June 28, 2013 – Liz Stephen of the US Ski team had a historic year in 2012/13, placing 5th in the 10k freestyle at the 2013 World Ski Championships (a best-ever finish for a US female), winning the Swiss National Championship 5km FR, along with a victory at the U.S. Distance Championships 30km CL.
Stephen was also part of the 4×5 km World Championships relay team that made US Ski team women’s history placing 4th. She was also part of the Olympic squad in 2010 and earned bronze at the U23 World Championships in 2008.
You were over in Norway for a personal training camp, and were recently up on the Sognefjell Snowfield. Are you training with specific athletes or did you join a Norwegian ski team camp?
Liz Stephen: I joined up with the Norwegian ski team for their 6-day camp. It was a really great experience and I am really grateful to their coaches, Egil and Roar who made it possible for me to join. I have really enjoyed the last two summers when I have gone over to Scandinavia to train with some new skiers and have made lasting friendships that makes living in Europe for five months much more enjoyable. Part of what is so great about this sport is making friends, but also learning from one another and trying to raise the level of the whole sport by sharing training ideas, pushing one another, and getting to know the other athletes. It’s been a really fun and beneficial experience for me, and I was welcomed with open arms by the Norwegian Team and even spent three extra days in Oslo at Celine Brun Lie’s house because I was having so much fun with the girls I didn’t want to leave quite yet!
Last summer you and your US ski team teammates shared in a camp with the Swedish Women’s Ski Team in Sweden, and have had joint camps with the Canadian women in Alaska the past two summers. These must be positive experiences if you continue to do them each year?
LS: YES! Very positive! I have made so many new friends, learned so much from the Swedish and Norwegian Teams and had a really good time training hard with new groups of athletes. I think it really gives me a jump start to my summer of training and adds an element of fun that gets me psyched to work hard for the next four months before we hit the road in November again.
For North American athletes you spend most if not all of the winter in Europe. Does having friends on the different teams make the time away from home an easier experience?
LS: Yes, for sure. Our women’s team all feels like after spending time with the Swedish National Team last year we all have a great group of friends to hang with each weekend, and it makes the whole scene seem more like home and less intimidating. If you are away from home for five months, only spending time with your teammates, and racing 70 girls whom you only know by name, the scene gets very stale. Now that we feel we have friends in those 70 people who used to be just names on a result sheet, the whole atmosphere lightens and becomes much easier to enjoy and as a result, ski faster. Happy athletes perform better.
You are coming off your strongest World Cup season ever, and recorded the best ever distance finish (5th place 10km free technique) for a US female cross-country skier at the recent 2013 World Championships in Val di Fiemme, Italy. After such a successful season do you make any changes this summer or just try and replicate last year’s plan?
L.S.: There are always changes that I make to the training each year. Some years the changes are big and some years just little tweaks, but there are always things that I think of during the season, even on a good year that I think I can improve on during the next season’s preparation period. This year, I will just tweak the training from last year a bit, adding certain elements that I think were lacking a bit during the season, and taking away things that I tried but didn’t think made much of a difference.
You and your teammates gathered a great deal of attention at the start of the season with your first ever World Cup 4 x 5km relay podium, and followed up with a 4th place finish in the same event at the World Championships. Is an Olympic medal in the relay at “team” goal for the coming year in Sochi?
LS: Yes, that is for sure a huge goal of ours, and it is for sure my biggest goal for next year. I can’t imagine a more meaningful medal than one that is won by a team of people, though I believe any medal that is won, even individually, takes a team to make it happen.
If you don’t mind sharing, what are your individual goals from the coming year?
LS: My goals for the year are for a top 10 at the Tour de Ski, be a consistent top-10 World Cup skier, and my biggest individual race focus will be the Olympic 30K Freestyle race where I hope to win a medal.
June 27, 2013 – On June 21, FIS Roller Skiing specialists started their fight for the season title as the FIS Roller Skiing World Cup 2013 began. The competitions got underway in Oroslavje, Croatia with free technique mass start uphill and free technique sprint competitions.
On the women’s side, title defender Marika Sundin of Sweden landed on top of the podium twice, while the men were led by Simone Paredi of Italy who scored his first World Cup victory of the season in the mass start before his fellow countryman Alessio Berlanda triumphed in the sprint competition the following day.
The Roller Skiing World Cup circuit will now visit locations across Italy, Russia and France, and conclude in the well-known resort of Toblach/Dobbiaco (ITA) from 20th-22nd September.
In the first week of September 2013, Roller Skiing will see its season highlight with the FIS Roller Skiing World Championships taking place in Bad Peterstal (GER) from 4th-8th September.
To access the FIS Roller Skiing World Cup calendar, click here.
June 27, 2013 (Toronto, ON) – There’s still time to vote for who you think are the most deserving athletes for the SkiTrax Annual North American (NA) Nordic Ski Awards honouring top skiers from across Canada and the USA for the 2012-2013 season determined by votes from readers at skitrax.com. A quick update on how things currently stand…
As expected, Kikkan Randall is leading the race for Best Overall Elite Female Skier, while USA’s Andy Newell and Canada’s Len Valjas are duking it out for the Best Male Sprinter bragging rights.
In the contest for Best Conti Cup Male, USST’s Erik Bjornsen and the Canadian Ski Team’s Graham Nishikawa are neck-and-neck. Other exciting battles include the one for Best Jr. Male honours, with Raphael Couturier and Ben Saxton in a very tight race, while it couldn’t get any tighter in the Best Collegiate Male comp, with Rune Odegaard and Harry Seaton tied for the lead. Joanne Reid is leading the Best Collegiate Female category, with several chasers close behind.
In the Paul Robbins Best Breakthrough or Exceptional Nordic Performance(s) contest, USST’s women’s stars Jessie Diggins and Randall are out front as expected, but Canmore’s Jesse Cockney is right on their heels after his world-class sprinting turned heads at the Alberta World Cup in December.
These awards recognize Elite, U23 and junior skiers, along with Conti Cup, collegiate, biathlon, Nordic combined, jumping competitors plus Paranordic skiers as well.
Don’t miss your chance to VOTE (link below) and perhaps win some great prizes from our award sponsors. Hurry, voting ends on Sunday, June 30 at 11pm EST!
This season’s contenders are up against some very tough competition as North American skiers continued their charge to the top of the international ranks and there are many great names across all disciplines to select from.
In total there are 22 categories for men and women so take your time and make your voice heard.
Plus there are some great prizes as all entrants are eligible to win one of five great prizes provided by Salomon, Swix, FI, Exer-Genie, and Auclair. Please include your email address [at the bottom] after submitting your selections if you wish to be eligible to win any prizes.
June 27, 2013 – The television coverage report from the 2012/13 season provided by data provider Repucom summarises the detailed viewing figures from the FIS World Cup series. It features highlights such as the overall total broadcasting time estimated at 6’593 hours across the annually measured countries with the total cumulated TV audience for the seven FIS World Cup series in the Olympic disciplines at approximately 7’927 million television viewers.
In terms of both broadcasting time and audience, the Audi FIS Ski World Cup accounted for the highest volume with 3’221 hours and a total audience of 2’591 million. As a consequence of a season including the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships in Schladming fewer World Cup events have taken place compared to the 2011/2012 season and therefore there is a small decrease of broadcasting time and cumulated audience. Compared to the 2010/2011 season which also included FIS Alpine World Ski Championships in Garmisch-Partenkirchen (GER), media impact remained stable, despite less cumulated audience, but compensated by more broadcasting time. In Alpine Skiing, five countries (AUT, GER, ITA, SWE, SUI) and the Pan-European coverage by Eurosport generate more than 81% of the media impact (a combination of broadcasting time and audience), as in the previous season.
The respective figures for the men’s FIS Ski Jumping World Cup presented by Viessmann are 1’090 hours of broadcasting time and 2’315 million audience and for the FIS Cross-Country World Cup presented by Viessmann, 1’135 of broadcasting time and 1’865 audience. Compared to the World Championship season in 2010/11, in particular the broadcasting figures for Cross-Country Skiing, have seen a large rise of close to 25%.
