From 2011 to 2014, Sylvan Ellefson, based out of Edwards, Colorado, was on a roar. SuperTour wins, World Cup starts, and a 30-kilometer skate national championship in 2014. Now, at 31 years old, it seems the skier who began his ascent in the sport during high school would rather focus on being a husband, father, brother, and coach rather than draw attention to himself. Based as a business person in Colorado’s Vail Valley, Ellefson is giving back to the community that helped support his dreams. Along with his brother Kjell and friend John Cummins, the three have begun the Fjellbarn Fund. For those non-Norwegian speakers out there, Fjellbarn is Norwegian for “mountain child”.
Sylvan Ellefson giving his son Ryder some air time. (Photo: Kjell Ellefson)
The new nonprofit based near Vail is dedicated to helping athletes from families in need pursue their athletic dreams.
Sylvan Ellefson on the World Cup. (Photo: Reese Hanneman)
Our conversation with Ellefson was recorded on Sept. 10. Along with learning about the inspiration for his nonprofit work, we’ll get some insight into how Ellefson’s ski career informs his coaching with the Ski & Snowboard Club Vail.
An Austrian athlete tests skis as he glides back into the main stadium. (Photo: John Lazenby/Lazenbyphoto.com)
LAHTI, Finland — Tuesday at Lahti’s venue for the 2017 Nordic World Ski Championships, the sun sets early. Although technically sunset was 5:22 p.m., the sun on this clear-sky day was still wintertime reluctant. It seemed too short a time for the sun’s transect to thaw Lahti. Temps were in the mid-to-low 20 degrees Fahrenheit. But a brisk wind called for down coats and insulated pants for those not actively skiing — in the shade, it felt like the teens.
Basked in an early evening glow, Lahti’s three iconic ski jumps dominate the 2017 Nordic World Championships venue. (Photo: John Lazenby/Lazenbyphoto.com)
For athletes, it was a day of pre-competition ski and wax testing on bulletproof tracks that gradually deteriorated on the steeper climbs. The ski loops have good coverage. The snow remains coarse, as the tracks are covered with predominately manmade snow with trace amounts of natural snow tilled in.
Lahti’s most dominant feature are its ski jumps, which are among the first objects to catch morning light. The surrounding landscape isn’t marked by serrated mountains, but by subtle hills that make the venue’s three domineering jumps (a K 116, K 90, and K 64), that much more ominous. First nordic-combined skiers then women’s ski jumpers had an opportunity for test flights off the K 90.
On the non-skiing side of things, the venue was abuzz of last-minute prep: television cables being covered for protection before the onslaught of spectators, event producers testing the stadium’s Skycam, sponsors unpacking schwag, and media arriving to pick up credentials. Like the athletes fine tuning before the competition begins, Lahti’s organizers are near set for the big show.
On Wednesday, two qualification races will ensue: the women’s 5-kilometer classic and men’s 10 k classic individual starts. These races are for athletes from “non-skiing” nations who have not met the FIS-point benchmark to participate in the championships. Start rights to Lahti’s distance races are granted to the top-10 male and female finishers. (All skiers are granted start rights for Thursday’s freestyle sprint regardless of their results in Wednesday’s qualifier.)
David Norris (l) and Kaitlynn Miller (r) are FasterSkier’s Breakthrough Skiers of the Year for the U.S. (Photos: Tom Kelly/USSA and Flying Point Road)
The 2015/2016 awards continue this week, chosen by the FasterSkier staff based on performances from last season. While not scientific, these points of recognition are intended to reflect a broader sense of the season in review.
American Breakthrough Skiers (Canadian award winners will follow)
Kaitlynn Miller, Craftsbury Green Racing Project
If Craftsbury’s Kaitlynn Miller had been told at the beginning of last season that she’d be spending some her last few races on the World Cup at the Ski Tour Canada (STC), she might not have believed them.
By the end of the 2016 season, Miller had pushed any doubt aside. The 24-year-old Elmore, Vt., native not only qualified for the STC in March, but also left 2016 U.S. nationals in January in Houghton, Mich., with a string of personal bests.
Prior to this year, she had never reached the podium at nationals. In her second season as a CGRP athlete, Miller podiumed twice in Houghton — first in the women’s 10 k classic individual start and again in the classic sprint — the latter of which she won for her first national title. She finished the week within the top 10 in every race. Last season, her best result at U.S. nationals was 13th in last year’s 20 k classic mass start.
“To come away from Nationals with two podium finishes, including a national championship, was incredibly exciting, a bit overwhelming, and definitely unexpected,” Miller wrote on her blog after nationals.
Kaitlynn Miller (front) on her way to 39th in the Ski Tour Canada women’s 10.5 k classic mass start, the second stage of the Tour, in Montreal, Quebec. She went on to place 41st overall in her first World Cup Tour. (Photo: Flyingpointroad.com/NNF)
Along with breakthrough performances in Houghton, Miller raced to her best-ever SuperTour result earlier last season in Sun Valley, Idaho, finishing second in a classic sprint in December.
She also finished sixth in the Sun Valley 10 k classic and second in another 10 k classic SuperTour race in Lake Placid N.Y., fifth in the 30 k classic at U.S. Distance Nationals in Craftsbury, Vt., and 41st in her first World Cup multi-stage tour.
“I’ve never raced a World Cup before, or even an international race for that matter (unless you count North American Midget Championships),” Miller blogged after the initial stages of the STC. “With each race I finish I have more confidence in myself and I’m very grateful to have this amazing opportunity to compete against the fastest women in the world.”
David Norris, Alaska Pacific University
Even after back-to-back victories in two SuperTour races this season, it was the third time at the top of the podium that left David Norris of Alaska Pacific University (APU) without words.
For 25-year-old Norris, of Fairbanks, Alaska, some wins can only be summed up with a whoop.
That included his victory in this year’s American Birkebeiner in Hayward, Wis., in his first-ever Birkie. Norris’ breakthrough result also made him the first American male to win the Birkie since Tad Elliott did so in 2012.
“Crossing the line Saturday was the first time in my life where I threw up my hands and screamed in excitement!” Norris wrote on his blog after winning the 51 k Birkie skate race. “Taking the win, having the confidence to lead the last 800 meters of the race, and to pull it all off was an incredible feeling.”
Leading the last 800 meters of the race for Norris included holding off France’s Ivan Perrillat Boiteux, of team Houte-Savoie, Frenchman Benoit Chauvet, Frenchman Adrien Mougel, Switzerland’s Candide Pralong (all of GEL intérim Rossignol), France’s Mathias Wibault, and the 2014 Birkie champion from Italy, Sergio Bonaldi (Team Salomon Italia).
Norris had a number of other season firsts beyond his Birkie win. He also won his first ever SuperTour races at the Lake Placid SuperTour, topping the men’s freestyle sprint and posting the fastest time in the 10 k classic individual start. He finished on the U.S. Distance Nationals podium for the first time in two years by placing third in the men’s 50 k classic mass start in Craftsbury, Vt.
“The highlights to my season would have to be my American Birkie win and picking up my first Super Tour wins ever,” Norris wrote in an email after the 50 k, his last race of the season.
“I always want more from myself when any season comes to to an end,” he added. “I don’t think my results have put me in a different position that last year but I’m going into the summer with excitement knowing that some really great results are possible for me.”
Honorable Mentions
Tad Elliott, Ski & Snowboard Club Vail
Although Tad Elliott of Ski Club Vail is not a new name to the top of U.S. distance results, this past season saw a re-breakthrough for the 27 year old from Durango, Colo.
Tad Elliott of Ski and Snowboard Club Vail crosses the line in first for the men’s 30 k freestyle mass start on Thursday at U.S. nationals in Houghton, Mich. (Photo: Christopher Schmidt)
“In the months leading up to the race, I could only dream of the podium,” Elliott said in an interview after his 30 k win. “Hell, I didn’t know if I was going to be healthy enough to even start, but as you know, once the gun goes off, it really is anyone’s race.”
Elliott also raced to second place in the Craftsbury SuperTour 10 k classic in February, as well as a second place in the men’s 50 k classic mass start at U.S. Distance Nationals in Craftsbury in March. Before that, he qualified for the STC World Cup races in March, finishing the tour in 51st overall.
