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From the FasterSkier archive — posts syndicated from athletes’ and coaches’ own blogs between 2004 and 2012, kept online as published. Current coverage is at fasterskier.com.

Category: Racing

We are cross country ski racing enthusiasts. We race as much as we can all winter, and when we aren’t racing ourselves, we are following the many other races around the country and the world. From weekly recaps of local events, to the big stage of the World Cup, we have it all! So whether you are a competitor, a parent, or just a ski fan, this is the place for race reports, schedules, results, and more. Use the links below to view articles in a specific sub-category, or scroll down to view all Racing articles.

  • Report From Rossland, BC

    Some of the soggier memories of ski racing in New England flooded
    my mind this weekend at the Continental cup races being held in Rossland,
    BC. New England ski racers are brought up in an atmosphere of rain, slush,
    red klister, and back up race sites, so I felt right at home this weekend
    racing in a cool slushy drizzle. I’ve been on the road for almost
    two months now and I believe this weekend’s weather in Rossland was
    New England’s way of beckoning me home for the holidays. My apologies
    to the fine people of Rossland, if my presence at their races spoiled their
    luck with Mother Nature.
    Fortunately, the unusually warm weather in Rossland this weekend did not
    keep a determined group of volunteers from hosting a great event. The races
    had to be moved from Black Jack Ski Area to the Paulsen ski trails that
    are at a slightly higher elevation. Tents, outhouses, PA systems, generators,
    grooming equipment, shovels, and volunteers converged on the Paulsen trail
    system. Oh yes! There will be racing!
    Saturdays races were a 30km freestyle for the men and a 15k Freestyle for
    the women. The 30km race would cover four tough 7.5km laps. Each lap consisting
    of a kilometer of flat terrain, a monster kilometer climb, a couple kilometers
    of moderate V2 climbing followed by a long downhill section back into the
    stadium.
    The race was a battle. The first two laps went quite smoothly. An old pair
    of skis I had waxed were running well, a good thing because slow skis could
    have left a racer minutes behind after just once down the decent. I was
    climbing well, and my legs were putting in a solid effort on the grinding
    V2 section. But 30km’s is long enough for one to experience many different
    "racing mood" swings. By the third lap the puddles in my boots
    were squishing and sloshing, and my racing suit was completely soaked. I
    was instantly conducting a mid race experiment on the effects of trying
    to ice your legs not after the race, but during the race. By the bottom
    of the downhill my quadriceps had cramped from the cold and for a few seconds
    I could have been auditioning for a part in "Stilt Boy’s Winter
    Adventure". Luckily I regained blood flow to my legs and continued
    to slog through the final lap to the finish. It was certainly an event that
    makes all involved a bit heartier.
    Sunday’s classic races were held as the rainstorm began to clear.
    North America’s best did not fail to turn in impressive races, but
    it seemed pretty clear that everyone was ready to head home for the holidays
    after a tough few weeks of racing.
    At the moment I am in Bend, Oregon for a couple of days trying to consume
    as much Mexican food as possible before catching a flight home to New Hampshire
    on Wednesday. I can’t wait to get back to all that early New England
    snow that I’ve heard about and I’m getting psyched for the New
    Years Eve races that will be held in Presque Isle, Maine. I have full confidence
    that the Maine Winter Sports Center will put on a truly "big time"
    event. Easterners! Northern Maine is not so far away. I saw westerners drive
    10+ hours this weekend to do one ski race. I expect to see you all in Presque
    Isle. You won’t be disappointed. And soon after this the US Nationals
    will take place in Rumford, ME. All the big stars from last years US Olympic
    team will be in attendance and, trust me, they are ready to do battle. So
    bring your flags, bring your cowbells, and head to Maine. US cross-country
    skiing is exciting stuff when we all decide to show up. Happy Holidays,
    see you soon.

  • A Sneak Preview of Western College Racing in Breckenridge

    Hello, I am Duncan Callahan. I currently race for Western State
    College in Gunnison, Colorado, which competes in NCAA division I ski racing.
    I am in my third year at school and my second year of college racing after
    a red-shirt year. I am coached by Kendall Butts. I am very happy with
    where I am. Originally, I am from Glens Falls, NY where I started skiing
    six years ago, as a freshman in High school. I immediately fell in love
    with the sport and have been raising it to the next level and trying to
    raise it to the next level ever since. I have been keeping journals and
    records and training logs for five years now and have done a lot of writing
    for myself in my journals regarding my journey as a cross country skier.
    I have recently been interested in sharing my journey and this communication
    has lead to me writing for Fasterskier.com. It is exciting for me to share
    some articles in the hopes of keeping people informed about the Western
    College racing scene and the journey in the West and the State of Colorado.
    I will be sharing information about the races including results, weather
    and top performances. I will also be sharing some potentially exciting
    stories of training and travel. College ski racing is an exciting lifestyle
    and I hope to be able to give some insight into just such a life. I look
    forward to sharing with you all and hearing back some input perhaps: duncan.callahan@western.edu.
    So, enjoy, and if you learn one thing from my stories and experiences
    and race reports, learn to push your limits and enjoy the lifestyle. Thank
    you for reading.

