lucky in the east at a little known, pretty obscure, and just straight up weird place called Salmon Hills in NY.

    It feels good that the waiting game with winter is over for this year’s Thanksgiving camp.  I’m not packing rollerskis- and that always feels pretty dam good.  Four to go until we get snow underfoot and that nice reminder of why we’ve been logging so many hours on cold and rainy roads.  Racing Season is here!

    -Yesterday’s conditions at Rendezvous-

    Yesterday's conditions at Rendezvous

  • Sean McCabe: a Friend, a Teacher, an Inspiration

    span class=”Apple-style-span” style=” color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 16px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;”p align=”left”spanspanspanspanspanspanspanspanspanspanspanspanspanspanspanspanspanspanspanspanspanspanspanspanspanspanspanspanspanspanspanspanspanspanspanspanspanspanspanspanspanspanspanspanspanspanspanspanspanspanspanspanspanspanspanspanspanspanspanspanspanspanspan class=”Apple-style-span” style=”font-size: small;”I decided that I wanted to be a professional cross country ski racer when I was 15 years old, during a 72 hour fast in the High Sierras of California. Sean my friend and teacher made the trip possible. Every year he applied for a scholarship for two high school students to attend an Outward Bound course. He and his wife Laura are two of my/spanspan class=”Apple-style-span”span class=”Apple-style-span”span class=”Apple-style-span” style=”font-size: small;” greatest role models and inspirations in life. Sitting near that stream many of the life goals I wrote down were a reflection of my goal to be like Sean. I still have my old journal and list of goals, several of which have been achieved. In May, Sean was diagnosed with thyroid cancer and given two weeks. Sadly Sean passed away last Saturday. Sean has made a great influence in so many lives and I will miss my friend greatly./span/span/span/span/span/span/span/span/span/span/span/span/span/span/span/span/span/span/span/span/span/span/span/span/span/span/span/span/span/span/span/span/span/span/span/span/span/span/span/span/span/span/span/span/span/span/span/span/span/span/span/span/span/span/span/span/span/span/span/span/span/span/span/span/span/pp align=”center”spanspan class=”Apple-style-span”span class=”Apple-style-span” style=”font-size: small;”img src=”http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_M9ps8F85nS0/SwHJ9Gee_MI/AAAAAAAAAjc/ENpXRBmEcHA/s400/sean_portrait_sm.jpg” style=”cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 266px; height: 400px;” border=”0″ alt=”” id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5404823079368981698″ //span/spanspan class=”Apple-style-span” style=”font-size: small;”br /Sean McCabe working on a Self Portrait (/spanemspan class=”Apple-style-span” style=”font-size: small;”Photo by John Hanron)/span/em/span/pp align=”left”spanspan class=”Apple-style-span” style=”font-size: small;”Sean turned one of the unfinished classrooms into the best rock gym I have ever been in. He would pick my brother and I up at 6:30am and we would go to the climbing gym at school. My brother and I pretty much lived in the gym, trying to work up to the incredibly challenging routes that Sean would pump out. Climbing with Sean there just made it more fun. Sean was usually the last teacher to head home at the end of the day and often we would climb after cross country running, ski or soccer practice and catch a ride with him. Sean spent long days at the office but always loved being home with Laura