“This season was a step in the right direction,” Elliott wrote in an email after his last race of the season. “To come off Ski Tour Canada, and a long week in Craftsbury and to ski like this after all the health issues the last two years shows that I am in a really good place. I am excited for the future.”
Annie Hart, Stratton Mountain School T2 Team
Hart is another skier that’s been a regular contender in recent years, but a few personal bests at U.S. nationals — second in both the women’s freestyle sprint and classic sprint, fifth in the 20 k freestyle mass start, and eighth in the 10 k classic — make the 23-year-old SMS T2 Team skier our pick for female honorable mention.
American Annie Hart leads the start of the women’s 10 k freestyle at Stage 7 of the Ski Tour Canada in Canmore, Alberta. She placed 39th and would later finish the Tour in 43rd overall. (Photo: Fischer/NordicFocus)
She won her first SuperTour race in February, posting the fastest time in the in the women’s 5 k freestyle in Craftsbury. She also placed third in the Lake Placid SuperTour freestyle sprint and competed in her first World Cup races at STC (finishing the tour in 43rd overall).
After starting in bib 1 for the first time in the 10 k freestyle individual start in Canmore, Alberta, Hart raced to 39th in Stage 7. She previously placed 36th in the Stage 5 classic sprint, narrowly missing her first World Cup points.
“With eight races in twelve days on the most elite and competitive cross country ski stage in the world, I was most certainly in for a lot of surprises,” Hart bloggedafter the STC. “I didn’t know what race day would bring, I didn’t know how the travel would go, and I really had no expectation results-wise. But [my strength coach Max Lipset’s] words reminded me that I could also be the surprise — it didn’t have to be other things surprising me, I could be surprising myself.
The start of the men’s 50 k classic mass start at 2016 U.S. Distance Nationals on Saturday in Craftsbury, Vt. (Photo: John Lazenby/Lazenbyphoto.com)
Capping off the U.S. nordic season in the spring with a 50-kilometer race is bound to bring some racers to peel off the layers under their race bibs, and many to the brink of their most basic needs.
“I was dreaming about hamburgers before we even made it halfway,” Alaska Pacific University’s (APU) Eric Packer wrote in an email. “It was just like the warmest of days we see training on the glacier — slow, sloppy, and soft. In those conditions you just have to keep the legs moving and work every bit of the way.”
While Packer led the band of men’s racers for the first lap of this year’s U.S. Distance Nationals 50 k classic mass start on Saturday in Craftsbury, Vt., it was his APU teammate, Erik Bjornsen, who evetually took the overall win.
Bjornsen, who grew up in Washington state’s Methow Valley, secured his second win of the week after completing the men’s 15-lap 3.5 k course in a time of 2:43:56.7. However, while Bjornsen was the first racer to cross the finish line, he was rarely leading throughout the 50 k race.
David Norris (4) of APU leads Kris Freeman (8) of Team Freebird during the men’s 50 k classic mass start at 2016 U.S. Distance Nationals on Saturday in Craftsbury, Vt. (Photo: John Lazenby/Lazenbyphoto.com)
Setting the pace up front instead was Bjornsen’s APU teammate Scott Patterson and Noah Hoffman and Tad Elliott, both of Ski & Snowboard Club Vail (SSCV).
“The 50k turned into a race of attrition,” Elliott wrote in an email. “There was Noah, Erik, and I and we were all skiing off the front at some point in the final 3 laps We were all unsure who would win and we were all skiing alone. It was brutally hard.”
With two $125-dollar primes waiting at lap 3 and lap 10 for the first skier, the men’s front pack stayed close together for the first 10 k, with Hoffman eventually claiming the first cash prize as his own.
One-fifth of the race behind them, Patterson regained the lead until the next prime. Bjornsen sat in third, Elliott fourth and APU’s David Norris, who eventually placed third overall, in seventh.
“Maybe around lap seven Hoff pushed the pace and I tried to follow it along with BJ, but I didn’t have the strength to latch on,” Norris wrote in an email. “From that point on I kind of skied an individual race.”
Heading into lap six, it was Hoffman who hounded the pace with Packer holding on to try and make a break from the rest of the field on the course’s major incline. But by the course’s flat section, Bjornsen had surged his way back to the front two, pulling Elliott with him.
“Coming up the big climb on lap 6, Noah went to the front and upped the pace,” Packer wrote. “I covered the move and we built maybe a 10 second gap on the chase group. I started to suffer, and Bjornsen was able to close the gap across the flats. The whole group came back together on the seventh lap, and Tad and Noah attacked again on the climb. The group split there for good.”
Left to right: Noah Hoffman of Ski and Snowboard Club Vail, Tad Elliott also of Ski and Snowboard Club Vail, and Erik Bjornsen of Alaska Pacific University during the men’s 50 k at 2016 U.S. Distance Nationals on Saturday in Craftsbury, Vt. (Photo: John Lazenby/Lazenbyphoto.com)
Packer and Patterson wound up racing together for the remainder of the race, with Patterson pacing.
“From the 7th lap to the finish, the race was about survival,” Packer wrote. “Scott and I skied together, and Scott deserves a ton of credit because he led 90% of it. He is such a strong pace setter.”
Norris skied a few seconds ahead of Kris Freeman (Team Freebird) for a stretch before breaking away and racing on his own.
“From that point on I kind of skied an individual race,” Norris wrote. “Skiing alone I found a good rhthym and was able move into third starting my final lap.”
Hoffman pushed the front pack for the next 15 k until he started seeing spots.
“I felt great until 4 laps to go when I blew up harder than I’ve ever blown up before,” Hoffman wrote in an email. “I got shaky and my vision got blurry. It was all I could do to get around the course. I probably used too much energy early in the race going for the cash preems and trying to set a hard pace.”
Losing steam, Hoffman dropped back to second during lap 12 and Elliott pulled up to first, Bjornsen yo-yoed from a minute back from the lead to within its sights.
“When Hoff went for the preem, he created a big enough gap that he was out of sight and I think at one point he probably had a minute on me,” Bjornsen said during a phone interview on Sunday. “A lot of times when you see gaps form like that, you don’t see the front group come back. But … with three laps to go, I just got a boost of energy and in my mind could see that there was an opportunity to take it.”
Tad Elliott of Ski and Snowboard Club Vail (front) receives a feed ahead of SSCV teammate Noah Hoffman during the men’s 50 k classic mass start at 2016 U.S. Distance Nationals on Saturday in Craftsbury, Vt. (Photo: John Lazenby/Lazenbyphoto.com)
Elliott expanded his lead and by the end of the next two laps he was 12 seconds up on Bjornsen in second.
However, with 44 k done and just 6 k more to go, Bjornsen began to bring on the burn. He caught Elliott and before the second-to-last lap, he had 32 seconds on him. By the time Bjornsen crossed the finish line, had bettered his 30-second lead by over a minute.
Elliott finished second, 1:39.3 minutes off of Bjornsen’s race time and Norris in third, 3:35.9 minutes back from Bjornsen.
“The 50k went amazing it was the best classic result I have ever had and maybe the best race I have ever had,” Elliott wrote. “My skis were incredible, Evan Elliott, Zach Caldwell, Josh Smullin, Austin Caldwell, and Brayton Osgood worked so hard for us. Evan my twin my was wax guy specifically. Skis really helped me in the race.”
About 24 seconds off the podium, Freeman finished fourth (+5:33.4), Packer followed in fifth (+5:59.3), Patterson sixth (+6:05.0), and Hoffman seventh (+7:50.6).
Spring Series Sums Up Season
With the culminating Spring Series event, some of Saturday’s racers are saying goodbye to the 2015/2016 season with a slight sigh, both of relief and excitement, for the end of one season and the ones yet to come.
“Saturday’s race shows that things are really going well for me,” Elliott wrote in an email. “To come off Ski Tour Canada, and a long week in Craftsbury and to ski like this after all the health issues the last two years shows that I am in a really good place. I am excited for the future.”
Elliott added that much of his season’s success would not have been possible without the continuing support from the ski community.