    12/7/02 and 12/8/02
    Summit County, CO
    Breckenridge Golf Course, and Breckenridge Nordic Center

    CU, DU, and WSC showed up in full force to race against each other, other
    elite level skiers from around the country, the top Rocky Mountain Juniors
    from across Colorado and various citizen racers. Saturday the 7th was
    the classic race at Breckenridge Public Golf Course. Great grooming, great
    snow and an 11:00am start made for a fantastic day under the brilliant
    blue skies of 9,600 feet. The men and the boys led things off with the
    8km classic. Two 4km loops of long gradual climbs, and descents with a
    few little steep bumps thrown in made for a tough course: one without
    any rest. Highlights included Norbert Pelc of CU winning the men’s
    race with a time of 22:51. Hakon Johansen of DU was a close second in
    22:53 to lead DU. Kevin Taylor racing as an independent from Western State
    College led the way for the Mountaineers with a 13th place finish and
    a time of 24:34. Top juniors included Zach Hill of DU with a time of 24:06.
    Glenn Randall, Simi Hamilton, Ryan Ahern James Letson, and Dun Cochrane
    also were in there with the junior scene. Kyle Ahern from Summit was an
    impressive 8th place Junior. Nathan Schultz led the way for the non-college
    senior men in 4th place with a time of 23:01. Gary Giberson of Breckenridge
    once again hosted a phenomenal race with a well-organized staff of volunteers.
    The crowd made up of locals and coaches made for an exciting race. The
    women’s race was fast and competitive as well. Nina Karvenen of
    DU was the winner with a time of 27:02. Jessica Gray lead the way for
    the Western State women with a time of 30:16 in 7th place with Ida Martin,
    also of Western State, hot on her heels in 8th. Natalie Ward was the top
    non-college finisher with a time of 29:52. The junior women also were
    smokin’ fast out there led by Emma Catmur of Crested Butte. It was
    a great race with fantastic weather and predictable waxing. It was a perfect
    Colorado Day.

    Classic Race Results

    The Skate race was Sunday the 8th at the Breckenridge Nordic Center. The
    Daytons did a great job with grooming. Giberson once again did a great
    job with the timing and the volunteers were out in the cold with a great
    attitude. The men’s race was won by Nathan Schultz with a fast time
    of 20:46. Hakon Johansen was a distant second in 21:33 to lead DU. Norbert
    Pelc was CU’s top racer today with a 3rd place. Independent racer
    Kevin Taylor from Western State College skied a great result in 8th place
    with a time of 22:06. Josh Smullin from Cu was close to Taylor in 9th.
    The junior men’s race was a blistering one with Nick Sterling from
    CU barely edging out Glenn Randall of RMD. Simi Hamilton from Aspen was
    close in there as well. It was a great men and boy’s race on a great
    course. The women’s race was an extremely tight one that saw the
    top 6 finishers separated by 24sec. Karin Camenisch was the top racer
    from DU taking over the top position in 26:29. Jessica Gray from Western
    State was in 6th place and only 24 sec. out. Ingrid Butts from Gunnison,
    CO was a fantastic 5th place. The women’s race was a tight battle
    that is sure to lead to a fantastic college race season. Four of the top
    7 racers were from DU, CU, and WSC and are sure to lead the way this College
    season. The girl’s race was another battle out on the trails. Jenny
    Hamilton of Aspen took the top honors with Korie Steitz of Steamboat Springs
    a close second. The whole weekend was filled with fast times and incredible
    efforts.

    Skate Race Results

  • Norwegians Win World Cup Classic Races

    FasterSkier ed. note: North Americans Sara Renner and Milaine Theriault
    were 39th and 37th. Beckie Scott (sickness) and Justin Wadsworth did not
    race.
    A Return to Form for Norwegian Men
    Today's 30 classic for men in Cogne gave Norway a much longed for triumph.
    Frode Estil won the race, two centimetres ahead of teammate Anders Aukland.

