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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: The Devon Kershaw Show

  • The Devon Kershaw Show: Mayhem in Tesero in the women’s relay

    The Devon Kershaw Show: Mayhem in Tesero in the women’s relay

    This episode was made possible through the generous support of our voluntary subscribers.  If you value coverage like this, please support FasterSkier with a voluntary subscription.  

     

    That was a banger. We’re deep into the Olympics now, and Devon and Nat return for the third straight night to recap the women’s relay. One more race — the Norwegian men versus the world — and then everyone gets two days off.

    Reach us at devon[at]fasterskier.com and nat[at]fasterskier.com. We’ll be back tomorrow.

    A reminder: This is a homegrown podcast done by two guys working long hours and late nights. We’re also paying real money to be here in Italy. If you can, support the show and FasterSkier’s ongoing coverage with a voluntary membership. We’re also offering a bonus during the Olympics: a WhatsApp group with notes on Nat’s experiences in Italy, the food he’s eating, interview transcripts and more.

    Send nat[at]northernjournal[dot]com a confirmation of your voluntary membership and the number he should use for WhatsApp and we’ll get you signed up. You can also Venmo him directly at @nat-herz if a membership isn’t for you. We’re suggesting a minimum of $10, but we also won’t turn anyone away who wants to join because of an inability to pay.

    Help Support Our Olympic Coverage!

    FasterSkier will have our own Nat Herz on the ground at the Olympics, which, to be honest, is a very big financial lift for us. If you value the thoughtful work and access FasterSkier provides at championships like this one, please consider becoming a Voluntary Subscriber. Your support directly fuels the work we do to cover the people, places, and moments that make our sport special.

    Join the FasterSkier community!
  • The Devon Kershaw Show: Diggins vs. the Scandinavians in the Olympic 10 k

    The Devon Kershaw Show: Diggins vs. the Scandinavians in the Olympic 10 k

    This episode was made possible through the generous support of our voluntary subscribers.  If you value coverage like this, please support FasterSkier with a voluntary subscription.  

    The one Jessie Diggins was waiting for: Nat and Devon were both on hand for the Olympic 10-kilometer freestyle and have this recap. It gets pretty heated! But in a good way.

    We’ll be back tomorrow after the showdown between Johannes Klaebo and Einar Hedegart in the men’s race. Nat wrote a profile of Klaebo-killer Hedegart — the biggest threat to what could otherwise be a golden sweep of the Olympics by the cross-country skiing king.

    Reach us at devon[at]fasterskier.com and nat[at]fasterskier.com. We’ll be back tomorrow.

    It’s really expensive to be here in Italy. If you can, support the show and FasterSkier’s ongoing coverage with a voluntary membership. We’re also offering a special bonus to our members during the Olympics: an insider’s WhatsApp group featuring notes on Nat’s experiences in Italy, the food he’s eating, links to international coverage of cross-country skiing and more. Send nat[at]northernjournal[dot]com a confirmation of your voluntary membership and the number he should use for WhatsApp and we’ll get you signed up. You can also Venmo him directly at @nat-herz if a membership isn’t for you. We’re suggesting a minimum of $10, but we also won’t turn anyone away who wants to join because of an inability to pay.

    Help Support Our Olympic Coverage!

    FasterSkier will have our own Nat Herz on the ground at the Olympics, which, to be honest, is a very big financial lift for us. If you value the thoughtful work and access FasterSkier provides at championships like this one, please consider becoming a Voluntary Subscriber. Your support directly fuels the work we do to cover the people, places, and moments that make our sport special.

    Join the FasterSkier community!
  • The Devon Kershaw Show: Milan is on, and Holly Brooks guest hosts to recap Day 1

    The Devon Kershaw Show: Milan is on, and Holly Brooks guest hosts to recap Day 1

    This article was made possible through the generous support of our voluntary subscribers.  If you value coverage like this, please support FasterSkier with a voluntary subscription.  

     

    The race was ON from the gun: We recap the women’s 20-kilometer pursuit, which was a rough go for Jessie Diggins and a tight fight between the Scandinavian heavyweights.

