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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.

Tag: Marthe Kristoffersen

Atomic Reports from Sognefjell

For many years, top Norwegian and Swedish athletes have ventured north at the end of spring for extensive on snow training at the Sognefjell glacier in Norway.   This spring, more US skiers have made the trip to Sognefjell than at anytime before. Sognefjell is becoming more than a backyard training facility for top Scandinavians, it is evolving into the premier place for all nationalities to come to early in the summer. It only makes sense that the leading race companies would join these athletes for both recruitment and on snow testing. We caught up with Atomic’s indefatigable Roman Toferer for a better picture of what goes on up at Sognefjell.

What makes Sognefjell so appealing for athletes and ski companies?

We have been testing skis there for over 12 years. There is a good mix of wet to universal snow conditions. This means what we test up there is very close to race conditions for most of the winter. Also the crew up there improved heavily on track preparation and grooming , we found perfect training and testing possibilities every day!!!

It looks pretty Spartan up there. What do you have for lodging, what do you have for meals?

Lodging is pretty simple with two shower for a lot of people, food is simple but taste is great , everything you need to concentrate on doing a good basement job is there.

Roman was not kidding when he said “Basement Job”.

What are the ski companies hoping to accomplish by going to Sognefjell?

For us it’s mostly the first meeting with the different teams as a kind of starting the new season. We get the chance to test new laminates, new core constructions, new base materials, new sidecuts… no end to new stuff we test. The athletes are great testers and Sognefell is a great place to work with plenty of very good testers.

Feedback from top athletes is a primary reason for going to Sognefeldt.

So what percentage of your time is spent testing new prototypes and what percentage is spent working with athletes?

We mostly share the service team , at this year we had

–         Myself 100% focused on new developments together with athletes

–         Bartl and Peter 80% on athletes 20% proto with athletes

–         Kai Egil and Jo 100% with Juniors and youngsters

Didn’t you actually sign a contract with Marthe Kristoffersen right at the dormitory at Sognefjell when you originally recruited her?

Correct, Mathe was signed at Sognefjell a couple of years ago. This year we finished contracts with the guys from long distance team NPRO ( Havard Hansen and Svein Tore Sinnes) and renewed the contract with Tord Asle Gjerdalen ( Gold and Bronze at WCH Oslo).

What goes on indoors is as important as what happens on the snow. Marthe Kristofferson was recruited in between courses of ludevisk and krumkake.

What new athletes did you recruit this year at Sognefjell?

Norwegian National Junior team members Göran Tefre and Simen Krüger, together with sondre Fossli we work now with 3 guys in that team on fully Atomic package.

Do you have full on winter conditions for testing at Sognefjell?

Mainly temperature around 0 this year.

What new products were you testing at up there?

New grinds, new base materials, variations of laminates and Skintec. No company would talk too much about new things. Sorry, no details for now.
Were you able to test the new Soft Track? Or, is it too early to even talk about that ski?

Athletes love the new prototype. Too early to talk about it.

Work hard at Sognefell and the others will have to work even harder at Sochi.

Final question. When are you going to come to an US location like Bend, Oregon for summer testing?

Good question but seems a bit complicated to bring all our normal Sognefjell equipement there

About 2 Vans with

400 Pairs Racingskies

45 Pairs different Prototypes

Waxing equipment

Boots bindings

Private equipment for 4 hours skiing every day for 5 people

Is Atomic US ready for an invitation?????

August 24, 2012
Kristoffersen Tops Johaug to Win Blink Mass Start; Randall Fifth

Still feeling a bit like fish out of water on faster-than-normal rollerskis, U.S. Ski Team members Kikkan Randall and Liz Stephen jumped in anyway Friday, the second day of the Blink Festival in Sandnes, Norway.

After both cautiously approached the start of yesterday’s 7.5 k climb, where Stephen finished third and Randall was sixth, Randall decided to go for it in the 10 k criterium-style mass start. She ended up fifth, about 15 seconds behind winner Marthe Kristoffersen and three of her Norwegian teammates.