and their two beautiful girls Novie and Dashe. Although he loved his students he relished the summer months and the family’s climbing trips./span/span/pp align=”left”spanspan class=”Apple-style-span” style=”font-size: small;”In September I made it back to the Methow for my brothers wedding. Sean was having good and bad days, so wasn’t sure if he would be able to make the celebration but was certainly going to try. Just before the ceremony started I saw Sean with the girls out in the driveway. Already so happy for my brother and Alieta, I was a/spanspan class=”Apple-style-span”span class=”Apple-style-span”span class=”Apple-style-span” style=”font-size: small;”mazed that I could smile any bigger./span/span/span/span/pp align=”center”spanspan class=”Apple-style-span”span class=”Apple-style-span” style=”font-size: small;”img src=”http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_M9ps8F85nS0/SwHJ-N9UHbI/AAAAAAAAAj0/_lBvdHwnOQ8/s400/DSC_0404.jpg” style=”cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 237px; height: 352px;” border=”0″ alt=”” id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5404823098557210034″ //span/spanspan class=”Apple-style-span” style=”font-size: small;”img src=”http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_M9ps8F85nS0/SwHJ9zNT36I/AAAAAAAAAjs/Be2BsRHdcLU/s400/DSC_0405.jpg” style=”cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 237px; height: 352px;” border=”0″ alt=”” id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5404823091376545698″ /br /Chad, Alieta and Sean/span/span/pp align=”left”spanspan class=”Apple-style-span” style=”font-size: small;”A few days after the wedding I stopped over at the house to bring the McCabes some of the fresh apple cider we had pressed at the wedding. Sean and I had our last face to face conversation. As a testament to Sean’s character he was more concerned about me and my well being than himself. Although he did talk about his illness and the changes in his life. He talked about staying positive and of his love for his girls: Laura, Novie and Dashe./span/span/pp align=”center”spanspan class=”Apple-style-span” style=”font-size: small;”img src=”http://www.xcskilife.com/images/CAGWEdding%20237.JPG” width=”517″ height=”480″ /br /The McCabe Family: Dashe, Laura, Novie and Sean/span/span/pp align=”left”spanspan class=”Apple-style-span” style=”font-size: small;”For my birthday this year my mom and dad gave me a print of one of Sean’s paintings. Like the good twin brothers we are, Chad and I selected the same painting, ‘Cutthroat Pass’. Sean told me that he painted it from memory after running the 30 miles from Rainy Pass to Harts Pass solo. Cutthroat Pass, the name of the piece and one of the features of the run, is one of my favorite spots. It is a beautiful painting but holds even more meaning once you have run there early in the morning. I have yet to complete the full 30 mile journey, but I did get to run with Laura and Leslie the first few miles back in September./span/span/pp align=”center”spanspan class=”Apple-style-span” style=”font-size: small;”img src=”http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_M9ps8F85nS0/SwHJ9tIGA4I/AAAAAAAAAjk/7HoeRy9YR4o/s400/SM1024M4.jpg” style=”cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 309px; height: 400px;” border=”0″ alt=”” id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5404823089744053122″ /br /”Cutthroat Pass” by Sean McCabe/span/span/pp align=”left”spanspan class=”Apple-style-span” style=”font-size: small;”Check out more of Sean’s work online at /span

