FasterSkier

Category: XCFeeds

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

  • "Beyond Birkie Fever" Reaches #3 on Amazon!

    This is pretty exciting!  “Beyond Birkie Fever” recently got as high as #3 on the Amazon list for “Snow Skiing.”  It has trickled back down that list and is sitting at about #24 right now.  For some recent articles by the author Walter Rhein, check the most recent edition of Silent sports, with this article about David Landgraf.
    And here’s the prologue of the book which was featured in the latest

  • "Beyond Birkie Fever" Reaches #3 on Amazon!

    This is pretty exciting!  “Beyond Birkie Fever” recently got as high as #3 on the Amazon list for “Snow Skiing.”  It has trickled back down that list and is sitting at about #24 right now.  For some recent articles by the author Walter Rhein, check the most recent edition of Silent sports, with this article about David Landgraf.
    And here’s the prologue of the book which was featured in the latest

  • "Beyond Birkie Fever" Reaches #3 on Amazon!

    This is pretty exciting!  “Beyond Birkie Fever” recently got as high as #3 on the Amazon list for “Snow Skiing.”  It has trickled back down that list and is sitting at about #24 right now.  For some recent articles by the author Walter Rhein, check the most recent edition of Silent sports, with this article about David Landgraf.
    And here’s the prologue of the book which was featured in the latest Birch Scroll.
    The intent of “Beyond Birkie Fever” is to give kind of an overview of the life of an amateur cross-country skiier, and show how the American Birkebeiner can change your life.  This is a great book for anyone who enjoys cross-country skiing, or would like to learn more about the sport by reading a humorous and entertaining book.  Copies are available at the CyclovaXC retail store in St. Croix Falls (check out this review).
    Review copies are also available to people who…I don’t know…have won the Birkie (or at least have a blog lots of people follow), request one from the author by writing to walterrhein@gmail.com.

  • APU Program Wide Update….

    People often ask: What is APU? How does it work? You’re a University team that isn’t NCAA – What does that mean?  These are all good questions and yes, the format (if you will) of APU can tend to be confusing to people looking in on us from the outside.  However, here it is in a nutshell: We are community ski club based within a University such that skiers of collegiate age can attend school (undergrad or graduate) while pursuing ski racing at a high level.  Our community program is then built both below and above the University-based team in age.  We have APU skiers as young as 11 and as “senior” (!) as their mid-eighties!  In all, our total program membership involves over 200+ people directly on a regular basis.  It’s RAD.

     My sunrise ski at Glen Alps yesterday morning

    Here we are, a small club in Anchorage, AK that has duel goals of winning Olympic medals and teaching 11 year old how to huck jumps! Or, making it possible for University students to attend online classes while at training camp on Eagle Glacier and teaching a mother of four to V2 alternate. 

    Erik Flora, the APU elite team head coach and APUNSC Director wrote a great update to our programs at 3am this morning – I thought it was worth sharing.  It explains what each group has been up to the past couple of weeks!

    APU Program Members

    Winter is off to a great start! We have already had groups skiing at Glenn Alps, Hillside, Hatcher Pass, and Russian Jack. Glenn Alps and Hatcher Pass have mid-winter conditions. With snow in the air, it is a good time for program update. Of course there are 100 more items, here are a few.

    Junior Program has had a strong off-season of training. We have had full programs with lots of new faces and athletes reaching a new level of fitness. Part of the group participated in last weeks camp in Fairbanks. Next up is an early season snow camp in Hatcher Pass where they will focus on volume and technique (plus a whole lot of fun!). High School skiing started this week. Impressive as two junior team members were named to US National Training Groups Tarynn Hunt-Smith and Thomas O’Harra.

    Devo’s have been ripping up with coach Charlie, Erin, and Dylan. This group keeps on getting faster and faster. It is amazing to watch this group as they continue to have fun and explore the joys of ski training. Keep an eye out, if you see a group of unusually fast moving-jumping-excited kids blasting through the woods and across the trails. It is a good chance it is the Devo’s!

    Master Programs are in full-swing with Noon, Evening, and One-day Women Groups. Winter session has started off well with mix of dry-land and skiing at Hatcher Pass. The move to 2 and 5 day options has been a great way to get more people involved and enjoying ski training. We are excited to add a coach to the Master Programs this winter. Calisa Schouweiler is going to join Dylan and Sam for Evening Masters, Noon Master, and Women’s One-day. Calisa has a strong background in coaching. She will start in mid-November. More to follow.

    The Elite team is getting ready to travel. We have had a good summer with most athletes setting record amounts of training and new PR’s on interval courses. APU members Kikkan Randall, Holly Brooks, Sadie Bjornsen, and Lars Flora are heading to Norway next week to compete on World Cup. The rest of the team will focus on early winter domestic race series starting in Fairbanks, racing West Yellowstone, Bozeman, SilverStar BC, ending at Kincaid at Besh cup 1 and 2. After Christmas we are competing in Maine at the US Nationals, World cups, Alaska Races, and World Junior and U23 World Championships in Turkey. APU added more athletes to US Ski Team programs: Kikkan, Sadie, Erik Bjornsen, Kinsey Loan, and Celia Haering. Plus Men and Women current Super Tour Leaders Lars and Holly. The Elite team was on tonight’s 10 o’clock news, click here<http://www.ktva.com/home/outbound-xml-feeds/APU-Ski-Team-Preps-For-International-Competition-133115253.html> to watch. Best community outreach ye
     ar to date with athletes really busy hosting Fast and Female events, helping at kids events, and working at junior camps.

