January 06, 2018 (Val di Fiemme, Italy) – Canadian Alex Harvey, 29, stormed to his first podium of the season claiming a brilliant bronze in the men’s 15km CL mass start race won by Alexey Poltoranin on Stage 6, the penultimate stage of the Tour de Ski in Val di Fiemme, Italy.

In the final straight away sprint to the finish Russia’s Andrey Larkov was on Poltoranin’s heels to claim second with Harvey taking third for his eighth career podium on the Tour.

“This was a good result, especially in classic. It is my first podium in classic-skiing since the World Championships in 2015, and to do it on a really hard course here is really good,” said Harvey.

The Canuck was at the front of a large pack for the first 10km and then broke away with a group of five in the fifth of six laps. In the final 2.5-kilometre loop, the lone Canadian in the field was in a group of four left at the front to battle it out for the podium.

“I knew some guys were struggling so I was really trying to lead the pace today. I was feeling good and I took my responsibility because I really wanted to make it hard and keep the speed high in the front for some of those guys struggling,” explained Harvey.

“I was taking my pulls at the front. It was hard on me today, but I knew it was hard on everybody else. When we had a bit of a break, I wanted to make sure we kept going. Dario (Cologna) and I did a lot of the work. He was fourth in the sprint finish so maybe we used up a bit of energy but we were able to separate ourselves (from some of the top guys in the overall).”

The King and Queen of cross-country skiing will be determined on Sunday in a nine-kilometre skate-ski pursuit race with the final 425-metres straight up Alpe Cermis – an alpine ski hill. Harvey remains in fourth place heading into the final stage. His best finish on the prestigious Nordic skiing event came in 2016 when he was fifth.

“The goal tomorrow will be to not work too much on the flats, but keep at it,” added Harvey. “I don’t want to save my energy as much as I can for the climb, and not get caught by the guys behind me. It’s not my best event but the guys around me are all in the same boat. We have very good support staff around me. We are a small but efficient team and I think that is a competitive advantage that we have. I just need recover well and be ready for tomorrow.”

Full results here.
Overall standings here.

January 06, 2018 (Val di Fiemme, Italy) – American Jessie Diggins claimed a valiant 4th in the women’s 10km classic mass start and is now fourth overall as Norway’s Heidi Weng put in a dominant performance to close the gap to Tour leader, Ingvild Flugstad Oestberg, to a mere 1.8 seconds with one stage remaining.

Finland’s Krista Parmakoski took second behind Weng while Austria’s Teresa Stadlober in third earned her first ever World Cup podium. Diggins crossed the line in 4th for her second best classic race with Oestberg 5th.

Diggins’ teammate Sadie Bjornsen was 10th followed by Liz Stephen in 24th with Rosie Brennan in the points in 30th. Bjornsen dropped another spot to 8th overall while Stephen moved up to 21st and Brennan also advanced to 26th.

“I was really happy with my race today! It was so much fun to be in the lead pack for so long in a classic race and to be feeling this good after so much racing in the tour! My skis were also amazing – I have to give props to our techs for working so hard throughout this entire tour and getting up to the venue hours ahead of the race over and over again to help us out,” said Diggins.

“In today’s race I tried to stay near the front and out of trouble. With my luck I just wanted to avoid crashes or broken poles! I faded slightly in that last lap and could’t go with Krista and Teresa but it was so fun to see exactly where the podium was since it’s mass start and see where I can improve a little bit for the next time. Always learning and taking notes!

“In the overall tour, I’m really happy with my placing. To be starting 10 seconds behind Krista is awesome and I’ve been racing better than any other year, for sure. It’s fun to feel strong in sprint and distance, classic and skate, and my goal for years has been to become a true all-rounder. It’s fun to finally be getting there! Unfortunately, I’m not a natural-born climber, but I know how to suffer, I know how to be a fighter, and I’m going to go give that climb everything I’ve got left. And in the end, that’s all you can do,” she concluded.

For Bjornsen it was one of those days where she found herself wanting a bit more. “After falling in the last race, I was determine to make up some time that I had lost in my overall tour position. I have been feeling really great on my classic skis, and felt like I had some power left in my legs this morning, so my goal was to just go with the leaders as long as possible.

“Unfortunately, I had a bit of a tough start, and made some tactical errors that left me pretty far back in the pack on the first lap. Then, once I was finally finding position again, I got trampled over, and fell. Once again, I fought my way back to the front after getting stuck behind some traffic, but just burned a few too many jets getting yo-yo’d around today.

“At this stage in the tour, when things go great, you can convince yourself you are invincible. When you get rattled a bit, it takes an extra amount of mental power to fight back to where you want, and I think that is what got me today. My race today still puts me in a place to fight for top 10 in the overall, which is super exciting.

“Considering the swings of this TdS, I am thrilled to be fighting for top 10. I have never done that in a Tour event, so it is a good goal for me when I am pushing myself up that mountain tomorrow with every last bit of energy I have,” Bjornsen told Trax.

Full results here.
Overall standings here.

January 06, 2018 (Oberhof, GER) – American Tim Burke raced to 14th in the men’s 12.5km Pursuit on Saturday with three penalties at 29.5 seconds behind winner Martin Fourcade of France.

Fourcade, with a single penalty on his first shot of the day, took the victory in 30:49.5. Johannes Thingnes Boe of Norway, with three penalties, finished second, 6.3 seconds back, while his brother Tarjei placed third with clean shooting, 30.9 seconds behind Fourcade.

Christian Gow was the top Canadian in 21st with one penalty followed by his brother Scott in 50th with six missed targets. Fellow Canuck, Brendan Green, finished 54th with three penalties.

“Overall, it was another solid race for me, but I would sure love to have that second prone stage back,” said Burke. “I felt in control but just missed. That’s how biathlon goes sometimes. I felt good on the ski course again and was able to push on the last loop, which I will take as a good sign for the next races.”

In the women’s 10km Pursuit Anastasiya Kuzmina of Slovakia led from wire-to-wire despite two penalties to take another victory and the leader’s Yellow Bib.

Italy’s Dorothea Wierer shot clean to claim 2nd up from 16th at 1:04.4 back while Vita Semerenko of Ukraine also cleaned to claim third at 1:10.2 behind from her 22nd start position.

Canada’s Julia Ransom finished 37th with three penalties at 3:54 behind followed by Megan Tandy in 42nd with one penalty at 4:31 back. Fellow Canuck Sarah Beaudry was 51st with three missed shots at 5:36 behind the winner.

Men’s results here.
Women’s results here.

January 05, 2018 (Anchorage, Alaska) – Caitlin Patterson (Craftsbury GRP) continued her domination of the 2018 L.L.Bean U.S. Cross Country Championships on Friday at Kincaid Park, winning her second National title in two races – this time in the freestyle sprint.

Meanwhile it was once again the Hanneman Brothers Sprint Show – Reese Hanneman has now won three National sprint titles, two freestyle and one classic, while Logan Hanneman won the 2017 SuperTour Finals freestyle sprint in Fairbanks. This year, Reese who took the Nationals crown while Logan clocked the fastest qualifying time. That means Reese boasts another National title while Logan nets invaluable Olympic Winter Games points that could boost his chances at a coveted roster spot.

Patterson is making her own strong case to squeeze onto a very crowded and very talented women’s national team after crushing her first two 2018 Nationals races. After winning Wednesday’s 10K freestyle by nearly 20 seconds, she won Friday’s final by more than three seconds.

Sprint races are chaotic, unpredictable and often decided by a matter of centimeters as numerous racers lunge at the finish line. Not for Patterson, who cruised across the finish line with a strong, steady rhythm, a smile on her face, and five other finalists far behind her. This was Patterson’s fourth National title and a flexing of her freestyle skills.

“I wasn’t going to let up,” Patterson said with a smile.

In the finals, Patterson covered the 1.4K sprint course in 3 minutes and 20.93 seconds. Finnish skier Jasmi Joensuu (University of Denver) was second at 3:24.49, followed by the Czech Republic’s Petra Hyncicova (University of Colorado) at 3:25.12. Kaitlynn Miller (Craftsbury GRP) was fourth overall and the second fastest American at 3:25.28, followed by American Hannah Halvorsen (APU) at 3:28.59. Halvorsen had a special day as the only Junior skier to race in the finals.

After Wednesday’s 10K win, Patterson said she spent her Thursday hydrating, eating right and taking a 75-minute classic ski around her old stomping grounds of Kincaid Park. She is a South Anchorage High School grad and former member of the local Alaska Winter Stars ski program who now lives in Vermont.

Patterson admitted that she isn’t the strongest sprinter, but also professed her confidence as a freestyle skier. She had plenty of confidence and momentum heading into Friday after sweeping Wednesday’s freestyle distance races with her brother, Scott, who won the men’s 15K. Scott, also not the strongest sprinter, didn’t make it out of the quarterfinals on Friday.

“I know I can be a great skate skier, but I am very surprised by this win,” Caitlin said. “(Scott’s) going to have to work on this finishing sprint. I’ll rub it in.”

The sibling storyline in the men’s freestyle sprint featured the Hannemans, originally from Fairbanks. In the opening qualifying round Friday, in which skiers start in 15-second intervals, Logan threw down the fastest time on the 1.6K course by nearly half a second at 3:07.40. That scored him the maximum Olympic Winter Games points for the event, one of the many factors taken into consideration when determining the national team.

Nothing else is promised from there, however, as skiers then compete in six-person heats. Logan was eliminated in the semifinals while Reese kept putting the hammer down all the way through a finals shootout.

After climbing the small final hill and taking a tight corner into the stadium’s finish area, Reese pulled away from Kevin Bolger (Sun Valley) as they raced to the line. Hanneman clocked a 3:11.33, edging Bulger’s 3:11.41. APU’s Tyler Kornfield finished third in 3:12.21. Junior skier and 17-year-old Gus Schumacher of Anchorage continued to impress by advancing into the semifinals two days after his sixth place overall finish in the 10K men’s freestyle.

“On that last corner, all six of us were close,” Bolger said. “Reese picked a really great line and I tucked in behind him. It came down to the last few meters and he just skied really well.”

So well, Hanneman was beaming after the finish. He seemingly got a hug or a photo request from everyone in the packed stadium. He soaked up every second.

“It’s a dream to be able to win a national championship at home in front of all these people who I know and who have supported me and came out to cheer,” Hanneman said. “And the Hannemans are three in a row, so that’s kinda cool to be able to continue that.”

It was a practically perfect day for sprint racing at Kincaid Park – temperatures in the teens; no wind, a rarity here; mostly sunny and bluebird skies, with an occasional ice fog appearance; and a fast-and-firm, technical-and-fast trail.

“It was awesome skiing, beautiful conditions,” Reese Hanneman said. “Everybody dreams about skiing on the snow out there today.”

Friday’s sprints featured four rounds of racing – all skiers compete in the qualifier, hitting the course in intervals. The top 30 skiers advance to the quarterfinals – five heats each featuring six racers. The top two finishers in each heat advance to the semifinals, as do the two fastest quarterfinal finishers that didn’t land a top two finish (called “Lucky Losers”). The top two finishers in each of the two six-person semifinals heats advance along with two more Lucky Losers, filling out the six-person final.

This week’s races will crown National champions and also be used as part of the selection process for Olympic berths and to determine roster spots on the FIS Junior World Championship, U23 Championship and U18 Scandinavian Cup teams. While primary selection for the 2018 Olympic Cross Country Team comes from World Cup races, some final spots can be determined from Nationals results. Olympic team nominations will be announced the week of January 23.

Women’s results here.
Men’s results here.

January 05, 2018 (Mont-Ste-Anne, Que.) – Top qualifier, Dahria Beatty (Whitehorse Ski Club), won the Open Women’s 1.35km Sprint CL final with Maya MacIsaac-Jones (Rocky Mountain Racers) second and Katherine Stewart-Jones (Nakkertok Nordique) third at the newly upgraded settings in Centre de ski fond Mont-Saint-Anne.

In the men’s 1.35km CL Sprint it was Black Jack’s Julien Locke taking the Men’s final over top qualifier Russell Kennedy (Canmore Nordic) in second followed by Bob Thompson (Team Hardwood/NTDC TBay) in third.