Saturday’s runner-up Tad Elliott of Ski and Snowboard Club Vail (r) received a hug from winner Erik Bjornsen (APU) after the men’s 50 k classic mass start at 2016 U.S. Distance Nationals in Craftsbury, Vt. (Photo: John Lazenby/Lazenbyphoto.com)
“This season was a step in the right direction,” he wrote. “I never thought that is would go so well. I am amazed. So much thanks to Vail, [coach] Zach Cadwell, Salomon, Oakley, Swix. They all stayed by me and helped me come back . I lived with Zach all winter in his house with his family. Without the Caldwells this season wouldn’t have gone the way it has.”
Just how will Saturday’s second place finisher prepare for next season? Working the green with good friends.
“Next is Golfing with some of my best friends in South Carolina,” Elliott wrote. “As for skiing, the only goal is to stay healthy and positive to training results will fall into place.”
Norris echoed Elliott’s enthusiasm for not just Saturday’s race, but the season as a whole.
“I’m glad I could climb back onto the US National podium again after two years not being able to find it,” Norris wrote.
“The highlights to my season would have to be my American Birkie win and picking up my first Super Tour wins ever,” Norris wrote. “I advanced to my first SuperTour sprint A final this winter and then won the race — that was a seaon highlight! Today will be remembered as a highlight but more because of how painful it was to get to the finish line.”
Norris, like many nordic skiers, savors the season as an indicator for more.
“I always want more from myself when any season comes to to an end,” he added. “I don’t think my results have put me in a different position that last year but I’m going into the summer with excitement knowing that some really great results are possible for me.”
And Bjornsen?
“I’m actually headed to France,” Bjornsen said, who will race one more 50 k next Sunday.
As far as his last race on U.S. soil, Bjornsen is ready to soak up the win. “It’s been a while since I’ve had a national title,” he added. “So that was pretty cool at the end.”
Race winner Erik Bjornsen (center) of Alaska Pacific University with second-place finisher Tad Elliott of Ski and Snowboard Club Vail (l) and third place finisher Daivd Norris of Alaska Pacific University after the men’s 50 k classic mass start at 2016 U.S. Distance Nationals on Saturday in Craftsbury, Vt. (Photo: John Lazenby/Lazenbyphoto.com)
Noah Hoffman of Ski & Snowboard Club Vail and the U.S. Ski Team (USST) racing to first place in the men’s 15 k freestyle individual start at the U.S. SuperTour Finals on Monday in Craftsbury, Vt. (Photo: John Lazenby/Lazenbyphoto.com)
Technique takes practice. Race tactics take practice. What about podiums?
U.S. Ski Team (USST) member Noah Hoffman — currently competing for his club team, Ski & Snowboard Club Vail (SSCV), at the U.S. SuperTour Finals in Craftsbury, Vt. — views the process of winning a race, equally important to the win itself.
“Honestly, it’s nice to get to win a race every once in awhile,” Hoffman, the winner of the men’s 15-kilometer freestyle individual start race on Monday in Craftsbury, said in a post-race phone interview. “I mean, it’s been a long time since I’ve won a ski race outright and I think there’s something to be said for learning how to win.”
The last time the 26-year-old Colorado native won a race was two years ago at 2014 SuperTour Finals in Anchorage, Alaska. There, he won the opening 15 k freestyle as well.
Now, with another victory under his belt, Hoffman is all for practicing how to win as an individual as well as a group.
“It’s not a secret that we’re lagging behind on U.S. men’s distance [racing],” he said. “We have a long way to go as a group … but I have a lot of faith in the athletes that are skiing right now and I think we can all work together to try to improve.”
The top six in the men’s 15 k freestyle at SuperTour Finals on Monday in Craftsbury, Vt., with (from left to right) fifth-place finisher Eric Packer (APU), runner-up Scott Patterson (APU), winner Noah Hoffman (SSCV/USST), Paddy Caldwell (SMS/USST) in third, David Norris (APU) in fourth, and Tad Elliott (SSCV) in sixth. (Photo: John Lazenby/Lazenbyphoto.com)
Following the end of the World Cup season two weeks ago at the Ski Tour Canada (STC), Hoffman sees value for both himself and the USST by racing this last set of races on the U.S. circuit.
“I think my teammates and I all prioritize these races,” Hoffman said. “We’re not just doing this for the domestic scene. I think there’s a lot of value for us as well.”
The term “us” can be applied to both the USST members, as well as athletes watching or racing experienced skiers like Hoffman at SuperTour Finals.
“It’s really fun for me to be here with the Vail club,” Hoffman said. “We [SSCV] have a couple of juniors here, plus we’re part of the Rocky Mountain crew, and there’s a junior from Aspen where I grew up and there’s some Steamboat kids. So being a part of this crew and being on a team with these athletes is really fun for all of us here.”
Hoffman Holds Off Patterson’s ‘Fight for the Win’
Finishing just six-tenths of a second behind Hoffman’s winning time of 31:14.3, was Scott Patterson, skiing for Alaska Pacific University (APU), in second place.
“It’s kind of fun getting back to the domestic racing and actually being able to fight for the win instead of getting blown out of the race,” Patterson, who made his World Cup debut this season, said on the phone. “Obviously I would have like it a little more if I had found 0.6 seconds, but I’m happy with [the race].”
As the last A-seeded male in bib 20, Patterson led both the first and third laps of the four x 3.75 k course skiing with APU teammates Tyler Kornfield and Eric Packer.
“Packer started 30 seconds in front of me and I caught him,” Patterson explained. “And then Tyler left the start line right as Packer and I were passing through. So we had a good group … always nice to have a couple people to ski with.”
While the APU trio made their way through the final lap, Patterson pinpointed another cause for his seconds lost on Hoffman.
“I got a split that I was 12 seconds up on the last uphill, so I probably held back a little bit in the finish,” Patterson said.
Scott Patterson (APU) racing to second place in the men’s 15 k freestyle individual start at SuperTour Finals on Monday in Craftsbury, Vt. (Photo: John Lazenby/Lazenbyphoto.com)
Still, coming off of the STC and two stages of World Cup racing, Patterson was happy to be back in the fight for the top spot.
“I’m sure we’ll have fun in the 50 k with racing in the front instead of having other people control it and trying to hang on,” Patterson said of the men’s 50 k classic mass start, part of U.S. Distance Nationals, on Saturday. “These races are fun because they kind of bring everyone together at the end of the season.”
Hoffman who started in bib 15, said despite his hot off the start pace, he managed to hold on for the win with the help of Northern Michigan University skier Adam Martin.
“I was pretty aggressive on the first lap, which I intended to do,” Hoffman said. “But I definitely paid for that at the end of the race. I was lucky I had some help, I caught Adam Martin after a lap … He showed me the pace all the way from there to the finish, the last 3 k or so. That was very helpful for me, having not paced it well. I needed that little boost of somebody to follow.”
While both Hoffman and Patterson found the help of other racers on course, Paddy Caldwell, skied the course solo for third place overall.
“I was flying solo for the day, but that was all right,” Caldwell said on the phone.
Caldwell, who skis for Dartmouth College and is also a member of the Stratton Mountain School and the USST development (“D”) team, was the top U23 athlete, finishing 11.4 seconds behind Hoffman
Paddy Caldwell, racing for the Stratton Mountain School, on his way to third place in the men’s 15 k freestyle individual start at SuperTour Finals on Monday in Craftsbury, Vt. (Photo: John Lazenby/Lazenbyphoto.com)
“I’m definitely really excited with the result and it was fun to be so close to a teammate, who I for sure look up to as distance skier and overall guy,” Caldwell said, referring to Hoffman. “And same with Patterson. Those two have really been nailing the distance skiing this year so I’m for psyched to be close and I think, within striking range today.”
With the broad conglomerate of athletes and clubs showing up to the final week of SuperTour racing in the U.S., Caldwell is feeding off the energy of others, while also pushing a competitive energy of his own.
“It’s just awesome to have the whole ski community here,” Caldwell said. “All the World Cup guys — whoever is healthy — it’s great to have everyone here. And I think the World Cup skiers bring some of that energy here which is always fun to see. It’s definitely a relaxed setting, but it’s fun because the competition is definitely high.”