    Coaches have stepped up community support of nordic programs. Two of our coaches, Dylan Watts and Sam Sterling, are going to help with local high school programs. Dylan at West HS and Sam at East HS. Eric Strabel at Regional Elite Group camp at Hatcher Pass. Eric and Charlie will coach at Junior Nationals. Casey Fagerquist stepping up this fall to help World Cup waxing during fall schedule. Erik Flora coached 3 US ski team camps and First Tracks High School camp in Fairbanks. Plus we hosted a new Alaska “open” Junior Glacier Camp. This is a good year for coaches to extend their experience to help strengthen Alaska and US skiing.

    Good for our programs, Anchorage skiing is really good for early season right now. Glenn Alps and Hatcher Pass are race ski ready with good coverage. Russian Jack and Hilltop are skiable, but quite a few rocks/grass. The NSAA did a great job rolling Hilltop today. Let’s help Nordic Ski Club of Anchorage set record sales of trail pins. The more support they get, the better grooming we will see! click here<http://www.anchoragenordicski.com/membership.htm> to join.

    This is a great club to be a part of. I look forward to seeing everyone on the trails!

    Sincerely
    Erik

    Erik Flora
    Director
    APU Nordic Ski Center

  • APU Program Wide Update….

    People often ask: What is APU? How does it work? You’re a University team that isn’t NCAA – What does that mean?  These are all good questions and yes, the format (if you will) of APU can tend to be confusing to people looking in on us from the outside.  However, here it is in a nutshell: We are community ski club based within a University such that skiers of collegiate age can attend school (undergrad or graduate) while pursuing ski racing at a high level.  Our community program is then built both below and above the University-based team in age.  We have APU skiers as young as 11 and as “senior” (!) as their mid-eighties!  In all, our total program membership involves over 200+ people directly on a regular basis.  It’s RAD.

     My sunrise ski at Glen Alps yesterday morning

    Here we are, a small club in Anchorage, AK that has duel goals of winning Olympic medals and teaching 11 year old how to huck jumps! Or, making it possible for University students to attend online classes while at training camp on Eagle Glacier and teaching a mother of four to V2 alternate. 

    Erik Flora, the APU elite team head coach and APUNSC Director wrote a great update to our programs at 3am this morning – I thought it was worth sharing.  It explains what each group has been up to the past couple of weeks!

    APU Program Members

    Winter is off to a great start! We have already had groups skiing at Glenn Alps, Hillside, Hatcher Pass, and Russian Jack. Glenn Alps and Hatcher Pass have mid-winter conditions. With snow in the air, it is a good time for program update. Of course there are 100 more items, here are a few.

    Junior Program has had a strong off-season of training. We have had full programs with lots of new faces and athletes reaching a new level of fitness. Part of the group participated in last weeks camp in Fairbanks. Next up is an early season snow camp in Hatcher Pass where they will focus on volume and technique (plus a whole lot of fun!). High School skiing started this week. Impressive as two junior team members were named to US National Training Groups Tarynn Hunt-Smith and Thomas O’Harra.

    Devo’s have been ripping up with coach Charlie, Erin, and Dylan. This group keeps on getting faster and faster. It is amazing to watch this group as they continue to have fun and explore the joys of ski training. Keep an eye out, if you see a group of unusually fast moving-jumping-excited kids blasting through the woods and across the trails. It is a good chance it is the Devo’s!

    Master Programs are in full-swing with Noon, Evening, and One-day Women Groups. Winter session has started off well with mix of dry-land and skiing at Hatcher Pass. The move to 2 and 5 day options has been a great way to get more people involved and enjoying ski training. We are excited to add a coach to the Master Programs this winter. Calisa Schouweiler is going to join Dylan and Sam for Evening Masters, Noon Master, and Women’s One-day. Calisa has a strong background in coaching. She will start in mid-November. More to follow.

    The Elite team is getting ready to travel. We have had a good summer with most athletes setting record amounts of training and new PR’s on interval courses. APU members Kikkan Randall, Holly Brooks, Sadie Bjornsen, and Lars Flora are heading to Norway next week to compete on World Cup. The rest of the team will focus on early winter domestic race series starting in Fairbanks, racing West Yellowstone, Bozeman, SilverStar BC, ending at Kincaid at Besh cup 1 and 2. After Christmas we are competing in Maine at the US Nationals, World cups, Alaska Races, and World Junior and U23 World Championships in Turkey. APU added more athletes to US Ski Team programs: Kikkan, Sadie, Erik Bjornsen, Kinsey Loan, and Celia Haering. Plus Men and Women current Super Tour Leaders Lars and Holly. The Elite team was on tonight’s 10 o’clock news, click here<http://www.ktva.com/home/outbound-xml-feeds/APU-Ski-Team-Preps-For-International-Competition-133115253.html> to watch. Best community outreach ye
     ar to date with athletes really busy hosting Fast and Female events, helping at kids events, and working at junior camps.