Qualifications here
Results here

January 02, 2018 (South Paris, ME) – The US cross-country ski community was sad to learn that legendary Wendall “Chummy” Broomhall, 98, of Rumford, Maine, had passed away on Dec. 30 at the Maine Veterans Home in South Paris. Chummy was an athlete, a pioneer and a builder of the sport for over 70 years and was a key player at the both the 1960 Olympics in Squaw Valley and 1980 Olympics in Lake Placid.

His immense contributions include the development of the Black Mountain Ski Area in Rumford as a long-standing member of the Chisholm Ski Club, as well as advancing the sport across the United States and in Europe. Cross-country skiing was his passion and he was a member of the National Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame, the Maine Ski Hall of Fame and the Maine Sports Hall of Fame. Chummy will be sorely missed by so many that he touched or were influenced by his great passion.

Wendall “Chummy” Broomhall was born Dec. 3, 1919, in Mexico, Maine. He was the son of Ethel and Arthur Broomhall and one of 15 siblings, although several died at birth or of childhood diseases. Family was everything to him and he showed that in his actions throughout life.

Chummy was an avid XC skier after learning the sport from a worker on his father’s farm. He won many high school and national races with his brother, Charles “Slim” Broomhall, as a competitor in those events. Both Chummy and Charles trained in Europe in 1940 for the Olympics, but the Olympics were canceled due to World War II.

Chummy did many odd jobs as a young man to help his large family, but he eventually became a Hood milkman, delivering milk to the Wilton area before and after WWII. When the company would not give him a leave of absence to work on the 1960 Olympics in Squaw Valley, Calif., he started a logging business with his brother, Cy, and ran the operation himself until he retired over 35 years ago.

During WWII, Chummy served in the 10th Mountain Division, 87th Regiment, Company A, 1st Battalion-Detachment 2662, which trained the British and Italian troops in mountain warfare. Although he spent time in the Aleutian Islands and Africa, most of his combat time was in Italy. Chummy was very proud of his military service and often wondered how he made it home safely. Chummy epitomized the traits of what is called “The Greatest Generation.”

The greatest gift the 10th Mountain Division gave him was the chance to meet the love of his life, a beautiful Finnish farm girl, Lempi Torkko Broomhall. While he was training in the Upper Peninsula, Mich., in 1943, the weather turned brutally cold so he was sent to a camp outside Wausau, Wis., where Lempi was a college student. A month after Chummy returned from the war in October 1945, he went to Lempi’s home town of Ashland, Wis., where they were married on Nov. 17, 1945. Their chance meeting and two years of letter writing led to a wonderful 60-year marriage, three children, six grandchildren and an amazing partnership before she passed away on May 8, 2006.

Chummy has been a prominent member of the Chisholm Ski Club since 1936. Last winter, as the club’s longest living member, he was at the lodge signing books (“A Century on Skis”) about the club’s history. Chisholm Ski Club consists of volunteers who ran the early Winter Carnivals in Rumford, supported and built cross country trails, Alpine trails, ski jumps and installed lifts in the Rumford area — first at Scotty’s Mountain and later at Black Mountain. Chummy rallied his volunteers and made sure they were fed by volunteers in Muriel’s Kitchen at the mountain. With a twinkle in his eye and his dimpled smile, he will be remembered for telling his volunteers, “Your check is in the mail!” Chummy was influential in spearheading the development of Black Mountain Ski Area in Rumford where many local and national cross-country races have been held. Everyone who has raced in Rumford remembers High School Hill and the sea of “red coat” volunteers!

Chummy competed on two Olympic teams (1948 and 1952) as a special cross-country racer. He continued his Olympic involvement after leaving competition. He served as technical adviser and chief of race for the Nordic events at the 1960 Olympics in Squaw Valley with his close friend, Al Merrill, from Andover serving as chief of course. Al and Chummy switched jobs for the 1980 Olympics, where Al was chief of race and Chummy was chief of course for the Nordic events. During the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Chummy served as an honorary volunteer at age 82. He was the No. 1 fan of his granddaughter Reagan Carey’s Women’s Olympic Ice Hockey Team, and was watching from afar when her team won a silver medal in the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.

Chummy has been given many awards and accolades for his contributions to the sport of cross-country skiing and to his community. He saw the need to develop skiers at a young age and provided many youngsters in this community with the equipment and coaching they needed to become competitive skiers. He is a member of the National Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame, the Maine Ski Hall of Fame and the Maine Sports Hall of Fame.

Over the past 70-plus years, Chummy has tirelessly dedicated himself to the development and advancement of cross-country skiing not only in Rumford, but also in the United States and Europe. Cross-country skiing was his passion and was part of the reason he had such a long and wonderful life. Chummy frequently would say, “Cross-country skiing has given me so much, I felt the need to give back.” Chummy has lived his life with integrity, hard work, humility, a strong sense of purpose and a dedication to cross-country skiing and to his extensive Broomhall-Torkko family.

Chummy was predeceased by his loving wife, Lempi; brothers, Victor, William (Cy), Charles (Slim) and Robert (Bob); sisters, Margaret (Peggy) Robbins, Ruth Scammon and Irene Gordon. He is survived by his children, Wendy (Dennis) Carey of Atlanta, Ga., Vicki Broomhall Amoroso and her partner, Bruce Maybury, of Rumford, Scott (JoAnn) Broomhall of Rumford; grandchildren, Ryan Carey of Washington, D.C., Reagan Carey of Colorado Springs, Col., Heidi Broomhall of Rumford, Andrew Broomhall of Portland, Shane Amoroso and wife, Amy, of Peru, and Rory Amoroso of Rumford; step-great-granddaughter, Bryce Parent; step-great-great-granddaughter, Payton Tyler; his brothers, Erlon (Bucky) and wife, Frances, of Shaftsbury, Vt., Raymond (Judy) of Mexico, Philip (Butch) and companion, Teresa, of Rumford; and a sister, Ethelyne Wight of Wesley Chapel, Fla.; and many nieces and nephews.

The family wishes to extend a special thank you to the Maine Veterans Home for the wonderful care and attention they gave Chummy since he moved there in May of 2016. A very special thank you to the staff who cared for him on a daily basis, especially his night nurse Bonnie, his “little girl,” Chloe, and his buddy, Eric. Also, a special thanks to Pat Parr, MVH activities director, who always took the time to include him in activities and went out of her way to make sure he could see Reagan’s hockey games on television when possible.

Friends and relatives are invited to sign the online guestbook and share memories with the family at www.meaderandson.com.

SkiTrax joins the ski community in sending condolences to Chummy’s family and friends and thanks him for his incredible contributions and legacy for the sport. Obituary courtesy of the Sun Journal and Meader & Son Funeral Home.

January 01, 2018 (Lenzerheide, Switzerland) – American Jessie Diggins skied to her first podium this season in the women’s 10km FR Pursuit race at round three of the Tour de Ski making it three straight podiums for Team USA.

Norway’s Ingvild Flugstad Oestberg won again over teammate Heidi Weng in second and heads into the first rest day of the Tour with a 32-second margin in the overall standings. Diggins holds onto third.

Diggins’ teammate Sadie Bjornsen is having a great Tour as well but dropped from fourth to fifth today. Fellow American Sophie Caldwell was 18th, Liz Stephen was 28th, Rosie Brennan was 33rd and Ida Sargent is 55th.

“I’ve been really patient this year and believed in my plan, and this Tour I’ve finally been feeling those sharper race feelings again which is so much fun,” shared Diggins. “Today my plan was to go out hard and ski a gutsy race, and try to put some time into the girls behind me.

“It’s sometimes hard to be skiing alone but I actually loved it because I could just put my head down, hammer, and do my thing! It’s really fun to be in podium position right now in the Tour, but my plan as always is to just take it one day at a time and focus on each stage separately. If I can give my best effort each day, hopefully it all adds up well.”

Bjornsen admitted it was a bit terrifying to start fourth. “It was my goal to try to catch Jessie, and ski with her and I got darned close. Then I was on a solo mission and needed to really push hard to stay ahead of the group behind me,” said Bjornsen. “I managed to stay ahead until literally the last downhill, and got passed by Krista [Parmakoski], so lost one place, but I left the day pretty satisfied.”

Looks like the new US wax truck is paying dividends. “I was really proud of our wax tech team because the past two races have been extremely tricky waxing conditions with varying snow all over the course,” added Diggins. “It was hard to pick skis but my technician (Jason) Cork was so calm and collected and got me through the pre-race testing.”

The Tour now takes a short one-day break with athletes traveling to Oberstdorf, Germany for a classic sprint on Wednesday. “I’m really looking forward to a day off, and then some classic sprinting,” said Bjornsen.

Results here.
Standings here.

December 31, 2017 (Lenzerheide, Switzerland) – The USA’s Sadie Bjornsen landed third on the podium in the women’s 10km CL on Stage 2 for the American camp’s second podium in a row at the Tour de Ski, and a career-first distance podium for the Winthrop, WA, skier. It also marked Bjornsen’s third podium this season.

“Wow, what a dream day,” said Bjornsen. “It’s has been a huge goal of mine to be on the distance podium. At the 6km mark I was told by coach Matt Whitcomb that I was in 2nd. Suddenly there was a fire under my butt and I gave everything I had in the last 2.5 km.”

Norway’s Ingvild Flugstad Oestberg continued her winning ways in Lenzerheide taking the win over her teammate Heidi Weng in second to lead the Tour by 32.8 seconds.

It was a career-first podium for Bjornsen at the Tour de Ski as she led four US women into the points including Jessie Diggins who finished strong in seventh, Sophie Caldwell, on the podium in the opening Sprint FR, placing 21st, Liz Stephen was 28th and Ida Sargent was 30th.

“I decided before the race I was just going to get scrappy and make it work and never give up,” Bjornsen added. “I had an awesome talk with my wax tech, JP, right before the start of the race, where he told me the most important thing that day was to trust what I do well, and never give up. Massive thanks to the team for great skis and congrats to our entire team for a collection of awesome races!”

Diggins echoed Bjornsen on the challenges of the classic track. “Today was such a weird and tricky day with the snow being totally different in different sections of the track,” said Diggins. “But I had no doubt that Sadie would crush it – she’s such a classic skiing machine and I couldn’t be prouder of her! She’s on fire!”

On the downside veteran Kikkan Randall did not start. “I am making some progress with my foot injury and I didn’t want to set myself back with a classic race today.  Classic seems to aggravate the injury more.  It was a tough decision but the Olympics are my big goal and I still have time to get my foot healthy if I am smart over the next couple weeks.  I am looking forward to sharpening for the sprints in Dresden in two weeks,” shared Randall.

The US squad now has three women in the top seven in the Tour de Ski standings – a first in Tour history. Diggins held onto fourth, Bjornsen moved up to fifth and Caldwell sits 7th overall. Next up is the 10km FR Pursuit.

Results here.
Standings here.

December 31, 2017 (Lenzerheide, Sui) – Canada’s Alex Harvey finished 20th in the men’s 15km individual start CL on Stage 2 as local hero, Dario Cologna, won for the first time at home giving Swiss fans even more to cheer about as the former Tour de Ski overall winner claimed his 23rd World Cup victory.

Cologna edged out Kazakhstan’s Alexey Poltoranin by a mere 0.6 seconds with Martin Johnsrud Sundby of Norway at 13.1 seconds behind. This was Cologna’s first World Cup victory since Rybinsk, Russia in January 2015.

Warm weather and changing snow conditions made for a challenging day as Harvey dropped two spots in the overall standings and now sits 9th overall. “It was just a bad day. The 15km classic is my weakest event, but I was still expecting something better today,” said Harvey. “I just have to forget about today and focus on tomorrow.”

The USA’s Erik Bjornsen finished 27th in the points followed by teammates Simi Hamilton in 58th, Andy Newell in 71st and Patrick Caldwell in 75th. Harvey’s teammate Devon Kershaw, the only other Canuck at this year’s Tour, was forced to withdraw after coming down with illness this weekend.

“It has been a long time since I won the race last time and it is great to finally win in Switzerland. I thought I could do it in Davos but my first victory came in Lenzerheide,” said Cologna. “The fans were amazing. I showed already yesterday that I am in shape. I did not want to start too fast but I was never too far away from the lead. I was able to pace it well. I had also amazing skis.”