    The participants in today's mass start for men woke up to sunshine and
    excellent conditions in the tiny Italian village. Eager to restore their
    reputation, the Norwegian entrants took the initiative from the start
    – led by Thomas Alsgaard and Anders Aukland.
    The lead changed hands many times during the race, but it took time before
    anyone tried to break away from the pack. Around the 20 km mark, a group
    of five skiers opened up a gap to the remaining pack. This group consisted
    of Anders Aukland, Frode Estil, Slovakia's Ivan Batory, and Matthias Fredriksson
    and Anders Södergren from Sweden.
    1.4 km later, Batory showed signs of weakness in the brutally steep hill
    that the skiers had to climb four times, and though he managed to catch
    the lead group shortly afterwards, he dropped off the pace again to finish
    fifth in the race.
    The last five kilometres turned out to be a contest between Norway and
    Sweden. Anders Aukland and Frode Estil pushed the pace, and only Fredriksson
    was able to stay in contention. The two Norwegians entered the finishing
    straight first, and Fredriksson had to settle for third place. It came
    down to a photo finish in which Estil's toe proved to be two centimetres
    longer than Aukland's
    Fredriksson finished only 0.7 seconds behind the two Norwegians, with
    today's pleasent surprise, Anders Södergren fourth.
    Other Norwegian entrants also had a good day.Kristen Skjeldal achieved
    his best result so far this year in 9th, followed by Tore Bjoneviken in
    10th.
    Thomas Alsgaard received one World Cup point by finishing 30th. He lost
    contact with the leaders early in the race, and struggled hard up the hills. Sweden's Per Elofsson has a long way to go before he has recaptured
    his form of last year, and finished 24th. Tor Arne Hetland and Russia's
    Vassili Rotchev did not compete in Cogne.
    Matthias Fredriksson now leads the overall World Cup standings.
    Men's
    30K Free Mass Start Results

    Another Skari Demonstration.
    The heavy favourite in today's 15 km classic mass start for women, Bente
    Skari, lived up to expectations. In a very convincing manner, Skari secured
    her 31st WC victory, 28.3 seconds ahead of Estonia's Kristina Smigun.

    At the sound of the start gun, Skari and Slovenia's Petra Majdic bolted
    to the front, closely followed by Anita Moen and Smigun. The latter took
    the lead around the 5 km mark,and together she and Skari opened a gap
    to the rest of the pack. More and more skiers fell off the pace, but Moen,
    Gabriella Paruzz, and sprinter Marit Bjørgen were all within 10
    seconds behind the leaders. With five kilometres to go, the Norwegian
    picked up the pace and the race was over. At the finish, Skari has nearly
    half a minute to spare over her closest pursuer.
    Norwegian skiers had a very good day in Cogne. Anita Moen outsprinted
    Italy's Gabriella Paruzzi to secure the third spot on the podium, whereas
    Marit Bjørgen and Marit Roaldset finished fifth and sixth respectively.
    In addition to this, veteran Hilde G. Pedersen came seventh, and Tina
    Bay 8th (picture).
    Bjørgen and Roaldset's performances were especially heartwarming
    for Norwegian fans.
    After today's mass start, Smigun leads the overall World Cup standings
    22 points ahead of Bente Skari.
    Women's
    15K Classic Mass Start Results

  • Swenson, Trygstad-Saari Take Continental Cup Victories

    US Ski Team veteran Carl Swenson continued his mastery of long
    skate races today in the Nor Am Continental Cup race outside of Rossland,
    BC. On the women's side junior skier Kristina Trygstad-Saari won her first
    Continental Cup race, beating out two skate distance specialists in the
    process.

    This weekends races were moved to the Paulsen Cross Country trails about
    30 minutes from Rossland because of lack of snow in town.

    Swenson, who is always considered a favorite in skate races of any distance,
    managed to take the win in today's 30 freestyle, ahead of Kris Freeman,
    who has finished in the top two in the last four Continental Cup races.
    Swenson was 18 seconds ahead of Freeman, but both of them were 1:45 ahead
    of the rest of the skiers. Lars Flora was third, Andrew Johnson 4th, and
    David Chamberlain 5th.

    The real story of the day was Kristina Trygstad-Saari of Bozeman, MT
    taking the win in the women's 15K race. Trygstad-Saari has been a top
    junior skier for a few years now, and today she proved she could ski with
    the best in North America. In the process, she beat out Jeannie Wall,
    the 2002 Birkie Champion and also from Bozeman, by five seconds, and beat
    another long distance specialist – Sarah Conrad – by 18 seconds. Daria
    Gaiazova (CAN – JR) was 4th, and Tasha Betcherman (CAN) was 5th.

    The Continental Cup continues tomorrow in Rossland with the sprints.

    Full
    Results Here

  • Lazutina Owes Bente Skari Money

    Norwegian newspaper Adressavisen has calculated that Larissa Lazutina owes Bente Skari approximately $3000 in prize money, although Bente is not counting on ever seeing any of it. At a World Cup race in December 2001, Lazutina tested positive for NESP—a blood enhancer similar to the more-common EPO. The positive result was not known until later in the season, allowing Lazutina to race until the end of the Olympics. Another positive test in conjunction with the 30 kilometer final event lead to her initial suspension and loss of the gold medal she won in that event.