Thursday’s winner, Therese Johaug was second in a sprint to the finish on the relatively flat, 750-meter loop course, and Heidi Weng finished a few seconds later in third. Another Norwegian, Maiken Caspersen Falla, beat out Randall for fourth. Bettina Gruber of Switzerland placed sixth.

In a Skype interview from Norway, Randall said she lost some energy on the sixth lap when she sprinted for a preem money bonus about halfway through the race.

“I didn’t quite get it,” she said. “I came around the outside and I think Marthe Kristoffersen was able to hold me off but I made a push for it . After that the pace accelerated a little bit and my legs were a little blown out by that sprint. I kind of lost touch with the leaders on that and it took me a couple laps to get my legs back, and then unfortunately I wasn’t in a position to fight for a win anymore.”

Regardless, she was happy with the way things went from the start.

“After yesterday I decided I needed to be more aggressive,” Randall said with a laugh. “I made sure I went off the start as quick as I could and tried to get in a good position. A couple times, girls were trying to work their way into the train and I just tried to hold my spot, and luckily I avoided any problems.”

Stephen finished 13th, 52 seconds behind the winning Norwegian trio. When contacted by FasterSkier after the race, she wasn’t sure what place she had come in, but knew she started out too conservatively. At one point, she said she was last, but passed several people to climb back into the mix.

“I’m not going to lie, I was terrified going into this race,” Stephen said. “The whole rollerski, poles, wicked-fast skis, pavement … I was stressed out. I was going to try to be ballsy, but it didn’t work that way so I was just kind of letting people go by and do their thing and played my catch-up game, which I actually really enjoy but it’s not the fastest way to race.”

Tomorrow, her plan was to go all out.

“There’s no laps to pass people,” Stephen said. “If you are in the back for the first lap, you’re going to be in the back for the end of the first lap also. I need to just get a little better with my stressed-out-ness so tomorrow will be better, I hope, for me.”

Randall said the format of the rollerski festival is new to them both, and they’ve been adjusting to racing on faster rollerskis. With a 90-degree turn about 20 meters from the start on Friday, Randall said it’s been exciting.

“I can already tell that if we come back and do this next year, just having the experience of doing it once will help us out tremendously,” Randall said. “It’s cool for us to interface with the World Cup field at this kind of mid point in the summer so we can kind of see where we are.”

On Saturday, the Blink Festival wraps up with sprint racing. The women start with quarterfinals then semifinals, both of which entail one 750-meter lap with the top three moving on – and the final will be two laps.

The reigning World Cup sprint champion, Randall was primed for those races.

“I wish I would’ve had a little bit more in my legs after that preem sprint to hang with those guys [today], but tomorrow will be fun,” she said.

* * *

At the front, Kristoffersen was thrilled to win the sprint against Johaug and Weng, who had gone 1-2 in the hill climb the day before.

“I have to admit it looked a little bleak coming into the last straight,” Kristoffersen told Norwegian newspaper Aftenposten. “I thought that Therese had too much, but I couldn’t give up without a fight.”

Johaug had the same assessment of the finish.

“Actually, I thought I’d take it all,” she told the paper. “But Marthe obviously had an extra gear.”

It was all Norway, all the way in the men’s race as well. After 15 k of racing, the field was still tightly packed; Oystein Pettersen’s 3.1-second victory was one of the larger margins among the top ten. He beat out teammates Martin Johnsrud Sundby and Pal Golberg, with Switzerland’s Joeri Kindshi just missing the podium by 0.2 seconds. The entire top-20 were separated by only 15 seconds.

It’s not surprising that Pettersen, who contests almost exclusively sprints on the World Cup circuit and teamed up with Petter Northug for Olympic gold in the sprint relay in Vancouver, won the field sprint, but he usually isn’t so close to the front in a distance race.

But if the rest of the racers were surprised, Pettersen himself wasn’t.

“I’ve actually always done well in Sandnes,” he told Aftenposten. “I felt I could not betray the audience that cheered for me at every point along the way. It’s amazing what they do here in Sandnes.”