For Harvey, 29, it’s all part of racing. “The beginning was good, but later I just didn’t ski well and struggled. I didn’t blow up or explode. I was just bleeding time the whole way,” said Harvey. “It is a really hard course with a bit of altitude and I think I lost most of my time on the climbing sections. I’m still in a really good group so I’m looking forward to tomorrow.”

Russia’s Sergey Ustiugov finished in 10th place today at 37.1 seconds behind Cologna but continues to lead the Tour.

Results here.
Standings here.

December 31, 2017 (Minneapolis, MN) – As we close in on 2017, we are also shortly closing in on the last week to register for the 2018 Masters World Cup. Held in Minneapolis, MN this international ski championship is being hosted in a major metropolitan city for the first time ever.

Held in Klosters in 2017 and headed to Norway in 2019, this is the first time the Masters World Cup is being held in the United States in a decade. Snowmakers at Theodore Wirth Park in Minneapolis have been working day and night for over a month to build out one of the longest manmade trail systems in North America.

“Every investment we’ve made in snowmaking infrastructure over the last several years has brought us to this point. With the resilience of manmade snow plus the cold temps we’ve been getting, Minneapolis is more than ready to host this competition,” said Mike Erickson of the Loppet Foundation.

Between snowmaking and the natural snowfall we’ve been getting, the Loppet Foundation’s trails crew have now opened almost all of trails in Theodore Wirth Park. They are now looking forward to hitting their goal of 17 kilometers by the end of next week.

December 31, 2017 (New Gloucester, Maine) — The U.S. Biathlon International Competition Committee is pleased to announce the Youth (U19) and Junior (U21) Biathlon World Championship Team, as well as the team for the IBU Junior Cup #3 and the IBU Junior Open European Championships.

More than 50 athletes competed on Thursday and Friday at the U.S. Junior/Youth World Championship Trials in Coleraine, Minn. Men’s and women’s sprint races were held both days, but due to frigid forecasts for Saturday and Sunday, the trials were cut short and the teams were named on Saturday. For full trials results, CLICK HERE.

Qualifying for the IBU Youth and Junior Biathlon World Championships taking place Feb. 26-March 4 in Otepaa, Estronia, are the following athletes:

Female Junior World Championship Team
– Chloe Levins – pre qualified from last season and IBU Cup Team
– Amanda Kautzer
– Lucy Hochshartner
– Nina Armstrong

Female Youth World Championship Team
– Helen Wilson
– Grace Gilliland
– Lexie Madigan
– Emma Stertz

Male Junior World Championship Team
– Cody Johnson
– Jake Pearson
– Tim Cunningham
– Cam Christiansen

Male Youth World Championship Team
– Vasek Cervenka
– Garrett Beckrich
– Eli Nielsen
– Maxime Germain

The following athletes have qualified for the Junior IBU Cup #3 to be held Jan. 25-27 in Duszniki Zdroj, Poland, as well as the IBU Junior Open European Championships taking place Jan. 31-Feb. 4 in Pokljuka, Slovenia:

Female Junior IBU Cup #3 and Junior Open European Championship
– Chloe Levins – pre-qualified
– Amada Kautzer
– Helen Wilson
– Lexie Madigan

Male Junior IBU Cup #3 and Junior Open European Championship
– Vasek Cerenka
– Cody Johnson
– Garrett Beckrich
– Eli Nielsen

U.S. Biathlon and the International Competition Committee would like to thank Minnesota Biathlon for hosting the Youth/Junior Biathlon World Championships Team Trials, and congratulate all the athletes who competed, wishing them good luck in the New Year.

December 30, 2017 (Park City, Utah) – USA Nordic athlete Bryan Fletcher skied from behind today to become the first person named to the 2018 US Olympic Nordic Combined team. Fletcher is now the first US Ski and Snowboard athlete to confirm his Olympic berth in PyeongChang.

Warm temperatures and changing winds created a challenging start to the day for the nine American athletes vying for the win. Fletcher, team veteran, was favored going into the day, but tricky conditions landed him in fifth place after the jumping.

Ben Loomis (Eau Claire, WI) continued his hot start to the season, winning the competitive round of jumping with a jump of 92.5 meters, and giving himself a comfortable 56 second lead over his brother, Adam Loomis (Eau Claire, WI). Ben Berend (Steamboat Springs, CO) was third following the jumping.

“Ben Loomis has been consistent and jumping well over the last couple of weeks,” said USA Nordic Head Coach Martin Bayer. “He proved that he could do it when the pressure was on, which was good to see.”

“Everyone did well today, but I gotta give it to Adam,” Bayer added. “He was the biggest surprise for me; It was good to see him back in the fight.”

And a fight it was. The Loomis brothers had done their job on the jump hill, but there was more than one Fletcher with winning on their mind. Bryan’s younger brother Taylor Fletcher (Steamboat Springs, CO) was also within striking distance. As one of the fastest skiers on the World Cup circuit, Taylor was still a threat starting two minutes back.

Strategy is always important in racing, but in a winner-take-all event such as the Olympic Trials, it’s more important than ever. For the Fletcher brothers, a deficit after the jumping meant a last minute change of plans.

“I had a vision of myself going into the race in first or second,” said Bryan. “Starting nearly a minute and a half behind Ben [Loomis] was a bit of a surprise and I really had to rethink my strategy.”

Bryan worked his way up the field and, after a few laps, found himself in second. Adam Loomis skied a strong race, unrelenting and unwilling to let his older teammate ski away.

Taylor Fletcher was strong for the first three laps, gaining time on the leaders initially, but was unable to completely close the gap. “I just didn’t have it in my legs today,” said Taylor.

Halfway through the fourth lap, Bryan and Adam had caught up to Ben. They were three teammates, two brothers, all chasing a single ticket. Not wanting to waste any time playing games, Bryan decided early in the last lap he had to make his move.

“Both Ben and Adam can sprint really well,” said Bryan. “I decided I had to make my move as far out as I could, which was the bottom of the hill, and just try to climb my way to the win.”

The move worked; one and a half kilometers from the finish, Bryan began to pull away. It was a hard fight and neither Loomis was willing to concede, giving chase all the way to the end.

“It feels awesome,” said Bryan, after the race was over. “I had some nerves coming into the day. To have the win and my spot solidified is a huge relief. Now I can focus on the training and the process going into the games in order to perform my best.”

This will be Bryan’s second Olympic team, having represented Team USA in Sochi in 2014.

“Everyone had a good strategy in the race today, especially the top three guys,” said Bayer. “Bryan is obviously skiing strong and having a good season, but it was a great day for the guys on the podium, hands down.”

Following the weekend, the team will make its way back over to Europe. While one spot has been claimed, there are still three more spots waiting to be filled on the Nordic Combined team. The selection period will continue through January 22, after which team selections will be decided based on international results on the World Cup and Continental Cup circuits.

Podium:
1. Bryan Fletcher (Steamboat Springs, CO)
2. Adam Loomis (Eau Claire, WI)
3. Ben Loomis (Eau Claire, WI)

USA Nordic is a nonprofit, 501(c)(3) organization whose mission is to promote and develop the Nordic disciplines of Ski Jumping and Nordic Combined in the United States; assist U.S. athletes to achieve sustained competitive excellence in Olympic, World Championship and other international competitions in the disciplines; and to promote the highest standards of sportsmanship, equality, fair play, and good will between individuals of all nations through competition in our sports. For more information, contact info@usanordic.org.

December 30, 2017 (Lenzerheide, SUI) – Canadian star, Alex Harvey, was 7th on the day just missing the final by a boot toe in the men’s 1.5km Sprint FR as defending champ Sergey Ustiugov (Rus), also the top qualifier, won the opening stage of the Tour de Ski. Italy’s Federico Pellegrino skied to second place, while Lucas Chanavat of France, took the final step on the podium.

“It’s a really good start. It is always important to get some bonus points in the first stage,” said Harvey. “If I look at the overall there was maybe only a couple of contenders ahead of me. The other guys were all pure sprinters. I got a lot of bonus time on those guys so it was a good start and my best sprint finish of the season.”

Americans Simi Hamilton (15th), Andy Newell (20th) and Eric Bjornsen (25th) also made the heats but were eliminated in the 1/4 finals. This is Newell’s eighth Tour de Ski. Canada’s Devon Kershaw, one of two skiers (Jean Marc Gaillard, FRA) to have raced in all previous 11 editions of the Tour was 86th in preparation for Sunday’s 15km classic-ski race on Stage 2.

Harvey handily won his opening quarter-final and was on pace in his semi. Trying to conserve energy for the second climb he found himself in an all-out battle with two French skiers, Chanavat and Richard Jouve. Chanavat skied away as Harvey and Jouve battled to the line with the Frenchman edging out the Canuck to make the final.

“We had really good skis and I didn’t want to be in the lead on the first downhill,” added Harvey. “I had a lot of speed coming into the finishing stretch and was reeling in the French skier in, but it was too little too late.”

Hamilton wanted more but is happy to be healthy. “It wasn’t the start to the Tour I was hoping for, but I’m still happy about my result. I missed a big chunk of training when I was really sick at the start of period 1 but recovered and felt good. It was tough to get through traffic… still it was a great day for Team USA with Sophie on the podium.”

“Amazing day for Sophie,” said Newell. “I’m not particularly happy with my result but know that the body is feeling strong and fit. I chose the first heat with Ustinov knowing that It would be a tough 1/4, but my best chance to podium. It’s one of the strategies I’ve been using this year – go big or go home – still I’m positive I can do much better.”

Qualifications here.
Results here.

December 30, 2017 (Lenzerheide, SUI) – American Sophie Caldwell lit up the scoreboard at the opening round of the Tour de Ski in Switzerland  landing second on the final podium in the women’s Sprint FR as local star, Laurien Van Der Graaf thrilled the home crowd winning her first ever World Cup event.

Caldwell’s teammate Jessie Diggins also made the final but broke a pole mid-race ending up fifth as five US skiers made the heats. Sadie Bjornsen  ended up 14th, Rosie Brennan raced to 15th and Ida Sargent was 20th. No Canadian women are racing. The finish was Caldwell’s best-ever freestyle sprint result. She has the distinction as well of winning the USA’s first classic sprint World Cup.

“I was really happy with my race today. I love this course and I was psyched to have some good feelings today,” said Caldwell who qualified third just behind Diggins. “It’s a tricky course because it’s at altitude, so pacing is important. I’m hoping to carry this momentum through the next few races of Tour.”

Diggins who qualified second suffered two broken poles but never gave up. “I was really proud of how I skied today. I raced with guts and never, never, never gave up, and my fitness is definitely there and ready for a good Tour. It feels good to feel strong, and not tired! Wow!

“In the quarterfinal, I was coming around the corner and someone kicked the tip of my pole just as I’d planted all my weight on my poles to turn the corner, so it shattered. Eli came running with a really amazing javelin throw of a spare pole, (I mean, you should go watch, it was epic) but I was already too far down the track and I knew I needed to stay closer to the pack if I was going to have a chance,” shared Diggins. “I stayed calm, knowing that I felt amazing and I still had a chance to make it out of the heat if I could get another pole quickly. After rounding the corner and skiing another 50 meters one-poled Matt came running with a tall spare pole and I was able to just put the hammer down and get back into it.

Caldwell won her quarterfinal and was second in her semi – her strategy was to ski smoothly from start to finish, saving some pop for the finishing stretch. In the final she was in the mix from the start but Van Der Graaf was on fire at the end.

“I got a little tired in the final stretch, but was thrilled with second place,” added Caldwell. “This result definitely gives me a boost of confidence going forward. It was also really fun to ski some heats with Jessie as we train with each other all summer and fall. I’m very impressed with her result, especially since she broke two poles. Our techs did an incredible job with skis and my tech and I chose a pair that felt like they were climbing really well.”

Bjornsen is ready for more. “Congrats to Soph on one seriously beautiful race! It wasn’t quite the day I was dreaming of. I got pretty boxed in when I was finally starting to get some good momentum at the end of the heat. With the new snow, it made for some tactical skiing, which I have never been the best at. Today leaves me with some extra fight for day 2, and another good sprint day to come,” said Bjornsen.