  • Hetland is the Boss

    Tor Arne Hetland controlled the men's A-final in today's sprint competition in Clusone, Italy, from start to finish.

    After a 10th place in the qualifying round, Tor Arne Hetland, advanced through the quarter-finals and semi-finals to win the A-final in grand style. Germany's René Sommerfelt finished second, while Sweden's Anders Högberg og Jörgen Brink finished third and fourth resepectively. Brink was unfortunate to fall as the athletes entered the finishing straight. Besides Hetland, Trond Einar Elden was the only other Norwegian to qualify for the quarter-finals. Merited sprinters such as Håvard Bjerkeli and Trond Iversen could not manage better than a 25th and 28th place, respectively, in the prologue. Thomas Alsgaard disappointed again, and finished 31st. See below for full result from the men's sprint competition in Clusone.

       1 HETLAND Tor Arne 
       2  1101047 SOMMERFELDT Rene  GER 
       3  1238787 HOEGBERG Anders  SWE 
       4  1153621 BRINK Joergen  SWE 
       5  1365663 LARSSON Peter  SWE 
       6  1175058 KOUKAL Martin  CZE 
       7  1067485 ZORZI Cristian  ITA 
       8  1077670 PALOLAHTI Ari  FIN 
       9  1219193 PYYKOENEN Lauri  FIN 
       10  1374975 ROTCHEV Vassili  RUS 
       11  1254695 MAYER Marc  AUT 
       12  1248390 OESTBERG Fredrik  SWE 
       13  1376818 NEUNER Reinhard  AUT 
       14  1181072 SCHWIENBACHER Freddy  ITA 
       15  1223267 PASINI Renato  ITA 
       16  3420003 ELDEN Trond Einar  NOR 
       17  1093869 KREZELOK Janusz  POL 
       18  1025484 HASLER Markus  LIE 
       19  1344905 KURTTILA Keijo  FIN 
       20  1178162 ANGERER Tobias  GER 
       21  1008703 FAUNER Silvio  ITA 
       22  1066224 FREDRIKSSON Mathias  SWE 
       23  1370707 LIND Bjoern  SWE 
       24  1243540 OESTBERG Mikael  SWE 
       25  1228796 BJERKELI Haavard  NOR 
       26  1369446 KOURITSYN Aleksei  RUS 
       27  1378564 ILOMAEKI Jirka  FIN 
       28  1185340 IVERSEN Trond  NOR 
       29  1112105 YLOENEN Petri  FIN 
       30  1256829 KLESSEN Dirk  GER 
       31  1059628 ALSGAARD Thomas  NOR 
       32  1039646 KINNUNEN Marko  FIN 
       33  1257896 BONETTI Nicola  ITA 
       34  1235877 VON ALLMEN Peter  SUI 
       35  1223558 FRASNELLI Loris  ITA 
       36  1223364 DEBERTOLIS Bruno  ITA 
       37  1245480 SOLBAKKEN Haavard  NOR 
       38  1148868 BJONVIKEN Tore  NOR 
       39  1310470 KRECZMER Maciej  POL 
       40  1198144 RAUDSEPP Pavo  EST 
       41  3390001 JALLAI Erkki  EST 
       42  3420002 DAHL Jon Kristian  NOR 
       43  1171469 MASLOV Dmitri  RUS 
       44  3290026 RIGONI Mirco  ITA 
       45  1374587 BREDL Johannes  GER 
       46  3480011 OSSINKINE Dmitri  RUS 
       47  1140332 SOKLIC Matej  SLO 
       48  1116470 FAFALIS Lefteris  GRE 
       49  1268566 EIGENMANN Christoph  SUI 
       50  1173700 STOEGGL Thomas  AUT 
       51  1230930 SVARTEDAL Jens Arne  NOR 
       52  1088146 ANTAL Zsolt  RUM 
       53  1134997 AZEGAMI Daichi  JPN 
       54  3420007 HORNTVEDT Kristian  NOR 
       55  1297181 CATTANEO Marco  ITA 
       56  1298054 PASINI Fabio  ITA 
       57  1181169 MARIOTTI DORDI Klaus  ITA 
       58  1298442 THEODULE Valerio  ITA 
       59  1224140 SANTUS Fabio  ITA 
       60  1222782 CARRARA Bruno  ITA 
       61  1297569 GALLI Morris  ITA 
       62  3660002 PARCHEUSKI Mikalai 

  • Bjœrgen Sparkles Again in Sprint, Scott 6th

    Marit Bjœrgen secured her second World Cup triumph this season by winning today's sprint competition in Clusone, Italy, She beat the runner-up, Germany's Claudia Kuenzel, by 0.4 seconds.