Official results: men / women

— Chelsea Little contributed reporting

July 20, 2012
Bjørgen Conquers Mördarbacken and Kalla in Prologue Win

Bjørgen attacking the climb.

All 2012 FIS World Cup Finals coverage is brought to you through the generous support of Fischer Sports USA, proud sponsors of Kikkan Randall, 2012 overall Sprint Cup Champion.

FALUN, Sweden – There are two more days of racing to prove that Marit Bjørgen (NOR) is not unstoppable. For now, however, the ever-evolving body of evidence that is the World Cup circuit is demonstrating otherwise.

On a brilliantly sunny day in Falun, Sweden, Bjørgen continued to roll, holding off an assault by Swedish favorite Charlotte Kalla, and unfazed by the much-hyped Mördarbacken took a 6.2 second win.

As the leader of the World Cup Finals to this point, based solely on her performance in the Royal Palace Sprint, Bjørgen started last, so knew exactly where she stood at critical points of the race.

On the gradual terrain out of the stadium, Bjørgen said she hoped to “find good technique,” before hitting the lengthy climb.

“I did and I had a good feeling and pushed it all the way up to the top and also down,” Bjørgen said after the race.

At the time check on the crest of the steepest part of the Mördarbacken, she held a three second lead on Kalla and focused on extending it down the twisting descents.

“The hill is maybe not so tough,” Bjørgen explained. “The toughest is to go down from the Mördarbacken. Your legs are hurting and there are lots of curves…so it is not so easy to push.”

She rose to the challenge, and took another three seconds out of Kalla before the finish.

“I am very happy. It was the race I wanted,” Bjørgen said.

Kalla, despite failing to unseat Bjørgen was beaming after the race, earning her sixth podium of the season.

While she wasn’t too far behind, she said that it was too many seconds to contemplate making up, especially with Bjørgen starting behind.

But Kalla, arguably the fan-favorite on the Swedish team, put herself in good position for the remainder of the World Cup Finals, and also pulled within three points Kikkan Randall (USA) in fourth in the overall World Cup Finals.

She said she loves skiing in Falun, with the fan support, and the prologue is the high point.

“It is the favorite distance for me,” Kalla told FasterSkier. “To go skating and only 2.5 k…”

She explained that she has always performed well in the event and that “when I am in good shape I can feel that my body answers and I feel strong.”

She said it is key for her to get a good felling from the start, and not hold back.

“I want to open quite hard, mentally, as a fighter,” Kalla explained.

Kalla on the Mördarbacken

Up on the Mördarbacken Kalla was only 1.2 seconds ahead of third place finisher Marthe Kristoffersen (NOR) but as Bjørgen did to her, Kalla did to Kristoffersen, adding on another three seconds before the finish.

Norwegian women’s coach Egil Kristiansen told FasterSkier that Kristoffersen had planned to start at a relaxed pace, a strategy that evaporated as soon as the start wand flipped.

“Marthe told me she was going to take it a little bit slow in the start,” Kristiansen said. “But she didn’t—she was racing with everything she could from the start to the finish.”

The tactic worked just fine. Kristiansen wasn’t surprised to see two Norwegians on the podium, or Kristoffersen specifically.

“When I am racing I just think about every push and just go for it with every push with full power,” Kristoffersen said of her approach.

Kristoffersen on her way to third.

She didn’t have any room to back off as Justyna Kowalczyk (POL) finished Just 2.8 seconds back, leading a string of six women within 2.5 seconds.

Kowalczyk finished off the podium in the World Cup finals prologue for the first time since the event’s inception in 2009.

The Pole, who is seeing any chance at the overall World Cup title rapidly dwindling, said she was not displeased with her race, and is looking forward to the classic event on Saturday.

She added that finishing 2^nd in the overall is still a great accomplishment—“a big number two.”

While Bjørgen described the Mördarbacken as “not so tough,” and Kristiansen, when asked whether the climb was the hardest on the circuit added “if you see the track in Holmenkollen, you can double this hill.”

Laughing, she continued “This is nothing. This is nothing.”