Brennan also welcomes more opportunities. “I worked hard on my sprinting all summer in hopes of being able to be more competitive in Tour events so I am thrilled to have a strong result to back my summer training. Christmas break is always challenging because it’s not all that long and it’s a hard balance of rest and training. I managed to stay healthy over the holidays so I think this result lets me know I did a good job with  my training and my fitness is still good. The Tour is long though and a lot can happen so I’m doing my best to take it day by day and put my best foot forward. A good start gives me a lot of confidence so I am looking forward to the coming days.”

Randall was hoping for more and needs to work through a rough start to the Tour. “Great to see the girls in the final. Sophie skied a strong and smart race.  I had a feeling this was going to be a good race for her. Bummer that Jessie broke a pole going into the 2nd lap because she had been skiing well all day.  Not a great one for me. Foot didn’t bother me during the race but my body felt a little flat. The last few weeks of non-traditional training may have just left me out of race tune. Will be working hard over the next couple weeks to get it back,” said Randall.

Qualifications here.
Results here.

December 29, 2017 – All the statistics and fun facts you need to know before the start of the 12th edition of the Viessmann FIS Tour de Ski performance by Le Gruyere AOP that kicks off Dec. 30 in Lenzerheide, SUI and runs until Jan. 7 at Val di Fiemme, Italy.

LADIES

• This will be the 12th edition of the Tour de Ski. The previous 11 have been won by six different athletes from four different countries.
• Justyna Kowalczyk (POL) is on a record four Tour de Ski victories. Therese Johaug (NOR) and Virpi Kuitunen (FIN) both won on two occasions. Charlotte Kalla (SWE), Marit Bjørgen (NOR) and Heidi Weng (NOR) all triumphed once.
• Only Charlotte Kalla in 2007/08, Virpi Kuitunen in 2008/09 and Justyna Kowalczyk in 2011/12 failed to win the overall World Cup title in the same season.
• The last four editions of the Tour de Ski have all been won by Norwegian athletes: Johaug (2013/14, 2015/16), Bjørgen (2014/15) and Weng (2016/17).
• Last season’s winner Heidi Weng could become the second athlete to record back-to-back Tour de Ski victories after Kowalczyk, who won four in a row between 2010 and 2013.
• Norway have recorded 16 overall top-three finishes in the Tour de Ski, at least 11 more than any other country (Finland 5).
• Norway have claimed at least one overall podium spot in each of the last seven editions of the Tour de Ski. In 2013/14, 2014/15 and 2015/16, they even swept the podium.
• Stefanie Böhler (GER) is the only athlete to have appeared in all previous 11 editions of the Tour de Ski. Böhler’s best result came in 2014/15, when she finished in 11th place in the overall standings.
• Only Aino-Kaisa Saarinen (73) has appeared in more Tour de Ski stages than Böhler (70). Kowalczyk is on 68 starts. Johaug follows with 67.
• Ingvild Flugstad Østberg (NOR) is the only athlete to have recorded at least one top-three stage finish in each of the last five editions of the Tour de Ski.
• Only Kowalczyk (4), Bjørgen (4) and Johaug (7) have won at least one stage in more different Tour de Ski editions than Østberg (3).
• Kowalczyk has won a record 14 stages in history of the Tour de Ski. Johaug and Bjørgen follow with 11 stage wins each.
• Bjørgen holds the record for most stage wins in a single edition of the Tour de Ski, as she won five in 2014/15.
• Norway have claimed 110 of the 247 podium spots in Tour de Ski stages (45%), at least 77 more than any other country (Finland 33).
• Norway is the only country to have recorded at least one top-three stage finish in all previous 11 editions of the Tour de Ski.
• Norway’s tally of 31 stage wins is an all-time high in Tour de Ski history. Poland are next with 14 stage wins in the competition.
• Norway have won at least one stage in 10 of the previous 11 editions of the Tour de Ski, only missing out on a stage win in 2007/08.
• Last season, Stina Nilsson (SWE) failed to win the overall Tour de Ski (3rd) despite winning four stages. Only Bjørgen in 2011/12 (4) also recorded (at least) four stage wins in a non-winning campaign.
• Kowalczyk was the last non-Norwegian athlete to record back-to-back Tour
  victories, as she won the 2008/09 World Cup Final and the 2009/10 Tour de Ski.

MEN

• This will be the 12th edition of the Tour de Ski. The previous 11 have seen seven different winners. Dario Cologna (SUI) has claimed a record three overall wins (2009, 2011, 2012). Martin Johnsrud Sundby (NOR) and Lukáš Bauer (CZE) are the only other athletes with multiple victories (2 each). Petter Northug (NOR), Alexander Legkov (RUS), Sergey Ustiugov (RUS) and Tobias Angerer (GER) all won on one occasion.
• Eight of the 11 winners of the 3-Days Tour went on to win the overall World Cup that season.
• Only Bauer in 2010, Legkov in 2013 and Ustiugov in 2017 failed to add the overall World Cup title to their Tour de Ski victory. All three finished in second place in the overall World Cup standings that season.
• Athletes from Norway have claimed at least one overall podium spot in nine of the previous 11 editions of the Tour de Ski, with 2012/13 and 2007/08 as the only exceptions.
• Last campaign, Ustiugov won the 2016/17 Tour de Ski to claim his first ever overall Tour victory (3-Days Tour, Tour de Ski, World Cup Final, Ski Tour Canada).
• Ustiugov could become the second athlete to record back-to-back Tour de Ski wins after Cologna who triumphed in 2011 and 2012.
• Ustiugov (1st in 2016/17, 3rd in 2015/16) and Sundby (2nd in 2016/17, 1st in 2015/16) are the only athletes to have reached the Tour de Ski overall podium in each of the last two editions.
• Sundby won the 2015/16 Tour de Ski 3:15.7 ahead of runner-up Finn Hågen Krogh (NOR), the biggest winning margin ever in the Tour de Ski.
• Devon Kershaw (CAN) and Jean Marc Gaillard (FRA) are the only two athletes to have appeared in all previous 11 editions of the Tour de Ski.
• Kershaw’s best result came in 2012 when he just missed out on a podium spot, finishing in fourth place. Gaillard recorded his best result in 2010, when he finished in fifth position.
• Only Northug (75) has appeared in more Tour de Ski stages than Gaillard (73) and Kershaw (73).
• Last season, Ustiugov won five of the seven Tour de Ski stages (excl. overall), with a second place finish in the 15km classic (penultimate stage) and a 16th place in the 9km pursuit (last stage) as the only exceptions.
• Ustiugov’s tally of five stage wins in 2016/17 is an all-time high for a single Tour de Ski edition. Sundby won four stages in 2015/16.
• Only Northug (13) has won more Tour de Ski stages than Sundby (6) and Ustiugov (5).
• Ustiugov’s five consecutive wins in the opening five stages of the 2016/17 Tour de Ski is the longest winning streak in history of the competition.
• Norway’s next Tour de Ski stage win will be there 30th in the competition, an all-time high. Russia follow with 11 stage wins.
• Norway and Russia are the only countries to have recorded at least one top-three stage finish in all previous 11 editions of the Tour de Ski.
• Only Norway have won at least one stage in all previous 11 Tour de Ski editions.
• Johannes Høsflot Klæbo (NOR) has won the last two Tours, the 2016/17 World Cup Final and this season’s 3-Days Tour.
• Norwegian athletes have won 12 of the last 13 Tours (3-Days Tour, Tour de Ski, World Cup Final, Ski Tour Canada). Only Ustiugov avoided Norwegian success in this span (2013-2017), as he won last season’s Tour de Ski.
• Maurice Manificat (FRA) leads the distance World Cup and is ranked second in the overall behind Klæbo. France’s best overall result in the Tour de Ski is a fourth-place finish by Manificat last year.
• Manificat has won one Tour de Ski stage. He was the fastest in the pursuit in the last stage of last year. No Frenchman has won multiple Tour de Ski stages.
• No athlete has ever won the first stage of the Tour de Ski, after being the fastest in the final pursuit the year before.
• Alex Harvey (CAN) finished in seventh place in last season’s Tour de Ski and could become the first athlete from Canada to claim a podium spot in the competition.
• Harvey, who claimed a second-place finish in the 2016/17 World Cup Final and finished in fourth place in this season’s 3-Days Tour, could become the first ever non-European Tour winner.

December 28, 2017 – Lawyer Jim Walden, representing Russian whistleblower Dr. Gregory Rodchenkov, issued a statement accusing the International Olympic Committee (IOC) of “cowardice” in failing to address Russia’s campaign of retaliation against the former anti-doping official and director of a Moscow laboratory reports BBC and Inside the Games.

Rodchenkov provided essential evidence of the Russian state-sponsored doping programs leading to the IOC penalizing Russia and forcing its athletes to compete only under a neutral flag at the upcoming 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea. But, if the IOC fails to protect Rodchenkov and end Russia’s campaign to silence him, Walden suggested that Rodchenkov would stop giving evidence and sit on any additional information that could shine a light on the further scope of the Russian doping program.

There are dozens of appeals from Russian athletes who will soon appear in front of the Court of Arbitration for Sport to plead their individual cases relating to the doping scandal, and Rodchenkov’s testimony is key to the IOC’s case.

Walden has claimed that Rodchenkov has received death threats in addition to a prolonged campaign to discredit him, and that Russia is trying to force the United States to extradite him back to Russia where he would surely face torture and death. The IOC has denied Walden’s claims, but added that the organization does not have it within its powers to protect witnesses. Even President Vladimir Putin has waded in suggesting Rodchenkov may have been drugged by the FBI to coax a confession.

Read more on BBC here and Inside the Games here.

December 18, 2017 (Toblach, Italy) – Canadian Alex Harvey took home a strong 9th-place finish in the men’s 15km Classic pursuit race in Toblach, Italy on Sunday as Norway’s Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo set a new benchmark with his record-setting 7th World Cup victory before the new year in a single season.

Russia’s Sergey Ustiugov finished in second place at 1.9 seconds back with Kazakhstan’s Alexey Poltoranin taking the final podium spot in third at 4.5 seconds behind. Klaebo now leads the overall World Cup standings by an impressive 328 points as he eclipsed fellow Norwegians, Petter Northug Jr and Martin Johnsrud Sundby who both had six victories prior to the new year.

Harvey was skiing with a group of four for most of the first two kilometres, which expanded to an eight-pack by the midway section of the race. Tactically working his way in the pack, Harvey took his turns in the lead until the final two kilometres when Russia’s Sergey Ustiugov broke the front group, and only Norway’s Johannes Klaebo was able to respond.

“These other countries are fighting for spots at the Olympics so they have to be on the podium every race. My goals are to be reaching my top gear by the Tour de Ski. Racing has been good training for that, and I’m exactly where I want to be at this time of the year,” said Harvey.

The top American as Erik Bjornsen in 26th at 1:43.1 behind Klaebo with Canadian Devon Kershaw in 33rd at 2:02.8 back. Scott Patterson (USA) was 39th, Patrick Caldwell (USA) was 44th, Noah Hoffman (USA) was 49th, Graeme Killick (Can) finished 50th, Russell Kennedy (Can) was 66th Knute Johnsgaard (Can) was 76th

“I have been a little bit better than last year at this time. I have a lot of confidence now knowing that I can be in the top-10 even when I’m not at my best,” added Harvey.

The World Cup now takes a holiday break until the Tour de Ski which kicks off in Lenzerheide, Switzerland on December 30.

Results here.
Standings here.

December 18, 2017 (Toblach, Italy) – Jessica Diggins (USA) claimed another strong result finishing 7th in the women’s 10 km CL Pursuit race in Toblach, Italy on Sunday followed closely by her teammate Sadie Bjornsen in 9th.

Marit Bjoergen (Nor) edged out her teammate Ingvild Flugstad Oestberg by a mere 0.3 second. Heidi Weng made it a super close all-Norwegian podium in third at 0.8s behind.

The USA’s Rosie Brennan also landed in the points finishing 25th followed by Chelsea Holmes (USA) in 39th and Elizabeth Stephen (USA) in 48th. The top Canadian was Emily Nishikawa in 53rd.

“Pursuit races are pretty fun – I love being in the hunt. I had an awesome pack of girls to ski with and everyone took turns pulling at the front so we were moving along at a good pace. I just love that feeling when everyone is still racing each other, but also working hard and taking their turn so that the pack is ripping along the course! The race felt like it flew by,” said Diggins. “Big shoutout to our techs for having given us great skis today. That was really important on a course with so much glide but also some crucial climbs.”