  • 5 days until I leave: Sweden, Austria Slovenia

    Monday morning is always the start of my training week and today marks the final week of dryland training for the 2009-2010 season. That means there are only 5 rollerski sessions left!divbr //divdivIt has been a great training year and I am really excited about heading into next week’s training camp and to kick off the World Cup season in Ostersund, Sweden. /divdivbr //divdiv class=”blogger-post-footer”img width=’1′ height=’1′ src=’https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/1362992899157556571-5596070874389357073?l=comeskiwithme.blogspot.com’ alt=” //div

  • 5 days until I leave: Sweden, Austria Slovenia

    Monday morning is always the start of my training week and today marks the final week of dryland training for the 2009-2010 season. That means there are only 5 rollerski sessions left!divbr //divdivIt has been a great training year and I am really excited about heading into next week’s training camp and to kick off the World Cup season in Ostersund, Sweden. /divdivbr //divdiv class=”blogger-post-footer”img width=’1′ height=’1′ src=’https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/1362992899157556571-5596070874389357073?l=comeskiwithme.blogspot.com’ alt=” //div

  • Ketchup to Beito

    divIn one week I went from being in East Montpelier, VT to being in Beitostolen, Norway!  Here is a bit of a picture book of my last 2 weeks./divdivbr //divdivbr //diva onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ObMdc4mpVIg/SwF0_NFhxYI/AAAAAAAAAOw/Q8UWAwTsCp0/s1600/Sept-Oct09+514.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/_ObMdc4mpVIg/SwF0_NFhxYI/AAAAAAAAAOw/Q8UWAwTsCp0/s320/Sept-Oct09+514.jpg” border=”0″ alt=”” id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5404729657014732162″ /div style=”text-align: center;”East Montpelier Elementary where I went to school.  Murals on the wall are still the same, but I swear the chairs and tables have gotten smaller!/div/adivdiv style=”text-align: center;”span class=”Apple-style-span” style=”color: rgb(0, 0, 238); text-decoration: underline;”br //span/divbr /a onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ObMdc4mpVIg/SwF0-sH_-9I/AAAAAAAAAOo/RRITNF2MXzA/s1600/Sept-Oct09+503.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/_ObMdc4mpVIg/SwF0-sH_-9I/AAAAAAAAAOo/RRITNF2MXzA/s320/Sept-Oct09+503.jpg” border=”0″ alt=”” id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5404729648166730706″ /div style=”text-align: center;”Berlin Elementary.  I was pleasantly surprised by how many kids had cross-country skied before.  Thanks to all three schools for being so welcoming towards me./div/adivdivbr /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/_ObMdc4mpVIg/SwFzJzA0gZI/AAAAAAAAAOQ/QyfqkCnCGKI/s320/IMG_0006.JPG” border=”0″ alt=”” id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5404727639970972050″ /div style=”text-align: center;”My Mom’s birthday party the night before I left.  I think she would tell you she just turned 30  and I would have to bet that if you met her you would believe her./diva onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ObMdc4mpVIg/SwFzKqEDe6I/AAAAAAAAAOg/r8SJVIiFapM/s1600/IMG_0064.JPG”img style=”display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 312px; height: 320px;” src=”http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ObMdc4mpVIg/SwFzKqEDe6I/AAAAAAAAAOg/r8SJVIiFapM/s320/IMG_0064.JPG” border=”0″ alt=”” id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5404727654748486562″ //adivdiv style=”text-align: center;”Me in the start gate with my East Montpelier Elementary Roadrunners /divdiv style=”text-align: center;”T-shirt, courtesy of the Kindergarten class!/divbr /div style=”text-align: center;”br //diva onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ObMdc4mpVIg/SwFzKczkArI/AAAAAAAAAOY/9JSBv-TUgxk/s1600/IMG_0060.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/_ObMdc4mpVIg/SwFzKczkArI/AAAAAAAAAOY/9JSBv-TUgxk/s320/IMG_0060.JPG” border=”0″ alt=”” id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5404727651189654194″ //adiv style=”text-align: center;”Same T-shirt in our wax room.  Quite a few skis, eh?!