    Bjœrgen was one of three Norwegians in the A-final. Teammate Anita Moen went out very hard, perhaps too hard, and faded to fourth in the last lap. Kuenzel held the initiative until Marit Bjœrgen made a decisive move up the last hill. The powerful Norwegian managed to hold off her strong German opponent to win her second consecutive World Cup sprint. The third Norwegian in the A-final, Maj Helen Sorkmo, finished third, 1.7 seconds behind the winner. As for other Norwegians, Hilde G. Pedersen and Ingrid Narum failed to get past the quarter-finals, wheras Bente Skari did not even survive the prologue. Reigning sprint World Champion, Finland's Pirjo Manninen, is on the comeback trail, and won the B-final ahead of Beckie Scott from Canada. Full results from the women's WC sprint in Clusone:

       1 BJOERGEN Marit 
       2  1220648 KUENZEL Claudia  GER 
       3  1041780 SORKMO Maj Helen  NOR 
       4  1002204 MOEN Anita  NOR 
       5  1255471 MANNINEN Pirjo  FIN 
       6  1128789 SCOTT Beckie  CAN 
       7  1367021 SIDKO Alena  RUS 
       8  1242958 OHRSTIG Emelie  SWE 
       9  3485032 KOROSTELEVA Natalia  RUS 
       10  1165940 HIETAMAEKI-PIENIMAEKI Elina  FIN 
       11  1094063 SMIGUN Kristina  EST 
       12  1260903 PEDERSEN Hilde G.  NOR 
       13  1113754 HENKEL Manuela  GER 
       14  1005017 VALBUSA Sabina  ITA 
       15  1355478 NARUM Ingrid  NOR 
       16  1256732 SACHENBACHER Evi  GER 
       17  1092123 RESCHWAMM SCHULZE Anke  GER 
       18  1293107 BOEHLER Stefanie  GER 
       19  1296114 KELDER Christina  ITA 
       20  1213761 KLAUS Isabel  GER 
       21  1058270 SKARI Bente  NOR 
       22  1002786 PARUZZI Gabriella  ITA 
       23  1109001 SENTELER Andrea  SUI 
       24  1305426 SKOFTERUD Vibeke W  NOR 
       25  1128886 RENNER Sara  CAN 
       26  1169432 NATSUMI Madoka  JPN 
       27  3665000 LOPATINA Viktoria  BLR 
       28  1203576 ROALDSETH Marit  NOR 
       29  1147801 BAY Tina  NOR 
       30  1138877 FOLLIS Arianna  ITA 
       31  1255665 SAARINEN Aino Kaisa  FIN 
       32  1322110 MOSKALENKO Olga  RUS 
       33  1250524 GENUIN Magda  ITA 
       34  1068455 HUBER Andrea  SUI 
       35  1139071 MORODER Karin  ITA 
       36  1254210 LAJSKAIA DENISOVA Marina  RUS 
       37  3485030 ROCHEVA Olga  RUS 
       38  3435001 KOWALCZYK Justyna  POL 
       39  1129177 THERIAULT Milaine  CAN 
       40  1222685 ROSA Anna  ITA 
       41  1215022 KOROLIK Ludmila  BLR 
       42  1351695 KOSHITA Yuka  JPN 
       43  1337824 MALOVA Ljubov

  • US National Website is now online

    The official website of US Nationals is now online. You can get all the info you need here:

  • World Cup Relay results from Davos

    Norway Dominates Relays in Davos.
    The official results show, however, that Italy won the men's relay ahead of Norway's first team which had a set-up consisting of Odd-Bjœrn Hjelmset, Frode Estil, Kristen Skjeldal, and Espen Bjervig.
    But, both teams were beaten by Norway's second team which consisted of Anders Aukland, Tore Bjoneviken, Tor Arne Hetland, and Thomas Alsgaard.

    The Norwegian first team controlled the women's relay from start to finish. Russia finished second and Germany third. Norway's victorious quartet consisted of Vibeke Skofterud, Bente Skari, Hilde G. Pedersen, and Maj Helen Sorkmo.
    Marit Bjœrgen showed impressive form on the first leg for Norway's second team. After a conservative start, she overtook all of her opponents in the latter part of the first leg.

    For full results from the women's 4 x 5 km relay, click
    here!
    For full results form the men's 4 x 10 km
    relay, click here!