Kalla concurred in her own way, saying that the challenge is not the whole climb, but the fact that steep section comes so far along it.

Whether that is the case or not, the hill does make for a unique race at the 2.5 kilometer distance, with all the climbing coming in the first 1.2k.

While the top-6 were all within that rank at the time check on Mördarbacken, there was some shuffling over the second half, including Laure Barthelemy (FRA) who made up 16 places on the gradual terrain, and Jessie Diggins (USA) who moved up 12 spots.

There was no sign of some higher level of suffering on the climb, though the steep section looked brutal, instantly killing any semblance of momentum.

Skiers approached this with varying styles like any other race—some attacked with high tempo and short steps, while others powered through.

According to Kristiansen, the hill is just one element of a complete race.

“You have to be a good climber and you have to have speed and you have to ski the downhills well,” he said. “You have to have everything.”

The salted course held up well, remaining firm throughout the race.

Kristiansen said he did not see the conditions playing any role in the outcome.

“It was fair from the start to the last racer,” he said.

Bjørgen now holds a 21.5 second lead on Kalla in the World Cup Finals.

“I think it will be a race between me and Charlotte at the end of the weekend,” Bjørgen predicted, adding that the important number is 50—the amount of seconds she now has on Kowalczyk.

With just a short mass start and then the pursuit, Kowalczyk, now down 170 points in the overall, would need Bjørgen to be seriously injured to stage any sort of comeback.

Racing continues on Saturday with a 10k classic mass start.

Complete Results

Matt Voisin contributed reporting.

March 16, 2012
Bjørgen Regains World Cup Lead with Patient Win

All smiles even in the cold for Bjoergen in Rybinsk. Photo: Fischer/Nordic Focus.

During the early part of the season, Marit Bjørgen (NOR) skied with a simple strategy—go fast from the start, gap the field, and win by a ridiculously large margin.

But with some setbacks due to illness and Justyna Kowalczyk (POL) rounding into form, a different approach became necessary.

Bjørgen skied a more tactical race in Rybisnk, Russia, letting others drive the pace on a frigid day and attrition slowly whittle down the field.

By the end it was only Bjørgen and Charlotte Kalla (SWE) at the front, and the Norwegian let Kalla lead the entire last lap before blowing by in the finish stretch to win the 10km freestyle mass start and claim her “official” 50^th career World Cup victory (The International Ski Federation does not recognize Tour de Ski and mini-tour stage wins as World Cup victories, so Bjørgen has many more actual triumphs).

Marthe Kristoffersen (NOR) came back on teammate Therese Johaug in the last 1.5 kilometers to take third in a photo finish, giving Norway three of the top-4 spots and six in the top-10.

The surprise of the day, however, was the fade of Kowalczyk over the second half of the race.

The Pole took over the overall World Cup lead with a victory in Thursday’s city sprint in Moscow, an event that Bjørgen skipped.

Kowalczyk had won her last five World Cup starts dating back to the penultimate stage of the Tour de Ski, and appeared to be in top form.

Early in the race she shared the lead with Johaug, the two taking turns pushing the pace at the front, inexorably stretching, and finally breaking, the field.

In sharp contrast to the men’s race, where 45 strong entered the last lap in the lead pack, the women started hard. The top skiers show no regard for their lesser competitors, and the usual outcome is a string of women sprung off the back to be absorbed by more reasonably pacing chasers.

By the halfway mark, the lead group was down to nine, strung out in single file through the stadium. Some, like Kalla, Kristoffersen and Bjørgen, looked relaxed and in control, while others, namely Germans Katrin Zeller and Nicole Fessel struggled to stay on board.

That pair, along with Heidi Weng (NOR) lost contact as the group approached the single intermediate sprint at 6k and Kowalczyk and Johaug, skiing abreast, attacked.

With the trail just wide enough for two skaters, there was no chance of anyone coming by on the side, but ten meters before the line, Johaug faltered.

Kowalczyk took the sprint with Bjørgen hot on her heels sneaking by Johaug.