    Alaskan Holly Brooks, the retired Olympic World Cup racer, joins us after watching the race in person. We hope to get proof of life from Devon soon.

    In the mean time, reach us at devon[at]fasterskier.com and nat[at]fasterskier.com. We’ll be back tomorrow.

     

    Help Support Our Olympic Coverage!

    FasterSkier will have our own Nat Herz on the ground at the Olympics, which, to be honest, is a very big financial lift for us. If you value the thoughtful work and access FasterSkier provides at championships like this one, please consider becoming a Voluntary Subscriber. Your support directly fuels the work we do to cover the people, places, and moments that make our sport special.

    Join the FasterSkier community!
  • The Devon Kershaw Show: Grab a handful of Swix, we’re recapping Oberhof

    The Devon Kershaw Show: Grab a handful of Swix, we’re recapping Oberhof

    This article was made possible through the generous support of our voluntary subscribers.  If you value coverage like this, please support FasterSkier with a voluntary subscription.  

    Love episodes like this? Help keep them coming.

    Feature stories like this one take time, access, and care to produce. If you value thoughtful storytelling and independent ski journalism, please consider becoming a Voluntary Subscriber. Your support directly fuels the work we do to cover the people, places, and moments that make our sport special.

    Join the FasterSkier community!

     

  • The Devon Kershaw Show: The delayed, but not denied, Tour de Ski recap

    The Devon Kershaw Show: The delayed, but not denied, Tour de Ski recap

    This article was made possible through the generous support of our voluntary subscribers.  If you value coverage like this, please support FasterSkier with a voluntary subscription.  

    Love episodes like this? Help keep them coming.

    Feature stories like this one take time, access, and care to produce. If you value thoughtful storytelling and independent ski journalism, please consider becoming a Voluntary Subscriber. Your support directly fuels the work we do to cover the people, places, and moments that make our sport special.

    Join the FasterSkier community!

     

  • The Devon Kershaw Show: Sorry Norway, America is the global xc ski capital now

    The Devon Kershaw Show: Sorry Norway, America is the global xc ski capital now

    This article was made possible through the generous support of our voluntary subscribers.  If you value coverage like this, please support FasterSkier with a voluntary subscription.  

    Deep into this winter’s Walkabout de Northern Italy, we’re wearing a little thin, but Devon rallies just before midnight to recap stages three and four. We’ll have a wrap-up after the final climb.

    You can reach us at devon[at]fasterskier.com and nat[at]fasterskier.com. We appreciate all the feedback we’ve been getting — happy new year!

    Love episodes like this? Help keep them coming.

    Feature stories like this one take time, access, and care to produce. If you value thoughtful storytelling and independent ski journalism, please consider becoming a Voluntary Subscriber. Your support directly fuels the work we do to cover the people, places, and moments that make our sport special.

    Join the FasterSkier community!

     

  • The Devon Kershaw Show: recapping stages 1&2 of the TDS, aka Tour di Northern Italy, aka an Olympic selection nightmare

    The Devon Kershaw Show: recapping stages 1&2 of the TDS, aka Tour di Northern Italy, aka an Olympic selection nightmare

    This article was made possible through the generous support of our voluntary subscribers.  If you value coverage like this, please support FasterSkier with a voluntary subscription.  

    Devon and Nat bring you more podcast content from stages one and two of the Tour de Ski, which is proving to be a further headache for those responsible for selecting Norway’s Olympic team. We’ll be back after the next two stages. Thanks for your support.

    Keep the questions and feedback coming; also, we’ve gotten surprisingly little hate mail this year…just saying. Reach us at devon[at]fasterskier.com and nat[at]fasterskier.com.

    Love Stories Like This? Help Keep Them Coming.

    Feature stories like this one take time, access, and care to produce. If you value thoughtful storytelling and independent ski journalism, please consider becoming a Voluntary Subscriber. Your support directly fuels the work we do to cover the people, places, and moments that make our sport special.