    Coaches have stepped up community support of nordic programs. Two of our coaches, Dylan Watts and Sam Sterling, are going to help with local high school programs. Dylan at West HS and Sam at East HS. Eric Strabel at Regional Elite Group camp at Hatcher Pass. Eric and Charlie will coach at Junior Nationals. Casey Fagerquist stepping up this fall to help World Cup waxing during fall schedule. Erik Flora coached 3 US ski team camps and First Tracks High School camp in Fairbanks. Plus we hosted a new Alaska “open” Junior Glacier Camp. This is a good year for coaches to extend their experience to help strengthen Alaska and US skiing.

    Good for our programs, Anchorage skiing is really good for early season right now. Glenn Alps and Hatcher Pass are race ski ready with good coverage. Russian Jack and Hilltop are skiable, but quite a few rocks/grass. The NSAA did a great job rolling Hilltop today. Let’s help Nordic Ski Club of Anchorage set record sales of trail pins. The more support they get, the better grooming we will see! click here<http://www.anchoragenordicski.com/membership.htm> to join.

    This is a great club to be a part of. I look forward to seeing everyone on the trails!

    Sincerely
    Erik

    Erik Flora
    Director
    APU Nordic Ski Center

  • Drive for 25

    Please look over this, Our skiers as well as myself, need your help! Pass this on to anyone you know that is willing to help the Nordic Combined team out!

    What:  On November 15th, we are going to engage 4,000 members of our Combined Community, with help from your friends, to support our top developing athletes from the J1’s to the Continental Cup level.  We would like to ask you to be involved with this effort.  All of you already donate your time, energy and money to this sport.  And that is why we need your help.  You are already invested in the success of the athletes and the success in US Skiing.

    Why:  The US Nordic Combined is in serious financial trouble.  While we have improved from a nation that rarely placed a single skier in the top ten on the world cup, to a nation that won more medals in the 2009 World Championships and 2010 Olympics than any other nation, we are currently operating on a budget that is less than a tenth of our toughest competitors.  Our budget shortfalls are making it impossible for our younger developing athletes to afford the racing opportunities they must have to earn the required results that allow them to compete at the highest levels.  This summer, we faced two large budget cuts and another is looming.  The Drive for 25 Challenge offers the Nordic Combined community a chance to pull together and help keep our athletes competing.

    How:  There are two ways to be involved.  One, donate on or before November 15th at http://ncgeneralfund.cauasevox.com  or sign up to become a Drive for 25 Ambassador.  To agree to become an Ambassador, we need an email from you that requests to be added as a Drive for 25 Ambassador.  We are in need of 400 Ambassadors, so please give this request serious consideration.  As an Ambassador, you become the “make or break” link – to not only donate $25 to the NNF on November 15th, but we need you to provide us with an email list of at least 10 people who agree to also donate on November 15th.  More than 10 names is highly encouraged, but 10 is the minimum.  The general email list of donors will be sent a NNF donation link on November 10th, and reminded again on the 14th, and again on the 15th, the target donation day.  The list will then be out of circulation.

    Who:  You!  NNF, the National Nordic Foundation, is stepping up to fill these budget shortfalls.  The NNF depends on you to accomplish this mission.

    Imagine the impact of so many people donating on a single day.  Of course, anyone can donate at any time and they can donate as much as they want.  On or before November 15th, we all link into Causevox through www.nccsef.org or directly to http://ncgeneralfund.causevox.com/taylorfletcher .

    All of you already make a difference.  Let’s engage others to make a difference too.  Please join us in a time when money is tight and life is busy.  We have athletes skiing at a level that demands European racing exposure, but they lack the funds to get there.  They need our help, so let’s help them.  Much more than a fundraiser, it is an activation of our entire Nordic community at a critical time.  Let it be as large as possible.

    Thank you!  Please return an email to sign up or to ask any questions

    Taylor Fletcher
    tfletchernordic@gmail.com

  • Drive for 25

    Please look over this, Our skiers as well as myself, need your help! Pass this on to anyone you know that is willing to help the Nordic Combined team out!

    What:  On November 15th, we are going to engage 4,000 members of our Combined Community, with help from your friends, to support our top developing athletes from the J1’s to the Continental Cup level.  We would like to ask you to be involved with this effort.  All of you already donate your time, energy and money to this sport.  And that is why we need your help.  You are already invested in the success of the athletes and the success in US Skiing.

    Why:  The US Nordic Combined is in serious financial trouble.  While we have improved from a nation that rarely placed a single skier in the top ten on the world cup, to a nation that won more medals in the 2009 World Championships and 2010 Olympics than any other nation, we are currently operating on a budget that is less than a tenth of our toughest competitors.  Our budget shortfalls are making it impossible for our younger developing athletes to afford the racing opportunities they must have to earn the required results that allow them to compete at the highest levels.  This summer, we faced two large budget cuts and another is looming.  The Drive for 25 Challenge offers the Nordic Combined community a chance to pull together and help keep our athletes competing.