Overall, Ski Jumping remains the discipline with the highest media impact of all FIS disciplines with close to 40% of broadcasting time generated by live coverage.This figure will be further optimised by the introduction of fixed starting times for the competitions during the next World Cup season. Meanwhile, the ladies’ FIS Ski Jumping World Cup saw a substantial 30% increase in media impact in only its second season.
Moreover, it should be noted that seasonal highlights like the Tour de Ski in Cross-Country Skiing and the Four-Hills-Tournament in Ski Jumping each generate one third of the total media impact in these disciplines showing the attractiveness of these formats.
FIS Alpine and Nordic World Ski Championships
Based on the viewing figures published by the European Broadcasting Union, the TV and marketing rights holder of the FIS World Ski Championships in the Alpine and Nordic events 2013, they were seen by almost 1.1 billion people worldwide. While some 632 million cumulative viewers watched the 855 hours of coverage (live, delayed, news or highlights) from the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships 2013 in Schladming (AUT), the total coverage of more than 714 hours from the Nordic events in Val di Fiemme (ITA) was enjoyed by more than 444 million global TV viewers.
June 22, 2013 (Canmore, AB) – Talkin’ with the Gravy Train is pleased to present Part 2 of our interview with Canadian cross-country skiing star Chandra Crawford from Canmore, AB, of Olympic fame who is training on her own for the Sochi 2014 Games… listen to Part 1 HERE.
We caught up with Crawford in Canmore, AB… she was enthusiastic and happy and addressed such topics as her decision to take a step back from competition last February, how well her training is going, and her preparations for the Sochi 2014 Olympic Games next February.
Chandra also talks with eloquence about what it’s like to recharge the batteries after what she called a “solid burnout”, and how she has found the joy in skiing and training again. The Canmore, Alberta native also speaks about health and happiness in this inspired interview. At the end, one thing is certain…Crawford will be a force to be reckoned with this coming season.
June 12, 2013 (Dubrovnik, Croatia) – At a meeting on Monday, June 10, in Dubrovnik, the FIS Council confirmed the calendar for the FIS Cross-Country World Cup presented by Viessmann for the 2013/14 season. The coming winter will feature many highlights including the 8th edition of the FIS Tour de Ski and the Olympic Winter Games 2014 in Sochi.
Unlike in the seasons before, the world’s best Cross-Country skiers will begin their quest for the crystal globes in Kuusamo (FIN). The traditional Nordic Opening with Ruka Triple is scheduled for the last weekend of November.
After Kuusamo, it will be time to continue the Scandinavian mission with another joint Nordic weekend in Lillehammer (NOR). Leaving the North of Europe behind, the FIS Cross-Country World Cup will then move to Central Europe where Davos (SUI) will host individual start competitions over 15 km free technique for the ladies and 30 km for the men as well as free technique sprints.
For the first time since 2008, the Italian venue of Asiago is back on the World Cup calendar with a classical sprint weekend right before Christmas.
Due to the Sochi 2014 Games, seven competitions in nine days are scheduled during the eighth edition of the FIS Tour de Ski. The Tour will traditionally kick off on 28th December with a free technique prologue in Oberhof, Germany. As a second stage, a classical technique pursuit will be held in the Thuringia Forest. After the first FIS Tour de Ski stage ever in Switzerland (Val Müstair) during the 2012/13 Tour, two stages of the Tour will be held in Lenzerheide with a free technique sprint on 31st December and classical mass start competition on the first day of the New Year.
After the second rest day, the Tour will continue in Cortina – Toblach (ITA) on 3rd January with distance competitions for the ladies and the A to B stage from Cortina to Toblach. The FIS Tour de Ski will traditionally conclude in Val di Fiemme with an individual start competition on 4th and the Final Climb on 5th January.
The first weekend after the FIS Tour de Ski is traditionally reserved for sprint specialists and the FIS Cross-Country World Cup will make a stop in Nove Mesto na Morave (CZE). After a two-year break, the best sprinters are going to compete in the upgraded arena and courses there from 11th-12th January 2014.
Szklarska Poreba in Poland returns on the competition schedule the following weekend with free technique sprints and classical mass start competitions. Right before the Sochi Games, the final pre-Olympic opportunity to test the shape will be take place in Toblach from February 1 to 2.
The highlight of the 2013/14 season, the Olympic Winter Games in Sochi are scheduled from 7th to 23rd February.
The season will conclude in Scandinavia with the well-established program featuring Lahti, Drammen, Oslo and the World Cup Final in Sweden with Falun as host venue.
FIS 2013/14 Cross-Country World Cup Calendar Available Online
Please find the FIS Cross-Country World Cup Calendar HERE.
June 12, 2013 (Hayward, WI) – On June 13-16, the American Birkebeiner Ski Foundation will host delegates from all 16 nations of the Worldloppet Ski Federation at the Worldloppet Annual General Meeting in Hayward/Cable, Wisconsin. The American Birkebeiner will host both meetings and times to socialize at various venues in Hayward and Cable, Wisconsin, including Lakewoods Resort and the Lumberjack Village.
The Worldloppet Annual General Meeting is a time for ski marathon organizations to sit down together and work on ways to continually improve and promote the sport of cross country skiing worldwide. This will be the first time in approximately 15 years that the American Birkebeiner has hosted this annual Worldloppet meeting.
“The American Birkebeiner is extremely honored and excited to be hosting the organizers of the other great ski marathon races from around the world. To also have the opportunity to show off the iconic Birkie Trail as well as our local communities is fantastic,” says Ben Popp, new Executive Director of the American Birkebeiner Ski Foundation.
MORE ABOUT THE WORLDLOPPET …
Below is more about the Worldloppet Ski Federation, from the organization’s website at www.Worldloppet.com.
Worldloppet Ski Federation:
Worldloppet is an international sports federation of cross-country skiing marathons. The federation was founded in 1978 in Uppsala, Sweden. The aim of Worldloppet is to promote the sport of cross-country skiing through the various ski races around the world.
Worldloppet Members:
Only one and the best race from a country can be a member of Worldloppet. The youngest member is a polish race, Bieg Piastow, that was admitted by Worldloppet Annual General Meeting in Mora, SWE, 2008. Worldloppet currently unites 16 races from Europe, America, Asia and Australia:
Europe: Jizerská padesátka (CZE), Dolomitenlauf (AUT), Marcialonga (ITA), König Ludwig Lauf (GER), Tartu Maraton (EST), La Transjurassienne (FRA), Finlandia-hiihto (FIN), Vasaloppet (SWE), Engadin Skimarathon (SUI), Birkebeinerrennet (NOR), Bieg Piastow (POL)
North America: American Birkebeiner (USA), Gatineau Loppet (CAN)
Asia: Sapporo International Ski Marathon (JPN) Demino Ski Marathon (RUS)
Australia: Kangaroo Hoppet
Worldloppet Strategy:
High quality ski races around the World. Only one and the best race from a country can be a member of Worldloppet.
Regularity and continuity. Each race, having its own history, traditions and program, is held usually at the same time every year. After completing 10 different Worldloppet races, at least one of them overseas, a skier can apply for the Worldloppet Master title.
Races for everybody. Races different by length, technique, landscape and target group attract 80 000 participants every year.
Participation of elite skiers. FIS Marathon Cup, consisting of 10 Worldloppet races, is a Worldloppet series for top skiers.
June 06, 2013 (Dubrovnik, Croatia) – FIS Newsflash caught up with FIS Cross-Country World Cup sprint champion Kikkan Randall (USA) on the eve of the 2013 FIS Calendar Conference. Randall is present in Cavtat-Dubrovnik (CRO) for her role as one of the two Athlete Representatives for Cross-Country Skiing within the FIS Athlete Commission. The FIS Council has to formally confirm all members on June 10.
You were recently re-elected as the female athlete representative for Cross-Country Skiing. It was four years ago in 2009 when you first attended one of these meetings that just happened to be in Cavtat-Dubrovnik as well. Looking back over those four years, do you return to this location with positive feelings from your role as a Cross-Country Athlete rep?