/divbr /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/_ObMdc4mpVIg/SwFzJukAnAI/AAAAAAAAAOI/Nnmxsg_URYI/s320/IMG_0048.JPG” border=”0″ alt=”” id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5404727638776388610″ /div style=”text-align: center;”First day in Beito.  Team heading to training./div/divdivdiv style=”text-align: center;”span class=”Apple-style-span” style=”color: rgb(0, 0, 238); text-decoration: underline;”br //span/divbr /div style=”text-align: center;”br //divbr /a onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ObMdc4mpVIg/SwFv_UF_ydI/AAAAAAAAAN4/ipScNrzqCco/s1600/IMG_0056.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/_ObMdc4mpVIg/SwFv_UF_ydI/AAAAAAAAAN4/ipScNrzqCco/s320/IMG_0056.JPG” border=”0″ alt=”” id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5404724161337608658″ /div style=”text-align: center;”span class=”Apple-style-span” style=”font-family:’trebuchet ms’;”/span/div/aspandiv style=”text-align: center;”Kikkan and Mo jumping over the trench that emerged from the time we walked to go ski and the time we walked home!  These Norwegians get after it!br //div/spandivdiv style=”text-align: center;”span class=”Apple-style-span” style=”color: rgb(0, 0, 238); text-decoration: underline;”br //span/divbr /a onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ObMdc4mpVIg/SwFv-22cETI/AAAAAAAAANw/D6TGKvKRDC8/s1600/IMG_0059.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/_ObMdc4mpVIg/SwFv-22cETI/AAAAAAAAANw/D6TGKvKRDC8/s320/IMG_0059.JPG” border=”0″ alt=”” id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5404724153487724850″ //a/divdiv style=”text-align: center;”Our daily lunch: Caviar, Fish paste, and Petter Northug bread.  Delicious./divdivdiv style=”text-align: center;”span class=”Apple-style-span” style=”color: rgb(0, 0, 238); text-decoration: underline;”br //span/divbr /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/_ObMdc4mpVIg/SwFv-jK9RkI/AAAAAAAAANo/aTZyjGTcbR0/s320/IMG_0079.JPG” border=”0″ alt=”” id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5404724148205078082″ /div style=”text-align: center;”Randy Hill, our sport scientist, thoughtfully brought a blow-up ice bath for us to travel with all winter!  Yay!  No, actually it is awesome and we have all been in it a lot this past week already.  Ice baths are the key to recovery, despite their less than appealing draw in the winter time./div/divdivdiv style=”text-align: center;”span class=”Apple-style-span” style=”color: rgb(0, 0, 238); text-decoration: underline;”br //span/divbr /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/_ObMdc4mpVIg/SwFv-eK8lII/AAAAAAAAANg/KuT4BtbrxpQ/s320/IMG_0114.JPG” border=”0″ alt=”” id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5404724146862855298″ /div style=”text-align: center;”Race 1 of 2009-2010 season.  10K skate for me, but some of the team started yesterday with a classic sprint.  It’s a great feeling to put on that bib for the first time and charge./div/divdivdiv style=”text-align: center;”span class=”Apple-style-span” style=”color: rgb(0, 0, 238); text-decoration: underline;”br //span/divbr /img style=”display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 276px;” src=”http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ObMdc4mpVIg/SwFv-Jh2C1I/AAAAAAAAANY/GWD2t7Xmdk4/s320/IMG_0121.JPG” border=”0″ alt=”” id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5404724141321751378″ /div style=”text-align: center;”Morgan Arritola getting a sweet ride from a really fast French skier.  Mo stuck with her the entire second lap and finished with her.  You get passed and you quickly re-focus and stick to them like glue for as long as you possibly can.  Mo did just that and had a sweet ride for an entire 5K.  The minute you let your mind go to the negative aspect of someone passing you, is the minute your race is over.  Re-evaluate, re-adjust and then re-focus.  First World Cup races are next weekend here in Beito./div/divdiv style=”text-align: center;”span class=”Apple-style-span” style=”color: rgb(0, 0, 238); text-decoration: underline;”br //spanbr //div/div/div/div/divdiv class=”blogger-post-footer”img width=’1′ height=’1′ src=’https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8313858291794282393-7958875657038836585?l=lizhstephen.blogspot.com’ alt=” //div