    How:  There are two ways to be involved.  One, donate on or before November 15th at http://ncgeneralfund.cauasevox.com  or sign up to become a Drive for 25 Ambassador.  To agree to become an Ambassador, we need an email from you that requests to be added as a Drive for 25 Ambassador.  We are in need of 400 Ambassadors, so please give this request serious consideration.  As an Ambassador, you become the “make or break” link – to not only donate $25 to the NNF on November 15th, but we need you to provide us with an email list of at least 10 people who agree to also donate on November 15th.  More than 10 names is highly encouraged, but 10 is the minimum.  The general email list of donors will be sent a NNF donation link on November 10th, and reminded again on the 14th, and again on the 15th, the target donation day.  The list will then be out of circulation.

    Who:  You!  NNF, the National Nordic Foundation, is stepping up to fill these budget shortfalls.  The NNF depends on you to accomplish this mission.

    Imagine the impact of so many people donating on a single day.  Of course, anyone can donate at any time and they can donate as much as they want.  On or before November 15th, we all link into Causevox through www.nccsef.org or directly to http://ncgeneralfund.causevox.com/taylorfletcher .

    All of you already make a difference.  Let’s engage others to make a difference too.  Please join us in a time when money is tight and life is busy.  We have athletes skiing at a level that demands European racing exposure, but they lack the funds to get there.  They need our help, so let’s help them.  Much more than a fundraiser, it is an activation of our entire Nordic community at a critical time.  Let it be as large as possible.

    Thank you!  Please return an email to sign up or to ask any questions

    Taylor Fletcher
    tfletchernordic@gmail.com

  • Drive for 25

    Please look over this, Our skiers as well as myself, need your help! Pass this on to anyone you know that is willing to help the Nordic Combined team out!

    What:  On November 15th, we are going to engage 4,000 members of our Combined Community, with help from your friends, to support our top developing athletes from the J1’s to the Continental Cup level.  We would like to ask you to be involved with this effort.  All of you already donate your time, energy and money to this sport.  And that is why we need your help.  You are already invested in the success of the athletes and the success in US Skiing.

    Why:  The US Nordic Combined is in serious financial trouble.  While we have improved from a nation that rarely placed a single skier in the top ten on the world cup, to a nation that won more medals in the 2009 World Championships and 2010 Olympics than any other nation, we are currently operating on a budget that is less than a tenth of our toughest competitors.  Our budget shortfalls are making it impossible for our younger developing athletes to afford the racing opportunities they must have to earn the required results that allow them to compete at the highest levels.  This summer, we faced two large budget cuts and another is looming.  The Drive for 25 Challenge offers the Nordic Combined community a chance to pull together and help keep our athletes competing.

    How:  There are two ways to be involved.  One, donate on or before November 15th at http://ncgeneralfund.cauasevox.com  or sign up to become a Drive for 25 Ambassador.  To agree to become an Ambassador, we need an email from you that requests to be added as a Drive for 25 Ambassador.  We are in need of 400 Ambassadors, so please give this request serious consideration.  As an Ambassador, you become the “make or break” link – to not only donate $25 to the NNF on November 15th, but we need you to provide us with an email list of at least 10 people who agree to also donate on November 15th.  More than 10 names is highly encouraged, but 10 is the minimum.  The general email list of donors will be sent a NNF donation link on November 10th, and reminded again on the 14th, and again on the 15th, the target donation day.  The list will then be out of circulation.

    Who:  You!  NNF, the National Nordic Foundation, is stepping up to fill these budget shortfalls.  The NNF depends on you to accomplish this mission.

    Imagine the impact of so many people donating on a single day.  Of course, anyone can donate at any time and they can donate as much as they want.  On or before November 15th, we all link into Causevox through www.nccsef.org or directly to http://ncgeneralfund.causevox.com/taylorfletcher .

    All of you already make a difference.  Let’s engage others to make a difference too.  Please join us in a time when money is tight and life is busy.  We have athletes skiing at a level that demands European racing exposure, but they lack the funds to get there.  They need our help, so let’s help them.  Much more than a fundraiser, it is an activation of our entire Nordic community at a critical time.  Let it be as large as possible.

    Thank you!  Please return an email to sign up or to ask any questions

    Taylor Fletcher
    tfletchernordic@gmail.com

  • Fall in Canmore

    November has arrived! We have been on snow for over two weeks, but we have had very little natural snow. Frozen Thunder has held up surprisingly well. Despite being a little icy in sections, the coverage is still good. The snow guns are out at the Nordic Centre, but they have only had a chance to blow a few hours here and there, so there isn’t much to speak of.
     Sunrise in Canmore last week

     
    A little bit of the natural stuff.

    It is amazing how just a little dusting of snow can really freshen things up! 

    Halloween!!  This is the pumpkin Emma and I carved. I got to do the mini gourd being eaten by Emma’s big pumpkin.