The 15 bonus points, and three point margin on Bjørgen came dearly for Kowalczyk however. Over the top of the climb, Kowalczyk lost several meters as Johaug, Kalla, Bjørgen and Kristoffersen pulled away.

The pack compressed again briefly on the descent, but the next climb was the straw that broke the proverbial camel’s back.

Kalla, looking fresh drove hard into the stadium, and only Bjørgen could follow. Johaug and Kristoffersen both ended up alone 15 meters free in either direction, while Kowalczyk tried to muster one last push, skiing with Finland’s Riitta Liisa Roponen.

When the leaders held their pace on the first climb of the last lap, it was clear the race for first would be a two-woman show.

Kalla continued to lead, looking good, but definitely straining. Bjørgen, on the other hand, appeared to catch a second win, and remained relaxed behind the Swede.

Marit Bjoergen (NOR) celebrates the win in Rybinsk (RUS).

When Kalla was unable to break Bjørgen on the final climb, the race was as good as over. As the pair swung around the final turn in the stadium, Bjørgen easily accelerated away to claim the win.

Kalla showed no ill will, immediately skiing up to her competitor and giving her a smiling hug. The result was her best since two second place finishes in the first weeks of the season.

Meanwhile the race for third played out in unexpected fashion. Johaug, undoubtedly the best climber in the world, lost ground on Kristoffersen on the final hills, setting up the charge to the finish.

Johaug has turned herself into a respectable sprinter this season, regularly qualifying for the heats in events she contests. But she was unable to hold of Kristoffersen, who took her fifth World Cup podium by just inches.

Further back, Kowalczyk made one last-ditch attempt to shake Roponen on the final hill, but couldn’t get away, and a hard charging Jessie Diggins came flying by in the last kilometer to best both the Finn and the Pole, placing fifth.

Kowalczyk ended up in seventh, handing the yellow leader bib back to her rival Bjørgen.

“I’m happy to get back the yellow bib,” Bjørgen said after the race. “I was in a good shape today and my skis were also very good.”

Bjørgen raced only one event at Norwegian Championships, struggling before returning home to rest.

“I feel really well at the moment,” she said. “After the Norwegian Championships I stayed three days at home on the sofa to recover, and I am happy that I am now back in shape.”

Kalla said she executed her race as planned, staying in control for the first three laps before attacking hard in the final 2.5-kilometer loop.

Racing continues on Sunday with a 15km skiathlon.

Rybinsk (RUS) podium: Charlotte Kalla (SWE), Marit Bjoergen (NOR) and Marthe Kristoffersen (NOR). Photo: Fischer/Nordic Focus.

Of Note:

–       Fessel had the fade of the day, going from ninth place at the tail of the lead pack to 16^th 1:07 out.

– Diggins went the other direction, moving from 19th at 5k to 5th at the end.

–       Temperatures warmed up somewhat for the women’s race, but it was still in single digits. Krista Lahteenmaki (FIN) raced in warm-up tights, and most women had their faces completely covered, many with breathing masks.

–       Aino Kaisa Saarinen (FIN) seemed unfazed by the cold, with her face completely exposed.

–       Kristoffersen said of the weather “it was very cold today so my hands and feet were a bit numb and it wasn’t comfortable of course.”

–       The top Russian finisher was Olga Rotcheva in 13^th.

Complete Results

February 4, 2012
Atomic Develops New World Cup Classic SDS

Good Gracious Almighty! What Has Atomic Gone And Done Now?

Atomic is to classic marathons what Ferrari is to Formula One. For the last thirty years, the long distance events have been dominated by Atomic athletes and the tenacious Austrian ski company is not about to let that change. Atomic’s racing focus has always been on the Marathons because these are the races that have proven to be the best testing ground for equipment. For the next two months, the world’s top nordic retailers will be reviewing and testing one of the most innovative and successful classic race skis ever made.

What do skiers want out of a classic ski? They want fast glide and they want easy grip. Traditionally, fast glide meant a stiff classic ski that was hard to kick. And easy grip meant a soft ski with kick wax that might drag. Atomic’s Roman Toferer and his crew of artful rascals scoffed at this old rule of thumb. They came up with a classic ski that glides as if you forgot to put on the kick wax, yet the kick is extremely easy and you will feel like you are kicking down a compliant touring ski.