  • Quick Post

    Great weekend in Silver Star.

    Kuzz and Zimm post workout

    Kuzz and Zimm post workout

    Photo: Roberto Carcelean

    This trail is called Paradise. I wonder why?

    This trail is called Paradise. I wonder why?

    Finished up the week watching an awesome Packer game this afternoon, followed by an evening ski.

    If you’re looking for more reading, you can check out this interview I did for fasterskier.com last week.

  • Quick Post

    Great weekend in Silver Star.

    Kuzz and Zimm post workout

    Kuzz and Zimm post workout

    Photo: Roberto Carcelean

    This trail is called Paradise. I wonder why?

    This trail is called Paradise. I wonder why?

    Finished up the week watching an awesome Packer game this afternoon, followed by an evening ski.

    If you’re looking for more reading, you can check out this interview I did for fasterskier.com last week.

  • First Ten Days

  • WebSkis Blog 2009-11-15 16:30:00

    WHAT’S NEWbr /br /R D in the ski business is necessary these days. From a strictly business point of view, the competition is not sitting still, so neither can any other company. In the 80’s it was the adoption of synthetic materials and P-Tex bases. This year it seems to be reducing swing weight and improving handling. Here is a short piece on my impressions about new products at WebSkis this year. br /br /At the end of last season and the beginning of this, there was a lot of talk about the Fischer Hole ski. Fischer decided to take their lightest ski, the RCS Carbonlite, and remove material from the tip by cutting a whole in it. This idea certainly is noticeable and the ski is noticeably lighter. I got a chance to ski on these in May and spent nearly 4 hours on them. While they are not intended as a ski for all conditions, on hard, transformed snow they are quick, light and have a nice familiar Fischer stability and glide. I liked the ski and so did a lot of World Cup skiers who tried and accepted it right away. WebSkis, now an official Fischer Race Center, has a good supply of 192cm Fischer RCS Carbonlite Hole skis. They are only made in stiff flexes. br /br /br /a onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://www.webskis.com/uploaded_images/fischer-hole-ski-784610.jpg”img style=”display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;” src=”http://www.webskis.com/uploaded_images/fischer-hole-ski-784608.jpg” border=”0″ alt=”” //abr /br /The other new product from Fischer is actually a new version of an old friend. Skiers have long recognized the superior glide and feel of the good old RCS in soft and cold snow conditions. This year Fischer has introduced a Carbonlite version of the RCS they are calling the RCS Carbonlite Soft Track. It is a ski with Carbonlite construction (lighter than the old RCS) and the camber profile and flex characteristics of the 610 RCS. It excels in all the soft snow conditions that I skied in at MT Bachelor in May and June this year. No hole, but a light, stable, fast glider that is a stand out on steep uphills using V1. br /br /Not to be left behind, Madshus has a new ski that I had talked to the reps about for a couple years. This is a stiff version of the ski they used to call the Nanosonic SC (soft condition). A couple of things make this a ski a winner. It has a super stable platform from which to push to the next skate stride. That is the result of the stiff flex and the nearly straight sidecut of 44-43-44mm. It is solid, predictable and light. To decrease the swing weight of this ski Madshus has removed a significant amount of material from the tip. The new look is a lower profile and blunter tip giving the ski the nickname the 186 “Stubbie”. The 186 is the stiff version of the SC and the 196 is the more familiar soft flex variant. WebSkis is one of the few shops that has any of these new skis. (so new we don’t have a good photo)br /br /Maybe the biggest change made in any of the skis we have is in the new Salomon Equipe 10 skate skis. Even though Salomon has stopped its support of the “Factory Team” I think that you might see more of these skis on the feet of winners this season. In appearance the ski has a wider tip than the 08/09 version. It also has a layer of carbon fiber that goes farther forward in the ski that produces a more even pressure distribution. To me they felt more stable and had better glide per stride than the Equipe 10 last year. I liked the ski. The grinds on both the warm base and the cold base skis look better to me than before. br /br /br /a onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://www.webskis.com/uploaded_images/salomon-equipe-10-727520.jpeg”img style=”display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 246px;” src=”http://www.webskis.com/uploaded_images/salomon-equipe-10-727517.jpeg” border=”0″ alt=”” //abr /br /br /Something else should be noted about these products. Supplies are EXTREMELY LIMITED. Preseason orders were conservative and the companies chose not to over-produce their lines. If this is your year for new skis don’t think there could be a big liquidation sale at the end of the winter. I suppose that could happen, but based on the way people have been responding to these boards, I wouldn’t count on it. br /br /Have a good one,br /br /Bertdiv class=”blogger-post-footer”img width=’1′ height=’1′ src=’https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6589659500745667109-1235145072710587761?l=www.webskis.com%2Fwebskisblog.html’ alt=” //div