Bjornsen was also pleased with her top-10 result heading into the holiday break. “Exciting, and wild Day 2 of this weekend! It was a fun day of skiing, with a little different feeling than normal. It was kind of hard to feel strong and in control on that course, but I gave it my all, and was again happy with the finish.

“I can feel my brain needs some rest right now. Period 1 is an intense block, with a lot of travel, and a lot of excitement for me. I felt today that my mind and body were digging deep down for the final fumes in the tank… so I’m excited for some holiday time!

Great skis out there today, and super fun to ski with Jessie. I think we have some similar strengths, and also some opposite strengths, so we can almost work together both physically and mentally. Merry Christmas and thanks to everyone for following and cheering so far,” shared the Alaska skier.

Results here.
Standings here.

December 18, 2017 (Annecy-Le Grand Bornand, France) – The USA’s Susan Dunklee led the North American with a 20th-place finish on Sunday in the women’s 12.5km Mass Start at Annecy-Le Grand Bornand with three missed targets as Frenchwoman Justine Braisaz gave thousands of French fans reason to cheer with clean shooting and a career-first World Cup victory.

Iyna Kryuko of Belarus matched Braisaz on the shooting range to finish second at 11.2 seconds back for her first-ever World Cup podium. Laura Dahlmeier (Ger) was third at 19.9 seconds behind with two penalties. Emma Lunder was the lone Canadian in 28th at  2:21.4 behind with one penalty.

“I’m happy to head into the break with some good results behind me. I’m very impressed with the amount of fans in such a small place,” said Dunklee. “I couldn’t hear any of my coaches in course because the roar of the crowd was so loud.”

In the men’s 15k mass start held later in the day Martin Fourcade gave the partisan French crowd exactly what they wanted with a clean-shooting performance to take the victory in 36:30.3 and sweep the mass start competitions for France.

Second place went to sprint/pursuit double winner Johannes Thingnes Boe of Norway, with two penalties at 3.9 seconds back. Erik Lesser of Germany finished third, also shooting clean, 6.2 seconds back.

The USA’s Lowell Bailey finished 23rd with three penalties on the range while his teammate Sean Doherty was right behind in 24th with four missed targets. Canada’s Scott Gow finished 26th with five penalties.

The teams now have a couple weeks off for the holiday break before action resumes with the BMW IBU World Cup 4 in Oberhof, Germany, Jan. 4-7.–

Women’s results here.
Full results here.

December 17, 2017 (Rossland, B.C.) – Saturday was a skate sprint day at the Rossland, Haywood NorAm. It was also a day of some big margins and small margins. In the morning qualifiers Hannah Mehain of Sovereign Lake set the fastest time in the Jr. Woman’s race by a 10 second margin. Then the small margins came into play.

In Sr. Women Andrea Dupont of Rocky Mtn. Racers beat Caitlin Gregg by .87 seconds. In Jr. Men, Graham Ritchie of Big Thunder edged Skinouk’s Antoine Cyr by .14 seconds. The smallest margin in the qualifiers went to Bob Thompson of Team Hardwood by .06 seconds over local favourite Julien Locke in Sr. Men’s.

In the Jr. Women’s heats Hannah Mehain continued her dominance with a 4 second victory over Hannah Shields of Lappe. The bronze medal went to Benita Peiffer of Whistler who was just a little farther back.

Caitlin Gregg made it two wins in a row in the Sr. Women’s class, comfortably ahead of Andrea Dupont and then Zina Kocher of Foothills.

The Jr. Men’s race saw Antoine Cyr turn the tables on Graham Ritchie from the qualifiers by a .06 second margin and 2 seconds later Reed Godfrey of Canmore prevailed over Pierre Grall-Johnson by and even slimmer .04 second margin for 3rd place.

The Sr. Men weren’t to be outdone when it came to slim margins. In a photo-finish  Julien Locke edged Lappe’s Evan Palmer-Charette by .01 seconds for the win, and .4 seconds later Julian Smith of Georgian Bay prevailed by .03 seconds ahead of Bob Thompson.

Some exciting and close finishes to keep the timers and finish crew busy.

Results here.

December 16, 2017 (Toblach, Italy) –  Canada’s Alex Harvey, 29, was just off the podium in 4th in the men’s 15km individual start skate-ski race in Toblach, Italy on Saturday as Norway’s Simen Hegstad Krueger won his career-first individual World Cup.

In second place was France’s Maurice Manificat the current red bib overall World Cup distance leader. Britain’s Andrew Musgrave finished third for his “first proper World Cup podium”. Krueger now sits second overall in the distance standings 53 points behind Manificat.

Harvey was just two seconds short of his first World Cup podium of the season. “It’s always bittersweet finishing in fourth. You always think about where you could have found a second here or there, but I did everything I could do today,” said the St-Férréol-les-Neiges, Que. native. “For this time of the year, I’m taking the positive from this for sure.”

Erik Bjornsen was the top American finishing 29th in the points. Devon Kershaw was the next best Canuck in 38th follow by the USA’s Noah Hoffman in 40th, Scott Patterson in 42nd, Graeme Killick (Can) in 49th, Patty Caldwell (USA) in 53rd, Russell Kennedy (Can) in 60th and Knute Johnsgaard in 85th.

Results here.

December 16, 2017 (Annecy-Le Grand Bornand, France) – American Susan Dunklee took home a 6th place result in the women’s 10km Pursuit on Saturday in Annecy-Le Grand Bornand at round three of the BMW IBU World Cup. Dunklee missed two targets but turned in a fast final lap to make the flower ceremony.

Laura Dahlmeier of Germany captured her first win of the season winning the Pursuit with a single penalty at 14 seconds ahead of Thursday’s sprint winner Anastasiya Kuzmina of Slovakia, who had four penalties. Third place went to Italy’s Lisa Vittozzi, also with one penalty at 31.8 seconds back.

“Today I just tried to be patient and save a little bit for that last loop,” added Dunklee. “The course is extremely narrow and there’s fresh snow from last night so the skied-in track in the middle is the fastest. I had particular points that I had in mind before the race where I’d try to make a move if I could.”

Canada’s Emma Lunder had a solid day finishing 18th with one penalty while her teammate Julia Ransom finished 27th suffering two penalties. Rosanna Crawford was a DNS.

Dunklee, Lunder and Ransom qualified for Sunday’s Mass Start. “The mass start is one of my favorites, so I can’t wait,” said Dunklee who won silver at the Worlds in the event. “I was a little demoralized after Hochfilzen as I had 20 percent shooting there. This is helping me get my confidence back.”

Results here.

December 14, 2017 (Annecy-Le Grand Bornand, France) – Susan Dunklee delivered her best performance this season cleaning all 10 targets in the women’s sprint for a 10th-place finish as the BMW IBU World Cup 3 got underway in France.

Anastasiya Kuzmina of Slovakia claimed her second victory of the season, shooting clean and winning in 20:59.6 with a 33.9-second margin over Laura Dahlmeier of Germany, who also shot clean. Vita Semerenko of Ukraine was also perfect on the range finishing third at 41.4 seconds back.

“It feels great to put together a good performance on the range,” said Dunklee. “I had some moments of self-doubt after these past couple weeks that I had to work through. Conditions were challenging on course with deep slush and short steep pitches.”

Emma Lunder led the Canadians in 34th at 2:07.4 behind with one penalty with teammate Julia Ransom in 39th also with one missed target at 2:13.9 back. Rosanna Crawford (Can) was 60th, Megan Bankes (Can) finished 65th, Clare Egan placed 81st and Emily Dreissigacker was 88th. –

Full results here.

December 14, 2017 (Gatineau, Que.) – High spirits marked the Gatineau Loppet Organizing Committee’s official launch of the festivities surrounding the 40th edition of the biggest international cross-country ski event in Canada. Thousands of local skiers, and visitors from some 20 countries around the world, will meet up in the Outaouais on February 16, 17 and 18, 2018 to hit the magnificent Gatineau Park trails and express their passion for cross-country skiing and winter sports.

Special projects for the 40th anniversary
For this 40th anniversary, the Gatineau Loppet Board of Directors agreed on a number of specific projects to mark the event in a fitting way.

Unique linear routes: The 2018 Gatineau Loppet program lineup will include three linear routes. The 51 km classic style (Saturday, February 17) and the brand new 51 km freestyle (Sunday, February 18) will be the main features at P17 in the La Pêche municipality. Those two routes will cut south through Gatineau Park amidst enchanting landscapes! However, freestyle skiers will ONLY have access to trail 36 on race day, Sunday, February 18 (this trail is normally reserved for classic style skiers). Another new feature this year is the 40 km linear fat bike race, from Chelsea to the Hautes-Plaines golf course (the meeting place for the fat bike races).

Recognition program: In collaboration with Nordik spa nature, the Gatineau Loppet is launching a whole new recognition program in addition to the Legend’s Path and the Veterans Club. That program will specifically recognize skiers who take part in two races a year (Saturday and Sunday). Doing that for three years will earn those skiers the title of Nordik skier, and entitle them, among other things, to a VIP evening at Nordik spa-nature. Additional details will follow in January.

Entertainment: As part of its efforts to enhance the experience, every year, the Gatineau Loppet rolls out the red carpet. The aim is to treat visitors from abroad to a Canadian experience, and to give local participants a festive and unmissable winter experience! Maple taffy on snow, festive refreshment stations all along the route, entertainment upon arrival, traditional music, true flavours of Canada, local beers, activities for the youngsters, hot chocolate…are sure to delight all participants.

School day: In order to help foster the next generation of cross-country skiers and expose young people as much as possible to winter’s delights, the Gatineau Loppet is launching a school activity for youth between 9 and 12 years of age on Friday, February 16. This wonderful new program will involve 250 youth in cross-country, snowshoe, foot races and other fun games to introduce them to the Gatineau Loppet as well as to discover other ways of moving and making the most of the great winter oudoors.

Something for Everyone
The Gatineau Loppet invites all winter sport fans, from beginners to experts, to take part in its 40th edition! With cross-country skiing, fat bike racing and snowshoeing over distances ranging between 2 km and 51 km…there is something for everyone over the race weekend. Saturday, February 17 will be dedicated to the classic style, with the 5 km (Physio Avantage Plus), 15 km (Auclair), 27 km (Otto’s BMW/SUBARU) and the 51 km linear (Swix) races. Fat bike races will be featured in collaboration with OMBA (Ottawa Mountain Bike Association), with 10 km, 20 km and 40 km (linear) starting from the municipality of Chelsea (40 km) and the Hautes-Plaines golf course. On Sunday, February 19, the Mini 2 km (Sport échange Outaouais) and the Carnaval Soleil Polaire, the 10 km (MEC), the 27 km (NCC) and the 51 km linear will be all about freestyle. There will also be 2 km, 5 km and 10 km snowshoe races, and the Gatineau Loppet will host the Canadian 10 km snowshoe championship.

Registration
Cross-country skiers can still take full advantage of the Gatineau Loppet at the discounted rate. Skiers can register online until Wednesday, February 14, but the discount ends at midnight, this coming sunday, december 17.

The Gatineau Loppet would like to thank its partners, Ville de Gatineau, Canada Economic Development, the Government of Quebec through Tourisme Québec, Tourisme Outaouais, which this year once again is featuring cross-country skiing front and centre in its winter campaign, the National Capital Commission and Gatineau Park, which has welcomed us for the past 39 years, the municipalities of Chelsea and La Pêche, Winterlude, the Centre local de développement des Collines-de-l’Outaouais, the Embassy of Sweden, Swix, Nordik Group, Hendrick Farm, Otto’s BMW and Subaru, Auclair, Fischer, MEC, Sport Échange Outaouais, Chelsea Pub, Biscotti, Xact Nutrition, Physio Avantage Plus, Crowne Plaza, Ramada Plaza Manoir du Casino and the many official suppliers, and corporate and media partners.

For additional information, check the Gatineau Loppet Web site here.