Racing continues Tuesday with the men’s and women’s 1.5 k classic sprints.
The 10th Mountain Whiskey & Spirit Company team: partial partner Sylvan Ellefson (c) with owners Christian Avignon (l) and Ryan Thompson. (Photo: Slade Cogswell/970 Design)
If you see Sylvan Ellefson hoisting a glass of whiskey or bourbon at a farmer’s market this summer, don’t be alarmed. He hasn’t gone off the deep end since retiring from nordic racing earlier this spring; he’s just doing his job.
At the end of last season, the 27-year-old Ski and Snowboard Club Vail member and Team HomeGrown founder decided he was ready for a change. Born and raised in Vail, Colo., he wanted to stay there, but the income he was reaping as a professional skier wasn’t cutting it. The 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, had been his carrot, enticing him over the last several years (and his career) to train harder, race faster and hopefully make the U.S. Olympic team.
Sylvan Ellefson (SSCV/Team HomeGrown) lining up for the 30 k at 2014 U.S. Cross Country Championships at Soldier Hollow in Midway, Utah. (Photo: Swix)
But it didn’t happen.
The night before the 30-kilometer freestyle mass start at U.S. nationals in January, a race which Ellefson considered his best shot at proving his stripes for the Olympic team, he wrote himself a letter, which he posted on Facebook when he announced his retirement on March 31.
“Skiing began on a whim,” it began. “A suggestion from Duncan as something I might be good at. … Here I am, a night out from the biggest race of my entire life. Have I put in enough work already to help get me bid to the 2014 Sochi Olympics? I have no idea…
“Success is such a subjective thing,” the note continued. “I have to do this for me. As much as I want to do this for everyone else, I have to remember that I am doing this for me because it is what I love. It is my passion.”
The next day, Ellefson remembered feeling completely relaxed lining up for the 30 k.
“I knew I was just out there doing what I loved to do,” he said on the phone from Vail last month.
He won the race by 2.8 seconds over Brian Gregg of Team Gregg/Madshus. It was his first national title.
Exactly two weeks later on Jan. 22, the U.S. Ski Team named its Olympic squad. Ellefson wasn’t on the list.
“I’ve never been so anxious my entire life for a phone call,” he recalled. “And then I didn’t get a phone call, I got an email, and then I returned the email with a phone call and I got another email back after that. I got so bummed out about it for a couple days. It took me to read that letter I had written to myself that night before the 30 k to really remember why I was doing it.”
Ellefson in the lead with just over 5 k remaining in the men’s 30 k freestyle mass start at U.S. nationals in Midway, Utah.
His had been so concerned with the end goal rather than the process, he said.
“The reason I skied for so many years is because it’s so fun and I’ve met so many good people, so many good friends,” he added. “… Then it caught back up with me again when I didn’t get selected to the Olympic team and I was so angry for a while and just sad, and just maybe 5 percent relieved that it was over.”
Ellefson took nearly a month off racing, resuming the SuperTour circuit in St. Paul, Minn., then the American Birkebeiner on Feb. 22, in which he placed 21st. As a mid-season SuperTour leader, he earned World Cup starts in March in Lahti, Finland, and Drammen and Oslo, Norway. In those four World Cup races, he posted a best result of 67th in the Drammen classic sprint.
“It was good for me to take a little time off after the Olympic selection,” he said. “It was good for me to do things I liked to do — I went skiing and I kind of stopped training for a while and I enjoyed my life here in Vail. I knew I was going to finish out the season as much as I could … I did want to ski a couple more World Cups just because the feeling of skiing a World Cup is pretty awesome. My results weren’t fantastic, but just to be over there and experiencing it was good for me to remind me, and now I miss it again.”
The Holmekollen 50 k classic mass start in Oslo was Ellefson’s last race. He didn’t finish, and when he began contemplating a trip to Anchorage, Alaska, for the final SuperTour races of the season, Ellefson knew he was ready to hang up his racing boards. Not for good, but for the time being.
“I chose this life path a long time ago,” he said. “Getting married and knowing that I wanted to live in Vail for the rest of my life, I kind of started realizing this year that in order to do that I had to make life more sustainable here. Unfortunately a skier’s income is hard to pay all the bills with so that kind of slapped me in the face, made me realize that maybe not necessarily an entire withdrawal from the sport, but putting it on the back burner a little bit was probably in the cards if I wanted to continue living here.”
In contention for an overall SuperTour podium for 2013/2014, he spoke with his coaches Eric Pepper and Dan Weiland about whether he should finish out the season in Alaska.
“That was kind of the point in which I was like, yeah I want to go to Spring Series because this is what I do at the end of every year — it’s fun, it’s the end-of-the-season races you get to be with all the people you’ve been racing with all year and have a good time afterwards,” Ellefson said. “Then I kind of had to get out of that mentality and think about whether it actually made sense.”
If he wasn’t planning on racing next season and wasn’t concerned with improving his SuperTour standing or International Ski Federation (FIS) point profile, it didn’t. And so he made his decision, and now it was time to get to another line of work.
“… I am a current 10th Mountain soldier who has multiple deployments to Afghanistan and I am extremely proud to contribute to your endeavor. You have paid tribute to the soldiers that have come before and forever persevered their legacy. Thank you and CLIMB TO GLORY!” — Ben Coon, a current 10th Mountain soldier based out of Fort Drum, N.Y., in an email to 10th Mountain Whiskey & Spirit Company. According to The Bourbon Review, Coon will probably be amongst the first to enjoy one of the original batches once they’re released this summer or fall.
After stepping back from skiing this spring, Ellefson took a job overseeing the property management and service department at his friend’s masonry company, Avignon Stone and Outdoor Living in Vail.
Sylvan Ellefson while picking up barrels recently in Indiana for the 10th Mountain Whiskey & Spirit Company. (Courtesy photo)
His days were long — often 7 to 7 — but Ellefson had an end in sight. He was already a partial partner with Christian Avignon, the owner, and Ryan Thompson, one of Ellefson’s high-school soccer coaches, but not in the masonry business.
Avignon and Thompson, who owns the West Side Cafe in Vail, had been working on creating a craft distillery — the 10th Mountain Whiskey & Spirit Company — for the last two years. The business was homegrown, promising locally sourced whiskey and bearing the name of the 10th Mountain Division, of which Avignon’s grandfather Fred Vetter was a medic in during the 1940s. At the time, the U.S. Army trained at Camp Hale, about 30 minutes away from Vail.
“The patriotic men of the 10th brought diversity, courage, and hope to the Rocky Mountains when they arrived in the 1940′s to train just a few miles south of what is now Vail,” the 10th Whiskey’s website states. “They were part of the greatest generation of men, wanting to make each day count and each day better than the last. The mentality they had was strong after being shaped from the rigors of mountain warfare, their ego’s humble.
“The 10th Mountain Whiskey and Spirit Company is an extension of the mountain lifestyle, bringing together the old with the new,” the statement continued. “Generation after generation, men and women alike, all share this same passion, enjoying it for a day, a weekend, a lifetime, or somewhere in between. No matter how long it’s embraced the combination of friends, mountains, memories and spirits, bring people together like no other.”
Sylvan Ellefson’s new business card for 10th Mountain Whiskey & Spirit Company in Vail, Colo. (Courtesy photo)
The two founders approached Ellefson late last summer with a proposal, in full support of his racing career, letting him know they’d have a job for him at the distillery later on if he was interested. As Ellefson understood it, he would assume a range of jobs and responsibilities in the early days of the business (including social media, event planning, and merchandise design and ordering), and eventually become the tasting-room manager — “somebody who’s going to meet and greet the people and hopefully cause customers to come back and help create that brand loyalty,” according to Ellefson — at their tasting room in Vail.
The 7,000-square-foot distillery, where the alcohol is made, would be at a leased space in Gypsum, Colo., about 30 miles from Vail, and Ellefson confirmed both the tasting room and distillery were in place and planning to open mid-summer. As of now, they’re waiting on licensing and all the necessary paperwork to be approved.
In April, the Kickstarter online fundraiser Ellefson put in place raised nearly $28,000 dollars, well over the company’s $25,000 goal. A day before the campaign ended, he wrote on Facebook that an “Angel donor” pledged $10,000 for a personalized 53-gallon whiskey barrel and bottles containing a whiskey named after the donor.