  • Steinbock vs Mother Nature… C.Cook

  • Steinbock vs Mother Nature… C.Cook

  • 3 hour warm up for Ski Erg World Champs

    This morning we started our day with a long OD run in ideal running weather, 40 and rain. We had three groups go from 1.5-3 hours on the sweet trail network behind Stratton Mountain. It’s really nice to have hours of runnable trails within 5 min of campus. The loop was actually pretty flat, and was combo of fun single track, logging roads and a short section of dirt road. We looked like the rainbow warriors with everyone getting dressed up for the opening day of Deer season. Sorry no pics due to the weather, but we do have the video belowbr /br /We ended right at lunch time and headed into the SMS dinning hall for a refueling break, maximizing the glycogen window. Then we hit the ski erg for the 1k Ski Erg World Champs! The team was a little off after the run but rallied for some pretty nice times.br /br /This list is in order of average 1k wattage/per KG body weight. We had to guess some weights so we may need to update the list Monday. For the championships, time is the winner. In the real world when you’re moving your body across the snow the power to weight ratio might be the number to look at. The formatting did not work when I added these results. Look for the numbers on the right that start with 4.30, 4.23 etc. Those are the watts/kg. The 03:34.4 etc. are the times. Next week…..5/10/15k Skate TT and Classic Sprints….stay tuned.br /br /FIRST LAST TIME watts/kgbr /Skyler Davis 03:17.9 4.23br /Bridger Tyler 03:34.4 4.00br /Austin Cobb 03:42.5 3.68br /Tyler Foulkes 04:07.0 3.60br /Austin Caldwell 03:48.6 3.49br /Magnus Bigelow 03:43.9 3.36br /Gage Fitcher 04:00.7 3.19br /Heather Mooney 03:54.5 3.06br /Isabel Caldwell 04:04.0 3.05br /Mac Fisher 4:00.1 3.00 br /Hallie Grossma 4:17.1 2.80br /Isabelle Pellitier 04:25.9 2.61br /Rachel Hall 04:33.7 2.49br /Brooke Mooney 04:25.4 2.31br /br /object width=”320″ height=”266″ class=”BLOG_video_class” id=”BLOG_video-2d8a4a0c733f7560″ classid=”clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000″ codebase=”http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0″param name=”movie” value=”http://www.blogger.com/img/videoplayer.swf?videoUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fvp.video.google.com%2Fvideodownload%3Fversion%3D0%26secureurl%3DqAAAAO3T1daHheEeH3ZcEQIwEb_kGzeu-O_ooo8yYfqeae36tf_JstMH6SCpg8nIIWPbI8dwa7gSrT8GDjTReuuog41Ye-WMo82wC6naOUsohKpJEAzafOVQFbJc0xZW1D56UZt4pZArIxmq2UT2nz16d8vtGhJIsKJh_P35jtOozmzw8KKbtwkkuh_rgMYmOjlDQfDI0-3g8cLb9paY2Fx6_3-J9Lr0_jCS1XJBQf34Ojq7%26sigh%3DmoQbJ-NvcONFA2EPwiwioYI_VR4%26begin%3D0%26len%3D86400000%26docid%3D0amp;nogvlm=1amp;thumbnailUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fvideo.google.com%2FThumbnailServer2%3Fapp%3Dblogger%26contentid%3D2d8a4a0c733f7560%26offsetms%3D5000%26itag%3Dw320%26sigh%3DWvsfjymlotd2tDSyABnVOq4ZWHkamp;messagesUrl=video.google.com%2FFlashUiStrings.xlb%3Fframe%3Dflashstrings%26hl%3Den”param name=”bgcolor” value=”#FFFFFF”embed width=”320″ height=”266″ src=”http://www.blogger.com/img/videoplayer.swf?videoUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fvp.video.google.com%2Fvideodownload%3Fversion%3D0%26secureurl%3DqAAAAO3T1daHheEeH3ZcEQIwEb_kGzeu-O_ooo8yYfqeae36tf_JstMH6SCpg8nIIWPbI8dwa7gSrT8GDjTReuuog41Ye-WMo82wC6naOUsohKpJEAzafOVQFbJc0xZW1D56UZt4pZArIxmq2UT2nz16d8vtGhJIsKJh_P35jtOozmzw8KKbtwkkuh_rgMYmOjlDQfDI0-3g8cLb9paY2Fx6_3-J9Lr0_jCS1XJBQf34Ojq7%26sigh%3DmoQbJ-NvcONFA2EPwiwioYI_VR4%26begin%3D0%26len%3D86400000%26docid%3D0amp;nogvlm=1amp;thumbnailUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fvideo.google.com%2FThumbnailServer2%3Fapp%3Dblogger%26contentid%3D2d8a4a0c733f7560%26offsetms%3D5000%26itag%3Dw320%26sigh%3DWvsfjymlotd2tDSyABnVOq4ZWHkamp;messagesUrl=video.google.com%2FFlashUiStrings.xlb%3Fframe%3Dflashstrings%26hl%3Den” type=”application/x-shockwave-flash”/embed/objectdiv class=”blogger-post-footer”img width=’1′ height=’1′ src=’https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4680416899705879324-8251284919728547348?l=smsxc.blogspot.com’ alt=” //div