December 12, 2017 (Canmore, AB) – Canada’s Emily Young was on a hunting exploration at the Canmore Nordic Centre on Sunday afternoon. After venturing 7.5-kilometres skate-skiing through the tall pines at one of the world’s most challenging Nordic venues, the Vancouver native captured her prize – a bronze medal for the second-straight day in the women’s standing division at the season-opening Para-Nordic World Cup.

“This is my first year starting at the back, hunting people down,” said Young, who started second last based on her number-two ranking in the field. “It was really cool being out there, reeling people in. It was just like fishing out there.”

Young, 24, picked off 11 athletes to be exact on a glorious day in the Rocky Mountains, pushing her threshold to clock a third-place time of 21:01.7.

“I went out a little hot in the first lap, but the whole plan was to ‘just go’ from the gun. I knew I had put myself in the top-three after the first lap so I just kept fighting,” added Young. “I know I have the ability to go full out and hold on for 8 kilometres if I stop thinking, and ski, so that’s what I did today.”

The only two athletes Young couldn’t knock off were Neutral Para Athletes, Ekaterina Rumyantseva and Anna Milenina. Rumyantseva posted the time of the day at 19:44.1. Milenina skied to the silver medal at 20:07.5.

Young did manage to chase down two of her Canadian teammates, Natalie Wilkie and Brittany Hudak.

Competing in her first Para-Nordic World Cup races, the 16-year-old Wilkie, of Salmon Arm, B.C., finished just off the podium in fourth spot for the second straight day at 21:32.6.

Paralympian Hudak, of Prince Albert, Sask., was fifth with a time of 22:18.5.

“It was a lot of fun to race on home trails and have everyone cheering for Canada,” said Hudak. “The first races of the year are always kind of a mystery. You don’t know where you’re going to end up so it is nice to get everyone together again and get a better picture of where you are at. I felt good and hope to build on this.”

But the opening weekend of the first Para-Nordic World Cup for the Canadians belonged to Young. Growing up with a childhood goal to win a wrestling medal for Canada at the Olympic Games, Young’s focus switched to the Paralympic skiing following a training injury that caused nerve damage to her right arm.

Now building towards her Paralympic debut on the Nordic trails, Young is now comfortable mixing it up with the top skiers on the circuit.

“It wasn’t until last year that I finally felt like a competitor on the snow, and not just present being the caboose on the trails,” said Young. “I feel like the light bulb went on in Germany (World Championships last February), and my skill level now matches my drive. I feel I can actually compete and push now, and that is a lot of fun.”

Another Canadian pushing the pace in the men’s standing division is Mark Arendz, of Hartsville, P.E.I.

The 27-year-old put himself through a world of hurt in the first of four laps in the 10-kilometre skate-ski event, to boost him to a fourth-place time of 23:24.5.

“I started hard and tried to see if I could hold it. I maybe went a bit too hard in the first lap, but the last three were consistent so I’m happy with the results,” said Arendz, who is a biathlon specialist.

“Right now, is all about working out the bugs, making sure we mimic how I want to approach the race in March (Paralympics). At the end, I’ll look and see where I stack up, but I know my shape will be much different come March.”

Benjamin Daviet, of France, won the men’s standing race with a time of 22:14.1. Neutral Para Athletes, Rushan Minnegulov (22:40.9) and Aleksandr Pronkov (22:44.5) were second and third respectively.

The Para-Nordic World Cup continues on Tuesday in Canmore, Alta. with the cross-country skiing distance races before the biathlon competitions get underway on Thursday.

Complete results here.

December 12, 2017 (Moscow, Russia) – According to the Russian News Agency, TASS, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) suspects three more Russian cross-country skiers of anti-doping rules violations. Olympic gold medallist Nikita Kryukov along with Alexander Bessmertnykh and Natalia Matveyeva are “suspected of violating anti-doping regulations,” Sergey Kryanin, a vice president of the Russian Cross Country Ski Federation, told TASS – read more here.

December 12, 2017 – Following the decision of the IOC to suspend the Russian NOC and create a path for a clean individual athlete to compete at the Pyoengchang 2018 Olympic Winter Games, the IBU Executive Board decided today:

December 11, 2017 (Vernon, BC) – Day two of the Haywood NorAm & Sprints / USSA SuperTour saw sunny skies and a temperature hovering around -2 degree Celsius as skiers from around North America tackled the gruelling 5km ‘World Cup’ course. Open Men raced a distance of 15 km and Open Women 10 km.

The day began with the Open Men’s race at 9:00 am.

The fastest Senior Man around the course today was Ian Torchia (Northern Michigan University) who finished with a time of 36:29.17, 19 seconds ahead of Jack Hegman (Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation) in 2nd. Rounding out the top three is Brian McKeever (Fast Trax Run & Ski), 22.6 seconds from Torchia. Brian Gregg (CXC Team) was the early leader with a first lap time of 11:49.8 but ultimately placed 15th, 1:09 off 1st.

The Junior Men’s category is lead by Hunter Wonders (APU Nordic Ski Center) with a time of 37:25.9 followed by Sam Hendry (Canmore Nordic Ski Club) 32.6 seconds off the win and rounding out the top three is Aidan Kirkham (Nakkertok Nordic Ski Club), 1:18.7 from 1st position.

On the Senior Women’s side, the Americans proved to be a force to be reckoned following a podium sweep.

Yesterday’s silver medallist in the classic sprints took the win in the 10 km skate event with a time of 27:13, besting Rosie Frankowski (APU Nordic Ski Center) by 30 seconds. Rounding out the top three is Caitlin Gregg (CXC Team) just one second from 2nd. The top Canadian today is Zina Kocher (Foothills Nordic Ski Club) in 8th position, 1:31.2 back.

The Junior Women’s category is lead by Hannah Halvorsen (APU Nordic Ski Center) who placed 3rd in yesterday’s sprints achieved the top result today with a time of 29:09.5. Close behind is Novie McCabe (Methow Valley Nordic), 23 seconds back and rounding out the top three is Annika Richardson (Hollyburn Cross Country Ski Club) 1:05.2 from 1st.

A local favourite, Hannah Mehain, placed 8th 2:02 off the Halvorsen.

Full results here.

December 11, 2017 (Davos, Switzerland)December 11, 2017 (Davos, Switzerland) – Canada’s Alex Harvey posted his best result at high altitude in Davos finishing 10th in the men’s 15km individual start won by Maurice Manificat (Fra). Russia’s Sergey Ustiugov finished second at 4 seconds back while teammate Alexander Bolshunov landed on the podium for the second time in Davos claiming third.

“I have always struggled at altitude so this is by far my best result here in Davos,” said Harvey. “Altitude is really a physiology thing. It is never going to be perfect for me, but we have found ways to prepare for it and get better little by little each year. I couldn’t ask for much more today. The goal is always to be in the top-10.”

Harvey, 29, followed his race plan to near perfection starting conservatively over the first of three laps. He picked his way through the field until the final loop where he hammered his pace powering up and down the large hill challenge to grab a few more spots and lock up the top-10 result. Harvey

“Today the shape was great and I continued to build throughout each lap, with my strongest lap being the last one. That is what you want,” added Harvey.

It was Manificat’s ninth World Cup distance race victory equalling the men’s French record set by Vincent Vittoz.  He will also wear the red bib next weekend in Toblach, Italy as the overall World Cup Distance leader.

“I love to compete here. It has been a few years since I last won here so I’m happy to be back on top. My season has been going well so I knew that today was possible. It is a hard race here and I am tired but thank you to Davos and the public out in the forest. Your encouragement helped very much,” commented the winner.

American Patty Caldwell was the top American in 41st followed by veteran Canuck, Devon Kershaw in 44th. Noah Hoffman (USA) was 48th, Graeme Killick (Can) was 59th, Russell Kennedy (Can)  finished 68th, Scott Patterson (USA) was 94th, Julien Locke (Can) and Andy Newell (USA) did not finish. –

Full results here.
WCup Standings here.

December 11, 2017 (Davos, Switzerland) – Sadie Bjornsen led four Americans in the top 20 with a solid 12th-place finish in the women’s 10 km interval start as Ingvild Flugstad Oestberg (NOR) topped the field once again in Davos.

Teammate Ragnhild Haga was second at 5.9 seconds behind the winner while Finland’s Krista Parmakoski took the final podium spot at 7.9 seconds back.

The USA’s Kikkan Randall finished 14th followed by teammates Jessie Diggins in 15th and Rosie Brennan in 17th. The USA’s Chelsea Holmes made the points in 29th followed by Liz Stephen in 40th.

“It was a really challenging and fun distance skate race. This course is particularly challenging for me, because there is no rest. All the slight gradual downhills, you have to keep working,” said Bjornsen. “The combination of the thin air, and the very gradual climbs and descents is a real unique challenge. I decided to go out harder than normal, to see how long I could hold. I think I was able to ski a relatively stable race, with a few weak spots, but I am really satisfied. I look forward to another opportunity next weekend! I am starting to really get into this skate skiing.”

Randall was happy with her race. “It was great to have another solid distance race here in Davos. Shows that my race gears are continuing to sharpen with every start!  I happened to start right as Kalla was coming through the lap so I got so ski with her my first lap.  Then it was up to me to try and hold that pace on the 2nd lap.  Definitely got a little tired towards the end of the race and started to lose some seconds but overall I was really satisfied with the performance.  Also fun to see another streak of top results for the whole US women’s team!  A great way to celebrate our new truck,” said Randall.

Diggins was hoping for more. “I wasn’t satisfied with my 10km skate this past weekend, but that’s a good thing because I’m always looking for more! I feel that I rebounded from my cold well for the sprint but just had nothing left in the tank for that extra gear you need on this grinding Davos course. Really looking forward to my favorite race trails in Toblach next weekend…and it will be fun to race at a slightly lower altitude,” shared Diggins.

Cendrine Brown led the Canadian women in 45th followed by Emily Nishikawa in 50th, American Sophie Caldwell in 52nd Dahria Beatty (Can) in 73rd and Katherine Stewart-Jones in 79th.

Results here.
WCup Standings here.

December 11, 2017 (Hochfilzen, AUT) – Canada’s Emma Lunder, Rosanna Crawford, Megan Bankes and Julia Ransom raced to a 9th-place finish as Germany took the win in the women’s 4x6km Relay at the close of the BMW IBU World Cup 2 in Hochfilzen, Austria.

Germany’s Vanessa Hinz, Franziska Hildebrand, and Maren Hammerschmidt with Laura Dahlmeier anchoring won with nine spare rounds in 1:14:43.6 extending their winning streak to six consecutive victories, dating back to last season.

Second place went to Sochi Olympic champions Ukraine, with five spare rounds at 44.9 seconds back while France came back from two early penalties to move into third at 1:04.5 back, after passing Russia in the final loop.

The Canadian squad used 9 spare rounds to finish at 2:31 behind the winners. No American team competed. The next round of the BMW IBU World Cup is in Annecy-Le Grand Bornand, France, Dec. 14-17

Full results here.

December 11, 2017 (Ostersund, Sweden) – Team USA raced to a 9th-place finish on Sunday in the men’s 4×7.5-kilometer relay as Norway claimed a solo victory in windy Hochfilzen with Germany second and France third. The Canadian team was 15th overall as the BMW IBU World Cup 2 came to a close.

The squad of Lowell Bailey, Leif Nordgren, Tim Burke and Sean Doherty, were as high as third but suffered three penalties and used 13 spares in the 26-team field to finish 3:38.3 behind the Norwegians who used nine spares finishing in 1:21:21.8.

Germany used 17 spares at 1:54.9 behind the winners while France, in third, had three penalties and 13 spares at 2:34 behind Norway. Canada’s Christian Gow, Scott Gow, Nathan Smith and Brendan Green suffered six penalties with 20 spares finishing 6:22.5 behind.

Two days of heavy snow turned into overcast skies for the men’s relay, with temperatures at minus 10 Celsius. The wind was gusty at first but picked up dramatically from the left, making shooting extremely difficult.

The teams now travel to Annecy-Le Grand Bornand, France, for BMW IBU World Cup 3 taking place Dec. 14-17.

Full results here.

December 09, 2017 (Vernon, BC) – Over 550 skiers from around North America eager to rid themselves of the early-season race butterflies ascended upon the Rotary Stadium at the Sovereign Lake Nordic Centre today for the first stop of the Haywood NorAm & Sprints series of the season and second on the USSA SuperTour.