Kikkan Randall: You know being back here in Dubrovnik really helps me reflect on the past four years. When I arrived the first time in Dubrovnik I really didn’t know what I was doing, and now four years later I know the ropes much better and have built what I feel is a solid platform for me to be able to represent the needs of the athletes.
What is on the agenda for you this year?
KR: We had a very productive athlete’s survey that focused on a few things on the calendar. For next season and the seasons beyond, we will be able to provide clear and direct feedback on things like what competitions and formats the athletes would like to see. Also I will continue to work to improve little things like athlete areas and execution of prize money payment. These are small details but this is a great time to bring attention to those items here at the meetings. It’s also important that I also take back what I learn here and present it to the athletes.
During your first term as athlete rep you were partnered with Sami Jauhojärvi of Finland. What were your first moves to build influence within FIS on behalf of the athletes?
KR: Working with Sami we developed a network and a way of getting feedback from the athletes and presenting it in a manageable form for the FIS Cross-Country Committee. Over those four years the process has become more refined and we now have an established pathway to make the needs and the concerns of the athletes heard.
As a result of your work on behalf of the athletes, you now have a voting right at the table of the FIS Cross-Country Committee. That is a first time for such a right for athlete representatives within FIS.
KR: I think that is one of the biggest accomplishments that Sami and I have achieved over the past four years. It’s huge for us. We really took the lead from the IOC Athlete Commission, where they have representation at the highest level on their Executive Board.
Aside from the FIS meetings, how is your training going in the new year?
KR: Our US competition season continued about 2 weeks longer than usual this year, so it feels like it has been a quick turnaround since my season ended, but I have been back to training again for three weeks now. I am being cautious so far to make sure none of the foot trouble I had last season resurfaces. It’s been a good start and enthusiasm is high with it being an Olympic year. I am hoping to be able to get a few little training sessions here while in Croatia.
Thank you for your time. Good luck with the meetings and the upcoming training and competition year. KR: Thanks.
May 09, 2013 – FIS Cross-Country Race Director Pierre Mignerey took a moment to evaluate the past season 2012/13 competitive season. He spoke about Val di Fiemme, TV viewership, the Worldloppet series, his personal season highlights, and what’s on tap for next season.
Looking back, what is your overall evaluation of the past 2012/13 season?
Pierre Mignerey: It was, first of all, a very good season in terms of snow conditions and the Organisers did an excellent job. From a sporting perspective, we had a full season calendar with great World Championships in Val di Fiemme (ITA) and an exciting Tour de Ski and World Cup tour in general.
In terms of TV audience, our season review is looking positive. Although we still have to improve the quality of some of the TV productions, we are overall very satisfied with our TV exposure. In addition to the World Cup competitions, the season was a great success for the Worldloppet Organisers with a new record number of almost 135,000 athletes participating in the world of ski marathons.
Your personal highlights?
PM: I will definitely keep in mind the fight for the men’s overall World Cup title which lasted until the last weekend of the season with only 15 points separating the first three athletes at the start of the World Cup Final in Falun (SWE).
In addition, we will be remembering the amazing 50km in Val di Fiemme with the incredible solo-escape by Johan Olsson (SWE), for a long time.
On the ladies’ side, Cross-Country Skiing is still dominated by Justina Kovalczyk (POL), Marit Bjoergen (NOR) and the Norwegian team in general, but we could see that some other teams are remarkably improving including a young and promising Finnish team and an astonishing USA squad.
On the road to the next season….
PM: Next season, the focus will naturally be on the Olympic Winter Games. I’m also looking forward to the first part of the World Cup season with another exciting Tour de Ski.
With regard to television aspects, we are in permanent contact and discussions with our TV broadcasters in order to improve the quality of the TV production especially for the interval start competitions.
Concerning the team support, we will concentrate our efforts on the team service area and try to solve the recurrent issues with waxing cabins.
May 02, 2013 – The FIS anti-doping programme focus turns from the post-competition tests to a substantial out-of-competition testing programme in order to maintain the fight against the use of doping in skiing and snowboarding.
During the 2012/2013 competition season, FIS performed as many as 2,170 out-of-competition tests, including blood (246) and urine tests (498, whereby 291 with EPO analysis) as well as blood passport samples (1,426).
These numbers include the pre-competition blood controls that were carried out at the FIS World Ski Championships and FIS Junior World Ski Championships.
Additionally 643 in-competition urine tests were completed by FIS at World Cup and World Championship events, whereby 205 samples were additionally analysed for EPO. Furthermore, a small number of blood samples were collected (35 blood, 14 blood passport samples).
In addition, a large number of doping controls were carried out by the National Anti-Doping Agencies both in- and out-of-competition.
May 02, 2013 – FIS Ski Jumping Race Director Walter Hofer took some time to share his reflections on the past competitive season. Overall, Hofer is pleased with the 2012/13 season and offers some constructive feedback to making next year’s competitions even better.
Looking back, what is your overall evaluation of the past 2012/13 season?
Walter Hofer: First of all it was one of the most successful World Cup seasons ever. It was mainly based on the excellent organisation by our various organisers and overall good external conditions. Only one competition day had to be cancelled due to strong winds.
What were your personal highlights?
WH: From a sporting point of view, it was great to see that the restrictions with regard to jumping suits worked out extremely well. We never had so many close and exciting finals in any of the events. Many more athletes and nations were able to gain podium places compared to the years before. The fluctuation among the winners is a very positive sign with Austria’s Gregor Schlierenzauer once again showing an outstanding performance. Especially the number of possible winners in team events has increased.
On the road to the next season …
WH: Our season analysis has detected the need to better communicate the information to spectators especially with regard to the evaluation of the individual performance of the jumps. In this respect, we are going to completely review the single interval of an athlete´s run down in order to make the calculation of the final score more transparent and more easily understandable to the audience. The upcoming FIS Ski Jumping Summer Grand Prix series should give us the right tool to test out these details.
May 01, 2013 (Zurich, Switzerland) – “After the season is before the season,”. Under this motto, this week saw a specific TV seminar for Cross-Country Skiing held at the Hotel Hilton Zurich Airport on Monday, 22nd April, followed by the overall TV Briefing on Tuesday 23rd April, where all FIS disciplines had a chance to review the past season together with the main European broadcasters and TV rights holders.
The Cross-Country TV Seminar has become an annual meeting where the season can be analysed from the TV production and quality perspectives A group of more than 20 highly engaged FIS Cross-Country TV experts, commentators, representatives of the international TV rights holder Infront Sports & Media and FIS timing and data partner Swiss Timing, along with staff from both FIS and FIS Marketing AG, gathered in Zürich (SUI) to focus on possible TV production for each of the different competition formats, the World Cup calendar as well as on general development of Cross-Country Skiing.
Additional discussion points included inputs on various items such as the use of TV graphics, pre-event running order, winner presentations and international flash interviews.
“We are very happy about working together with such a highly engaged group of experts and Cross-Country Skiing enthusiasts. The annual TV meeting is one of the most important sessions after each season providing us with valuable feedback and interesting suggestions for the future of Cross-Country Skiing,” commented Pierre Mignerey, FIS Cross-Country Race Director.
The cross-discipline TV briefing on Tuesday featured reviews of the past season for each discipline by the respective FIS Race Directors with additional feedback presentations provided by the rights holders, European Broadcasting Union and Infront Sports & Media, as well as detailed input from the main broadcasters. The ensuing discussions focused on planned future enhancements in TV production, graphics and formats to continue to improve the presentation of the FIS disciplines on television. The upcoming season calendars and timelines for finalising the event starting times were also reviewed in detail. Thanks to all participants for a great dialogue!
April 22, 2013 (Canmore, AB) – The 2012/13 racing season is now long over. The snow, clinging desperately to the mountains, rocks and trees, is in deep discussions, begging to let go, turn to water, spurring the “actual” beginning of next season – one of growth, new beginnings and if you are me – debilitating allergies: spring.
Spring is losing here in Canmore as of now. Snowstorms still blow through the valley and the ski touring is still light’s out delicious in the ranges behind the Bow Valley. But winter is waging a losing battle and while all good things come to an end – so too will the snowy peaks, cold temperatures and well, winter.