    Join the FasterSkier community!

     

  • The Devon Kershaw Show: The Italian Walkabout de Ski preview, 2025 edition

    The Devon Kershaw Show: The Italian Walkabout de Ski preview, 2025 edition

    This article was made possible through the generous support of our voluntary subscribers.  If you value coverage like this, please support FasterSkier with a voluntary subscription.  

    It’s time for the Tour de Ski, which really is just a northern Italy promenade this year — no races in Switzerland or Germany. Nonetheless, we’re excited for some fun storylines and to follow along with you this year. Here’s a quick preview.

    Questions? Comments? Hit us up at devon[at]fasterskier.com and nat[at]fasterskier.com. For those of you who have become voluntary FasterSkier supporters, we’re really grateful.

    Love Stories Like This? Help Keep Them Coming.

    Feature stories like this one take time, access, and care to produce. If you value thoughtful storytelling and independent ski journalism, please consider becoming a Voluntary Subscriber. Your support directly fuels the work we do to cover the people, places, and moments that make our sport special.

    Join the FasterSkier community!

     

  • The Devon Kershaw Show: The World Cup is back — so is the show

    The Devon Kershaw Show: The World Cup is back — so is the show

    Has it really been a week since the Olympics already? The World Cup’s furious schedule forges on with more racing this weekend in Lahti, Finland. Special guest host, Finnish Olympic gold medalist Sami Jauhojaervi, joins us to break down those results and other Finnish highlights from this season.

    We also cover results from the World Junior Championships in the early part of the podcast, and finish with a brief discussion of how cross-country skiing is handling Russian participation on the World Cup circuit given the country’s invasion of Ukraine.

    You can email us at devon@fasterskier.com and nat@fasterskier.com. We’re still hoping to catch up with an Olympic mailbag episode soon once things settle down.

    Finland’s Sami Jauhojärvi crosses the line ahead of Russia’s Nikita Kriukov to win a gold medal in the Sochi Olympic team sprint in 2014.
  • The Devon Kershaw Show: A 10 k thriller in Zhangjiakou

    The Devon Kershaw Show: A 10 k thriller in Zhangjiakou

    The pod is back to recap a good old-fashioned individual start throwdown, with special guest Kristin Størmer Steira.

    We break down Therese Johaug of Norway’s nail-biting win over Finland’s Kerttu Niskanen and another nail-biting race for third between Finland’s Krista Pärmäkoski and Russia’s Natalia Nepryaeva. And we discuss questions about the U.S. team selection for the upcoming women’s relay, and the pressure cooker environment of the championships.

    We’ll be back after tomorrow’s men’s 15 k.

    Kerttu Niskanen (FIN) celebrating her first individual Olympic medal. (photo: NordicFocus)
  • The Devon Kershaw Show: First Olympic episode! Breaking down the women’s skiathlon

    The Devon Kershaw Show: First Olympic episode! Breaking down the women’s skiathlon

    Kicking off the 2022 Beijing Olympic Games with a look into the women’s skiathlon. Co-host Nat Herz was on site during the race, braving the wind and cold to collect deeper insights into the scene, while Kershaw gives his hot take as a very-well-informed armchair quarterback. Note that Kershaw picked two of the top-three athletes correctly in his pre-Olympic podium picks: unsurprisingly, the favorite, Therese Johaug took gold, while Natalia Nepryaeva (ROC) earned silver instead of the bronze Kersh predicted. (Find full compiled picks and current standings for the Devon Kershaw vs. Alex Harvey Olympic podium predictions showdown here.)

    Stay tuned for regular updates and race breakdowns over the course of the Games! Thanks for listening.

    Jessie Diggins throws down an impressive performance in the skating half of the women’s 15k skiathlon, the opening event of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic Games. (Photo: NordicFocus)

     

  • The Devon Kershaw Show: Pre-Olympic epic — Podium predictions and COVID protocols with Alex Harvey

    The Devon Kershaw Show: Pre-Olympic epic — Podium predictions and COVID protocols with Alex Harvey

    This episode of the Devon Kershaw Show breaks down the lead-up to the Olympics with special guest star Alex Harvey, the Canadian World Championships gold medalist. Harv and Kersh make their podium predictions for the six Olympic events; we discuss the nightmare scenario with COVID cases inside Norway’s national team; and Nat checks in from his quarantine in Los Angeles in advance of his flight to Asia.

