February 20, 2013 – Bjorn Daehlie North America proudly announces that effective today, they are the distributor for Rode ski wax for the US market. Rode will be on-site at the American Birkebeiner this week providing wax recommendations for all Birkie skiers looking to find their winning wax. Waxes and tools will be available for purchase at the Bjorn Daehlie/Rode booth at the Birkie expo Thursday and Friday, as well as at many of the leading nordic retailers throughout the country.

President of Bjorn Daehlie North America, Oyvind Solvang said: “Rode is an Italian, family owned company. Our connection with Rode was established in Norway. Per Knut Aaland, the Norwegian Olympic medalist and many-year national team head wax tech, built Rode to command the leading category market position in Norway. This is obvious at the Norwegian Birkebeiner, where I for years observed skiers waiting in long lines to purchase the Rode wax of the day form Per Knut. When I told Per Knut that we are the US distributor of the Bjorn Daehlie apparel, he said ‘you must distribute Rode also, it is the best wax and every American skier should know about it’. Bj Sport, the parent of Bjorn Daehlie, took over the distribution of Rode in Norway last year, so with Per Knut now ‘in-house’, the US distribution of Rode was a natural extension for us.”

The prior US distributor, Chris Axelson, agrees. “We have had a good run with the line and now it is time to grow it to the next level. We are confident that BDNAM will do that.”

A testament to the research based development of Rode is the launch of the new T-Line kick waxes and klisters to rave reviews this season. The demand for these new waxes has been so high that many stores are completely sold out.

As Rode is already known to be the #1 kick wax on the world cup circuit, Rode glide waxes continue to gain use amongst the waxing staff of the leading nordic teams based on a very focused line-up that carries over the magic associated with the kick wax.

Roberta Rodeghiero, the owner of Rode, added: “We are very happy that the Bj Sport organization is now distributing for us in America. They have such a huge market share in Norway and now that our glide wax is as strong as our kick wax, I think the Americans will come to love our wax as much as the Norwegians.”

February 06, 2013 (Devil’s Thumb Ranch, CO) – SkiTrax caught up with Salomon’s Isaac Wilson at the SIA Show Demo at Devil’s Thumb Ranch in Colorado. Wilson introduced the brand’s new S-Lab ski and boot line being launched for 2013/2014…stay tuned for more video coverage from DTR.

November 29, 2012 (New Gloucester, ME) – Signing on as an official supplier of the New England Nordic Ski Association (NENSA), Concept2 will continue their long-standing support of NENSA and the key Eastern Cup, Marathon, and Zak Cup race series. Concept2 will also support NENSA’s 2013 TD Bank Eastern High School Championships and Bill Koch League Festival. As part of the sponsorship, Concept2 offers NENSA members special pricing on their SkiErg products, and continues as a resource for NENSA’s coaches education program.

“Concept2 is known for their innovative approach to product development and their SkiErg products have become important tools for coaches and programs implementing accurate and measurable specific strength training and testing,” said NENSA Executive Director, Zach Stegeman. “Concept2’s commitment to innovation is matched by their dedication to supporting programs for the good of their sports, and NENSA is proud to partner with Concept2 and their SkiErg brand for another season.”

“Concept2 Is excited to be supporting NENSA in bringing the sport of Nordic skiing to New Englanders of all ages and abilities,” said Concept2 co-owner Judy Geer. “Numerous C2 parents and children have participated in NENSA programs, from Bill Koch League to Eastern Cup racing to Junior Nationals. Though rowing is still our favorite summer sport, Nordic skiing is our favorite winter sport!”

October 24, 2012 (Boulder, CO) – The Boulder Nordic Ski Swap will be on Wednesday, November 14, at Boulder High. The doors will open to set up will be at 5:45pm. We are hoping to be cleaned up and out the door no later than 9:30. 15% of the proceeds will go to benefit the Boulder Nordic Junior Racing Team.

www.bnjrt.net

October 19, 2012 (Canmore, AB) – Canmore Nordic Ski Club is having its annual Ski Swap on October 26 and 27. The Ski Swap is being held at the Canmore Crossing this year, 1160 Railway Avenue, in the old Brick store between Sobeys and Safeway.