ATOMIC’S HEAD OF R & D, ROMAN TOFERER, ADDRESSING A MEMBER OF THE US SKI TEAM. A DEFIANT ENGINEER WHO FINDS CONVENTIONAL THOUGHT DISTASTEFUL.

How does it work? How does this ski obtain such fast glide with such an easy kick? It was not easy and the testing has taken many years. Atomic created a highly elastic insert made of ABS that is placed in the kick zone of the new ski. Strips of carbon with high rebound qualities are laminated above the ABS. This makes the kick zone a very strong bridge that keeps the grip wax riding well above the snow. Even though the skis have a low camber, the kick stays high during the glide phase. This means the pressure zones in front of and behind the kick zone are static, their location does not change. The end result is that there is no drag at all on the part of the kick wax. However, the elastic qualities of the ABS allow the ski to be easily collapsed without much pressure during the kick. It is surprisingly easy to get the kick down and have excellent grip. Go out with your friends, you will still be getting kick on a steep uphill when they are all switching to herringbone. Get in a tuck coming down that hill and you will still be gliding while they are standing up and double poling. The new ski is simply called the WORLDCUP CLASSIC SDS. The SDS stands for SHORT DISTANCE STEP.

THE YELLOW STRIP ILLUSTRATES THE LOCATION OF THE ABS. THE GRAY ZONES REPRESENT THE STATIC PRESSURE ZONES. THE CAMBER REMAINS LOW WITHOUT AFFECTING THE GLIDE.

PERHAPS A BETTER ILLUSTRATION. YOU CAN SEE THE BRIGHT YELLOW INSERT THAT IS THE ABS. THIS IS WHAT GIVES THE KICK ZONE IT ELASTICITY. THE SHORT DISTANCE STEP.

TROND NYSTAD AND THE NORWEGIAN WAXING TEAM CAME TO ATOMIC’S RACE ROOM FOR A BRIEFING ON THE NEW CLASSIC TECHNOLOGY. THEY LEFT IN AWE.

NORWAY’S MOST PROMISING YOUNG CLASSIC RACER, MARTHE KRISTOFFERSEN, REVIEWING THE TECHNOLOGY WITH ROMAN TOFERER. MARTHE AND THE NEW SDS WILL DEFINITELY MAKE IT TO THE PODIUM TOGETHER IN SOCHI.

LISA LARSEN OF SWEDEN USING SDS ON THE WORLDCUP. IF THE TOP YOUNG SKIERS OF NORWARY ARE USING THIS SKI, YOU CAN BE SURE THE YOUNG SWEDES WILL AS WELL.

January 13, 2012
Bjoergen Wins Again; Norwegian Women Dominate in Davos

Spectacular conditions in the stadium on Saturday morning in Davos, Switzerland.

Davos, Switzerland – There is no doubt that the Norwegian women’s ski team is currently the best in the world.

On Saturday morning, during the 15 k individual start freestyle in Davos, Switerland, they absolutely dominated the leader board, putting six women in the top ten, and taking the first four places.

Surprising no one, Marit Bjoergen (NOR) crossed the line with the fastest time, leaving Vibeke Skofterud the silver medal, 41.8 seconds back. Therese Johaug finished 42.2 seconds back of Bjoergen for third, securing the podium for the Norwegian women.

Young 22 year old Marthe Kristoffersen finished fourth, while Kristen Stoermer Steira was sixth.

Only Justyna Kowalczyk (POL) was able to put a dent into the Norwegian armour, finishing fifth, a long 1 minute 26.4 seconds back of her Norwegian rival.

Justyna Kowalczyk (POL) heads out on her first 5 k loop – she finished 5th on the day.

But in the early stages of the race, it wasn’t the Norwegians who appeared dominant, but the Americans.