  • 3 hour warm up for Ski Erg World Champs

    object width=”320″ height=”266″ class=”BLOG_video_class” id=”BLOG_video-d5e7c7d990e0e2ca” classid=”clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000″ codebase=”http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0″param name=”movie” value=”http://www.blogger.com/img/videoplayer.swf?videoUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fvp.video.google.com%2Fvideodownload%3Fversion%3D0%26secureurl%3DqAAAABjzXX0P2a8vxnDt-OvRPGAu4qCnQ8NMhjNr0G7qStoLnHUVCDb_mgFUaXcsmJ2DPG0eLvX3Y0XnHpLk7ad842KwGNSSDdSv2kbDw85Y2fbnRbgG2NZtmTFQ8ooXExWFCIDUnLuhiJRlOrf4rCb4hW4r8QBZuQTxmifn2ZCUt7Ac2aubhGy4nXokm9dTrIXqYrjIWRT3kpEE-I5le2czBl4U8-P0QAjFJzsDiyh22ZCU%26sigh%3D9vnSi2dnoe4eqjMHBKdwAcWrQ2I%26begin%3D0%26len%3D86400000%26docid%3D0amp;nogvlm=1amp;thumbnailUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fvideo.google.com%2FThumbnailServer2%3Fapp%3Dblogger%26contentid%3Dd5e7c7d990e0e2ca%26offsetms%3D5000%26itag%3Dw320%26sigh%3DIiJ7ojVNACiEsZsoKS1RCfowI-wamp;messagesUrl=video.google.com%2FFlashUiStrings.xlb%3Fframe%3Dflashstrings%26hl%3Den”param name=”bgcolor” value=”#FFFFFF”embed width=”320″ height=”266″ src=”http://www.blogger.com/img/videoplayer.swf?videoUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fvp.video.google.com%2Fvideodownload%3Fversion%3D0%26secureurl%3DqAAAABjzXX0P2a8vxnDt-OvRPGAu4qCnQ8NMhjNr0G7qStoLnHUVCDb_mgFUaXcsmJ2DPG0eLvX3Y0XnHpLk7ad842KwGNSSDdSv2kbDw85Y2fbnRbgG2NZtmTFQ8ooXExWFCIDUnLuhiJRlOrf4rCb4hW4r8QBZuQTxmifn2ZCUt7Ac2aubhGy4nXokm9dTrIXqYrjIWRT3kpEE-I5le2czBl4U8-P0QAjFJzsDiyh22ZCU%26sigh%3D9vnSi2dnoe4eqjMHBKdwAcWrQ2I%26begin%3D0%26len%3D86400000%26docid%3D0amp;nogvlm=1amp;thumbnailUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fvideo.google.com%2FThumbnailServer2%3Fapp%3Dblogger%26contentid%3Dd5e7c7d990e0e2ca%26offsetms%3D5000%26itag%3Dw320%26sigh%3DIiJ7ojVNACiEsZsoKS1RCfowI-wamp;messagesUrl=video.google.com%2FFlashUiStrings.xlb%3Fframe%3Dflashstrings%26hl%3Den” type=”application/x-shockwave-flash”/embed/objectbr /br /This morning we started our day with a long OD run in ideal running weather, 40 and rain. We had three groups go from 1.5-3 hours on the sweet trial network behind Stratton Mountain. It’s really nice to have hours of runnable trails within 5min of campus. The loop was actually pretty flat, and was combo of fun single track, logging roads and a short section of dirt road. We looked like the rainbow warriors with everyone getting dressed up for the opening day of Deer season. Sorry no pics due to the weather, but we do have the video above.br /br /We ended right at lunch time and headed into the SMS dinning hall for a