     Emma and I dressed up as Danny and Sandy from Grease. We looked pretty damn good.
     Russell Kennedy- The newly appointed DJ at the Bill Warren Training Centre. Russell put on a sweet show for all the skiers in town last Sunday night. Lasers, strobe lights, fog machines… he went all out.
    This past Tuesday we flew the groomer out of the Haig Glacier for the winter. It was the first time the cat had been out since it was flown up in pieces in the 90’s. Needless to say it was high time for a tune up! We had a special Kamov Ka-32 helicopter come in and lift the 10,000lbs beast off the Haig. Unfortunately, I was relegated to man the office at the BWTC, and wasn’t able to go partake in the fun. I was able to get a bunch of pictures from Mick for your viewing pleasure though!

     Alpine Helicopters smaller Bell 407 was used to fly in the ground crew and load master
     The much bigger Kamov 32K dual rotor lifting machine
     Preparing for lift off.
    After numerous failed attempts to lift the cat, they had to come back and drop some fuel and extra non-necessity items like the engineer, the passenger seats and the rubber floor mats to try and boost the lift capacity of the helicopter.
     Success!

     The tricky part, landing the cat on the flat bed.

     Final adjustments.

     The cat’s hydraulic reservoir was frozen solid so the truck took it to Exshaw where it spent the night in a garage to thaw out. It was driven into Calgary yesterday to begin its overhaul. Next spring we will be flying it back in for another long, frozen decade on the Haig glacier. 

    The past two nights I have headed into Banff for the Banff Mountain Film Festival. Tuesday night was Radical Reels, there were some great adventure films, unfortunately I couldn’t find any trailers for my favorites (Reel Rock: Ice Revolution, Reel Rock: Race for the Nose and Sketchy Andy) but the trailer below for the Reel Rock Festival shows clips from each. If you have an opportunity to watch any of the films, please do. They will blow you mind!!

    Last night was the Snow Show at the Film Rest. It was a full evening of ski movies that left everyone in the audience amped for the season to begin!

    Below is the trailer for All. I. Can., definitely one of the best ski movies I have ever seen! If you ever get a chance to watch it, the Trail BC segment with JP Auclair is phenomenal and has an important underlying tone. The whole video is packed with wicked skiing, incredible slow motion and time lapse shots as well as some unique opinions on how our world is changing.

    The Freedom Chair, another favorite for the night is a must see. One of the most inspiring ski video’s I have seen for sure.

  • Trail Run With Birkie Winner at CyclovaXC

    Here’s a nice picture of the intrepid trail runners heading out on Saturday of our Superfit weekend at CyclovaXC.  To the right of Frank is Birkie Champion and Olympian Caitlin Compton Gregg and her husband Brian Gregg.  We had a great time listening to Brian and Caitlin’s technique clinics (I’ll be posting some videos from those clinics in the upcoming days)!  Thanks for stopping by you guys,

  • Trail Run With Birkie Winner at CyclovaXC

    Here’s a nice picture of the intrepid trail runners heading out on Saturday of our Superfit weekend at CyclovaXC.  To the right of Frank is Birkie Champion and Olympian Caitlin Compton Gregg and her husband Brian Gregg.  We had a great time listening to Brian and Caitlin’s technique clinics (I’ll be posting some videos from those clinics in the upcoming days)!  Thanks for stopping by you guys,

  • Trail Run With Birkie Winner at CyclovaXC

    Here’s a nice picture of the intrepid trail runners heading out on Saturday of our Superfit weekend at CyclovaXC.  To the right of Frank is Birkie Champion and Olympian Caitlin Compton Gregg and her husband Brian Gregg.  We had a great time listening to Brian and Caitlin’s technique clinics (I’ll be posting some videos from those clinics in the upcoming days)!  Thanks for stopping by you guys,

  • Busy Day

    Anika warms up for the DP test.

    We had a very busy day today. The first quarter is ending so the kids have a bunch of tests in their classes, we had two training sessions and we had our fall sports banquet. Ye gads! Tomorrow we’ll back off and give them more time for studying with only 1 workout scheduled.

    Brooke & Mollie skiing together this afternoon.

    Winter termer Koby Gordon joined us today for practice today – great to have him out with the team!

    Our morning workout was a run with some pacing work. We ran 200’s at different paces from just below to just above 3 km race speed. The goal was to work on efficiency and everyone seemed happy with the results.
    Gino, Corky, & Paddy.

    Anika, Tess, Kate & Mackenzie.

    Tyler & Mac.
    This afternoon we ran our double pole test and then did a strength workout. The weather was beautiful, but cool. Cold temperatures make for slower roller ski times (poles don’t stick as well and wheels roll slower).

    Doing some plyos outside before hitting the gym.

    Tess and Koby catch air!

    Skiers of the day were Mollie (who set a PR even with the slow conditions), Mac and Hamish (who were each 2 seconds of their PR’s from faster days).
    Issy helps Gino out with some one-handed crunches off the glute-ham machine.