Holly Brooks (USA) held the best time through the first time check for a significant portion of the race, with Kikkan Randall (USA) and Liz Stephen not far behind – at least until the Norwegians showed up.

“Of course it’s always fun to hear that you’re in the lead but you have to put that in perspective,” said Brooks of her fast start in an interview with Fasterskier after the race.

“I wasn’t super worried [about fading], because I felt like I was in control,” she said.

In the end, at the 4 k mark Brooks has the 7^th fastest time, and was looking comfortable, but behind her the inter-Norwegian battle was heating up. First Kristoffersen bettered the early lead times set by Charlotte Kalla (SWE) and Kowalczyk, followed by Johaug, and finally Bjoergen.

Bjoergen then took the race over, putting big time gaps back to Johaug and Skofterud with ease, and pulling up before the line to celebrate on her way to her 49^th career World Cup victory.

“I had a very good feeling today,” said Bjoergen after the race.

Marit Bjoergen (NOR) on her way to dominating the field in Davos Saturday.

“I kept good technique at the beginning of the race and maintained speed in the flat section.”

On the heavy climbing course, it appeared Johaug was going to be a solid lock for second, as she went through every time check in second, and looked strong. With a 5.6 second lead over Skofterud at 11.5 k, the race was still on, and after Johaug crossed the line, Skofterud hammered down the finishing straight almost exactly a minute later, stick out her toe to take the silver away from the ‘Energizer Bunny’.

“The hills were really tough,” said Johaug in an interview with FasterSkier after the race.

“It was a really good race for me today.”

But Johaug didn’t hide her disappointment with letting second place slip away from her.

“Of course, I was number three, I was just .4 of a second back of Skofterud, but I’m really happy with my race and I think I did the best I could today,” she said.

Of the strong showing of Norwegian women today and this season, Johaug attributed it to having a good team atmosphere.

“We are training a lot together,” she said. “We push each other a lot in the training.”

Third place finisher Therese Johaug (NOR) in the mixed zone after the race in Davos.

December 10, 2011
The Best Returns: International Race Director Returns for Midwest and Montana Events

Atomic’s International Race Director, Roman Toferer, will return to the Midwest to fit US consumers at major sales in the Twin Cities September 16 – 18 and he will attend a special Team Night in Ely, MN on September 20. He will then fly to Montana for a special presentation at Nordic Ski Source in Bozeman. Roman has selected, fitted and tuned skis for dozens of Olympic, Worldcup and World Loppet medalists including Claudia Kuenzel, Anna Haag, Oskar Svaard and Billy Demong. In September, Roman will be here to apply his elite level of expertise to help all levels of US skiers.

Roman Toferer reviewing test skis with the future of Norwegian racing, Marthe Kristoffersen.

“Ja, I am eager to help all kinds of American ski racer folk,” quoted Toferer. “There is no Olympics or Worldchampionships this year. Maybe I fly back and watch and learn at Minnesota High School Championships.”

Roman’s schedule for the US is as follows:

Friday, September 16: Hoigaards Tent sale (St. Louis Park, MN) from 12 noon to 6:00 pm.

Saturday, Septmber 17: Finn Sisu Blue Awning Sale (Lauderdale, MN) from 10:00 am to 12:00 noon. Hoigaards Tent Sale from 1:00 pm to 6:00 pm.

Sunday, September 18: Gear West Pig Out Sale (Long Lake, MN) from 12:00 noon to 4:00 pm.

Tuesday, September 20: Pengals Basswood Trading (Ely, MN) from 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm.

Friday, September 23: Nordic Ski Source (Bozeman, MT) from 4:30 pm to 6:30 pm.

For additional store information go to:

Hoigaards: www.hoigaards.com

Finn Sisu: www.finnsisu.com

Gear West: www.gearwest.com

Pengals: www.basswood-trading.com

Nordic Ski Source: www.nordicskisource.com

Toferer fitting a high school athlete. The world’s best at what he does.