    We’ll be back periodically during the Olympics — send questions and comments to devon@fasterskier.com and nat@fasterskier.com. And you can follow Nat’s journey to Beijing here on FasterSkier, or on Twitter and Instagram at @nat_herz.

    Left to right: Canada’s Len Valjas, Alex Harvey, Knute Johnsgaard, and Devon Kershaw after their historic third place finish in the 2017 men’s 4 x 7.5-kilometer team relay in Ulricehamn, Sweden. (Photo: Fischer/Nordic Focus)
  • The Devon Kershaw Show: Inside Olympic Skis and Waxing with Zach Caldwell

    The Devon Kershaw Show: Inside Olympic Skis and Waxing with Zach Caldwell

     

    In this episode of the Devon Kershaw Show, we bring back Zach Caldwell, one of North America’s leading ski and wax experts. We get into the arcane and arguably misguided rules around the use of fluorocarbon waxes at high-level races, along with potential challenges for wax and ski technicians at the little-studied Beijing Olympic venue.

    You can find a host of resources from Zach on skis, wax, and grinds that might more-directly apply to your own skiing and racing at CaldwellSport.com.

    We’ll be back with an episode on Olympic team selection next week. Send questions and feedback to devon@fasterskier.com and nat@fasterskier.com.

    Zach Caldwell in his element. (Photo: Facebook Caldwell Sport)
  • The Devon Kershaw Show: Special Delivery – The Mailbag Episode

    The Devon Kershaw Show: Special Delivery – The Mailbag Episode

    You asked, now Devon is answering.

    We’re finally here with a long-promised mailbag episode for you this week. Devon takes us through questions from more than a dozen listeners; we cover World Cup competition formats, tactics, training, broadcasting and a bunch of other random fun stuff. We’ll be back soon with coverage of Olympic team selection and hopefully some more intel on the Olympic venue in Beijing.

    Send us questions and feedback to devon@fasterskier.com and nat@fasterskier.com.

    Devon Kershaw racing in the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver.
  • The Devon Kershaw Show: Wrapping Up the 21/22 Tour de Ski with Guest Kikkan Randall

    The Devon Kershaw Show: Wrapping Up the 21/22 Tour de Ski with Guest Kikkan Randall

    We’ve got extra-special Alaska-based guest Kikkan Randall joining us for this episode to recap the 2021/22 Tour de Ski. We break down a rough finish for a head cold-afflicted Jessie Diggins, some sensational skiing by Johannes Høsflot Klæbo, and some lingering questions about Olympic preparation.

    We’re planning a mailbag episode in the next few days; send your questions to devon@fasterskier.com and nat@fasterskier.com. We’ll be back soon!

    Kikkan Randall finishing the Tour de Ski’s final climb on Sunday. (Photo: FasterSkier archives)
    Jessie Diggins embodies the soul crushing, full body burning cumulative fatigue of the Tour de Ski following the final hill climb up the Alpe Cermis. (Photo: NordicFocus)
  • The Devon Kershaw Show: Happy New Year — Unless You’re Jessie Diggins

    The Devon Kershaw Show: Happy New Year — Unless You’re Jessie Diggins

    Welcome back to the Devon Kershaw show for our Tour de Ski stage 3 and 4 recap. We get into Frida Karlsson’s withdrawal from the tour after her egregious take-out of Jessie Diggins in Saturday’s classic sprint. We also cover Calle Halfvarsson and Joanna Hagström delivering for Sweden, Johannes Klæbo giving a couple of beat-downs, and Diggins’ come-from-behind win Friday.

    We’ll be taping a mailbag episode next week — send us your questions at devon@fasterskier.com and nat@fasterskier.com. And happy new year.