    Mac working on his explosiveness.
    Overall, the group looked good and we are confident that they are getting faster. More pictures from practice here.
    Here are the times:
    Andy 3:35
    Hamish 4:00
    Nick 4:06
    Paddy 4:11
    Tyler 4:16
    Charlie 4:18
    Gino 4:22
    Mac 4:39
    Calvin 4:55
    Koby 5:01
    Anika 5:13
    Issy 5:35
    Mollie 5:36
    Kate 5:56
    Tess 6:11
    Mackenzie 6:22
    We finished the day with our Fall sports banquet. Congratulations to Calvin and Issy P for being named Most Valuable Runners and to Gino and Tess for being Most Improved! At the banquet we showed a short highlight video from the state meet. Check it out below:

  • Busy Day

    Anika warms up for the DP test.

    We had a very busy day today. The first quarter is ending so the kids have a bunch of tests in their classes, we had two training sessions and we had our fall sports banquet. Ye gads! Tomorrow we’ll back off and give them more time for studying with only 1 workout scheduled.

    Brooke & Mollie skiing together this afternoon.

    Winter termer Koby Gordon joined us today for practice today – great to have him out with the team!

    Our morning workout was a run with some pacing work. We ran 200’s at different paces from just below to just above 3 km race speed. The goal was to work on efficiency and everyone seemed happy with the results.
    Gino, Corky, & Paddy.

    Anika, Tess, Kate & Mackenzie.

    Tyler & Mac.
    This afternoon we ran our double pole test and then did a strength workout. The weather was beautiful, but cool. Cold temperatures make for slower roller ski times (poles don’t stick as well and wheels roll slower).

    Doing some plyos outside before hitting the gym.

    Tess and Koby catch air!

    Skiers of the day were Mollie (who set a PR even with the slow conditions), Mac and Hamish (who were each 2 seconds of their PR’s from faster days).
    Issy helps Gino out with some one-handed crunches off the glute-ham machine.

    Mac working on his explosiveness.
    Overall, the group looked good and we are confident that they are getting faster. More pictures from practice here.
    Here are the times:
    Andy 3:35
    Hamish 4:00
    Nick 4:06
    Paddy 4:11
    Tyler 4:16
    Charlie 4:18
    Gino 4:22
    Mac 4:39
    Calvin 4:55
    Koby 5:01
    Anika 5:13
    Issy 5:35
    Mollie 5:36
    Kate 5:56
    Tess 6:11
    Mackenzie 6:22
    We finished the day with our Fall sports banquet. Congratulations to Calvin and Issy P for being named Most Valuable Runners and to Gino and Tess for being Most Improved! At the banquet we showed a short highlight video from the state meet. Check it out below:

  • New skis?

    Are you looking for some new skis?     Check out or available new skis from Atomic, Madshus, and Rossignol.

    The hand picked ski program continues for the 2011/12 season.   You get the skis you want, selected for you, from the best possible selection.

    CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS

    I work closely with the ski companies, knowledgeable World Cup skiers, coaches and servicemen to get the best possible information on ski fitting for each brand and model that Ultratune sells.

    All skis are selected using the Ultratune Digital Flex Press in our shop.  Whether you choose a ski from Atomic, Madshus or Rossignol, you’ll get a well-fitted ski with a fast base finish that will result in great performance.

  • New skis?

    Are you looking for some new skis?     Check out or available new skis from Atomic, Madshus, and Rossignol.

    The hand picked ski program continues for the 2011/12 season.   You get the skis you want, selected for you, from the best possible selection.

    CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS

    I work closely with the ski companies, knowledgeable World Cup skiers, coaches and servicemen to get the best possible information on ski fitting for each brand and model that Ultratune sells.

    All skis are selected using the Ultratune Digital Flex Press in our shop.  Whether you choose a ski from Atomic, Madshus or Rossignol, you’ll get a well-fitted ski with a fast base finish that will result in great performance.

  • Down with the Monster!