While the money Kickstarter raised wasn’t essential for 10th Mountain Whiskey’s development, it’s a good chunk of change toward establishing their business, estimated to cost at least half a million dollars, according to Ellefson.
“The reason we did the Kickstarter is because we are starting mom-and-pop style,” he said. “We really wanted people, even before we had a product to feel, especially in this small town, that they were a part of something like this.”
The three faces of the 10th Mountain Whiskey & Spirit Company, including Sylvan Ellefson (l) dressed in corn at Vail’s Closing Day. (Courtesy photo)
The craft distillery will be the first in the Vail area, with another distillery about 45 minutes away in Breckenridge and some smaller distilleries down the valley from Vail, he said.
“The neat thing about craft distilling is there’s not a ton of competition. If anything it’s more craft distilleries working together to compete against the Jim Beams, the Jack Daniels, the big guys,” he explained. “It’s kind of cool to see a couple craft distilleries help market each other and make craft distilling a cool thing, especially in the state of Colorado.”
He learned there were more than 250 craft breweries in Colorado, a boom which distillery owners are anticipating will hit their industry. Adding to the hype, there’s a possibility that 10th Mountain Whiskey could be featured in a reality TV show about startup craft distilleries, although Ellefson wasn’t sure of the details.
“We are a sponsor of the GoPro Games in Vail, CO coming up June 5-8 and will have a tent with all of our spirit accessories including whiskey barrels, rocks glasses, pint glasses, t-shirts, hats, flasks, stainless steel mason jars, etc.,” he wrote in an email.
Sylvan Ellefson getting some “corn air” at Vail’s Closing Day in late April. (Courtesy photo)
And this week, he’s fyling to Kentucky — Bourbon Country — to pick up some barrels and drive them back to Colorado, and plans to post updates about his road trip on Facebook.
As for the farmer’s market, Ellefson said that’s a possiblity since Colorado allows distilleries to sell liquor from different locations simultaneously (i.e. a tasting room and a farmer’s market).
“I love whiskey,” he said with a laugh. “You definitely have to know your product so to be able to taste other bourbons and whiskeys … I’d say in the month of April I was a pretty avid whiskey taster.”
He’s also taken an advanced distilling class to learn about the process, but none of the partners will actually create the product. Thompson and Avignon attended Moonshine University in Louisville to learn the ins and outs of whiskey making, but will hire a master distiller to do the dirty work.
They plan to purchse a still from Vendrome Copper & Brass Works, which could cost around $150,000 to $200,000 for a 500-gallon tank.
According to The Bourbon Review, they’ll start off with a corn moonshine, a rye whiskey, a Bourbon, a potato vodka and a sage infused, peach-vanilla cordial.
And whenever Ellefson’s not promoting the business, he’ll be off enjoying some of what he’s missed over the years, like Colorado hut trips in the middle of the winter and back-to-back-to-back weekends with friends in Moab, Utah. Earlier this month at the Greenland Trail 25 k in Larkspur, Colo., Ellefson placed ninth in 1:48:23.
“I’ve been pretty excited to start a new life,” he said. “Especially doing it with [my wife] Sarah [who graduated physical therapy school in May], because we’ve never been able to spend a ton of time together. … Even the little times when we get to do these backcountry skinning trips or these little bike trips, we’re just like, man if we could just do this all the time, it would be so fun and so awesome. Now that we’ve been able to do that a little bit, I’m happy that I made the decision that I did.”
Sylvan Ellefson and his wife, Sarah, await the podium ceremony after Ellefson won the men’s 30 k freestyle mass start at U.S. nationals in January.
Sylvan Ellefson (l) and his Ski & Snowboard Club Vail/Team HomeGrown teammates enjoying some on-snow time this spring in Bend, Ore. (Photo: Eric Pepper)
Note: This is the second preview in our series on U.S. elite teams, which we’ve dubbed the “The 12.” We asked coaches to tell us what’s new and whom to look out for in the coming season and will publish additional previews in the coming weeks in no particular order.
Team: Ski & Snowboard Club Vail (SSCV)/Team HomeGrown
Coaches: Eric Pepper (head coach), Dan Weiland (nordic program director), Lenka Palanova, Kevin Hoechtl, Allison Ebbets
Senior roster: Noah Hoffman (U.S. Ski Team), Tad Elliott, Sylvan Ellefson, Ryan Scott
Who’s new: none.
Who’s missing: none.
Coach’s comment: “We are excited to be able to support these four athletes,” head coach Eric Pepper said. “With the added excitement of an Olympic year, training has been great and we are looking forward to the race season.”
Four Colorado-born skiers have Olympic aspirations with the Winter Games in Sochi, Russia, just over seven months away. Hoffman, Elliott, Ellefson, and Scott will receive full support of the SSCV in Vail, Colo., and wear the colors of HomeGrown, signifying the club’s in-state requirement.
“What it comes down to for us is we want to make sure we can give top-level support to our athletes,” Pepper said about his selective elite team roster. Promising candidates have expressed interest in joining the team, but did not meet the “HomeGrown” standard, he explained.
Top results last season:
All four skiers made World Cup starts in 2012/2013. Hoffman and Elliott gained the most international experience as members of the U.S. Ski Team (USST). Ellefson’s World Cup eligibility, which carried over from being the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association (USSA) SuperTour points leader in 2011/2012, expired after the December World Cup in Canmore, Alberta.
Colorado native Noah Hoffman of the U.S. Ski Team and SSCV/Team HomeGrown at the 2013 World Championships in Val di Fiemme, Italy
Scott, 23, filled one of the additional U.S. quota spots at the Canada World Cup after finding success at the SuperTour season opener in West Yellowstone, Mont., where he notched his first domestic win. He placed 51st in the Canmore sprint and 60th in the individual sprint Quebec City. A sprint specialist, Scott is currently training in Norway with a group of friends.
“That’s something he’s done a couple of times and he really feels like he’s derived a lot of benefit from it,” Pepper said.
The top-ranked distance skier in the U.S., Hoffman, 23, is coming off a strong season in which he placed 15th in the 15-kilometer freestyle individual start at World Championships in Val di Fiemme, Italy, and qualified for World Cup Finals. He underwent shoulder surgery this spring and has gradually added intensity and volume to his training program.
“He’s as focused as ever and looking forward to the upcoming year,” Pepper said.
Tad Elliott (SSCV/Team HomeGrown) racing for the U.S. Ski Team at 2013 World Championships in Val di Fiemme, Italy.
Elliott, who turns 25 today, is no longer on the USST, but the former mountain-bike racer maintains a full commitment to skiing.
“Nothing in his mind has changed one bit,” Pepper said. “Everything he’s got is going into [skiing] this year.”
Elliott anchored the Americans’ 4 x 10 k relay team to 10th place at World Championships and scored World Cup points when he was 28th in the skiathlon in Canmore. He and Ellefson have already put in several offseason hours on snow in Bend, Ore. Ellefson, 26, joined the USST training camp there in May and led a two-week SSCV junior camp with Elliott.
Hindered by an ankle injury at the tail end of 2011/2012, Ellefson battled illness last fall. His season-best World Cup finish was 57th in Quebec City, after cracking the top 50 the year before when he was 43rd in Rybinsk, Russia. In a recent interview with FasterSkier, Ellefson said he’ll attempt to climb to the top of the SuperTour points list again.
While they won’t start the season in the USST uniform, Elliott, Ellefson and Scott are among those with a legitimate shot at grabbing one of the few coveted spots on the U.S. Olympic roster. The qualifying period ends January 12, and at that time, additional team members who did not meet the objective criteria may be named based on International Ski Federation (FIS) rankings.
“It does definitely put a lot of emphasis on those early season races,” Pepper said. “We’re going to be approaching those at a higher level than we probably have previously.”
Sarah and Sylvan Ellefson showing the love while on a zip line in Kauai, Hawaii, during their honeymoon earlier this month. The two were married Aug. 11 and spent eight days in Hawaii immediately after. (Sylvan Ellefson courtesy photo)
Thousands of miles from the U.S. mainland on the northern island of Hawaii, Sylvan Ellefson tweeted photos from his honeymoon in Kauai. He posted the first the day after arriving with his new wife, Sarah Ellefson, formerly Wright.