Speaking of winter – it’s no secret that I envisioned last season going better. I was coming off a career best season in 2011/12. Those feelings of winning World Cups, finishing 2nd overall and 2nd in the distance cup were definitely fresh in the mind. Throughout the training season I was feeling stronger, fitter and faster physically for months on end – even though emotionally I could have been categorized easily by any high school girl within 30 seconds of hanging out with me as “a total mess.” I can admit it. Still though – I was sure that this year I was going to be able to take that next, last little step needed after the strong foundation laid in 2011/12.
Instead, back in November I took a little step in the wrong direction – on a stronger concrete foundation in the shape of stairs – and tore a ligament in my foot. Not the best move only a week out from the season opener. I let myself get the better of myself – if you follow that – and instead of taking a step back and recovering fully I pushed on – taping it, getting therapy, icing it and wishing with all my energy that it’d heal magically.
It didn’t and for the first 8 weeks of the racing season I had plenty of reminders that sometimes no amount of wishing and hoping can combat reality. I kept it within the team and asked that the team not discuss it publically. I guess I was just so motivated and hungry to have a good season, that if people started talking about it – it would get more real. It’s hard to explain if you aren’t an athlete and maybe you don’t understand, but I felt as though if I was racing – even if it hurt – then it wasn’t a huge deal….
As the winter rolled on, the results remained disappointing. I had some glimmers of “ok” feelings – a few top tens, 12th overall at the Tour de Ski, 4th at the World Championships with Alex in the team sprint – but on the whole I just wasn’t feeling myself. Gone were the weekends of winning and on the podium. Coupled with the torn ligament, I contracted some rough food poisoning in France that reoccurred three more times from mid January to late February which wasn’t a barrel of laughs either.
These aren’t excuses – I know that I made some mistakes in my training season, we made some mistakes with regards to my race calendar, and some other smaller ones along the way, too, that seemed to have a bigger impact that we thought. I take full responsibility for that – but it wasn’t the best to having health issues on top of that. At this level, it’s a precarious place to hang out – between success and failure. Everything needs to come together and sometimes things just don’t work out the way you planned or wanted them to for whatever reason.
The last month of the season continued to be tough. I had some more stomach issues early at the World Championships – which translated into one race where I felt good (the team sprint with Alex). After the World Championships – the spring World Cup was a rough period for our team too – as we just weren’t able to deliver the results and good feelings that we’d become accustomed to when the World Cup heads back to Scandinavia in the spring.
Looking back, it’s amazing that we had the success we had at the World Championships at all – which I think speaks volumes of our team as a whole (staff, athletes, techs, everyone). Alex won a historic bronze in classic sprint – traditionally one of his weakest events. Babs was 4th in the 15km skate, and Alex and I finished agonizingly close to the bronze – 4th – in the team sprint.
Now it’s time to inject some positivity – the cool and simply reality of spring is that things melt and start growing again. Those feelings of disappointment are melting away – we’ve had great discussions about what we did, what we can do better, and what we’ll do moving forward and I’m 100% confident that we still have a great team and new plan moving forward.
I was pretty tired emotionally/mentally upon arriving in Canada and I’ve spent most of my time in the mountains back country skiing – healing the mind and letting go of all the disappointment. I’ve got out 14 days of the last 20, which has been both fantastic and rejuvenating. For me, in the spring time there’s nothing better than backcountry skiing – you are way back in some mountain range with just you and your buddies, no internet, phone, nothing – it’s simplicity at it’s best and it’s amazing.
Up next in the two-pronged “get ready to rock and roll” is the “real” rest – as I’m off to Maui tomorrow to check in on Lenny’s tan – kidding! It’ll be awesome to get some vitamin D, eat some delicious fish and tropical fruit, get completely thrashed in the waves and vibe out. I know that after that I’ll be 100% ready to go for the Olympic training year. Hard to believe that this quadrennial came and went so quickly. I have some unfinished business there after finishing 4th and 5th in the last Games in Vancouver – so this year will be about simplifying things, training well, making good decisions and enjoying it.
We’ll learn, adjust and attack going forward. My good friend and Canadian sports psych’ extraordinaire likes to quote Andre Agassi’s “I can live with disappointment, but I can’t live with regret.” Damn right. I was disappointed with how the season went – no question. But I don’t regret it. I did what I thought was best at the time – it ended up being wrong. I made mistakes, I’m learning from them, and I’m fired up moving forward.
Lao Tzu wrote, “Succeeding is the coming together of all things beautiful and perseverance is the foundation of all actions.” I couldn’t agree more.
Enjoy your spring everyone and thanks for the support!
April 13, 2013 – Three of Sweden’s Cross-Country ski stars Ida Ingemarsdotter, Johan Olsson and Calle Halfvarsson have been appointed new ambassadors for the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships 2015 in Falun (SWE) and will thus become “the faces” of the event.
“They are very good representatives for ski sport and for Falun 2015. That is why we are happy to appoint them,” says Sven von Holst, CEO of Falun 2015.
In addition to strong FIS World Cup performances throughout the past seasons, all three athletes had outstanding results in the World Championships last winter. Olsson took gold and silver in the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in Val di Fiemme (ITA) in the 15 and 50 km events while Halvarsson secured silver in the team sprint. In addition, Ingemarsdotter became a three-time silver medallist in the sprint, team sprint and relay competitions.
The three skiers were formally appointed ambassadors in connection with a small ceremony and received a Championships package with information about the event, as well as a training camp in Falun.
Previously, Torgny Mogren, Emil Joensson, Anna Haag, Charlotte Kalla, Jan Bokloev and Marcus Hellner have already been appointed as Falun 2015 ambassadors.
April 12, 2013 (Toronto, ON) – We are pleased to announce the final 2012/13 SkiTrax FIS Fantasy World Cup Contest standings after round 12 of the Viessmann XC FIS World Cup in Falun, Sweden, Mar. 22-24.
It could not have been closer in the contest as Teams Summerstars and Little Matt were tied with the highest number of points at 2,014. The tie-break and the grand prize Fischer package goes to Summerstars, who was the earlier of the two teams to register. Team Little Matt wins the fabulous second place Trapp Family Lodge accommodation prize, while team Double Polers made a last-minute charge to grab third place with 2,010 points, winning the sweet SkiGo Carbon 335 Skate Roller Skis.
Read our coverage from Falun, including USA’s Kikkan Randall’s third place in the 2.5km FR here… plus Randall’s historic podium in the overall FIS World Cup standings here.
Congratulations to our winners and thanks to all contestants and all of our great sponsors, including Fischer, Trapp Family Lodge, SkiGo, Alpina, One Way, Bjorn Daehlie, 2XU, Bliz, Fresh Air Experience, High Peaks Cyclery, Auclair, and Buff.
For the Final Contest standings after Falun, click HERE.
SkiTrax Fantasy FIS World Cup 2012/13 Contest Winners
CATZ4LYFE – William Spiller – Ketchum, ID
* 10th Prize –AuclairMicro Mountain Olympic Gloves + Earbags (value $65)
– jesters – Jesse Heckrodt – Enderby, BC
– Little Matt – Matthew Ruel – Charny, QC
– Summerstars – Branden Fontana – Anchorage, AK * WCup Breaks –BuffHeadware to top 3 contest leaders before the Tour de Ski (value $23)
SkiTrax is North America’s leading Nordic skiing publication and the official magazine of the United States Ski and Snowboard Association (USSA) and Cross Country Canada (CCC).
April 12, 2013 – The FIS Continental Cup series all over the world are some of the most important Cross-Country competitions as they allow the younger athletes to prepare themselves for the World Cup level in several ways. As a bonus, the Continental Cup winners earn the right to compete in the World Cup Final. Below is an overview of the COC standings for the 2012/13 season.
OPA Cup
The OPA Cup was again concluded in Toblach (ITA) after a series consisting of seven venues in five countries. This season was a great success for the German skiers who dominated the top 5 places in the overall ranking led by Franz Goering with 797 points. Second placed and runner-up Sebastian Eisenlauer collected 627 points whilst Lucas Boegl claimed third place with 596 points.