Early-Bird Entrance fee is $10 and will start at at 8:30am on Saturday for the first 100 people. Purchase your early-bird tickets at the Canmore Crossing on Friday, October 26, 6 to 8pm

Consignee Drop Off: Friday, October 26, 6:00pm – 9:00pm, Canmore Crossing (between Safeway and Sobeys)

Sale: Saturday, October 27, 9:30am to noon. 8:30am for Early-Bird ticketholders (see above) Canmore Crossing (between Safeway and Sobeys)

* Cash or cheque only (be prepared to show identification)

Consignee Pick Up: Saturday, October 27, 3:00pm – 6:00pm

Note: As of 6:00pm on Saturday, unclaimed items are the property of Canmore Nordic Ski Club

For questions contact: info@canmorenordic.com

October 17, 2012 (Oro, ON) – The Hardwood Ski and Bike Annual Ski Swap is one of the largest cross country ski swaps around offering a great opportunity to find just the right equipment for you for the coming season. The swap includes new and used cross country equipment, snowshoes, poles and more.

This is a chance for people to sell their old equipment at the swap and make a few dollars to put toward upgrading equipment. This is a great place to find ski equipment for your kids for this winter.

The Retail Shop will be showing the newest cross country gear and clothing with an added bonus – Save the Tax on purchases in the retail shop this weekend.

The Open House is a chance to learn more about the various programs, clinics, events and races taking place at Hardwood this winter.

WHERE: Hardwood Ski and Bike, 402 W Old Barrie Rd, Oro Station, Ontario
WHEN: October 20 and 21, 2012. Saturday from 9 to 5 and Sunday 9 to 1

October 10, 2012 (Steamboat Springs, CO) – Start cleaning out your garages and storage now! Mark November 9-10 on your calendar to sell your gear you no longer use or fit into and get yourself and your family some new gear! Tags will be available in just a few weeks, so get your stuff together now. We also will be looking for volunteers in a few weeks, so watch for that too.

October 04, 2012 (Oro, ON) – On October 20 and 21 we are holding our annual Ski Swap and Open House. This is the largest cross country ski equipment swap in Ontario with a wide selection of equipment. Buy or sell skis, boots, poles, bindings, roller skis at great prices.

You can also choose from new and used equipment available in the swap and in the retail store. You can also Save the Tax in our retail store on new 2012 equipment.

If you are looking to sell your equipment you can bring it in after October 13th for tagging.

Swap Hours
– Saturday October 20st – 9 am to 5 pm
– Sunday October 21st – 9 am to 1 pm
The retail store will be open both days from 9 am to 5 pm.

April 27, 2012 (Denver, CO) – The 2012 SIA Snow Show, launching all that’s new for 2013, was held in Denver, CO earlier this year and SkiTrax caught up with many exhibiting companies to find out about their latest product offerings from the top end on down, including some fun stuff, for next season. In Part 1 of our series of interviews here’s a look at what’s new from from Fischer, Alpina, and Swix…

November 15, 2011 – With the new World Cup season about to get underway, Justyna Kowalczyk (POL) has decided to start out with new equipment. Last year’s winner of the overall World Cup has already been successful with Fischer skis for a number of years and will now be placing her trust in boots from the Nordic number one as well.

The most successful ski and boot brand in the World Cup for two years running – a convincing record for the perfectionist from Poland. Plus the fact that the 28-year-old is perfectly happy with the RCS Carbonlite Classic boot, as she demonstrated in impressive style in the FIS races last weekend in Muonio (FIN). And, thanks to the WC Carbon Cuff, the RCS Carbonlite Skating is also ideal for her energetic skiing style.

The winner of the Tour de Ski 10l11 likewise took a new approach in her preparations. After five years of training alone she has taken Maciej Kreczmer (POL) on board as a team training partner at times. “It’s hard to always train alone and I want to improve,” says Justyna Kowalczyk. “I hope the training with Maciej will help me achieve this.” Preparations went smoothly with trips to New Zealand, Otepää (EST), Sierra Nevada (ESP) and Ramsau (AUT).

Armed with new equipment and excellent preparations, Justyna Kowalczyk is now looking forward to the new season with a personal highlight: the first World Cup race in her home nation which will be held in Szklarska Poreba in February.

November 03, 2011 (South Lake Tahoe, CA) – South Lake Tahoe is having a Backcountry Ski and Gear Swap on November 19. This event is being hosted by Hope Valley Outdoors and The Future Business Leaders of Tahoe. The swap is located at South Lake Community College from 9:00am-3:00pm on November 19. Gear can be dropped off on Nov. 18 from 5:00pm-8:00pm and Nov 19 from 7:00-9:00am. Unsold gear must be picked up from 3:00-5:00pm on the 19.

