FasterSkier

Category: XCFeeds

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

  • A Look Back in Time – Ten Year Reunion on the Stelvio

    Reunion of sorts – Coach Beckwith (WJC ’99) meeting Peter Schlickenrieder (WJC ’89) – Moving Planet Day 2011

    The past few mornings I have been waking up early enough that I might be rivaling past Middlebury College Coach, Terry Aldrich in his zeal for the dawn.  This pattern lends to a feeling of courting a day — certainly being ready for it — and being unmistakably ahead of your colleagues (or in my case, athletes) in exuberance by the time they wake up.  Bottom line — as the GMVS XC Ski Team is nearing the end of our first altitude camp of the 2011-12 — the Head Coach is fired up!

    Today was a special day, not only because the kids got an excellent day of training on snow along side the Italian National Team, but because they got to link their passion to a bigger issue.  Today is a worldwide day of unity and awareness, drawn together under the name, Moving Planet — with the goal or reducing dependence on fossil fuels, looking to alternative energy sources and promoting a movement towards a world with 350 part per million of CO2.  We had a day we will never forget — one with snow, contemplation of our place in the world, and physical experiences (read, play) that link us to the planet in a respectful way.


    Speaking of days I will never forget, on the eve of competing in World Junior Champs in 1999, in Saafelden, Austria — I witnessed the then fastest man alive, Peter Schlickenrieder duel with the fastest Austrian sprinter in a night sprint.  The town had shut a street and lined it with snow — for a single ski race that lasted no more than a few minutes.  Sprinting as an event did not really exist yet, this was an exhibition to help launch the Junior World Champs, and I was blown away by this man V1’ing in a yellow suit at what-seemed-to-be the speed of light.

    Coach on an off day in Innsbruck.

    Return to courting the day … here I am with the kids, watching them ski along side Olympic Champions, Spanish, French, and Swiss Junior National Teams and the Sud Tirol Coach points to a man who looks to be dodging his forties rather well, “this one is Schlickenrieder…” I am enthused explain in my broken Deutsche-English, my memory of this phenom of a sprinter.  “He has made silver in Salt Lake in the Sprint.”  I watch him pass and dream a bit.

    Near the end of the workout I spy Peter propping his skis against the Stelvio sign and snapping a picture for his sponsor, Salomon.  I offer to help this idol of mine from years past — “Would you like me to take a picture with you in it.”  Boom — I’ve broken the ice and am now talking to an Olympic Medalist!  It takes me a minute to convey my story, but yes he remembers the sprint, and is flattered I have made the connection.

    Inspiring views surround the valleys of the Sud Tirol.

    We not only talk of ski racing, but also of the significance of the day and how Nordic Skiers are spokesmen for the environment.  He shares that he believes his homeland, Germany, is a world-leader in photovoltaics.  Most days he says he doesn’t have time for photos and chat, but he is very affable — offering that he is making a “revival” nearly ten years after taking the Silver Medal in the Sprint at the Salt Lake Olympics.  I am stoked and feel a real connection to this man who only existed before in my mind.

    It all starts with play — and a desire to try really hard at something.

    The view from our hotel — past castle ruins and into the Ortles Range.

    Looking out the Martell Valley after our roller ski the other day.  20 kilometers and some 4000 feet of climb.

    Shortly after this meeting I gather our team with the Sud Tirol Regional Langlauf team for a photo that makes me proud.  I explain the cause of Moving Planet and have a Swiss skier explain to the German-speaking-Italians what the significance of the day is and what we are supporting with our photo.  We are bringing together two continents and five countries under one cause and linked by the sport of cross-country skiing.  Pretty inspired indeed.

    Kinda makes you want to smile!

    Two hours on snow makes this one smile.

    This guy too — first day on snow for 2011-12 ski season.

    The view down into Switzerland.

     And for my play … well there is nothing I like better than going downhill on skinny skis — it sort of crosses the barriers of two worlds for me — and take me back to the beginnings of skiing for me and the sport itself.  Because of the recent snow — there are snowfields and bands of drifts that make a decent of several thousand feet possible.  I packed the kids in the van with Evan and pointed to a far switchback — “meet me down there.”  The ski was as adventurous as I had hoped, complete with crust, corn, rocks, grass, and some striding through a knee deep lake.  This is it!