    Monster Blog Posts that is….. I’ll admit: I have been procrastinating with my posting because I have a nasty habit of being all-inclusive with my posts. I won’t write unless I have time to do a really, really good job and honestly, I’m crazy busy and those ultra productive long time windows don’t present themselves very often.  So, my goal is to make smaller posts more often – let’s see if I can do it? 
    Hatcher’s Pass, AK (this season!)
    In theory I’ll have more time for blogging & tweeting in just a few days.  My initial plane ticket departs from Anchorage late Saturday night and I’m scheduled to arrive in Oslo, Norway shortly thereafter.  However, the word on the street is that Beitostolen and really, all of Europe are suffering from lack of snow.  The entire US team is scheduled to compete in FIS opening races November 11-13 but they are threatening cancellation due to lack of snow.  Apparently just about every skier in Europe has flocked to Munio, Finland where organizers managed to save 3k’s worth of snow from last year (!) to roll out for training.  No offense to Munio, Finland, or the entire continent of Europe but I’m happy to be in Alaska rather than battling it out on a small gerbil loop with everyone else and their mom! 
    Enough about that though – here are some pictures from the lack couple of weeks….  in reverse chronological order, ENJOY!
     Our neighborhood get OVER RUN with kids on Halloween – plus we had a sweet snow storm.  Here I am with Ariana, my neighbor who dressed up as ME for Halloween. (I was super touched!)  Oh, and our snow/pumpkin man was a popular part of the night as well.  Lots of trick-or-treaters got their pics taken with him! 
     We (as in a big part of the APU crew) spent the last couple of days up in Fairbanks getting some quality time on-snow and helping out with the first annual “First Tracks” state-wide high school ski camp.  Approximately 65 kids from around the state received coaching from our coach, Erik Flora, and got to chase the APU elite team around Birch Hill for four hours per day.  There were some tired pups at the end of this camp, including me!  I was really impressed by the level of fitness that many of the skiers in the group had – plus, everyone had a fantastic attitude! 
    As if the First Tracks camp wasn’t enough busyness we capped off the long weekend with the first ever Fast and Female Fairbanks. Big props to Becca Rorabaugh for making it happen in her home town. It was a blast!
     Erica led an awesome yoga session 
     Erik Flora giving technique pointers early in the am, Birch Hill/Fairbanks
     Me and Ana, my team sprint partner!  Ana’s fitness and toughness was especially impressive.  Last Saturday she skied with Kikkan, Becca, and myself for hour 4 on the day – after our team sprint relay.  We weren’t skiing slow and this first year J2 hung with us for the last hour of the day!  Watch out for her in the races this year girls! 
     
    Hanging with some of the APU junior girls 🙂 
    Tired junior girls putting their feet up after a hard day’s training:
     
    On top of high quality skiing and coaching this camp was top-notch in the fun factor as well.  Friday night featured a Halloween dance complete with DJs and an official photographer.  The APU junior girls went all-out 80’s for the event!  A big shout out to Mike Hajdukovich and his organization, Challenge Life for doing a KILLER job in organizing the camp! (Check out his awesome website to learn about the cool basketball camps he hosts in remote Alaskan villages and towns).
     I had to add some pictures of the APU junior boys who have also been rocking it at training. These boys made L5 bounding look easy the other day!
     So fast the camera can hardly capture it! 
     Here’s a token shot of my Halloween costume.  I wore it for a running race last week and for the entire three hour OD in Fairbanks on Sunday! 
     Last week we also had an APU/AMH night were athletes and coaches help our juniors and masters hand-pick new set ups for the upcoming season.  Here I am with the Albo sisters and Salomon Complete packages!  SWEET! 
    ********
    There is a saying that is repeated often on our team: “If you want to be a swimmer, swim.  If you want to be a skier, ski!”  Well, that is exactly what we have been doing!  Even though it’s only the second day of November my timing has been on step this year as skiing at Hatchers was ready the day after I returned from Park City and skiing here in town at Glen Alps just got good – the day after returning from Fairbanks.  So far this fall alone I’ve logged 25 quality hours on snow. Add that the 75 hours of glacier skiing I did this summer and I’ve been SKIING!
    Here are a couple shots of Hatcher’s Pass, an incredibly dependable early season ski spot for South Central, AK. (Special thanks to the Strabel family for doing a KILLER job with the grooming up there too!)
     Lovin the skis! 
     Erik and Reese – not sure what’s going on here? 
     The team skiing in tracks, on Swix extra blue! 
     My friend Linda has a beautiful garden and she hooked me up with these brussel sprouts (my favorite veggie!) that she grew!
    On the way home from the Park City altitude camp I had a quick layover in Seattle to see my family.  Here I am with my dad, Farmor (grandmother in Swedish) cousin Zahra & my mom.  In our family we had four separate trips to the airport in one day…. a bunch of jet-setters! 
    Last but not least, I have to include some pictures from a weekend trip I took at the end of the altitude camp to Bryce Canyon, Utah.  When I made arrangements to attend the PC camp I knew I would be tired and ready for a change of pace at the end of a solid two week block. This summer my training has been incredibly ski-focused and I knew that I could benefit from spending a day in the red rocks with some good girlfriends!

    The spectacular Bryce Canyon with the moon overhead! 
    That’s a wrap for now…. I certainly didn’t succeed in killing the monster – (the post ended up huge as always!) but I’ll post again in the next couple days.  In the meantime, cross your fingers for snow in Norway & thanks for reading! 
    Sincerely, 
    Holly 🙂

  • Down with the Monster!