Also on the ladies’ side, the German skiers were dominant and occupied the top two positions with Monique Siegel claiming the Cup with 836 points, 113 points ahead of the second best and compatriot Sandra Ringwald. Spaniard Laura Orgue took an excellent third overall with 668 points.
Scandinavian Cup
This season’s Scandinavian Cup included five different venues across Norway, Sweden, Latvia, Estonia and Finland. Over the course of the years, the Norwegians have dominated the top of this series and this season the Norwegian men occupied top four spots as Tomas Northug won the series ahead of Snorri Einarsson and Hans Christer Holund.
The top nine of the Scandinavian Cup on the ladies side were purely Norwegian business led by Kari Vikhagen Gjeitnes who topped the podium with 766 points before Tuva Toftdahl and Britt Ingunn Nydal.
USSA Super Tour
The US SuperTour is currently still underway with two competitions remaining at Lake Tahoe (USA) to conclude the season finals. Rosie Brennan and Michael Sinnot are leading the overall standings prior to the last competitions on 11th April.
Haywood NorAm
In a very tight competition until the last races of the season in Mont St. Anne (CAN), Amanda Ammar and her Canadian compatriot Jesse Cockney took the titles in the North American Cup just 9 and 8 points ahead of their closest contenders. Ammar scored a total of 816 points while Cockney took 915 points which earned them the titles in front of Kate Brennan (807) and Alysson Marshall (763) on the ladies’ side, and Graham Nishikawa (937) and Michael Somppi (928) on the men’s side.
Far East Cup
The Far East Cup 201/13 featured three venues this season at the Alpensia Resort (KOR), Otoineppu and Sapporo (both JPN).
On the ladies’ side, Naoko Omori claimed the overall Cup victory with 380 points. Chisa Obayashi finished second, only 5 points behind the winner while Yuki Kobayashi took third with 360 points.
Among the men, last year’s runner-up Nobu Naruse was the strongest competitor and won the series with 401 points. Keishin Yoshida picked up 380 points and took second place with Akira Lenting repeating his strong performance from last year finishing third in the overall standings of the Far East Cup with 331points.
Balkan Cup
The Balkan Cup has seen its conclusion in Dvorista-Pale (BIH) at the end of March. Bulgaria’s Veselin Tzinzov clearly won the men’s series ahead of two Croatians Edi Dadic and Andrej Buric.
The standings were reversed for the ladies where Croatia topped the ranking as Vedrana Malec collected 460 points ahead of Bulgaria’s Teodora Malcheva who claimed the runner-up position and Antoniya Grigorova-Burgova in third overall with 380 points.
Eastern Europe Cup
The Eastern Europe Cup included the venues of Vershina Tea, Krasnogorsk, Kahrkiv (both UKR), Moscow and Syktyvkar (both RUS). Sergey Novikov claimed the overall victory with 394 points ahead of Vladislav Skobelev in second whilst Sergey Shiriaev took third place.
On the ladies’ side, last year’s winner Elena Soboleva (RUS) repeated her overall victory ahead of Marina Chernousova and Daria Godovanichenko.
Slavic Cup
This season’s Slavic Cup, which concluded in Zakopane (POL), was almost all about Czech and Slovakian Cross-Country skiers.
Six venues hosted competitions as Daniela Kotschova (SVK) topped the ladies’ ranking in front of two Polish skiers, Agnieszka Szymanczak in second and Martyna Galewicz in third place.
Jiri Horcicka of the Czech Republic won the men’s standings having collected 676 points. His compatriot Ondrej Horyna finish 127 points behind and took second place and Poland’s Jan Antolec defended his third place from last year with 500 points.
March 27, 2013 (Toronto, ON) – We’re sorry for the delay and thrilled to announce the overall standings and winners of the second annual SkiTrax FIS Fantasy Marathon Cup 2012/13 Contest after the Engadin Skimarathon 42km free technique race held in Switzerland on March 10. Read our coverage of the 45th Engadin Skimarathon, including final overall FIS Marathon Cup standings here.
Team dom managed to defend the lead to the end with 650 points, while teams beaujo and legrandbo made last-minute charges to earn top-three finishes with 644 and 640 points, respectively.
For the final contest standings after the Engadin Skimarathon, please click HERE.
Congratulations to the winners and thanks again to all contestants and our great sponsors including Nipika, Marwe, Yoko, Halti, Skiwax.ca, 2XU, One Way, Fresh Air Experience, High Peaks Cyclery, Auclair, and Buff.
FIS Fantasy Marathon Cup Prize Winners
– dom – Dom Berrod – Fleurie, France
* 1st Prize – Nipika Lodge – 4-nights for 2 people in luxurious cabin, including Trail Fees (value up to $1,160)
SkiTrax is North America’s leading Nordic skiing publication and the official magazine of the United States Ski and Snowboard Association (USSA) and Cross Country Canada (CCC).
March 25, 2013 (Falun, Sweden) – SkiTrax caught up with Canadian Men’s XC Team Coach Justin Wadsworth after the FIS World Cup finale in Falun, Sweden this past weekend to get his take on the 2012/13 season, the highs and lows, and what the squad will do differently next year to get the team back on their game.
While many teams would love to have Canada’s record this season with half-a-dozen podiums and the first ever individual medal by a Canadian man at the World Championships courtesy of Alex Harvey, the Canucks were striving for more following an astounding 14 medals last season.
Things did not go as planned this season admitted Wadsworth, but he is positive the team will turn things around in the upcoming Olympic year – when it really counts.
For a quick 2012/13 season Canadian team medal recap: Len Valjas scored two medals this season, including a bronze in the Sprint FR in Val Mustair (SUI) and silver in the 15km CL Mass start in Val di Fiemme (ITA), both during the Tour de Ski. Alex Harvey finished right behind Valjas in the latter race to share the podium with his teammate winning the bronze.
At the end of the TdS, Ivan Babikov scored the silver in the final 9km FR Pursuit stage up Alpe Cermis (ITA). Babikov was also the top NA skier in the overall WCup in 20th (Devon Kershaw was second overall last year while Harvey was 6th). Then Harvey came around again near the end of the season to be the first ever Canadian man to win an individual World Championship medal when he placed third in the classic sprint in Val di Fiemme (ITA).
On the women’s side, the highlight was when Perianne Jones and Dasha Gaiazova scored third in the team sprint at the Sochi World Cup (RUS).
March 22, 2013 (Falun, Sweden) – USA’s Kikkan Randall is storming strong, even as the end of the World Cup season quickly approaches. Only days ago, she successfully defended her World Cup Sprint crystal globe, but the Alaskan star is not resting on her laurels.
Today in the 2.5km free technique event, Randall snapped up a bronze medal only 6.6s behind Norwegian powerhouse Marit Bjoergen and 2.2s behind second place, Charlotte Kalla (SWE).
“The times were really tight out there and I’m happy to be on the podium. I think we had great skis today and I’m really psyched for our performance as a team. Two more races to go now, hope we can keep this momentum rolling! The course was short but challenging. The downhill turn that everyone was concerned about was definitely a little wild but safe enough,” said Randall in a team release.
“It’s been an interesting last 24 hours here in Falun, but with a seemingly happy ending. Yesterday after previewing the course there were concerns from several athletes that the new technical downhill section was going to be unsafe. We called an athletes meeting and went back and forth with the jury to try and find a compromise on a safer course. For me, as the athlete rep, it was a lot of running around yesterday. But in the end I’m glad we found a good solution and everyone agreed to start today.”
USA’s Holly Brooks had a great race, finishing seventh, while teammate Jessie Diggins also made the top-10 with a strong eighth-place finish. Other North American results include Liz Stephen (USA) in 20th, Ida Sargent (USA) in 38th, Emily Nishikawa (CAN) in 41st, Rosie Brennan (USA) in 46th, and Dasha Gaiazova (CAN) in 47th.