“Lounging after a casual 3hr waterfall run,” wrote Ellefson, the 25-year-old defending SuperTour champion.
Friends and family tweeted back in retaliation. Training? They should be relaxing for crying out loud! Ellefson responded two days later.
“She made me,” he tweeted. “All I want is another Piña Colada.”
Sylvan and Sarah Ellefson (formerly Wright) on their honeymoon in Kauai, Hawaii. (Courtesy photo)
Between kicking back at luaus and happy hour, riding zip lines and exploring a 4,300-acre ranch on four wheels, Ellefson and his bride enjoyed plenty of R & R on their eight-day getaway. The two were married Saturday, Aug. 11, at a lakeside ranch near his hometown in Vail, Colo., and left for Kauai the following Monday.
Slightly more than two weeks later, Ellefson was back home resting before an interval session with his Ski and Snowboard Club Vail (SSCV) team. That morning, he ran 30 minutes, did 1 ½ hours of strength and an hour double pole.
“It’s been a big day,” Ellefson said on the phone Monday afternoon.
But he was ready to get back at it since arriving home a few days earlier. Once back in the U.S., the Ellefsons headed to Minnesota, where Sarah – a former University of New Hampshire skier – is from. Then they went to Boulder, where Sarah lives while studying physical therapy, to watch the USA Pro Am Cycling Challenge last weekend.
“I’m jazzed to be moving around again,” Ellefson said. “The wedding week was pretty crazy and then the honeymoon was nice and relaxing, kind of.”
He laughed.
Here’s the rest of FasterSkier’s interview with Ellefson, which details everything from the wedding-day downpour to what the Colorado native and World Championships hopeful has planned for this season.
***
FasterSkier: Now that you’re a husband, how do you feel?
Sarah and Sylvan Ellefson were married Aug. 11 at Piney River Ranch near Vail, Colo. (DavidLynn Photography)
Sylvan Ellefson: Totally different. I feel like a whole different person. No, I’m kidding. It doesn’t feel any different at all other than I’ve got this hunk of metal on my finger. I keep playing around with it, I’m sure I’m going to lose this thing here.
FS: Tell me about the wedding. How did you decide to get married there and how did it go?
SE: We got married at the Piney River Ranch. It’s north of Vail, half an hour by dirt road. We originally wanted to [get married] at the top of Vail Mountain, which is where my parents got married, but then Sarah’s mom came into town and I told them to go check out this one other place just to see if they wanted to do that. They went up to Piney River Ranch last August, I think it was, and checked it out and I’m pretty sure we booked it that same day that they went up there.
Everything [the ceremony, reception, etc.] was up there. It started at four, and it was super nice when we got up there. The clouds were kind of moving around the mountains … and then right before the wedding was supposed to happen, we started the procession and everyone was outside on the wedding deck. It started raining a little bit, and then the rain started coming down pretty hard and people started opening umbrellas. All of a sudden it was a torrential downpour and then it started hailing (laughs). It was crazy. Everyone went back into the dressing rooms and everything, and we had to talk to the ranch owners to figure out what we wanted to do. We looked at the clouds coming, and it just looked like it was going to be some kind of pretty crazy weather.
We ended up having a super-intimate wedding; it was actually really nice. We moved everybody in under the covered area. The lake that was behind us started steaming because of the contrast of the hail and the air and everything. The backdrop was really cool, and obviously I didn’t get to see it because I was looking right at Sarah and the crowd the whole time.
Sylvan and Sarah Ellefson (center) celebrate their marriage with their wedding party at Piney River Ranch on Aug. 11 near Vail, Colo. (Courtesy photo)
[Note: The rain stopped after the ceremony and the skis remained clear all night.]
We did the wedding there and then everyone ate and we danced for a bunch of hours. We had a bonfire and a keg back behind the camping area, right behind where the wedding was, and we just hung out around the fire until two in the morning. It was super fun and everyone that was up there camped and then cruised down the next morning. We stayed in a cabin that was up there.
The next morning we woke up and kind of cleaned everything up and Sarah and I rode down the dirt road back into Vail on this tandem mountain bike. It’s probably like eight or nine miles to Piney River, but it’s a really bumpy dirt road.
FS: How was Hawaii?
SE: We had an awesome trip. We were literally at our hotel maybe five percent of the whole time we were in Kauai. … We got in really late the first night and then the next morning we met with the concierge to kind of figure out what we wanted to do, and it was basically, like, bam, bam, bam, everything after that. Right after that we went for that three-hour run up to a waterfall. That night we went to a luau. The next morning, we went zip lining for a half day and then we found a swimming hole and chilled there for a while. We had to go hit up happy hour at the bar that afternoon, otherwise we were paying like 12 dollars per drink (laughs).
Newlyweds Sylvan and Sarah Ellefson spent a day and a night at Kauai Ranch in Hawaii, where several movies like Tropic Thunder, Dragonfly and The Descendants, were filmed. They explored on a four-wheeler and stayed in a yurt. (Courtesy photo)
Probably the coolest part of the whole honeymoon, though, was we went to this ranch called Kauai Ranch and it is the ranch where, like, “Tropic Thunder” and “Dragonfly” and part of “The Descendents” was filmed. We stayed at this really sweet little canvas yurt-tent. It was like this [4,300]-acre ranch and we went an explored it running one morning and then we got to use this four-wheeler vehicle, the Gator, for another five hours in the afternoon and we didn’t even cover all the trails that were on the ranch.
FS: Did you rest at all?
SE: Oh yeah. We probably slept, like, nine hours a night. It was nice. Leading up to the wedding it was, like, five hours, six hours, five hours, five hours.
FS: When did you and Sarah get engaged and how did you meet?
SE: We got engaged last July 22. We met at Carnival Crush, you know that little tradition that the East-coast skiers have on Valentine’s Day? Sarah gave me a live goldfish when we were juniors in college and it kind of just sparked after that. I think that was four and a half or five years ago. She said it was our first pet together. I didn’t know how to take that. I think she was joking, but I took her seriously, so jokes on her!
Sylvan and Sarah Ellefson take to the dance floor at their wedding on Aug. 11 at Piney River Ranch. (Courtesy photo)
FS: And you two recently had dinner with Kikkan?
SE: I had no idea she was going to be in town and she texted me last Thursday night [Aug. 23], like, ‘Hey I’m in Vail. We should catch up, grab some food or something.’ And I was like, ‘Yeah, Friday night.’ It was good to see her because I haven’t seen her before we left Spring Series.
FS: Whom have you mostly trained with this summer?
SE: [In] May, I did the Bend camp, and then a couple weeks later we came back to Bend with the junior team and a couple post-grad students and the Bend locals, like [XC Oregon’s] Ollie Burruss and Matt Briggs were there, so I trained there for about half of June.
When we came back I mostly trained with a lot of the junior and then the college guys that are here for the summer, like Conor Wallace and Sean Woods and Tony Ryerson. Actually [SSCV nordic director] Dan [Weiland] and [head coach] Eric [Pepper] have been getting out on the rollerskis quite often this summer so they’ve kind of been training partners as well. And then Cal Deline and Parker McDonald, Christian Shanley, all those juniors.
[Team HomeGrown teammate] Ryan Scott was here for a week in July right before the wedding, and we had a good training week together. I just missed [U.S. Ski Team members and Homegrown teammates] Tad [Elliott] and Noah [Hoffman]. They came right after the wedding when I went to Hawaii. I think they did a bunch of skiing with the juniors here and the other college guys.
FS: How’s training gone so far?
Sylvan Ellefson (front) joins the Ski and Snowboard Club Vail junior team in Bend, Ore., for an on-snow camp this past spring. (Courtesy photo)
SE: Training’s actually been really awesome this summer. I think it’s always really great to kick it off with training in Bend in that May-June period. To be on snow that early in the season is kind of exciting instead of being on rollerskis and getting in the habit for the entire summer it’s fun to be able to ski on snow. You’re still kind of used to it. And then come July, you’re just starting to pick things up. I did a lot of running races and biking races this summer and those have been going pretty well and it’s fun because we have a pretty competitive local race series for [trail] running and [mountain] biking, so I’ve been doing those.