Today’s classic sprints around a challenging 1.3 km course included a tight 180-degree turn, a bridge and some fast downhills. Course conditions were ideal, with sunny skies and -7 degree Celsius, hard-packed snow.

The day started with the Open Women’s sprint qualifier, and shortly thereafter, Open Men. On the women’s side, Kaitlynn Miller (Craftsbury Nordic), set the best time with 02:59.39. Second and third best qualifying times are set by Kelsey Phinney (Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation) and Hannah Halvorsen (Alaska Pacific University) respectively. The fastest Canadian qualifier for the Open Women is from Sophie Carrier-Laforte (Skinouk) in 4th, 05.68 behind Miller.

The fastest qualifying time in Open Men is 02:31:00 set by Cole Morgan (Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation) with Nicholas Michaud (Bridger Ski Foundation) and Logan Hanneman (Alaska Pacific University) rounding out the top three. They were followed closely by the top Canadian today, Bob Thompson (Team Hardwood) in fourth, 02.34 from Morgan.

The fastest Junior Woman around the course is Sovereign Lake’s own Hannah Mehain with a comfortable lead of 06:56. The fastest Junior Man around the course was Antoine Cyr (Skinouk) with a lead of 02.28.

Course conditions remained unchanged for the afternoon’s excitement.

The Open Men’s A-final consisted of five U.S. skiers and one Canadian. NTDC Thunder Bay athlete, Bob Thompson proved his early-season fitness as he raced towards the finish line, just 0.03 seconds ahead of Ben Saxton of the Stratton Mountain School (SMS) Elite Team. Cole Morgan of the Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation (SVSEF) who won the qualifier and all his heats, except for the A-final, rounded out the top three.

“It was a very fast course,” says Bob Thompson of Team Hardwood/NTDC Thunder Bay. “I was happy with my qualifying position and focussed on at or near the front of the heats to control things.”

The Open Women’s heats saw American, Kaitlynn Miller (Craftsbury Nordic), dominate the day as she continued her momentum throughout the quarter and semi-finals winning every heat including the A-final. In the A-final, Miller bested Caitlin Patterson (Craftsbury Nordic) by almost one second who qualified 5th this morning. Rounding out the top three is Hannah Halvorsen (Alaska Pacific University). The top Canadian in the Open Women category is Quebec’s Sophie Carrier-Laforte (Skinouk) in 6th.

“I was very happy with my race today,” says Kaitlynn Miller of Craftsbury Nordic / Green Racing Project. “I ended up in the back of the pack heading into the final uphill, but was able to make up time on that climb and had a good line going into the turn off the bridge.”

The Junior Women’s category is won by Hannah Mehain (Sovereign Lake) followed closely by Lisle Compton (Kenora Nordic) and Hannah Shields (Lappe Nordic) in 3rd. The Junior Men category is won by Antoine Cyr (Skinouk) who won all of his heats, followed by Etienne Hebert (Monteriski) and rounding out the top three was American, Luke Jager (Alaska Pacific Nordic Centre).

Full results here.

December 09, 2017 (Davos, SUI) – The USA’s Simi Hamilton led the North Americans finishing 9th after advancing to the semis in the men’s 1.5km Sprint F won by Norway’s Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo who recorded his 6th straight victory tying fellow Norwegians Petter Northug Jr and Martin Johnsrud Sundby as the only men to win six World Cups in one season before the new year.

Italy’s Federico Pellegrino was the only skier to go with Klaebo in the final but he was out-matched finishing 1.8 seconds back. In third place for the second weekend in a row was Russia’s Alexander Bolshunov at 4.64 behind.

American Andy Newell made the quarter finals as well but did not advance finishing 21st. Alex Harvey was the lone Canadian to qualify but placed fifth in his quarter-final round and his day ended early as well.

“It was a typical Davos course and conditions out there. I felt much better qualifying today than last week and was happy to qualify in the top 10. Felt solid in my heat but didn’t have the best finish due to a Swiss skier crashing on the last corner and pushing me wide. The corner into the finish is always a little icy here. Happy to be feeling pretty good and healthy and looking to build on results throughout the month,” said Newell.

According to Louis Bouchard, co-head coach of Canada’s World Cup Team, “Alex is in great shape and his technique is good, but he always struggles a bit at altitude in Davos. Every skier handles altitude differently. We tried some different things to be ready for the altitude. Alex is in great shape though and right where he wants to be.”

Qualifications here.
Results here.

December 09, 2017 (Davos, SUI) – The USA’s Kikkan Randall took home her first World Cup podium since having her first child in April 2016. Officially it was her second podium since the arrival of Breck as the talented skier won sprint bronze at Lahti 2017.

Sweden’s Stina Nilsson battled to victory in a close race besting Norway’s Maiken Caspersen Falla at the line. There were three American in final with Jessie Diggins in fourth and Ida Sargent finishing 6th. Nilsson now leads the overall World Cup sprint standings with a 15-point margin over Falla.

“Today felt great to be back on the podium. Davos has always been a good place for me when I’m in shape,” said Randall. “The season started as a bit of a mixed bag but my skating has felt strong. It was a relief to put down a solid qualifier finally and then feel strong through all the rounds. It always makes it extra fun when you have your teammates by your side. Ida was particularly impressive today, it’s awesome to see her take a big jump forward in skate sprinting.

“We were fortunate that the weather turned out better than predicted.  It was a little on the cold side but not much wind and good fair conditions.  Our skis were fast today which was important for getting in good positions.  I think the wax truck is giving us a big advantage on having consistently fast skis.  You can especially see it in the depth of how well the whole team is skiing!

“This was my first world cup podium since I had Breck and it was great to be able to share the moment with him.  He likes the trophy, it’s a little sled. Now turning my attention to the distance race tomorrow. I am excited to see if I can keep this streak of strong skate races going,” she concluded.

December 09, 2017 (Hochfilzen, AUT) – American Sean Doherty sharpened his sprint performance to claim 17th in the men’s 12.5km pursuit with two penalties at 2:12.8 behind winner Johannes Thingnes Boe of Norway. Amidst snowy conditions Boe took home another victory on Saturday at the BMW IBU World Cup 2 in Hochfilzen despite three penalties.

Slovenia’s Jakov Fak, who had just one penalty, was second at 58.8 seconds back while Martin Fourcade of France, suffered three penalties in the final standing stage, but was able to out-sprint Germany’s Simon Schempp for the final podium spot at 1:10 back.

Friday’s snow continued off and on throughout the night and returned with a new intensity in the morning for the men’s pursuit. Accompanying the heavy snow and falling temperatures was a steady wind that buffeted the wind flags from left to right on the shooting range.

“I am very happy to follow up my sprint with a good pursuit,” said Doherty. “It was fun to be in the thick of the action and be able to shoot my way up. Hopefully the conditions tomorrow will be a little bit better and we can have a good relay.”

Canada’s Nathan Smith was 31st, Brendan Green (Can) was 33rd, Lowell Bailey (USA) was 36th, Canada’s Scott Gow was 48th and Christian Gow was 49th.

The snow continued for the women’s 10k pursuit  later in the day, with a bit less intensity. However, the tracks remained slow and deep with a stiff breeze complicating shooting.

Anastasiya Kuzmina of Slovakia won for the first time since March 2014 with one penalty as Finland’s Kaisa Makarainen, with two penalties, passed sprint winner Darya Domracheva of Belarus in the final meters to take second place at 10.2 seconds back. Domracheva, with a single penalty, finished 3rd.

Canada’s Emma Lunder had one penalty placing 27th while teammate Rosanna Crawford was 39th with 4 penalties. American Clare Egan finished 53rd with seven penalties.

December 05, 2017 (Lillehammer, Norway) – Canada’s Alex Harvey earned his best result this season with a strong 6th place finish against a stacked field in the men’s 30km Skiathlon as Johannes Klaebo captured gold again besting teammate Martin Johnsrud Sundby who settled for second with Hans Christer Holund completing the Norwegian podium sweep.

Harvey’s teammate Devon Kershaw battled to a solid 19th-place finish following an exciting stint at the front of the pack during the Classic leg. American Erik Bjornsen claimed 20th showing great form for his best Skiathlon result.

“It was a really good day with a steady, hard pace right from the gun. I felt good all day and the skis were great,” said the 29-year-old Harvey, who was the lone Canadian to crack the top-30 in Saturday’s sprint race, finishing 28th. “I’m missing my top speed right now, but the base is really good – maybe better than it has ever been. To finish sixth when I know I’m not in the best shape yet is really good.”

Heading into the transition box in 14th place, Harvey jumped 10 spots into fourth. “This course is so hard. Having to ski that large hill which is like 3-4 minutes of sustained climbing, four times in classic and skate is really, really hard,” said Harvey. “I was well positioned in the front of the group of seven in the skate until the fireworks went off with 1.5-kilometres to go.”

Sundby attacked just before the crest of the hill on the final climb where he stretched the lead group. With four Norwegians battling it out to determine the medals, Harvey lacked the jam to respond, and cruised home for sixth place. Klaebo matched Sundby near the end and overtook him in the finishing straight for the win.

“That is what I’m missing right now is really that top level. I wasn’t able to go with Sundby and I slowly drifted from there,” said Harvey. “These other guys have different goals right now. The Norwegians have to be on the podium in these early races if they want to go to the Olympics so they have to do this every race. My goals are to be reaching my top gear by the Tour de Ski. Racing is good training for that.”

Full results here.

December 05, 2017 (Lillehammer, Norway) – American Jessie Diggins claimed a stellar 5th in the women’s 15km Skiathlon on Sunday showing her fine form as Sweden’s Charlotte Kalla took home her first-ever World Cup Skiathlon victory. Norway’s Heidi Weng as second with her teammate Ragnhild Haga in third.

The USA’s Sadie Bjornsen had a strong day finishing 10th while Kikkan Randall was solid in 16th followed by Rosie Brennan also in the points placing 29th. Liz Stephen (USA) was 36th, Chelsea Holmes (USA) finished 38th while the top Canadian was Cendrine Browne in 45th.

“I was really happy with my race. Our classic skis were amazing and I honk that’s the smoothest and strongest I’ve ever Classic skied yet. In the skate leg I felt good and I’m still working on building to my top race gear as we get into the season,” shared Diggins.

“Another great day in Lillehammer – this was my best ever Skiathlon result in the 15km discipline. I tend to prefer classic skiing, so I wanted to try to stay in contact during the classic section, and hold on for the skate portion of today’s race,” commented Bjornsen. “At times I struggled to find gears but found my zone so at the end of the day, I was really happy with my race. The biggest WOW of the day was my brother, placing 20th in this very tough field of racers here in Norway.”

Randall was pleased as well. “Another race under the belt. Had a good start but lost some ground on the first time up the big climb. Found a better groove in the second classic lap and felt much stronger in the skate. Underlying fitness feels strong but still searching for my full race gear. Great conditions, even saw a bit of sun out there,” quipped Randall. “Really inspiring to see my teammates racing up there in the front.  Our skis were fast today so that wax truck seems to be making a nice difference.”

Full results here.
Overall standings here.

December 05, 2017 (Canmore, AB) – The Alpine Insurance AWCA is very pleased to announce that Allison McArdle will be joining our organisation starting January 1st, as a High Performance Coach. Allison will work with Chris Jeffries, High Performance Program Director, to design and deliver the Academy program.

“Allison will make a great addition to our coaching team. I am very happy she is going to help us provide the best athlete development program in Canada. Allison brings many excellent qualification to the job. Among them are her international network, her coaching experience and her team leadership experience. But what I am most excited about is that she is bringing her sincere desire to see athletes reach their full potential.” said Norbert Meier, President, Alberta World Cup Society.

Allison has over 15 years of experience in both domestic and international coaching roles in Australia and Canada. In addition, she currently sits on the FIS Ladies Cross Country Sub-committee, is the Chair of CCC’s Women’s Committee and is the Alberta Ski Team Director.

Blog post here.

December 03, 2017 (Ostersund, Sweden) – American Lowell Bailey moved up five places to finish 17th in the men’s 12.5km Pursuit on Sunday at the BMW IBU World Cup 1 in Ostersund with two penalties. Martin Fourcade of France sealed his victory with two fast and clean standing stages after missing a single prone shot in the first stage.