    Jessie Diggins goes down in her quarterfinal heat. Frida Karlsson (SWE) was penalized for obstruction, but the fall left Diggins in 3rd place overall in the Tour de Ski. (Photo: NordicFocus)
  • The Devon Kershaw Show: Fast Sprint Free and Winter Storm Classic in Lenzerheide

    The Devon Kershaw Show: Fast Sprint Free and Winter Storm Classic in Lenzerheide

    Welcome back to the Devon Kershaw Show. This week we have an under-the-weather Rachel Perkins, filling in for Nat Herz, to breakdown the first two stages of the Tour de Ski in Lenzerheide, Switzerland. From winter storm conditions for the 10/15k classic that contrasted a clear and fast opening freestyle sprint, there was plenty to note in these first two stages. We discuss translating top results in qualification into advancing into the semifinals and finals, Diggins and Kern’s power that earned the Americans 1st and 4th in the sprint, and Finnish mastery of rub skis leading to Niskanen sibling dominance in Stage 2. 

    Have a question you want answered? Send them to Devon at devon@fasterskier.com and to Nat at nat@fasterskier.com. 

    We’ll be back in a few days after the next two stages of the Tour de Ski, a 10/15k mass start skate and classic sprint, in Oberstdorf, Germany. Thanks for listening. 

    In addition to plenty of cheese, the 2021/22 Tour de Ski winners will take home this coveted trophy. (Photo: NordicFocus)
  • The Devon Kershaw Bonus Episode: A Davos Postscript with Rosie Brennan

    The Devon Kershaw Bonus Episode: A Davos Postscript with Rosie Brennan

    We’ve got a special edition of the Devon Kershaw Show for you this week with star American cross-country skier Rosie Brennan. After more than a decade of international racing, Brennan had a breakout season last year with World Cup wins in Davos. She’s had more strong results this year, including a podium in Lillehammer and two near-misses in her return to Davos.

    Brennan hails from Utah; she’s a graduate of Dartmouth College and currently trains with the Alaska Pacific University elite team. We’re grateful she was willing to join us.

    Have a question you want answered? Send them Devon at devon@fasterskier.com and to Nat at nat@fasterskier.com.

    We’ll be back once the Tour de Ski kicks off.

    Rosie Brennan enjoys a wintery training day before the weekend of World Cup racing in Davos, SUI. (Photo: NordicFocus)
  • The Devon Kershaw Show: A Weekend of Slick City Sprints in Dresden

    The Devon Kershaw Show: A Weekend of Slick City Sprints in Dresden

    This week’s edition of the Devon Kershaw Show comes in hot with a recap of the city sprint in Dresden, Germany.

    The breakdown includes solid American results and a tragic crash for a Canadian sprinter, plus some Kremlinology about Alexander Bolshunov and the Russian Ski Federation, discussion about the internal dynamics of the Swedish sprinters, and a reminder about how you’re lucky to live outside Norway if you want to go to the Olympics for cross-country skiing.

    Send your questions to Devon at devon@fasterskier.com and to Nat at nat@fasterskier.com.

    We’ll see you for another episode with a special guest later this week.

    The men’s team sprint final races in front of the Dresden skyline. (Photo: NordicFocus)
  • The Devon Kershaw Show: The Highs and Lows of a Davos Weekend

    The Devon Kershaw Show: The Highs and Lows of a Davos Weekend

    Davos brought another entertaining weekend of racing for American ski fans, with Rosie Brennan in the mix in both competitions, a podium from Jessie Diggins, and breakout performances from Hailey Swirbul, Sophia Laukli, and Novie McCabe.

    Devon Kershaw and FasterSkier’s Nat Herz take us through the results with special guest Eirik Brandsdal, the longtime, now-retired Norwegian World Cup sprint racer.

    Have questions for Devon or Nat? Send them to devon@fasterskier.com and nat@fasterskier.com to have them answered. We’ll be back soon.

    On the podium and in the cheese in Davos. (Photo: NordicFocus)