    Monster Blog Posts that is….. I’ll admit: I have been procrastinating with my posting because I have a nasty habit of being all-inclusive with my posts. I won’t write unless I have time to do a really, really good job and honestly, I’m crazy busy and those ultra productive long time windows don’t present themselves very often.  So, my goal is to make smaller posts more often – let’s see if I can do it? 
    Hatcher’s Pass, AK (this season!)
    In theory I’ll have more time for blogging & tweeting in just a few days.  My initial plane ticket departs from Anchorage late Saturday night and I’m scheduled to arrive in Oslo, Norway shortly thereafter.  However, the word on the street is that Beitostolen and really, all of Europe are suffering from lack of snow.  The entire US team is scheduled to compete in FIS opening races November 11-13 but they are threatening cancellation due to lack of snow.  Apparently just about every skier in Europe has flocked to Munio, Finland where organizers managed to save 3k’s worth of snow from last year (!) to roll out for training.  No offense to Munio, Finland, or the entire continent of Europe but I’m happy to be in Alaska rather than battling it out on a small gerbil loop with everyone else and their mom! 
    Enough about that though – here are some pictures from the lack couple of weeks….  in reverse chronological order, ENJOY!
     Our neighborhood get OVER RUN with kids on Halloween – plus we had a sweet snow storm.  Here I am with Ariana, my neighbor who dressed up as ME for Halloween. (I was super touched!)  Oh, and our snow/pumpkin man was a popular part of the night as well.  Lots of trick-or-treaters got their pics taken with him! 
     We (as in a big part of the APU crew) spent the last couple of days up in Fairbanks getting some quality time on-snow and helping out with the first annual “First Tracks” state-wide high school ski camp.  Approximately 65 kids from around the state received coaching from our coach, Erik Flora, and got to chase the APU elite team around Birch Hill for four hours per day.  There were some tired pups at the end of this camp, including me!  I was really impressed by the level of fitness that many of the skiers in the group had – plus, everyone had a fantastic attitude! 
    As if the First Tracks camp wasn’t enough busyness we capped off the long weekend with the first ever Fast and Female Fairbanks. Big props to Becca Rorabaugh for making it happen in her home town. It was a blast!
     Erica led an awesome yoga session 
     Erik Flora giving technique pointers early in the am, Birch Hill/Fairbanks
     Me and Ana, my team sprint partner!  Ana’s fitness and toughness was especially impressive.  Last Saturday she skied with Kikkan, Becca, and myself for hour 4 on the day – after our team sprint relay.  We weren’t skiing slow and this first year J2 hung with us for the last hour of the day!  Watch out for her in the races this year girls! 
     
    Hanging with some of the APU junior girls 🙂 
    Tired junior girls putting their feet up after a hard day’s training:
     
    On top of high quality skiing and coaching this camp was top-notch in the fun factor as well.  Friday night featured a Halloween dance complete with DJs and an official photographer.  The APU junior girls went all-out 80’s for the event!  A big shout out to Mike Hajdukovich and his organization, Challenge Life for doing a KILLER job in organizing the camp! (Check out his awesome website to learn about the cool basketball camps he hosts in remote Alaskan villages and towns).
     I had to add some pictures of the APU junior boys who have also been rocking it at training. These boys made L5 bounding look easy the other day!
     So fast the camera can hardly capture it! 
     Here’s a token shot of my Halloween costume.  I wore it for a running race last week and for the entire three hour OD in Fairbanks on Sunday! 
     Last week we also had an APU/AMH night were athletes and coaches help our juniors and masters hand-pick new set ups for the upcoming season.  Here I am with the Albo sisters and Salomon Complete packages!  SWEET! 
    ********
    There is a saying that is repeated often on our team: “If you want to be a swimmer, swim.  If you want to be a skier, ski!”  Well, that is exactly what we have been doing!  Even though it’s only the second day of November my timing has been on step this year as skiing at Hatchers was ready the day after I returned from Park City and skiing here in town at Glen Alps just got good – the day after returning from Fairbanks.  So far this fall alone I’ve logged 25 quality hours on snow. Add that the 75 hours of glacier skiing I did this summer and I’ve been SKIING!
    Here are a couple shots of Hatcher’s Pass, an incredibly dependable early season ski spot for South Central, AK. (Special thanks to the Strabel family for doing a KILLER job with the grooming up there too!)
     Lovin the skis! 
     Erik and Reese – not sure what’s going on here? 
     The team skiing in tracks, on Swix extra blue! 
     My friend Linda has a beautiful garden and she hooked me up with these brussel sprouts (my favorite veggie!) that she grew!
    On the way home from the Park City altitude camp I had a quick layover in Seattle to see my family.  Here I am with my dad, Farmor (grandmother in Swedish) cousin Zahra & my mom.  In our family we had four separate trips to the airport in one day…. a bunch of jet-setters! 
    Last but not least, I have to include some pictures from a weekend trip I took at the end of the altitude camp to Bryce Canyon, Utah.  When I made arrangements to attend the PC camp I knew I would be tired and ready for a change of pace at the end of a solid two week block. This summer my training has been incredibly ski-focused and I knew that I could benefit from spending a day in the red rocks with some good girlfriends!

    The spectacular Bryce Canyon with the moon overhead! 
    That’s a wrap for now…. I certainly didn’t succeed in killing the monster – (the post ended up huge as always!) but I’ll post again in the next couple days.  In the meantime, cross your fingers for snow in Norway & thanks for reading! 
    Sincerely, 
    Holly 🙂

  • Utah

    I just arrived home after an incredible three-week training camp in Utah.  One of the reasons that we always travel to Utah for October training is that it is one of the few places in the World with a great … Continue reading →

  • Utah

    I just arrived home after an incredible three-week training camp in Utah.  One of the reasons that we always travel to Utah for October training is that it is one of the few places in the World with a great … Continue reading →