  • From the Hometown

    This video comes from the descent down the local ski area access road where I grew up. The kids ripping through some prime apple, pear and cherry orchards in the Wenatchee Valley.

  • From the Hometown

    This video comes from the descent down the local ski area access road where I grew up. The kids ripping through some prime apple, pear and cherry orchards in the Wenatchee Valley.

  • From the Hometown

    This video comes from the descent down the local ski area access road where I grew up. The kids ripping through some prime apple, pear and cherry orchards in the Wenatchee Valley.

  • From the Hometown

    This video comes from the descent down the local ski area access road where I grew up. The kids ripping through some prime apple, pear and cherry orchards in the Wenatchee Valley.

  • Moving Planet Day on the Stelvio Glacier, Italy

    It was Moving Planet Day today, and we celebrated the cause by going skiing on a shrinking glacier in Italy. Opportunities like this one will become increasingly rare in the world unless we can commit to change worldwide. And this day—perfect on-snow skiing in September—shows us why such change is so important.
    What a perfect day!

    The first classic ski of the year was a great one: perfect kick on Rex Blue and Violet. 
    A meter of new snow fell earlier this week, so we could ski at 8900 feet today: 1600 feet lower than the top of the glacier where we skied last week. The sun was shining and spirits were high.

    You can’t really beat that view.
    Dev takes a moment to reflect on how much fun he’s having.

    Heidi and MK cruised around all day: early frustrations with the transition to snow were quickly forgotten. It’s pretty easy to see why.
    Look at that smile!
    Hans and Kaitlin taking in the scene: the entire Italian national team was skiing here today. It was pretty cool to ski behind Olympic and World Champions.
    Ryley skied some laps with a Swiss Junior skier. The international experience has been a huge part of this trip for the students and the coaches.
    10 years ago, speed skiers attained 207 kilometers/hr straight down this slope. Coach Beckwith handled it with ease himself, topping out at an estimated 40km/hr.

  • Moving Planet Day on the Stelvio Glacier, Italy

    It was Moving Planet Day today, and we celebrated the cause by going skiing on a shrinking glacier in Italy. Opportunities like this one will become increasingly rare in the world unless we can commit to change worldwide. And this day—perfect on-snow skiing in September—shows us why such change is so important.
    What a perfect day!

    The first classic ski of the year was a great one: perfect kick on Rex Blue and Violet. 
    A meter of new snow fell earlier this week, so we could ski at 8900 feet today: 1600 feet lower than the top of the glacier where we skied last week. The sun was shining and spirits were high.

    You can’t really beat that view.
    Dev takes a moment to reflect on how much fun he’s having.

    Heidi and MK cruised around all day: early frustrations with the transition to snow were quickly forgotten. It’s pretty easy to see why.
    Look at that smile!
    Hans and Kaitlin taking in the scene: the entire Italian national team was skiing here today. It was pretty cool to ski behind Olympic and World Champions.
    Ryley skied some laps with a Swiss Junior skier. The international experience has been a huge part of this trip for the students and the coaches.
    10 years ago, speed skiers attained 207 kilometers/hr straight down this slope. Coach Beckwith handled it with ease himself, topping out at an estimated 40km/hr.

  • Moving Planet Day on the Stelvio Glacier, Italy

    It was Moving Planet Day today, and we celebrated the cause by going skiing on a shrinking glacier in Italy. Opportunities like this one will become increasingly rare in the world unless we can commit to change worldwide. And this day—perfect on-snow skiing in September—shows us why such change is so important.
    What a perfect day!

    The first classic ski of the year was a great one: perfect kick on Rex Blue and Violet. 
    A meter of new snow fell earlier this week, so we could ski at 8900 feet today: 1600 feet lower than the top of the glacier where we skied last week. The sun was shining and spirits were high.

    You can’t really beat that view.
    Dev takes a moment to reflect on how much fun he’s having.

    Heidi and MK cruised around all day: early frustrations with the transition to snow were quickly forgotten. It’s pretty easy to see why.
    Look at that smile!
    Hans and Kaitlin taking in the scene: the entire Italian national team was skiing here today. It was pretty cool to ski behind Olympic and World Champions.
    Ryley skied some laps with a Swiss Junior skier. The international experience has been a huge part of this trip for the students and the coaches.
    10 years ago, speed skiers attained 207 kilometers/hr straight down this slope. Coach Beckwith handled it with ease himself, topping out at an estimated 40km/hr.