  • October 2002 Training

    October Training

    Once again I’m
    a little late getting this report out – sorry about that!
    I’m writing this on November 9, right after having finished one of my best
    workouts of the year; a 4 x 6 minutes skate rollerski interval session. The road
    we used is perfect for rollerskiing -six kilometer of straight forward, 2-5% grade
    uphill, superb pavement and hardly any cars. I skied with two friends, John Aalberg
    and Dave Knoop. It was raining and snow was coming down higher up, but the PRO-SKI
    S2 skis sticks like glue on wet pavement and offers super kicks – end of
    advertisement (avoid leaves and freshly painted road markings).
     
    The first two intervals were done at a medium hard effort and we pushed it up
    considerably the second half of each of the last two intervals. On the last effort
    I was 2-4 beats from max for 3 minutes without blowing up. It felt great!
    I doubt that I have ever felt better in an interval session this year. For the
    first time ever John didn’t leave me in the dust – in fact I stayed with
    him to the end, and no he was not on the slower S3’s this time but on S2’s
    as well!
    After the interval John grinned and said:  “Torbjorn, not bad for an
    old man!"
    Well, today I felt more like 18!
    This is the type of workouts that makes everything worth it. This is as fun as
    any memorable race I will ever do and I keep memories like this for a long time
    – they keep me going.

    After the workout we discussed good racing memories. We concluded that no one
    can appreciate good “war” stories from summer and winter racing if
    they haven’t raced or trained hard themselves. You can't teach appreciation
    for the preparation that went into training, or for starting way too hard and
    “hitting the wall”, or for overdoing it with hard training, or for
    crashing hard in races, and so on. You have to earn that appreciation with your
    own experience. The stories are always getting better with age, and the old saying
    “the older I get the faster I was” describes it all.
     
    I have to disappoint those of you that were waiting to hear how Gordon and I did
    in the 5K running time-trial at Soldier Hollow in October. It didn’t happen.
    Gordon got a cold a few days before we had it scheduled, and the next attempt
    was prevented by a snow storm! We might try next week.
     
    Despite that, we trained well, did most of our planned rollerski and running interval
    sessions and both feel ready for the last month of dryland training and some ski
    training before we carefully starts the race season in December.

    Training volume last month:
    About 42 hours for Torbjorn and a little less for Gordon.
     

    John Aalberg
    (right)

    By the way John Aalberg
    (Former National Champion and two-time Olympian) is as hard core or worse than
    we are. He has started to do some work for TorbjornSport and that involves showing
    up for two weekly “company interval sessions”. He does those in addition
    to the two interval session he does with the local master group – TUNA.
    His advantage and the reason he can survive this is his running capacity. He still
    runs Agony Hill in 14.30 and that means that he is almost resting when doing running
    intervals at our pace – lucky guy.
     
    See www.torbjornsport.com for some
    good technique and training videos and books. It’s inspirational and you
    can learn a lot from watching good drills and good skiers in racing action. Torbjorn
    also offers a coaching service through that site and you can request info about
    it. But he is advising that you wait until the spring to join him, if you are
    interested in being a part of his coaching program.  
     
    November Training Suggestions.
    Continue to use the rollerskis in every other workout. Don’t skip classic
    double pole and double pole w/kick sessions even if you are a “skate only”
    skier. The strength gained from these sessions comes in handy in all skate techniques.
    Two weekly interval sessions is good for most people while some might be able
    to benefit from three such workouts.
    Example of interval/quality sessions for November:
    2-3-4-2-3-4 minutes
    4 x 4-6 minutes
    1-2 pace or time-trials lasting from 15-30 minutes. One as running and one as
    rollerskiing.
     
    Example Week for Dryland Training
    Monday – Distance roll or run 50 minutes to 1.40.
    Tuesday -Rollerski intervals: 2-3-4-2-3-4 minutes
    Wednesday – Weights 45 minutes
    Thursday – Off
    Friday – Distance 50 minutes – 2 hours
    Saturday – Roll or running intervals: 4 x 4-6 minutes
    Sunday – Long distance workout
    A second weight session can be added during the weekend as a PM session.
     
    Transition to snow
    Ski 3-4 distance sessions before doing intervals on snow.
    Limit the length of the first sessions on snow to 2 hours. I don’t recommend
    skiing twice per day if you suddenly are in a training camp situation for more
    than 3-4 days.
    In such cases, ski in the morning and jog or do weights in the afternoon for the
    first 3-4 days. The reason for this is that only those who have rollerskied a
    lot in the fall can handle this type of transition without getting very tired
    the following week. One double ski session is OK. Ski short distance sessions
    if you want to ski twice per day in the beginning. Include some skiing without
    poles for 10-15 minutes every other day. I like best the diagonal arms style drill
    showed in my
    recent article about rollerskiing in California     – 4th photo. This is
    a great balance and coordination exercise. Work on stretching the kick leg. Kick
    yourself “forward and over” in one motion. Move one arm far forward
    and the other one far back. Help the kicks with the arm motions!
    Join us for our December
    on snow camp     if you need help with your technique or a kick in the butt –
    we’ll do both!
    Enjoy the training,
    Torbjorn