“It felt good to race a skate prologue – I really like this distance. It was also nice to get a good race feeling back! I had been feeling really tired and pretty done after World Champs, but today my body was ready for one last race series as we finish World Cup Finals,” commented Diggins. “The coaches did a fantastic job on the skis and it’s really exciting to have three girls in the top eight! It really boosts confidence and it’s always nice to end the season on a high note.”
After significant athlete protests, the infamous Mördarbacken (Murder Hill) hill was cut from this weekend’s race courses. Read more about it in our coverage here.
March 20, 2013 (Stockholm, Sweden) – Canada’s Dasha Gaiazova placed fourth in the Stockholm classic sprint qualifications led by Finland’s Anne Kylloenen. Fellow Finn Kerttu Niskanen qualified second, with Slovenia’s Katja Visnar in third. American results include USA’s Ida Sargent 11th, Kikkan Randall 22nd, and Holly Brooks in 26th. Jessie Diggins (USA), Rosie Brennan (USA), Liz Stephen (USA), and Emily Nishikawa (CAN) failed to make it through to the heats, placing 34th, 40th, 44th, and 47th, respectfully.
On the men’s side, USA’s Andy Newell logged the top North American time to qualify 10th with Norway’s Eldar Roenning leading the charge, followed by Russia’s Nikita Kriukov, and Emil Joensson (NOR) in second and third. Other top favourites, Dario Cologna (SUI) and Petter Northug (NOR) qualified fifth and seventh, respectively.
USA’s Torin Koos was the next-highest North American qualifier in 24th, while Canucks Devon Kershaw and Len Valjas managed to just squeeze into the top 30 in 28th and 30th, respectively. Alex Harvey (CAN) did not make it through with a 32nd place qualifier, along with teammates Michael Somppi and Ivan Babikov in 48th and 50th, respectively. USA’s Noah Hoffman was 52nd.
March 15, 2013 (Toronto, ON) – We are pleased to announce the standings for the second annual SkiTrax FIS Fantasy Marathon Cup 2012/13 Contest after the American Birkebeiner 50km free technique race held in Hayward, Wisconsin on Feb. 23. Team dom has jumped into the lead with 473 points, knocking Team Redl into second with 456 points. Team asterion is now ranked third with 447 points.
Read our coverage of the 2013 American Birkebeiner and how husband and wife duo Brian and Caitlin Gregg won the men’s and women’s races, respectively here.
For the contest standings after the American Birkebeiner, please click HERE.
These are the only FIS Fantasy Nordic contests of their kind worldwide so don’t miss your chance to enjoy fabulous top level xc ski racing and win fabulous prizes – good luck to all contestants.
FIS Fantasy Marathon Cup Prizes
* 1st Prize – Nipika Lodge – 4-nights for 2 people in luxurious cabin, including Trail Fees (value up to $1,160) * 2nd Prize – Marwe 610c Roller Skis (value $349) * 3rd Prize – Yoko 9100 Poles (value $299) * 4th Prize – Halti XC Race Suit Hemmo Set (value $269) * 5th Prize – Skiwax.ca Racer Kickwax kit (value $235) * 6th Prize – 2XU Long Sleeve Thermal Compression Top and Elite Socks (value $195) * 7th Prize – One Way Snowbird Glasses (value $120) * 8th Prize – Fresh Air Experience or High Peaks Cyclery Gift Certificate (value $100) * 9th Prize – Auclair Micro Mountain Olympic Gloves + Earbags (value $65) * 10th Prize – Buff Headware (value $23)
Thanks to all of our great sponsors, including Nipika, Marwe, Yoko, Halti, Skiwax.ca, 2XU, One Way, Fresh Air Experience, High Peaks Cyclery, Auclair, and Buff.
SkiTrax is North America’s leading Nordic skiing publication and the official magazine of the United States Ski and Snowboard Association (USSA) and Cross Country Canada (CCC).
March 13, 2013 (Drammen, Norway) – The 1.28 CL FIS World Cup city sprints are underway in Drammen as the FIS World Cup season is in its final phase. In the women’s qualifications, three North Americans advanced to the heats, including Canada’s Dasha Gaiazova in 16th, Sadie Bjornsen (USA) in 26th, and Kikkan Randall (USA) in 29th.
Finland’s Mona-Lisa Malvalehto set the fastest time with a 3:06.59, followed by Katja Visnar (SLO) clocking into second spot at 3:07.58, and strong favourite Justyna Kowalczyk (POL) in third with a time of 3:07.82.
Americans Holly Brooks, Sophie Caldwell, Ida Sargent, Rosie Brennan, Jessie Diggins did not advance, finishing 34th, 35th, 48th, 52nd, and 55th, respectively. Canada’s Perianne Jones and Emily Nishikawa also did not make it through to the heats with a 45th and a 63rd place.
The Norwegians made their mark in the men’s qualifications, sweeping the top three, led by Petter Northug with a time of 2:41.27. Eldar Roenning qualified second at 2:42.95, and Kent Ove Klausen was third in a time of 2:43.24.
Andy Newell (USA) had a solid qualifier, finishing 10th, followed by teammate Torin Koos in 26th. Canada’s Len Valjas and Alex Harvey barely squeaked through to the heats with 29th and 30th place runs, respectively.
Devon Kershaw (CAN) finished 49th and did not advance. Simeon Hamilton (USA) experience the same fate with a 59th place qualifier, along with teammate Dakota Blackhorse-Von Jess in 65th and Canada’s Jesse Cockney and Graeme Killick in 67th and 71st, respectively.
March 11, 2013 (Toronto, ON) – We are thrilled to announce the winners and final overall standings of the SkiTrax FIS Fantasy Fiemme Worlds 2013 Contest following the one week waiting period that recognizes the Doping De-Points rule.
Check out the contest standings after the Men’s 50km CL, the final event of the Val di Fiemme 2013 Worlds HERE and read about how Sweden’s Johan Olsson delivered an astounding historic win in the event after a 35km-solo effort HERE.
And now for the winners… Team Northug – antoine-briand was able to hang on to the lead with a total of 335 points to claim the fabulous grand prize a Salomon SLab package including skis, poles, boots, bindings (value $1,497).
The second place prize, a cool pair of Alpina ESK ski boots, goes to Team CATZ4LYFE with 280 points. And Team Rob in third place with 270 points receives an awesome pair of Fischer Carbonlite poles.
Congratulations to all winners and thanks again to all contestants and our great sponsors including Salomon, Alpina, Fischer, Bjorn Daehlie, One Way, 2XU, Ski*Go, Fresh Air Experience, High Peaks Cyclery, Auclair, and Buff Canada.
For the complete final FIS Fantasy Fiemme Worlds contest standings, please click HERE.
SkiTrax FIS Fantasy Fiemme Worlds 2013 Contest Winners
SkiTrax is North America’s leading Nordic skiing publication and the official magazine of the United States Ski and Snowboard Association (USSA) and Cross Country Canada (CCC).
March 11, 2013 (Engadin, Switzerland) – On Friday evening Pierre Gudeon (FRA) placed third in the night sprint, but was accidentally given the cheque for first place. Maybe it was a sign? When a lead pack of over 20 racers came into the finish together at the end of the Engadin Skimarathon, the Frenchman played his sprinter’s card and finished first in front of Italy’s Critstian Zorzi who thought he had it in the bag – but there were still three metres to go to the finish line. Christioph Perrillat Collomb (FRA), got his foot over the line in front of Remo Fischer, the Swiss who won in Engadin in 2011. The men’s race was marked once again by a big elite group, which formed right at the beginning and didn’t change much during the race, with only a few athletes getting dropped due to the high pace.
With his 27th place today, Sergio Bonaldi wasn’t able to show his best, but this performance was still enough to gain the victory in the overall FIS Marathon Cup. His strongest contestant Benoit Chauvet from France finished 9th today and was therefore not able to close the gap between him and Bonaldi and to take over the overall which he already lead after his victory in La Transjurassienne in February.