  • Ontario! (Plus a little…)

    This post has been a long time coming! After our return from Ontario, things got a little hectic around Canmore with big training weeks, camping adventures (next post!) and shutting down the Haig for the season. Now that all that is done, I have found a second to update everyone on the last month.
    If we go all the way back to mid August, the AWCA was in Whistler for a two week training camp. Whistler was amazing, it was great to get back to some of my favourite training spots and even explore some new hidden gems!
    So now you would probably expect me to go into detail about the wicked trip back to Ontario Emma and I had at the beginning of September. You see, the funny thing is I just spent the last hour and a half doing that and when I hit “publish post” I didn’t realize my computer had lost its internet connection  and I was brought to “the blank page of extreme frustration.”
    So now this update is going to be a photo montage of the last month. I will let the pictures do the talking with some captions underneath to string things together!

    Emma Lodge, mountain biker extraordinaire.

    Emma Lodge, motorcycle extraordinaire.
    Subway to downtown Toronto! Emma’s first time in the front car. COOL!
    CN Tower!

    Glass floor!

    WALL-E came!

    Tour of Caledon on the mountain bike in the bright sunshine! Belfountain conservation area!

    The badlands!

    Fishing and Kayaking in the Credit River

    Hiding from the rain under a huge willow tree.

    Camping in the old Westy at Cyprus Lake in the Bruce Peninsula National Park
    Running the Bruce Trail from Tobermory south
    Some incredible water, rocky beaches and rock formation.

    Looking out over Georgian Bay.

    Cave exploring!

    The “Grotto”
    Inside the Grotto!

    Finally returning to the van after a long day of running and biking.
    Sunset on the beach!

    Snorkeling!

    Rowing with my grandmother and my moms new dog “Pebble” back home in Caledon.

    Heading back to Calgary after a supper fun trip!
    Flying a snowmobile out of the back of the truck and into the Haig.

    Blue Rodeo in Banff with the Lodges!

  • Lake Placid to VT to PC

  • Lake Placid to VT to PC

  • Lake Placid to VT to PC

  • Lake Placid to VT to PC

  • Lake Placid to VT to PC

  • D-pole OD

    Andy joined us today and took some boys for “a ride”…. 50 kms of d-pole action.

    The roads were damp, but the rain held off and we had a good workout.
    Anika powers up one of the hills (she is looking strong).
    Mollie and Kate completed the WHOLE loop today.
    Anya dropped in for a visit (from UNH).
    Paddy allows as how his upper body got tired chasing Andy for 2:45.
    Everyone has the rest of the weekend to rest up!

  • Kincaid Time Trial

    The APU team and a couple of guys from UAA raced a time trial this morning. It was a classic race around 10 kilometers. Here is a picture from last years race.

    This year the trails weren’t quite as nice. The trails were covered with leaves, wet in some places. I guess that means winter is coming sooner this year, right? Sweet. There was a group of about 5 guys that stayed in the front pack. I ended up being able to pole away in the last kilometer for the win. Marc Iverson was second and Reese Hanamen was third.

  • Bounding/Skate Roll/Strength

    We wrapped up the school week today with two workouts: bounding intervals on our trail below the school before lunch (video of that coming soon) and an afternoon skate ski and strength in the gym. Brooke, Anika, and Mollie are hitting the tail end of rehab on their knees and legs, so they did a similar morning workout on their bikes out to the town of Stratton – 16 miles out and back. This afternoon we headed up to Lot 1 and warmed up with some loops, slaloms, and skate technique drills before getting down to business… a sweet game of keep away! Despite the steady drizzle, everyone kept moving and warm for a long, competitive game before heading back to the gym.

    Warming up and working on balance.
    T-bone’s got his game face on for keep away.
    Kate’s balance is getting better each day!

    Anika and Gino. Focused.

    Hamish, Gino and Tess.
    New Hampshire girls – Kate and Mollie.
    Leaves are starting to turn in Vermont.
    It takes a lot of time and K’s on your skis to move quickly in tight spaces, change directions, and feel balanced. Keep away is the perfect way to improve all of those things.
    Hamish vs. Charlie…

    Back to the gym for strength… it gets easier every week!