We are looking for the following gear:
– Alpine touring skis, boots and bindings.
– Telemark skis, boots and bindings. XC skis, boots and bindings.
– Splitboards.
– Skins.
– Collapsible poles.
– Snowshoes.
– Snow safety gear: avalanche probes, shovels, study kits, backpacks and newer transceivers.
– Clean and modern clothing.
– Winter camping gear.

We are also holding a raffle for gear and a 3-day Level 1 Avalanche course with Expedition Kirkwood.

www.Hopevalleyoutdoors.com

October 28, 2011 – The Finnish Nordic Sports brand ONE WAY has signed a contract today with new rising star on the Swedish cross country team, Daniel Rickardsson. Rickardsson has been one of the most successful racers during the last season with a World Cup victory in Drammen and World Cup podium places in Ottepää and Ruka.

Rickardsson was part of Swedish team relay during the World Championships in Oslo last season.

“I tested the ONE WAY Diamond Premio 10Max and was surprised about the stiffness of the new pole, especially for me as a tall skier and strong in double pulling. It is a unique combination between stiffness and lightweight in carbon shaft technology,” said Rickardsson.

For more information visit www.onewaysport.com

October 21, 2011 (Oro Station, ON) – The Hardwood Ski and Bike Annual Ski Swap is one of the largest cross country swaps around offering a great opportunity to find just the right equipment for you for the coming season. The swap includes new and used cross country equipment, snowshoes, poles and more.

It is a chance for people to sell their old equipment at the swap and make a few dollars to put toward upgrading equipment. This is a great place to find ski equipment for your kids for this winter.

You can check out Retail Shop for the newest cross country gear and clothing with an added bonus – you pay no taxes this weekend.

The Open House is a chance to find out about the various programs, clinics, events and races taking place at Hardwood this winter.

WHERE: Hardwood Ski and Bike, 402 W Old Barrie Rd, Oro Station, Ontario
WHEN: October 22 and 23, 2010. Saturday from 9 to 5 and Sunday 9 to 1

March 11, 2011 – ONE WAY, one of the leading Nordic Sports brands from Finland, is launching a full range of cross country skis and cross country boots for 2012. ONE WAY is joining the Salomon SNS binding system. The Finnish Nordic Sports brand has probably been the fastest growing Nordic Sports brand in the last years with a wide product portfolio in cross country poles, Nordic sportswear, roller skis, Nordic Sports eyewear, technical Footwear and Nordic Walking products.

Many World Champions and medallists in cross country and biathlon are using ONE WAY products, like Martin Fourcade (FRA), Aino Kaisa Saarinen (FIN), and Tord Asle Gjerdalen (NOR), and several World Cup teams are exclusively equipped with OW textiles for their teams, like the French Nordic Team or Slovenia.

From 2012, ONE WAY will offer a full product range in cross country skies and cross country boots. The product range includes high performance racing skies for World Cup and elite ski marathon skiers.

In addition, ONE WAY will offer new ski and boot concepts for young and modern cross country enthusiasts. The cross country sport has developed in the last 2 years very positively towards a younger image.

The new line allows the market and retailers to meet the new consumer demand for new and fresh concepts for skis and boots.

Finland has a strong history in building cross country skis. ONE WAY will follow the tradition, building a new Scandinavian cross country ski brand for the modern consumer in the popular sport of cross country.

ONE WAY has signed a partnership with SALOMON using the SNS binding systems for all their products. The Salomon SNS system is in many countries one of the most popular and technically advanced connection between ski and boot.

Both companies are sharing a partnership and interest in developing the image of cross country sports for young and modern consumers, but as well building a cooperation in new technologies.

ONE WAY Sport OY Chairman of the Board Lasse Korppi: “Adding the cross country skies and boots, ONE WAY will be the most complete and exciting product offer in Nordic Sports world wide, textiles-footwear-eyewear-poles-roller ski- Nordic walking- accesories.”

January 29, 2011 – Ski poles are perhaps the most overlooked aspect of a cross-country ski racer’s equipment. People comment on their ski’s or boot’s weight but too often disregard the extra grams on their ski pole choice. But, while your skis and boots glide across the snow over the majority of a race course, your poles only go forward if you are lifting, swinging or carrying them. For many people their technique is hindered by their ability to quickly start their next pole plant.