On the women’s side, it looked relatively open in the beginning, with Roponen already pushing hard but with last year’s winner Faivre-Picon being placed not far from the Finn. Seraina Boner (SUI), from Davos not far away from the Engadin, was third in St. Moritz at kilometre 14, right in front of a group of girls. After a lot of World Cup races and the World Championships, Faivre Picon was not as fresh as last year and could not hold on to her second place in the end, having Boner passing her only around four kilometres to go to the finish. Roponen finished with a two minute lead in the end. She will now have to carry the big Capricorn head, each winner of the Engadin Skimarathon gets, with her back to Finland. Surely a burden she likes to take.
In total, over 11,000 racers took the start of the Engadin Skimarathon under perfect sunshine and great snow conditions. This meant an increase of 6.4% (around 800 participants more). The weather forecast was not always that good so it was a nice surprise when the sun appeared on a cloudless sky this morning. All the racers can now enjoy the new medal series which will continue until 2017 with some motives of the animals of the Alps. The 45th Engadin Skimarathon also had a little “royal” touch with Pippa Middleton competing as well.
A 27th place was enough today for Sergio Bonaldi (ITA, 271 points) to fix his victory in the overall FIS Marathon Cup 2012/13. Benoit Chauvet (FRA, 227 points) who tried hard to get the red bib of the leader back in the last race of the season, and who finished 9th today, wasn’t able to get enough points to overtake the Italian. Anders Aukland (NOR, 220 points), who didn’t take part in today’s race as it was a skating race and the Norwegian is a classic specialist, takes third place in the overall ranking.
On the women’s side it’s Tatiana Mannima (EST, 402 points) who can now finally say “I am the winner of the overall FIS Marathon Cup 2012/13”. Already after the American Birkebeiner (USA) it was clear that nobody would be able to take the title away from her any more. Seraina Boner (SUI, 320 points), today’s second, is also second in the overall FIS Marathon Cup with Antonella Confortola (ITA) placing third (274 points).
“I am really happy that I could win the overall FIS Marathon Cup! It is a really important success for me and I hope the whole Italian team can profit from it! At the beginning I didn’t really have good results but suddenly, before the American Birkebeiner (USA), I realised that I would be able to win the overall if I would have a great race in the Birkie, so I gave everything. Today, it wasn’t a great race for me, the more I am happy that it worked out with the overall!” tells overall winner Sergio Bonaldi (ITA).
“Winning the overall FIS Marathon Cup means a lot to me! I focused on long distance racing this season and I am more than happy that it worked out that well! I am already looking forward to next season, but before I have our national Estonial Championships to race and then I will go on holidays!” says a happy Tatiana Mannima (EST).
Full results and the final overall FIS Marathon Cup standings HERE.
QUOTES FROM THE TOP THREE
Pierre Guedon (FRA):
I never expected that I could win today. It’s my second marathon race and my first Engadin Skimarathon so I am still pretty unexperienced when it comes to long distance racing. But the race was very fast today and when I start in a race I also want to win or get onto the podium at least. So I tried to go with the fastest ones. I got told that you have to be one of the five first skiers when you come to the last 500m and I placed myself in that way right before the finish. In the end I could play the card of a sprinter and get these precious centimetres in front of the second one. I am really really happy. The Engadin is a great place for skiing and I really enjoyed racing here.
Cristian Zorzi (ITA):
Of course I wanted to win, but in the end, Pierre was faster and stronger. I am happy with my second place.
Christoph Perrillat Collomb (FRA):
Of course I hoped that I could win this race for once after I could already gain some podium places here, but I am also happy with the third place in the end. I really like this race here and the track is made for me – that’s why I still hope that I will be the winner one day! I tried to attack together with Ivan Perrillat in St. Moritz to get the leading group a bit smaller, but in the end, everybody came back together and over 20 athletes sprinted for the places. I am happy that I could place my foot over the line for a podium place. Now I go to Oslo to race the 50km there and I am looking forward to that.
Riitta Liisa Roponen (FIN):
I felt really good today and as I only did three races in the World Championships, I wasn’t tired at all. I got told before that it will be crowded in the beginning, but I was still surprised how crowded it got. My plan was to follow the men as long as possible and that was what I did and it worked well. I knew the Engadin already from three weeks of training in summer and I really like it here.
Seraina Boner (SUI):
I felt very good today, but until St. Moritz it was pretty hectic and it wasn’t much fun to race. In reality, I could only go as fast as I wanted to during the last five kilometres. I could then catch Anouk and knew that I would be able to finish second. I am really happy with this result. Maybe I should have tried to get behind Roponen straight from the beginning, but it came differently. But she was also very strong today.
Anouk Faivre-Picon (FRA):
After my victory last year, I hoped of course to do it again. But after a lot of World Cup races and the World Championships in my legs I didn’t feel fresh enough to really fight with Riitta-Liisa and Seraina in the end. So I am very happy that I could get onto the podium. The Engadin is a really great race and it’s always fun to ski here!
March 08, 2013 (Val di Fiemme, Italy) – I am just finishing up my week of Championships here in Val di Fiemme… looking back on all the great moments. At the same time, I am going through the process of reviewing my week and thinking about all the things that went very well, and the things to improve for next time. I must say, I didn’t have quite the Championships that I was hoping for, but in other ways- things were also very positive.
As a ski racer you can never look at anything as a failure. If you did, you wouldn’t make it very far beyond one year of racing on the World Cup- because this process is not very forgiving. The difference between an average day and an overly excellent day could be .15 seconds… one size larger boot. Or the difference between putting one too many layers of kick wax on your ski, or simply the difference between finding one more gear of energy for the last climb of the course. It is all so small, yet so important. So even though my two individual start races were less than my best, there were some very encouraging parts at the same time!
So in honor of moving forward in a positive manner; here are a few of the things about Val di Fiemme that I won’t be forgetting.
1. Fans! After having my first World Championships in Oslo, my standards of World Championships fans was set sort of high. To my surprise though, these Italian fans lived up to the challenge. Maybe 70% of them traveled all the way from Norway… but regardless they were out there in full force. It was also special to have so many US fans as well. World Masters took place somewhere near here, so there was an extra bunch of familiar voices and faces out there that made it special!
2. Hills- Holy hills! This venue knows how to test your fitness, test your mental strength, and test your hill climbing. I remember many of my teammates warning me of this after they raced the final stages of the tour here last year… but I didn’t experience the full feeling of it until racing. It was fun to test my hill climbing skills though.
3. Wax Crew- This week has been one of the most challenging weeks for waxing yet. With temperatures hanging around zero, and constantly changing… things get tricky and tough. The techs have been incredible at working hard and moving forward. The important thing to remember is just like an athlete, tech teams have tough days as well. Even if they are putting 100%, there will always be challenging days. So thanks techs for working your butts off and always staying positive.
4. Records- While the week started off with much less than our best, the following days were filled with records, bests, firsts and everything else. Kikkan and Jessie set the mood with winning the team sprint for US Nordics FIRST World Championship Gold. That was one of my more emotional moments of being a ski racer. As I watched the girls ski their hearts out and cross the line first, emotion struck. As tears rolled down the faces of all the US group… I may have spotted a tear rolling down the Norwegian coaches face too. Finally, US is a force to recon with. Over the years as Kikkan has set an example of believing that we can compete, the rest of our team has started following along!
5. Sunshine- It is hard to not absolutely love every second of the day when you are out ski racing hard in the sun. Black suits sometimes make that experience a little more miserable than it should… but for the most part, the sunshine always brings out the best in us! If there is one thing you can count on in Italia, that is sun!
6. Team Spirit- The team “spirit” has been great throughout the week. The success of the team just spreads through our group. I think this is one of the things that is bringing us to a higher level as a team. Because one person’s success is contagious, it helps us all believe!
7. Relay- Yesterday I got to participate in my first World Cup 4×5 relay. Since being a young girl, relay racing has always been my favorite. There is something about the different pressure, and your collective effort… it just gets me in a new level of energy… as with all the US ladies. Aside from being fun, the US Team managed to finish our best result ever in history. Although we were just off the podium, we were extremely stoked with a 4th place finish. This was a huge improvement from our last World Championship finish in 9th. With our goals set on a medal of course, we came away proud and pleased that we had reached 4th place! Everyone skied their hearts out, and our goal is certainly attainable in the near Olympic future!