  • West Yellowstone Sprint Recap

    Kikkan
    Randall

    Nov 30 –
    US Development team skier and APU racer Kikkan Randall managed to out
    race Katja Ivanova for the win on Saturday in West Yellowstone Montana.
    Rossignol’s Brook Baughman took third ahead of Aelin Peterson, who
    won the sprint in Fairbanks. A crash took Aelin out of the race in the
    first hundred meters, but the real story of the day was Katna Ivanova
    who won the prelim by four seconds over Aelin and US Ski Team skier Wendy
    Wagner.

    In the men’s race, a broken pole stole any chance of victory for
    prelim winner Torin Koos of the US Ski Team. Torin’s prelim time
    was almost two seconds better than second place Lars Flora, who ended
    up second in the final just behind winner, David Chamberlain. Chamberlain
    of the Maine Winter Sports Center and LL Bean had a very strong weekend

    David
    Chamberlain

    Full
    Results


    Men’s Prelim
    1. Torin Koos. USST. 1:52
    2. Lars Flora. Unattached. 1:54
    3. Andrew Newell. USST-D. 1:54 (Junior)

    Women’s Prelim
    1. Katja Ianova. Rossi. 2:10
    2. Aelin Peterson. Alpina. 2:14
    3. Wendy Wagner. USST. 2:15

    Men’s final
    1. David Chamberlain. MWSC/LL Bean
    2. Lars Flora
    3. Colin Mahood. Rossi
    4. Torin Koos. USST

    Women’s final
    1. Kikkan Randall. APU/USST-D
    2. Katja Ivanova. Rossi.
    3. Brook Baughman. Rossi.
    4. Aelin Peterson. Alpina

    Next stop on the Nor/Am circuit is Silverstar, BC, Canada.

  • Wadsworth 22nd, Scott 15th in Davos Skate Race

    In World Cup racing action today in Davos, Switzerland, Justin
    Wadsworth finished the 15K freestyle race in 22nd place. Mathias Fredriksson
    (SWE) won in 36:05. He was followed by Vincent Vittoz (FRA – 36:07), who
    takes over the Overall World Cup lead – becoming the first Frenchman to
    do so, and Fulvio Valbusa (ITA – 36:14). Justin's time of 37:21 was impressive
    considering that he had to raise his own money to get there, traveled on
    his own, took the train from the airport to Davos, has no coaching staff,
    and had to borrow wax support from the Canadian team. He finished
    ahead of big names like Cristian Zorzi (ITA – 37:33) and Thomas Alsgaard
    (NOR – 37:46).
    Men's
    15K Results


    Picture from Davos sent to us by Justin Wadsworth

    Canadian Beckie Scott finished the 10K Free in 15th place, just under a minute
    behind winner Bente Skari of Norway. Kristina Smigun (EST) was second (three
    seconds back) and Gabriella Paruzzi (ITA) was third (22 seconds back). Skari
    is usually known for her dominance in classic skiing, so this win in skating
    could be a bad sign for other skiers hoping to challenge her for the Overall
    World Cup title.

    Beckie's time was
    less than a second from 12th, and 30 seconds from top five. Canadian Sara Renner
    also scored World Cup point finishing 29th, about 40 seconds behind Beckie.
    Women's
    10K Free Results

  • Silver Star Recap: Wagner and Freemans continue to roll

    Wagner…again

    Freeman duo…again

    Silver Star, BC, Canada. The Freeman duo has done it again. This time younger brother Kris Freeman of the US Ski Team out skied his brother Justin by a bit over half a minute. In third was Andrew Johnson of the US Ski Team who is starting to get into real race shape.

    David Chamberlain had another good race, placing fourth just a head of Carl Swenson of the US Ski Team.

  • The Nor-Am circuit cranks up the action in BC, Canada!

    Thursday: 10 and 15km Classic. The scenario. Wednesday the course skied perfectly with a cold klister covered with a mid range hard wax. The snow was ground up ice, and although soft, the track was holding. I know that it was ground up ice because I had skied the same snow a week before when it was hard as cement. Sovereign Lakes and Silver Star resort have done an excellent job of making good conditions out of scarce amounts of snow. Most racers and coaches likely went to bed confident that Thursday’s morning race would present more of the same.

    I have a potential new rule for classic race waxing in most climates. (Ruling out frigid Alaska and the dry air of the rocky mountain region.) If you are sure that you know the next mornings kick wax than surely it will be something different.

