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: reporter

  • FS is Hiring!

    FS is Hiring!

    FasterSkier-logo-2012-SMALL

    Always wanted to be a part of FS? Now’s the time! FasterSkier.com is looking to fill a variety of positions – part time and on an as-needed basis – as soon as possible, and definitely before the snow flies!

    This is a great opportunity for aspiring journalists and those passionate about cross-country skiing to dive right into covering all aspects of the sport. Positions range from part-time weekend reporters, responsible for international and domestic race coverage throughout the winter, to interns and contributors with computer skills and a flair for nordic.

    You don’t have to be an international-racing expert, just an enthusiastic writer with a basic understanding of the sport and a strong desire to learn and improve your writing.

    Staff members will work on meaningful projects, interview top athletes, coaches and officials, and potentially travel. Even volunteer contributors (who we wish we could pay) could find themselves in the mixed zone of a World Cup race, or covering something as exciting at the American Birkebeiner in the U.S.

    Working for FasterSkier is a unique and exciting opportunity for highly motivated individuals. You will be paid to travel to some of the best winter destinations in the world to report on ski races. Within weeks of starting you will be calling Olympic athletes on their cell phones. And you will be working with a great team, dedicated to pushing the envelope of ski journalism.

    Weekend reporter:

    Responsible for covering races remotely for about a dozen weekends (and certain weekdays) throughout the upcoming winter. Includes watching races live online (World Cup) and following up on results for non-televised events (i.e. SuperTour and NorAms). Should have regular access to a computer with reliable internet, and the capability of using Skype for interviews and composing thoughtful emails as reporting tools.

    • Salary: Stipend based on experience and days worked
    • Time frame: Late November 2014 to late March 2015

    Part-time intern:

    Will assist with interviewing athletes, transcribing fellow reporters’ interviews, and posting directly to the website (i.e. photo galleries, press releases). Must be proficient with computers and social media, and have a basic understanding of WordPress or an ability to learn quickly. Position is unpaid with equipment perks.

    Volunteer contributor positions:

    – Canadian contributor:

    Seeking a native who knows the ins and outs of nordic skiing and biathlon in Canada. It helps to be connected or an avid fan that follows all aspects of the sport. Responsible for helping with Canadian coverage, especially with NorAms and national championships. Unpaid position with FS schwag or gear perks.

    – Para Nordic contributor:

    Pick up where our incredibly dedicated former Para Nordic writer Mark Vosburgh left off and be the expert on all things related to adaptive recreational and elite Paralympic cross-country skiing in North America and beyond. You’ll be in charge of updating the Para Nordic blog as you please, especially as news rolls in, and the opportunity to get media accreditation for the 2015 IPC World Championships in Cable, Wis. (travel, room and board not necessarily included). Unpaid position with FS schwag or gear perks.

    – Biathlon or Nordic Combined contributor: 

    Are you an expert in either of these sports? We would love for you to help us out with covering the North American teams on the Continental and World Cups throughout the winter. We have separate blogs for both biathlon and nordic combined, and the sky’s the limit when it comes to broadening our coverage of two of the toughest sports in nordic.

    – Masters contributor:

    For the ultimate “Master Blaster” who loves to write almost as much as skiing! Should be willing to pitch original stories on local, national and international content, then find the best method of reporting and writing them. Unpaid position with FS schwag or gear perks.

    – Travel reporter:

    For those willing to write and report on-site as needed throughout the season. Unpaid with the reward of paid travel and seeing races live!

    – Eastern-collegiate contributor:

    Ideal candidate will be at most of the EISA carnival races throughout the 2014/2015 season with the ability to take photos and report on all events. Unpaid position with FS schwag or gear perks.

    – Western collegiate contributor:

    Ideal candidate will be at most of the RMISA carnival races throughout the 2014/2015 season with the ability to take photos and report on all events. Unpaid position with FS schwag or gear perks.

    All positions:

    Ideal candidates will be able to start immediately and commit through the 2014/2015 nordic season, pitching ideas and collaborating on assignments with editors. Being available for Monday morning conference calls is definitely a plus, as all jobs are done remotely.

    Intern and contributing positions are unpaid with gear or equipment perks depending on the level of the involvement and frequency of reports. Promising interns or contributors could be promoted to paid staff in the future and/or earn trips to cover events.

    Prospective applicants should be highly motivated, strong writers and diligent reporters. Editors will expect several articles per week, encouraging interns to contribute “quick content” as needed. The remainder of the offseason (October and early November) will be viewed as a training period, and prospective part-timers should be able work most every weekend during the season.

  • Jason Albert

    Jason Albert

    Jason Albert

    Here’s a little blasphemy. Jason’s favorite pair of skis aren’t his white-base Rossis. Or the creaky pair of two-decade-old Atomic classic skis he’s done the Elk Mountain Grand Traverse on a few times. No doubt it’s the 160 cm pair of featherweight ski-mo skis that have opened up big and fast and sometimes scary days in the mountains.

    Clearly, since Jason writes about nordic skiing, it’s a passion. But all the kilometers logged, trying to get faster on the gerbil wheel, he claims it’s so he feels better on those few days a year he can climb a peak and ski off the summit. Beyond the work and family, that’s what makes him tick.

    Just having completed his 48th trip around the sun, Jason could spend hours trying to make one or two sentences in an otherwise banal story on, say, the wax of the day, truly sing.

    As a FasterSkier stalwart, he’s supported by a much-smarter partner whom he followed to Madagascar for a year while she watched Lemurs and he watched their two-and-a-half-year-old son Aidan. (He’s now 13 years old.) There’s a 9-year-old named Aamion (sounds like Damion with no D and a double A) in the mix as well.

    Jason’s best day in the last twelve months, besides helping start the ‘Nordic Nation’ podcast, of course, was climbing and skiing Oregon’s Mt. Hood with his oldest child.

    Jason Albert and his older son climbing and skiing Oregon’s Mt. Hood.