refueling break, maximizing the glycogen window. Then we hit the ski erg for the 1k Ski Erg World Champs! The team was a little off after the run but rallied for some pretty nice times.br /br /This list is in order of average 1k wattage/per KG body weight. We had to guess some weights so we may need to update the list Monday. For the championships time is the winner. But in the real world when your moving your body across the snow the power to weight ratio might be the number to look at. The formatting did not work when I added these results. So look for the numbers on the right that start with 4.30, 4.23 etc. Those are the watts/kg. The 03:34.4 etc. are the times. Next week…..5/10/15k Skate TT and Classic Sprints….stay tuned.br /br /br /FIRST TIME watts/kgbr /Bridger 03:34.4 4.30br /Skyler 03:17.9 4.23br /Tyler 04:07.0 3.82br /J.A.C. 03:42.5 3.68br /Magnus 03:43.9 3.46br /Austin 03:48.6 3.39br /Heather 03:54.5 3.19br /Gage 04:00.7 3.19br /Hallie 04:17.1 3.06br /Isabel 04:04.0 2.95br /Isabelle 04:25.9 2.61br /Rachel 04:33.7 2.54br /Brooke 04:25.4 2.50div class=”blogger-post-footer”img width=’1′ height=’1′ src=’https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4680416899705879324-8251284919728547348?l=smsxc.blogspot.com’//div

  • “So the potatoes are harvested, now he is chopping wood for winter. One day my parents were planting…”

    “So the potatoes are harvested, now he is chopping wood for winter. One day my parents were planting some raspberry bushes outside Continental, the ski shop I work at and they got some help carrying dirt from a customer whose bike we were fixing. So my father starts carrying twice as much dirt now that there is some stranger outdoing him. The guy said he was impressed with the old man. I couldn’t believe it when I heard that. A cancer patient competing for bravado. A few weeks ago he had some former students and I come chop wood for him now he tells me he chopped a car load of wood by himself. He says black ash splits really nicely.”br/br/ – em Nikolai Anikin Jr. describing his father in an October 2009 post describing his health.  Nikolai Anikin Sr. recently passed away. (from Skinnyski.com)/em

  • Nikolai Anikin, second from left, at the 1956 Olympic Game. …

    img src=”http://3.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_kt46dnbT8D1qzt3xbo1_400.jpg”/br/br/pNikolai Anikin, second from left, at the 1956 Olympic Game.  (Corbis photos)/p

  • Nikolai Anikin taking the tag in the 1956 Olympic Games.

    img src=”http://11.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_kt466o5m5L1qzt3xbo1_500.jpg”/br/br/pNikolai Anikin taking the tag in the 1956 Olympic Games./p