  • Wagner Wins Sprint, Flora Takes Tight Final and Jr. racer, Newell, Win’s Prelim

    Former
    Classic distance specialist, Wendy Wagner of the US Ski Team won the Silver
    Star Nor/Am sprint ahead of Alpina’s Aelin Peterson.
    Wendy, who prior to this season has never done especially well in skate
    events placed second in the prelim and won all her heats including the
    final. She spent a great deal of time working on skate technique this
    summer and fall, and that work has paid off big. It was her second victory
    of the weekend…and she still has one race to go, the pursuit on
    Sunday.
    The men’s sprint was dominated by the US. Both the simi-final and
    the final were incredibly fast, close races. Junior star, US Development
    Team skier, Andrew Newell won the prelim by a huge three seconds. He went
    on to comfortably win each of his heats. Unfortunately he faded in the
    last fifty meters of the final to finish fourth.
    Lars Flora snuck ahead of hard charging Dave Chamberlain (Maine Winter
    Sports Center – LL Bean) for the win. In third came Kris Freeman,
    US Ski Team, who has traditionally been a distance specialist.
    Conditions at Silver Star were incredible. The races took place under
    the lights, starting at 7pm. It was a very fogy night, the trees were
    covered in thick hoar frost and the organizers set up a blazing bonfire
    and had music pumping through a huge speaker system setting a wild winter
    mood for the races. Hundreds of spectators were on hand armed with bells
    and horns making it the sprints a truly world class event.
    To see pictures from this event go to SkiFaster.net

    Full
    Prelim Results PDF

    Sprint Prelim
    Men
    1. Andrew Newell. USA-D. 1:23:79
    2. Lars Flora. Independent (USA). 1:26:79
    3. Drew Goldsack. CAN. 1:27:06
    4. Zack Simons. U of Utah. 1:27:10
    5. Carl Swenson. USST. 1:27:27
    Women
    1. Chandra Crawford. CAN. 1:37:19
    2. Wendy Wagner. USST. 1:38:51
    3. Christine Bisson. MSA/CAN. 1:40:32
    4. Tara Whitten. CAN. 1:40:46
    5. Aelin Peterson. Alpina. 1:41:07

    Final Results
    Men
    1. Lars Flora. USA.
    2. Dave Chamberlain. MWSC/LL Bean (USA).
    3. Kris Freeman. USST.
    4. Andrew Newell. USA-D.
    Women
    1. Wendy Wagner. USST.
    2. Aelin Peterson. Alpina (USA)
    3. Tara Whitten. CAN.
    4. Daria Gaiazova. CAN.

  • Silver Star NorAm Pursuit: Wagner by a minute, Kris Freeman by :38

    <Full Results PDF


    The third time is the charm for the Continuous Pursuit in North America. After two previous cancellations, the Pursuit finally made it's NorAm Continental Cup debut on Sunday in Silver Star, BC. Kris Freeman and Wendy Wagner both continued their winning ways in commanding fashion and strenthened thier holds on the overall Continental Cup Points lead.

    Wendy Wagner gained an impressive forty seconds over the competition in the classical portion of the pursuit and then stretched her lead to a minute by the finish in the skate.
    It was Wendy’s most dominant performance in a weekend of domination. She won the classical race, the skate sprint and the pursuit, and all of them by large margins. The most impressive thing about her performance has been her skating. Always a fast classical skier, Wendy is now a great over-all ski racer.
    Aelin Peterson again came second to Wagner, but was herself over half a minute ahead of third place Daria Gaiazova. Daria Gaiazova, CAN, won the Junior race, but only by ten seconds over Bozeman, MT junior skier Kristina Trygstad-Saari (US Development Team).

  • Changes in This Weekend's Continental Cup Races

    There have been some changes made to the schedule and location of the Dec 14,15th Subaru Continental Cup hosted by the Black Jack Ski Club Rossland, BC.  These changes are being made due to lack of snow at the original trail site.

    1) Saturday's Free Technique races have been changed from Mass start to Individual start races of the same distance.  The races are being held at the Paulson Ski Trails, 28 km North of Rossland on Hwy 3b. Use the Mud Lake access. Note there are limited temporary facilities at the location.

    2) A decision on Sunday's Classic Sprints will be made on Wednesday.  If there is sufficient snow at the Black Jack trails, they will proceed as scheduled. If there is insufficient snow, the races will be changed to 5 and 10km, individual classic races at the Paulson Trail site.  An official announcement will be made on the CCC website on Wednesday. 

    It is possible the entry deadline will be adjusted to allow racers to enter the 5 and 10km events if the race schedule is changed.
    For more information contact the organizing committee: <
    http://www.active.com/framed/event_detail.cfm?event_id=1024355&customreg=blank