FasterSkier

Tag: fantasy cross country

  • Nordic Nation: Not a Fantasy, Hoffman Teams with FasterSkier for 2017/2018 Fantasy XC

    It’s been eight long months, but finally, the International Ski Federation (FIS) Cross Country World Cup season is upon us and with it, the Noah Fantasy Hoffman Fantasy Cross Country League. Both the real-world and online competitions kick off this Friday with the Ruka Triple World Cup, three days of racing in Kuusamo, Finland.

    If you’re playing, you need to pick your team by Thursday at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. Even if you’re in a post-Thanksgiving tryptophan-haze … it’s time.

    Noah Hoffman, a U.S. nordic racer and founder of Noah Hoffman Fantasy Cross Country, which is entering its fourth season, after finishing 25th in last weekend’s 15 k freestyle FIS race in Beitostølen, Norway. He’ll be starting his season in earnest on Friday, Nov. 24, at the Ruka Triple World Cup in Finland. (Photo: Aleks Tangen)

    In this episode we get a quick rundown from Noah Hoffman on how he got involved with FasterSkier and Adam Mahar, the coding brawn behind the world’s premier XC fantasy league, briefs us on the new rules. We connected with Noah Hoffman while he was training in Sjusjøen, Norway, and Adam Mahar, the Minneapolis-based website administrator and head programmer for Noah Hoffman Fantasy Cross Country. 

    To start the conversation off, you’ll get a bit of insight into what drives Hoffman and why he’s so productive when it comes to creating ski related projects. He’s got a blog, a great podcast, and the eponymous fantasy league.

    Last year at this time, we did a full-blown analysis of Hoffman’s ski league, exploring the origins of the league, hearing how Adam got involved and then falling into a serious wormhole learning how some fantasy league experts pick their teams. Here’s a link to that episode. 

    Strategize, log in and pick you team. For this long weekend of racing, you have to have your team registered before midnight (EST) on Thursday. Choose wisely: the races are classic sprints (Friday), 10/15-kilometer classic individual starts (Saturday) and 10/15 k freestyle pursuits (Sunday). And if you need some pointers or at least some direction, listen closely to this episode.

    (To subscribe to the Nordic Nation podcast channel, download the iTunes app. If you have iTunes, subscribe to Nordic Nation here.)

    Have a podcast idea? Please email nordicnation@fasterskier.com.

  • FasterSkier Teams Up with Noah Hoffman Fantasy XC

    FasterSkier Teams Up with Noah Hoffman Fantasy XC

    Fans of fantasy cross-country and FasterSkier, get ready for some big news. We’re the new home of the internationally renowned Noah Hoffman Fantasy Cross Country, which launched today at fantasy.fasterskier.com.

    If you’ve played before, welcome back! There are some new changes (mainly concerning the fake money you’ll be playing with). And if you’re new, it’s not complicated! Just update your team of eight men and eight women weekly and see how the races (and those athletes’ results) unfold. There are prizes on the line from a list of great sponsors and even a team competition sponsored by Concept 2.

    Here are a few words from the man behind the fantasy, Noah Hoffman:

    Hi! Welcome to Noah Hoffman Fantasy Cross Country! If you’ve played before, thanks for coming back. If you’re new to this, thanks for trying it out.

    I first launched Fantasy Cross Country for the 2015 World Championships as a way to give fans a personal stake in international cross-country skiing, and I expanded it to a season-long competition for the 2015/2016 season. I hope it has given (or will give) you a little incentive to follow the FIS Cross Country World Cup, watch the races and cheer for your favorite athletes!

    Last year we introduced a new team selection platform for championship events, which we will use again for the PyeongChang Olympics in February. Also, the Concept 2 Team Challenge made its debut last season and is back for this winter.

    New this year is a cost-based scoring system. No longer will you simply select your top 8 men and 8 women. Now you will have to take into account the cost of each athlete to make sure you stay under budget. You can read all about these changes on the How to Play page. It’s not hard; don’t be intimidated!

    Also, this year we have joined forces with FasterSkier.com to expand our reach and to get help marketing the game. You will notice that we are using a new domain, fantasy.fasterskier.com, and we have a slightly new look. FasterSkier will also help us bring you relevant skiing coverage that will help you in your team-selection process. I hope you like the changes!

    Most importantly, this game is all about you: the players. If you ever have any questions or concerns, feel free to reach out to me personally at noah@noahhoffman.com. You can also reach Adam Mahar, our amazing programmer, at fantasy@noahhoffman.com.

    The FIS Cross Country season starts in full swing with the three-day Ruka Triple mini tour, Nov. 24-26, in Kuusamo, Finland. Register or log in to fantasy.fasterskier.com today and make your picks by 11:59 p.m. EST on Thursday, Nov. 23.

    Need help making your picks? Read up on the latest news on FasterSkier.com and check out Noah Hoffman Fantasy Cross Country’s weekly emails for relevant info, which you’ll receive upon signing up for the league.

  • Noah Hoffman Fantasy Cross Country

    Noah Hoffman Fantasy Cross Country Logo

    (Press release)

    Noah Hoffman Fantasy Cross Country is now live for its third season! The league has grown strongly, and this year will be bigger and better than ever!  Participants enter teams of their fastest and favs to contest the season long competition, individual race weekends, or tours. Playing is free and open to everyone. The prize list is nothing short of awesome! New for upcoming 2016/17 season is inclusion of the Lahti World Championships.  

    November 26th, 2016 is the season opener in Ruka, Finland!  Registration deadline is the night before (as with all races), at 8p.m. (EST), November 25th.  NBC Live coverage times, and details can be found at noahhoffmanfantasyxc.com

    Playing Noah Hoffman Fantasy Cross Country connects fans across the world to high level international ski racing, and helps grow the sport from the ground up, and the top down!!

    https://www.facebook.com/NoahHoffmanFantasyXC/

    https://www.instagram.com/noahhoffmanfantasyxc/