The most important pole shaft properties are weight, swing weight, stiffness, and strength. While overall weight is exactly what it says, swing weight refers to the pendulum motion of each pole stroke and how more weight near the pole tip requires more energy from the skier. The stiffer the pole the more of your energy goes into forward movement and the less into bending the pole. Strength refers to the durability of the pole. Of all these properties overall weight is the most important and easiest to compare. Skiers average around 40 pole plants per minute. If you and a friend plan on skiing a 3.5-hour marathon and your friend uses Triac’s and you have CT4’s, you are lifting an additional 3 oz. per stroke. If in each stroke you move your pole 5 feet you will be moving an additional 7777 ft-lbs during the race! This is equivalent to curling 1 gallon of milk in both hands over 450 times. Will you still beat your friend?

Swix Performance Index (PFI)
To help skiers understand the subtle differences in the Swix pole line we offer the Swix Performance Index a theoretical matrix comparing weight, pendulum, stiffness, strength and of Swix poles. The Triax 1.0 has a PFI of 1.0 the best rating, while the Comp has PFI of 2.5.

100% Carbon Fiber Shafts
Most advanced materials and construction for highest performance.

Triac 1.0 (PFI 1.0) Weight 59 g/m, Stiffness 29mm deflection, Break Strength 70kp, 100% UHM/HM carbon fiber. An all new concept in pole design and construction. Ultra High Modulus/High Modulus (UHM/HM) carbon fiber in triangular layup. Stiffer, stronger and lighter than any Nordic pole ever. The shaft’s triangular shaped virtually eliminates all deflection, even in tallest sizes. Also light weight glueless interchangeable basket system.

Star-CT1 (PFI 1.3) Weight 64 g/m, Stiffness 31mm, Strength 63kp, 00% UHM/HM carbon fiber. The shaft has very high overall stiffness and is extremely light overall and in swing weight. Deflection at hard intensity skiing is minor at almost any pole length.

CT2 Team (PFI 1.6) Weight 67 g/m, Stiffness 41.5mm, Strength 72kp 100% HighStrength/HM (HS/HM) carbon fiber. The Team shaft is slightly heavier and less stiff then the Star with similar swing weight but superior strength from resistance to impact from skis edges than the Star.

100% Carbon Fiber + Fiberglass Shafts
By replacing some of carbon fiber with fiberglass the impact strength (durability) increases and price drops. Stiffness also declines and both overall and swing weight increase dramatically.

Carbon CT3 (PFI 1.9) – Weight 79 g/m, Stiffness 39mm, Strength 72kp, 80% HS carbon fiber. The shaft has medium to high overall stiffness. Some deflection at hard intensity skiing and in taller lengths. Weight, pendulum and stiffness not as good as Team but equal in strength.

Cross CT4 (PFI 2.5) Weight 89 g/m, Stiffness 45mm, Strength 70kp, 65% HS carbon fiber The shaft has medium stiffness and weight with great durability.

Comp CT5 (PFI 2.8) Weight 99 g/m, Stiffness 45mm, Strength 70kp 50%HS carbon fiber The shaft has medium has similar stiffness to cross with higher weight.

January 05, 2011 – Rossignol’s Nordic Team Athlete, Torin Koos, started the New Year off strong winning the CL Sprints at the 2011 U.S. XC Ski Championships in Rumford, ME. The win is a great start to the season. Torin trained hard this summer and was not surprised by his fitness when he spoke with press post-race. “I had great training this fall, went to Europe and had some good races over there. It should keep get better and better,” said Koos.

Torin races on Rossignol’s X-ium Classic package, including X-ium NIS Classic Ski, XCelerator Skate NIS Binding, X-ium WC Classic Boot, and Oneway’s DS 10 pole. It is the lightest weight classic race package Rossignol has ever offered.

The X-ium Classic ski offers a great compromise between kick and glide using the sure-kick concept. The X-ium boot’s seamless lace cover and more accurate heel hold results in better envelopment of the foot and weight reduction. The XCelerator binding has a flexbit system, closure system and unnecessary material has been removed to decrease the weight.

Oneway’s DS 10 Titanium pole is 100% Carbon reinforced with titanium making the pole stiff and ultra light weight. The rabbit strap allows for twice the adjustment of a regular strap and the cork grip provides warmth, comfort and anti-slip grip.

Watch for Torin and the rest of Rossignol’s Nordic Team throughout the season on the X-ium Race packages.