  • Climb To The Castle – Previous Year’s Comparison

    Since earlier this week I gave some context for what people’s performances would roughly translate into compared to how Kris Freeman and Liz Stephen skied on the WC last season, I thought I should provide some context for my context, so to speak.

    So the following two graphs show how various folks from last years Climb To The Castle did versus Freeman and Stephen (just to keep things consistent, even though Stephen didn’t win last year) in the rollerski race and then how they did against them during the actual ski season. You will see that there is quite a lot of variation. First the men:

    The red indicates their performance versus Freeman in the Climb to the Castle, and the black points are actual ski reason in the subsequent season. The occasional negative values (when folks beat Freeman) are generally from a Prologue, but not always. Noah Hoffman did the best against Freeman in the rollerski race, and that pattern mostly continued in the ski season. However, some people had much better luck against Freeman on snow than on pavement. This largely speaks to the pre-season nature of the Climb to the Castle and the vagaries of rollerski racing (i.e. different ski speeds). As for the women:

    These comparisons are a bit less informative, since I had to leave out the actual winner, Laura Spector, since I don’t have any actual ski races where she raced against Liz Stephen last year. Even so, you see basically the same sort of thing as with the men. Morgan Arritola did better against Stephen in the rollerski race than the other ladies, and that was often the case on snow as well. However, Jessie Diggins is an exception.

    Related posts:

    1. <Tour de Ski: Comparison To 2010
    2. <Race Snapshot: TdS Final Climb
    3. <Beitostølen FIS Race Recap: Women


  • The Italian Dream Continues…

    Italy continues to treat our team well! After a day and a half of rain (and snow up high), we’ve had nothing but sunny skies and warm temperatures in the valley. Enthusiasm is so high: it’s great to see everyone getting along and excited to train every day. We’re having trouble convincing our skiers to take days off! One mandatory break was a visit to nearby Innsbruck to pick up Haands Strudel (Hans). We got him at the airport, but his bags were delayed, so we checked out the Olympic city on the Inn River:
    Innsbruck’s major tourist attraction is the “Goldenes Dachl” or “Golden Roof” at the heart of the city. Built in 1500, the original structure still stands, with mountains rising in the background.

    These were the last moments before a huge rainstorm in the region that left the valley pretty soggy and the peaks snowy.

    The rain didn’t discourage us from training, though. Here Dev pegs his heartrate before the start of a bounding interval up the lower slopes of this alpine hill near the Austrian border.

    In the afternoon, we got inside for a strength session and were surprised by a giant treadmill for rollerski testing. The girls try it out, with Coach Beckwith ramping up the speed and the incline.

    I don’t know what’s brighter: the snow in the alpine or Kaitlin’s pearly whites: we’ve had some fun times since it got nice again.

    It’s good to have Hans around: he’s bringing leadership, focus, and fun to the group, not to mention an array of hipster t-shirts.

    Antoine has been our music guru for the past few days. We had a little dance party while waiting for keys to the kayak barn, and DJ Toine did not disappoint.

    Rock on.

    Our girl’s team is stronger than ever: they rollerskied uphill from Plaus to Oris the other day: three plus consecutive hours through the apple orchards in the valley here. Impressive!

    It’s hard not to be happy when we’re here.

    We’ve mixed up the training to keep everyone fresh: here the boys team goes for a run before kayaking. They don’t look tired, but they should: the day before, they took the train down to Marlengo, then skated 58 kilometers uphill back to Mals.  

    Kayaking is a great recovery workout: we get off our feet and work on core and upper body strength: it’s about as ski specific as you can get without using ski poles.

    We got all dressed up for our dinner at the Sport Oberschule: it’s been amazing to interact with the Italians here at the school. 

    We thought that one beautiful overdistance rollerski in three days wasn’t enough, so we headed up with the Italian biathletes to classic ski the Martell Valley.

    Our girls skied for a while with the Italians, who don’t classic ski very often (maybe once per week, they said). Then MK and Kaitlin pulled away: their fitness is evident in every workout we do.