FS: You blogged about placing third for the first time in a pro mountain bike race in July. Was that a goal of yours?
SE: It’s a pretty competitive race series. A lot of the guys actually do race pro and race around the U.S. and I scored a third place in one of the races. I was pretty psyched for that because I’m usually like fourth every time.
If I train biking, it’s more like a recovery thing and if I do the bike races, it’s more of an intensity spot. For me, it’s good to keep that race vibe going to make sure I get that race feeling every now and then, and I don’t totally forget before the first race pops up at the beginning of the season.
FS: How does your training plan this summer compare to last year?
SE: Basically when I was over in Europe, I definitely got my butt kicked, which I think was good and bad. It kind of sucks to get your butt kicked sometimes, but it’s also a really good learning experience.
Every time I felt like there was something I could work on, I wrote it down and sent it to Eric and Dan and we compiled a list of things to work on this summer to help me get ready for the upcoming race season. It ranged from doing more double-pole sessions to changing up our intervals a little bit, like, changing formats of races like having the preems. We’ve been doing a lot of intervals where we switch from just Level 3 and just Level 4 to doing a Level 3 piece with some Level 4 in between and then dropping back down to L3 and bringing it up again.
I noticed in a lot of the mass-start races, you can see on TV the front of the pack is usually so calm and collected. When you’re in the front, you get in a really good rhythm. I was watching all these races I was in on the World Cup last year, seeing these guys up front it just looks like it’s so easy. What they don’t show is in the back, it’s just nuts because it’s all the people who are probably racing a couple of their first races or whatever and they’re just really stressing out, me included. They’re trying to get a good spot and it requires more energy to ski at the back of the pack, especially in the beginning of the race. Until I start skiing better, I’m not going to be at the front of the pack so I need to kind of adjust to that back-of-the-pack skiing. For me, that was being able to, maybe fresh off the bat, hold onto like a Level 2 or even a Level 4 pace and then dropping back into a threshold pace without totally going under, being able to recover from it.
FS: How are you feeling heading into this season?
SE: I think my confidence going into this year is much better, which will be good. I’m not going to lie, lining up when I was in Rybinsk for my first mass start, looking at the people that I was lined up next to it was like, ‘Holy crap, these are all the people that I’ve ever watched on TV and now I’m standing next to them.’ Obviously, everybody’s going to have that shock value. I think going into this year, it’s more focused for me on a result more than experience. It’s not in my head that I’m just going to be racing World Cup this year, I want to be racing fast and I want to be getting results.
I think the first period will be good for me. What qualified me to go over to Europe last year were like 10 and 15 k skate and classic races, and I’m pretty excited to race those first races because I think there’s three 15 k’s and maybe one 10 k. I’m excited about that. I’m pretty excited with how my prologue and sprinting has been going, and then this fall, hopefully I’ll be able to ramp it up a little bit in Lake Placid and Park City and Canmore with these top-tier sprinters in the U.S., Simi and Newell.
FS: So you’re going to take advantage of a paid-for trip to the World Cup (as the SuperTour winner) and race Period 1 in Europe and Canada? Are you worried about relying on World Cup results to qualify for World Championships, rather than stay home and qualify domestically?
SE: I wasn’t really sure what I wanted to do. It was kind of a tactical decision because the world champs team is decided off your FIS points, but it’s kind of taking a chance. If I were to race in the U.S. and I was racing as well as I did at the beginning of last season, I would be getting good enough FIS points to bring me to World Champs. On the other hand, I would be giving up and opportunity to go race the World Cup, and I feel like that would be just a wasted opportunity.
Dan and Eric and I all decided that it would probably be best if I just took advantage of that opportunity. Assuming that I go into the first period as fit as I was last year, then I think me on a perfect day, skiing like I would at the top of my game, would land me a top-30 result, which is something that I’m looking for in this upcoming period.
The biggest reason that I’ve decided to go over to Europe this first period, I guess it depends on my ultimate goal. My ultimate goal is to progress U.S. skiing and kind of help the U.S. men to get to that next level. I think if I were to stay home that would be a little bit of a disservice to that.
I’m approaching this season similar to how I approached last season. If I stick to a similar plan just upping my hours from last year, I think that technically my body should react well to it. Hopefully period one shouldn’t be smooth sailing necessarily, but it should hopefully feel good while I’m racing over there. If I’m feeling good, hopefully I’ll be getting that top-30 spot that I want.
FS: What other goals do you have?
SE: I would love to get a top 30 on the World Cup. One of my goals is to win a race at U.S. nationals this year and then I guess another goal is just to rank in the top five for both sprint and distance in the U.S. at the end of next season. I think now I’m ranked fourth in the sprint, somehow, and seventh for distance.
[Note: Last year, Ellefson mostly made the top 60 in his first World Cup starts. He was third in the 15 k skate at U.S. nationals and finished the SuperTour series as the overall winner despite injuring his ankle in Sweden at the end of the season.]
FS: Looking back at the jump you made last year, what do you attribute your success to?
SE: I think my change in training and also it was kind of a change in confidence. The previous year, I had won two SuperTour races and just getting that feeling of winning a race is pretty cool. You know who you’re racing and you can beat them or you’re at that level, so you know you have the opportunity to bring yourself up to that next level.
Actually at the beginning of the [season] last year, I think it was November, I kind of changed [it] up. I never really prepped for a season like I had before last year, and I basically just did more intervals than I ever had the November before. I made sure I gave my body enough time to recover before those first races in Bozeman and West Yellowstone and I seemed to benefit [he won two SuperTour races in Bozeman and was second in two of the openers in West Yellowstone].
I’ve never skied that well early season so I was a little bit worried about U.S. nationals about how I’d be skiing there, but my body I guess … was fit and skied well. Unfortunately I got sick right after [nationals], and then went to Minnesota, skied well [he was second and third at the Minneapolis SuperTour], but got sick again after that. I was on antibiotics twice in, like, three weeks and I think it took a toll on my body before I went to Europe.
Then I had a good experience on the World Cup, and I honestly had no idea what to expect when I cam back to the U.S. I was racing every weekend, but I wasn’t able to train that much because I still wasn’t feeling 100 percent. When I came back to Vermont and I stayed with Liz Stephen, I skied, like, once, I went on a run once and then just kind of went into Spring Series without having trained that much, but I think my body held onto a lot of that fitness from the entire winter. My only goal was I really just wanted to get that World Cup spot for the fall, and I tried to race my butt off and ended up getting that spot, which I was super psyched about.
FS: And now you’re feeling good and the ankle is better?
SE: It’s great. My PT here in Vail has just done wonders for me. It’s all healed up and all that good stuff now. It’s pretty exciting for me not having to worry about that anymore.
FS: Next Monday, you wrote that you’re going back to school at Red Sandstone Elementary. What will you be doing?
SE: I’m a teacher’s assistant at my old elementary school. I go in for about 2-3 hours everyday when I am around. 4th graders. It’s super fun!
***
While Ellefson took care of business in Craftsbury, Vt., where he clinched the overall SuperTour title in late March, he also had some fun while staying at the home of his friend and U.S. Ski Team veteran, Liz Stephen. Her father helped film the following, and if you’re really into their music video, Ellefson said “The Bland” has another one coming soon.