September 15, 2011
Norway’s Northug Still Questionable For Kuusamo World Cup

Petter Northug will more than likely sit out the second World Cup weekend, but the start lists could feature few Norwegians at all. According to Norwegian national team directer Aage Skinstad, if the temperatures drop below minus 18 Celcius, the Norwegians will not be competing. Frigid temperatures are quite likely on the courses in Rukantturi, north of Kuusamo. Some predict as low as 25 C to 29 C below, at which point there would be no races at all.

The “Tour de Opening” begins with a sprint on Friday, continues with a distance race on Saturday, and concludes with a pursuit on Sunday. The predicted cold can cause problems for the skiers, and Northug is no fan of cold temperatures.

”We won’t take any chances. Petter has to get entirely well before we let him race, and that can take some time,” said John Northug, Petter’s father and manager, to langd.se.

The Norwegian team headed to Kuusamo also includes Kristin Stormer Steira, who raced the World Cup opener in Gällivare (SWE). She has been fighting stubborn foot injuries all through the summer and dryland season, and is still not 100 percent recovered. She reports feeling the injury more when classic skiing than in skating. As for the men’s team, both of the Norwegian wild cards from Gällivare, Sjur Rohte and Chris Jespersen, will be given another chance to prove themselves in Kuusamo.

Norway’s team in Kuusamo:

Women – Kari Vikhagen Gjeitnes, Celine Brun-Lie, Ingvild Flugstad Ostberg, Maiken Caspersen Falla, Therese Johaug, Marthe Kristoffersen, Marit Bjorgen, Vibeke Skofterud and Astrid U. Jacobsen.

Men – Ola Vigen Hattestad, Johan Kjolstad, Oystein Pettersen, John Kristian Dahl, Martin Johnsrud Sundby, Simen Ostensen, Eldar Ronning, Kristian Tettli Rennemo, Chris Jespersen, Sjur Rothe and Petter Northug jr (grandfathered spot as reigning the World Cup champion).

From www.Langd.se, November 22, 2010. By Kjell-Erik Kristiansen, translation by Inge Scheve

November 22, 2010
The Hottest Skier – March’s Sweetest Sixteen

What? Yeah, that’s right, there are lots of great reasons to be a Nordic skier, but one of them is that there are a whole lot of fit, attractive people wearing spandex. Here is a list of some of the hottest European skiers on the World Cup. We may have forgotten a few so feel free to write them into the comment section and we will add them to the list. We did not want the North Americans to dominate so we made an executive decision to eliminate all of them… sorry Andy and Morgan.

Superficial? Certainly, but remember that it is spring time, and you’re supposed to be having fun.

All of our photos of these athletes are from races, so we are using google images to supplement. If you don’t have a poster on your wall, google will provide.

Please vote at the bottom of the page. We will tally the scores and then enter a second round of voting to determine the winners!

The ‘Research’ Center

Therese Johaug

Ladies:

Sandrine Bailly: website , google images

Marit Bjoergen: google images

Stephanie Boehler: website, google images

Nichole Fessel: google images

Arriana Follis: google images

Ella Gjoemle: google images

Anna Haag: website , google images

Nat Herz: google images

Astrid Uhrenholdt Jacobsen: website , google images

Therese Johaug: website , google images

Charlotte Kalla: google images

Magdalena Neuner: google images

Madoka Natsumi: google images

Stephanie Santer: google images

Kristina Smigun: google images

Kristin Stoermer Steira: google images

Guro Stroem Solli: google images

Evi Sachenbacher Stehle: google images

Claudia Nystad: google images

Petter Northug (photo: Ida Karlsson)

Men:

Roland Clara: google images

Dario Cologna: google images

Giorgio Di Centa: google images

Valerio Checchi: google images

Jens Filbrich: google images

Jean Marc Gaillard: google images

Ola Vigen Hattestad: google images

Marcus Hellner: google images

Nat Herz: google images

Nikita Kriukov: google images

Toni Livers: google images

Petter Northug: google images

Johan Olsson: google images

Teodor Peterson: google images

Daniel Rickardsson: google images

Eldar Roenning: google images

Josef Wenzl: google images

Vote For Your Top 5 Favorite

[poll id=”32″]

March 31, 2010