Slovenia’s Jakov Fak, who had two penalties, finished second at 40.8s back, while third place went to France’s Quentin Fillon Maillet, also with two penalties at 42.1 seconds behind Fourcade. Scott Gow was the top Canuck in 21st with one penalty at 2:04.6 behind.

“I felt okay the last two races, much better than the individual, but I’m hopeful that I can make improvements to my ski speed as we move deeper into the start of the season,” said Bailey. “Not ideal to have a cold during the first week of the race season, but all things considered, I’m happy with the start and looking forward to getting back to Hochfilzen. The track was a bit choppy with hard ice underneath a five-inch later of sugary snow. I definitely struggled a bit on the climbs.”

Full results here.

December 03, 2017 (Ostersund, Sweden) – Canada’s Julia Ransom finished 23rd with two penalties as Germany’s Denise Herrmann claimed her second World Cup victory winning the women’s 10K pursuit at the BMW IBU World Cup in Östersund despite missing two targets in the first standing stage.

France’s Justine Braisaz shot clean but finished 25.8 seconds back in second while third place went to Norway’s Marte Olsbu, with two penalties at 48 seconds back.

Herrmann and Braisaz arrived at the final standing stage together and both cleaned making it a ski race which Herrmann handily won. The new German star is a relative newcomer to biathlon having had a solid career on the FIS XC Ski circuit.

“It is a completely different situation from the sprint, but it is the sort of situation that you need to keep within yourself…when I came to the stadium and saw it was windy I knew I had to stay focused. I had good feelings in the zeroing and it was good that I had some seconds of an advantage when I started, so I could take my time to focus,” said Herrmann.

Results here.

November 22, 2017 (Philadelphia, PA) – Comcast announced it will be the official cable television and communications partner of U.S Ski & Snowboard, the Olympic sports organization based in Park City, Utah. America’s top Olympic skiers will showcase Comcast on their racing suits when the FIS Ski World Cup tour comes to America later this month, with stops in Killington and Beaver Creek.

The new multi-year partnership will feature the Xfinity brand on U.S. Ski & Snowboard athlete uniforms at a range of high-profile events worldwide, increasing awareness of the partnership in markets globally with around-the-world broadcast coverage. Xfinity will also be the title sponsor of the women’s FIS Ski World Cup weekend at Killington Resort in Vermont Nov. 25-26, which will be carried on NBC and NBCSN. In addition, the brand will be an associated sponsor of the men’s FIS Ski World Cup Birds of Prey Race Week Dec. 1-3 in Beaver Creek, Colorado.

American Mikaela Shiffrin, a winner at Killington a year ago, will be out to defend her season long world cup title. At Beaver Creek, two-time U.S. Olympic champion Ted Ligety will be favored in the giant slalom. Both events are important competitions leading up to the Olympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018.

“We are excited to support Team USA and all of the incredible athletes empowered by U.S Ski & Snowboard,” said Matt Lederer, Executive Director of Partnership Marketing at Comcast. “U.S Ski & Snowboard provides elite level, world class athletes and young skiers and snowboarders alike with the support they need throughout the year to achieve their full potential, and we are proud to partner with them and help athletes, teams, coaches, parents and volunteers in communities across the country to progress skiing and snowboarding and achieve success.”

The deal provides Comcast with global sponsorship rights in the cable television and telecommunications category, use of U.S Ski & Snowboard’s logo and athletes, and a strong brand signage presence at Toyota U.S. Grand Prix events, which serve as the Olympic qualifying series for freestyle skiing and snowboard.

“This global partnership with Comcast reflects the stature of our athletes and events and the impact they have in both the U.S. and international sports market,” said U.S. Ski & Snowboard Chief Commercial Officer Dan Barnett. “It’s a comprehensive approach to supporting both the athletes who compete and the events in which they participate, which is a great endorsement both here in America and around the world.”

U.S. Ski & Snowboard has a strong stable of athletes who will vie for Olympic medals in South Korea. “Comcast is also showing its commitment to athletes through ancillary deals with a number of our stars,” said Barnett. “On behalf of our athletes, we’re proud to welcome Comcast to our family.”

As part of the arrangement with the United States Olympic Committee, Comcast will be an official partner through Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 which includes the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games 2018.

November 21, 2017 – Our annual NENSA on-line AUCTION is open for business and runs until 9pm on Sunday 12/3. Bid early and bid often! We have an amazing array of items for sale – stays at the Craftsbury Outdoor Center, Trapp Family Lodge, Stoweflake Resort & Spa, and the new WilloBurke Inn & Nordic Spa in East Burke! Items from our awesome sponsors LLBean, Rossignol, SWIX, and Fisher, plus a SkiErg, as well as art, ski gear, USST gear, homemade Bread, Fred’s famous garlic, Nutty Granola, cheese from Cabot and Kennebec Cheesery, Hosmer Wine, hot boxing for your skis, and experiences like a boat ride on Squam Lake and learning to fly fish at Orvis – there is literally something for everyone! How about an LL Bean Boat and Tote signed by ALL the current USST members!?? I am betting there could be an Olympic medal signature on there!!!  Go to 32Auctions to bid!

November 20, 2017 (Gatineau, QC) – Nakkertok is pleased to announce the newly named Nakkertrak Ski Loop is open for the season. The cold temperatures of the past week has allowed Nakkertok trails team to make enough snow for early season skiing.

November 19, 2017 (Gällivare, SWE) – Canada’s Dahria Beatty finished 23rd in the women’s 1km CL Sprint on Sunday as local favourite Stina Nilsson (Swe) took top honours. Natalia Matveeva (Rus) was second and Yulia Belorukova (Rus) was third. The USA’s Kikkan Randall who had a solid start in the 5km FR (8th) and 10km CL (15th) elected to sit out the sprint telling Trax, “Yep, just didn’t want to get too greedy the first weekend.  Two races was a good start.”

In the men’s race Len Valjas was the lone Canuck to qualify in 24th to finish 29th on the day as Sweden’s Oskar Svensson took the qualification and final victory as well. Teodor Peterson (Swe) was second followed by Olympic star, Nikita Kruikov (Rus), in third.

Women’s Qualifications here.
Women’s Final Results here

Men’s Qualifications here.
Men’s Final Results here

November 19, 2017 (Beitostolen, NOR) – American Anne Hart raced to a top-20 result finishing 19th the women’s 10km FR as Norwegian queen Marit Bjoergen was unstoppable again. Simen Hegstad Krueger topped the men’s field as the surprise winner in Beitostolen as Martin Johnsrud Sundby finished 7th. The USA’s Noah Hoffman finished 25th.

Results

Women
1. Marit Bjoergen (NOR) 23:55.2
2. Ragnhild Haga (NOR) 12.6
3. Heidi Weng (NOR) 30.1
4. Ingvild Flugstad Oestberg (NOR) 32.3
5. Astrid Uhrenholdt Jacobsen (NOR) 57.0

19. Anne Hart  (USA) 2:41.9

Complete RESULTS 

Men

1. Simen Hegstad Krueger (NOR) 32:59.6
2. Hans Christer Holund (NOR) 16.5
3. Jan Thomas Jenssen (NOR) 30.7
4. Andrew Musgrave (NOR) 37.1
5. Finn Haagen Krogh (NOR) 42.1

25. Noah Hoffman (USA)  2:09.6

Complete RESULTS

November 19, 2017 (Toronto, ON) – Don’t miss our 9th annual SkiTrax FIS Fantasy World Cup 2017/18 Contest and your chance to win great prizes as the FIS World Cup gets underway next weekend and the world’s best xc skiers battle for glory on the toughest circuit in this Olympic year.

We’ve added a new “twist” this year and will allow all contestants a first look at everyone’s form at the kick-off event in Ruka, Finland before finalizing their team.

Register your team of four (4) men, and four (4) women including two (2) Outlaw Skiers – one (1) male and one (1) female not in the top 15 of the FIS World Cup overall rankings.

November 18, 2017 – The FIS XC Ski 2017/18 season is underway and the World Cup start is around the corner beginning on Nov. 24 in Ruka, Finland but the fate of six Russians alleged to have doped at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Games seems to hang in the balance – see FIS Council notice below from their Nov. 18 meeting.

FIS claims it will issue a communication on Nov. 23 regarding the “status” of Alexander Lekov, Evgeniy Belov, Julia Ivanova, Evgenia Shapovalova, Alexey Petukhov and Maxim Vylegzhanin – read more about the sanctions issued against the six skiers here and here.

The provisional suspensions issued by the FIS Doping Panel on Dec. 23, 2016 were confirmed by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) but limited to Oct. 31, 2017 as the panel awaits the “receipt of the pending reasoned decision of the IOC Disciplinary Commission”. Thus five of the six athletes are racing this weekend – Belov won in Sweden on Friday – as Ivanova has since retired. Both Lekov and Belov announced their intention to fight the sanction.

Sweden’s SVT Sport channel reports that no ruling is coming on Nov. 23. “There is no decision before Ruka,” FIS Vice President, Sverre Seeberg, apparently told NRK. The FIS Council is waiting for documentation from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Disciplinary Commission before making its decision.

Anti-Doping Update (FIS Council Decisions from Autumn 2017 Meeting on Nov. 18)
The IOC Disciplinary Commission recently issued its decisions in the cases against Cross-Country skiers Alexander Lekov, Evgeniy Belov, Julia Ivanova, Evgenia Shapovalova, Alexey Petukhov and Maxim Vylegzhanin. The commission has sanctioned them with disqualification from the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games, and non-eligibility for future editions of the Games.

These six athletes have previously been subject to a provisional suspension by the FIS Doping Panel as from 23 December 2016, a measure which was confirmed by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) although limited until 31October 2017.

Following receipt of the pending reasoned decision of the IOC Disciplinary Commission, the FIS Doping Panel will undertake the necessary steps in complete accordance with the FIS Anti-Doping Rules, affording the athletes the right of due legal process and convening personal hearings.

The procedures will take into consideration the impending FIS Cross-Country World Cup season which begins at the end of November 2017. A media communication with the status of the cases will be issued by FIS on Thursday 23 November 2017.

The Council welcomed the recent founding and goals of the Independent Testing Authority (ITA) under the lead of the IOC in collaboration with the International Federations, and noted that FIS is playing an active role in the establishment of the new structure.

Full release on all FIS Council decisions here.

November 18, 2017 (Oberhofen, SUI) – The FIS Council held its’ Autumn Meeting at the FIS Headquarters in Oberhofen (SUI) on Saturday 18^th November and dealt with a full agenda relating to the current season, as well as future activities. The main subject areas comprising both the sport organisational aspects included competition calendars, proposals from the FIS Technical Committees with updates to various regulations and competition rules, appointment of technical officials and reports on the upcoming FIS World Championships and Olympic Winter Games. In addition, various important areas of the Governance of FIS were addressed, including a review of FIS financial matters and activities of the Marc Hodler Foundation.

November 18, 2017 (Gällivare, SWE) – American Kikkan Randall finished 15th in the women’s 10km CL individual start race as Charlotte Kalla (Swe) made it back-to-back victories at home in Gallivare on Day 2.

Canadian Devon Kershaw claimed 20th in the men’s 15km CL race won by Alexander Bolshunov who led a Russian sweep with Maxim Vlegzhanin 2nd and Alexey Chervotkin in 3rd. In 4th was Alexey Poltoranin (Kaz) with Dario Cologna (Sui) 5th.

Results

LADIES 10 km CL
1. KALLA Charlotte (SWE) 27:55.2
2. TCHEKALEVA Yulia (RUS) 17.7
3. NEPRYAEVA Natalia (RUS) 40.9
4. ISHIDA Masako (JPN) 1:02.4
5. ZHEREBYATEVA Anna (RUS) 1:08.8

15. RANDALL Kikkan (USA) 1:48.1

Complete RESULTS

MEN 15 km CL

1. BOLSHUNOV Alexander (RUS) 37:13.0
2. VYLEGZHANIN Maxim (RUS) 1.0
3. CHERVOTKIN Alexey (RUS) 5.1
4. POLTORANIN Alexey (KAZ) 18.0
5. COLOGNA Dario (SUI) 22.1

20. KERSHAW Devon (CAN) 1:06.7

Complete RESULTS