    Hans kept a careful eye on his heartrate: we’ve got a pretty sweet log of the workout from the Garmin monitor he was wearing:
    Even gaining close to 5000 feet in elevation, and skiing at altitude, Hans and the rest of the gang did a great job of staying easy.

    The road has some serious switchbacks: here Coach Beckwith stands one level up and shoots down at the group.

    Pretty cool sequence of Ryley cruising around the hairpin turn.

    The views on this ski were spectacular in every direction.

    We’re not at the top yet, but the whole ski gave us reason to celebrate!

    The two “trainers,” Andy and Justin. Collaboration has been incredible this entire trip.

    Paradise Hotel: an historical Italian landmark at the top of the valley.

    The coaches made a little hike down into the gorge, while the kids hiked up into the mountains.

    It was a big day, and a good day. Italy is sweet!

    At the top with new friends.

    Is that Gavett? Maybe retired to the Sud Tirol in a few years?

  • The Italian Dream Continues…

    Italy continues to treat our team well! After a day and a half of rain (and snow up high), we’ve had nothing but sunny skies and warm temperatures in the valley. Enthusiasm is so high: it’s great to see everyone getting along and excited to train every day. We’re having trouble convincing our skiers to take days off! One mandatory break was a visit to nearby Innsbruck to pick up Haands Strudel (Hans). We got him at the airport, but his bags were delayed, so we checked out the Olympic city on the Inn River:
    Innsbruck’s major tourist attraction is the “Goldenes Dachl” or “Golden Roof” at the heart of the city. Built in 1500, the original structure still stands, with mountains rising in the background.

    These were the last moments before a huge rainstorm in the region that left the valley pretty soggy and the peaks snowy.

    The rain didn’t discourage us from training, though. Here Dev pegs his heartrate before the start of a bounding interval up the lower slopes of this alpine hill near the Austrian border.

    In the afternoon, we got inside for a strength session and were surprised by a giant treadmill for rollerski testing. The girls try it out, with Coach Beckwith ramping up the speed and the incline.

    I don’t know what’s brighter: the snow in the alpine or Kaitlin’s pearly whites: we’ve had some fun times since it got nice again.

    It’s good to have Hans around: he’s bringing leadership, focus, and fun to the group, not to mention an array of hipster t-shirts.

    Antoine has been our music guru for the past few days. We had a little dance party while waiting for keys to the kayak barn, and DJ Toine did not disappoint.

    Rock on.

    Our girl’s team is stronger than ever: they rollerskied uphill from Plaus to Oris the other day: three plus consecutive hours through the apple orchards in the valley here. Impressive!

    It’s hard not to be happy when we’re here.

    We’ve mixed up the training to keep everyone fresh: here the boys team goes for a run before kayaking. They don’t look tired, but they should: the day before, they took the train down to Marlengo, then skated 58 kilometers uphill back to Mals.  

    Kayaking is a great recovery workout: we get off our feet and work on core and upper body strength: it’s about as ski specific as you can get without using ski poles.

    We got all dressed up for our dinner at the Sport Oberschule: it’s been amazing to interact with the Italians here at the school. 

    We thought that one beautiful overdistance rollerski in three days wasn’t enough, so we headed up with the Italian biathletes to classic ski the Martell Valley.

    Our girls skied for a while with the Italians, who don’t classic ski very often (maybe once per week, they said). Then MK and Kaitlin pulled away: their fitness is evident in every workout we do.

    Hans kept a careful eye on his heartrate: we’ve got a pretty sweet log of the workout from the Garmin monitor he was wearing:
    Even gaining close to 5000 feet in elevation, and skiing at altitude, Hans and the rest of the gang did a great job of staying easy.

    The road has some serious switchbacks: here Coach Beckwith stands one level up and shoots down at the group.

    Pretty cool sequence of Ryley cruising around the hairpin turn.

    The views on this ski were spectacular in every direction.

    We’re not at the top yet, but the whole ski gave us reason to celebrate!

    The two “trainers,” Andy and Justin. Collaboration has been incredible this entire trip.

    Paradise Hotel: an historical Italian landmark at the top of the valley.

    The coaches made a little hike down into the gorge, while the kids hiked up into the mountains.

    It was a big day, and a good day. Italy is sweet!

    At the top with new friends.

    Is that Gavett? Maybe retired to the Sud Tirol in a few years?