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![](http://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2017/02/JCL_3107_1W-e1487694598139.jpg")
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![David Norris (l) and Kaitlynn Miller (r) are FasterSkier's Breakthrough Skiers of the Year for the U.S. (Photos: Tom Kelly/USSA and Flying Point Road)](http://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2016/04/Norris-and-Miller-breakthrough-skiers.jpg")
![Kaitlynn Miller (USA) on her way to 39th place. Ski Tour Canada. Women’s 10.5 k classic mass start, Montreal. (photo: flyingpointroad.com/NNF)](http://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2016/03/SMF2363-Edit-e1460955452734.jpg")
![David Norris (APU) celebrates his victory at the 2016 American Birkebeiner, holding off France's Ivan Perrillat Boiteux, Benoit Chauvet and Adrien Mougel in second, third and fourth, respectively. (Photo: James Netz/American Birkebeiner Ski Foundation©2016)](http://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2016/02/SBP_7541.jpg")
![Photo: Tad Elliott of Ski and Snowboard Club Vail crosses the line in first for the men's 30 k freestyle mass start on Thursday at U.S. nationals in Houghton, Mich. (Photo: Christopher Schmidt)](http://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2016/01/2016-nordicNats-skate-SR-men-9145-e1452281474798.jpg")
![American Anne Hart leads the start of the women's10 k freestyle at Stage 7 of the Ski Tour Canada in Canmore, Alberta. (Photo: Fischer/NordicFocus)](http://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2016/03/Hart160311mf001-e1457802579207.jpg")
![The start of the men's 50 k at 2016 U.S. Distance Nationals on Saturday in Craftsbury, Vt. (Photo: John Lazenby/Lazenbyphoto.com)](http://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2016/03/DSC_4882copyW-e1459068128828.jpg")
![David Norris of Alaska Pacific University leads Kris Freeman of Team Freebird during the men's 50 k at 2016 U.S. Distance Nationals on Saturday in Craftsbury, Vt. (Photo: John Lazenby/Lazenbyphoto.com)](http://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2016/03/DSC_5485copyW-e1459068479835.jpg")
![Left to right: Noah Hoffman of Ski and Snowboard Club Vail, Tad Elliott also of Ski and Snowboard Club Vail, and Erik Bjornsen of Alaska Pacific University during the men's 50 k at 2016 U.S. Distance Nationals on Saturday in Craftsbury, Vt. (Photo: John Lazenby/Lazenbyphoto.com)](http://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2016/03/DSC_5457copyW-e1459068218833.jpg")
![Tad Elliott of Ski and Snowboard Club Vail (l) receives a feed ahead of Noah Hoffman Ski and Snowboard Club Vail during the men's 50 k at 2016 U.S. Distance Nationals on Saturday in Craftsbury, Vt. (Photo: John Lazenby/Lazenbyphoto.com)](http://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2016/03/DSC_5640W-e1459095842659.jpg")
![Second place finisher, Tad Elliott of Ski and Snowboard Club Vail (l) receives a hug from first place finisher, Erik Bjornsen of Alaska Pacific University after the men's 50 k at 2016 U.S. Distance Nationals on Saturday in Craftsbury, Vt. (Photo: John Lazenby/Lazenbyphoto.com)](http://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2016/03/DSC_5872W-e1459099351749.jpg")
![Race winner Erik Bjornsen (center) of Alaska Pacific University with secon place finisher Tad Elliott of Ski and Snowboard Club Vail (l) and third place finisher Daivd Norris of Alaska Pacific University after the men's 50 k at 2016 U.S. Distance Nationals on Saturday in Craftsbury, Vt. (Photo: John Lazenby/Lazenbyphoto.com)](http://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2016/03/DSC_5895copyW-1-e1459068692385.jpg")
![Noah Hoffman of the U.S. Ski Team and Ski and Snowboard Club Vail racing to a first place finish in the men's 15 k freestyle individual start race at the U.S. SuperTour finals and U.S. Long Distance National Championships on Monday in Craftsbury Vt. (Photo: John Lazenby/Lazenbyphoto.com)](http://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2016/03/DSC_7666copyW-e1458605997911.jpg")
![Left to right: Eric Packer of Alaska Pacific University (APU), Scott Pattersone (APU), Noah Hoffman of the U.S. Ski Team (USST) and Ski and Snowboard Club Vail (SSCV), Paddy Caldwell of Stratton Mountain School/USST, David Norris (APU) and Tad Elliot (SSCV) after the men's 15 k freestyle individual start race at the U.S. SuperTour finals and U.S. Long Distance National Championships on Monday in Craftsbury Vt. (Photo: John Lazenby/Lazenbyphoto.com)](http://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2016/03/DSC_8743copyW-e1458606200291.jpg")
![Scott Patterson of Alaska Pacific University racing to a second place finish overall in the men's 15 k freestyle individual start race at the U.S. SuperTour finals and U.S. Long Distance National Championships on Monday in Craftsbury Vt. (Photo: John Lazenby/Lazenbyphoto.com)](http://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2016/03/DSC_7772copyW-e1458606453279.jpg")
![Stratton Mountain School /USST racer Paddy Caldwell racing to a third place finish overall in the men's 15 k freestyle individual start race at the U.S. SuperTour finals and U.S. Long Distance National Championships on Monday in Craftsbury Vt. (Photo: John Lazenby/Lazenbyphoto.com)](http://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2016/03/DSC_7871copyW-e1458606720975.jpg")
![The 10th Mountain Whiskey & Spirits team: with partial partner Sylvan Ellefson (c) and owners Christian Avignon (l) and Ryan Thompson. (Photo: Slade Cogswell | 970 Design)](http://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2014/05/10team.jpg")
![Sylvan Ellefson (SSCV/Team HomeGrown) at 2014 U.S. Cross Country Championships last week at Soldier Hollow in Midway, Utah. (Photo: Swix)](http://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2014/01/Sylvan1.jpg")
![Sylvan Ellefson (SSCV/Team HomeGrown) pushes off the front with just over 5 k remaining in the men's 30 k freestyle mass start at U.S. nationals at Soldier Hollow in Midway, Utah.](http://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2014/01/ellefson-end-of-lap-5.jpg")
![The 10th Mountain Whiskey & Spirit Company's lineup (Photo: 970 Designs)](http://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2014/05/image-6.jpeg")
![Sylvan Ellefson while picking up barrels recently in Indiana for the 10th Mountain Whiskey & Spirit Company. (Courtesy photo)](http://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2014/05/image-2.jpeg")
![Sylvan Ellefson's new business card for 10th Mountain Whiskey & Spirit Company in Vail, Colo.](http://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2014/05/image-1.jpeg")
![The three faces of the 10th Mountain Whiskey & Spirit Company, including Sylvan Ellefson (l) dressed in corn at Vail's Closing Day. (Courtesy photo)](http://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2014/05/image.jpg")
![Sylvan Ellefson getting some "corn air" at Vail's Closing Day in late April. (Courtesy photo)](http://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2014/05/image_1.jpg")
![Sylvan Ellefson and his wife, Sarah, await the podium ceremony after Ellefson won the men's 30 k freestyle mass start at U.S. nationals on Wednesday.](http://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2014/01/ellefson.jpg")
![Sylvan Ellefson (l) and his Ski & Snowboard Club Vail/Team HomeGrown teammates enjoying some on-snow time in Bend, Ore., this spring. (Photo: Eric Pepper)](http://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2013/07/Sylvan-Bend.jpg")
![Colorado native Noah Hoffman of the U.S. Ski Team and SSCV/Team HomeGrown at the 2013 World Championships in Val di Fiemme, Italy.](http://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2013/03/hoffman-thumb.png")
![Tad Elliott (SSCV/Team HomeGrown) racing for the U.S. Ski Team at 2013 World Championships in Val di Fiemme, Italy.](http://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2013/03/IMG_1992.jpg")
![](http://images.fasterskier.com/2012/08/IMG_3206-1.jpg" "Sarah and Sylvan Ellefson, zip line, Kauai, Hawaii")
![](http://images.fasterskier.com/2012/08/IMG_1310.jpg" "Sylvan and Sarah Wright Ellefson")
![](http://images.fasterskier.com/2012/08/394422_3469731982723_986682018_n.jpeg" "Sarah and Sylvan Ellefson wedding")
![](http://images.fasterskier.com/2012/08/427565_3476377108847_194705179_n.jpeg" "Sylvan Ellefson, Sarah, wedding")
![](http://images.fasterskier.com/2012/08/kauai.ranch_.jpg" "Kauai Ranch, Sylvan and Sarah Ellefson")
![](http://images.fasterskier.com/2012/08/215557_10100376041566591_864145389_n.jpeg" "Sylvan and Sarah Ellefson, wedding")
![](http://images.fasterskier.com/2012/08/IMG_2750.jpg" "Ski and Snowboard Club Vail, Sylvan Ellefson, juniors, Bend")