All of these things have made this Championship week incredible and memorable. With two more races to go, the 30 and 50k, we will be back on World Cup soon. Next weekend we will be racing a 10k Classic and Team Sprint, so some more exciting racing in the near future!
Let’s say that the scene was the most beautiful and the American athlete of the relay this morning (yesterday, ed), shooting as he undressed. Sadie Bjørnsen has affected all of us photographers, the femininity and grace of gesture, of usual when it comes to the masculinity of athletes.
Thanks everyone for the cheers and nice emails this week. I really appreciate it!! A few more days here, and then off to Scandinavia!
March 06, 2013 (Toronto, ON) – We are happy to present the standings for the SkiTrax FIS Fantasy Fiemme Worlds 2013 Contest after the Women’s 30km CL competition. Check out our coverage of the race that saw Norway’s Marit Bjoergen score the world title, while USA’s Liz Stephen logged the best North American result with a strong 16th place – here.
Team Northug – antoine-briand is still leading with 255 points followed by Team CATZ4LYFE in second with 245, while Team beaujo moved up into third spot with 220 points.
For the complete contest standings after the Women’s 30km CL, please click HERE.
SkiTrax FIS Fantasy Fiemme Worlds 2013 Contest Prizes
* 1st Prize – Salomon SLab package skis, poles, boots, bindings (value $1,497) * 2nd Prize – Alpina ESK Ski Boots (value $419) * 3rd Prize – Fischer Carbonlite Poles ($339) * 4th Prize – Bjorn Daehlie Exclusive US XC Ski Suit (value $300) * 5th Prize – One Way Skate 7 Roller Skis (value $250) * 6th Prize – 2XU Long Sleeve Thermal Compression Top and Elite Socks (value $195) * 7th Prize – Ski*go Large Wax Box with XC kickwaxes/cork/scraper (value $190) * 8th Prize – Fresh Air Experience or High Peaks Cyclery Gift Certificate (value $100) * 9th Prize – AuclairMicro Mountain Olympic Gloves + Earbags (value $65) * 10th Prize –BuffHeadware (value $23)
Good luck to all contestants and thanks to FIS, Fiemme 2011 and all of our great sponsors including Salomon, Alpina, Fischer, One Way, Bjorn Daehlie, Fresh Air Experience, High Peaks Cyclery, Auclair, and Buff Canada.
SkiTrax is North America’s leading Nordic skiing publication and the official magazine of the United States Ski and Snowboard Association (USSA) and Cross Country Canada (CCC).
March 04, 2013 (Nove Mesto, Czech Republic) – Kate Fitzgerald (USA) bettered her performance landing on the top step of the podium at the Slavic Cup in Nove Mesto on day 2 of the competition in the women’s 10km CL Pursuit, leading an American sweep of the top three spots, with Sophie Caldwell and Rosie Brennan finishing second and third, respectively.
Patrick Caldwell was the best American finisher in the 15km men’s event placing ninth, followed by Eric Packer in 20th, and Peter Kling in 28th. Jakub Graef (CZE) won the event.
March 01, 2013 (Val di Fiemme, Italy) – Like their female counterparts the Norwegian men, took the gold in the 4x10km relay event at the FIS Nordic Worlds in Val di Fiemme, Italy on Friday and once again defended their title. But spectators were on the edge of their seats as a late race bid by Sweden’s Calle Halvarsson threatened the four final contenders including the famed Petter Northug (NOR).
Northug responded on the final Zorzi climb as he and Halvarsson shook off Russia’s Sergey Ustiugov and Italy’s David Hofer making it a two-horse race. Halvarsson was still leading over the final bridge to the finish but Northug quickly caught his rival and took over the lead down the finishing lanes for the win by a 1.2s margin.
The battle for bronze was won by Ustiugov who sprinted fiercely for third over Hofer denying the host nation spot on the final podium. It was a close finish in the 40km event as the top five all crossed the line within 12s of one another. Teams USA and Canada finished 10th and 12th, respectively.
Waxing played a large role as race day dawned at a balmy 10°C. The pack stuck close together on the first two laps of the race as Sweden’s Daniel Richardsson and Russia’s Evgeniy Belov set the pace. Germany’s Hannes Dotzler was also high up in the fray, animating the action with an attack on the final lap, which was marked by Norway’s Torde Asle Gjerdalen. The USA’s Andy Newell was well positioned near the front throughout the race and was a strong 5th at the exchange. Canada’s Len Valjas skied well over the first two laps as well but dropped to 11th as the 10km-leg ended.
Leg #2 saw Germany’s Tobias Angerer leading a seven-man group, including Norway, Sweden and USA. However, a motivated chase group soon caught back on to double the size of the lead group, that included the USA’s Kris Freeman who was well-positioned near the front as Russia’s Maxim Vylegzhanin assumed control at the front. Canada’s Devon Kershaw in 12th tried to bridge to the leaders.
Local fans cheered loudly as veteran Giorgio Di Centa (ITA), at his 9th Nordic Worlds, seized the opportunity to attack on the Velena climb on final lap. But Swiss superstar Dario Cologna jumped on his tail, followed by Vylegzhanin, Angerer, Johan Olsson (SWE), and Eldar Roenning (NOR) to create a lead group of six. Freeman and Kershaw did not make the selection, with the American skier handing off to Noah Hoffman in 9th at 1:14 back with Kershaw tagging Ivan Babikov in 12th.
The start of the third leg saw the top six nations stay together with Norway, Russia and Sweden exchanging the lead. Japan’s Nobu Naruse, whose squad was putting together a brilliant race, chased in seventh, followed by the Czech Republic in eighth. USA’s Noah Hoffman had a strong leg with the 5th fastest time but the team remained in 10th as Babikov fought in vain as well. On the final lap Sweden’s Marcus Hellner attacked as Russia’s Alexander Legkov responded along with Sjur Roethe (NOR) as four leaders charged to the final transition as Germany and Switzerland suffered behind.
The final leg of the race started slowly as the strategizing began at a training pace. Suddenly Germany’s Axel Teichmann was able to regain contact with the lead group, while the other trailing skiers also gained back time including the USA’s Tad Elliott. On the second lap of the leg, Elliot was positioned in seventh as Finland’s Matti Heikkinen put in a surge and bridged to the front group putting his team back into contention. Canada’s anchor, Alex Harvey, was too far back to fight for contention.
As the finish approached, the lead group – now six strong – picked up the pace forcing the chasers to dig even deeper. Sweden’s Halfvarsson finally initiated the attack before the on the last climb up Zorzi and the only skier able to respond was Northug. But the Norwegian veteran was on to Halfvarsson like bees to honey and suddenly they emerged at the front of the race alone contesting the gold. The storming Northug gave Norwegian fans what they were hoping for and defended Norway’s relay title yet again. The USA finished in 10th and Canada ended up 12th.
March 01, 2013 (Toronto, ON) – We are pleased to report the standings for the SkiTrax FIS Fantasy Fiemme Worlds 2013 Contest after the 10/15km free technique events. Read our coverage of the race, including Canada’s Ivan “Bulldog” Babikov’s stellar fourth place – the best result by a Canadian male in the event at a World Championship – here. Then check out the recap of the women’s 10km event in which USA’s Liz Stephen scored a career-best fifth – here.
In the contest, Team Northug – antoine-briand managed to break the suspenseful three-up tie for first place to take the lead with 205 points. Team CATZ4LYFE sits in second spot with 185 points, followed by Redjacket in third with 170 points.
For the complete contest standings after the Fiemme 10/15km F races, please click HERE.
SkiTrax FIS Fantasy Fiemme Worlds 2013 Contest Prizes
* 1st Prize – Salomon SLab package skis, poles, boots, bindings (value $1,497) * 2nd Prize – Alpina ESK Ski Boots (value $419) * 3rd Prize – Fischer Carbonlite Poles ($339) * 4th Prize – Bjorn Daehlie Exclusive US XC Ski Suit (value $300) * 5th Prize – One Way Skate 7 Roller Skis (value $250) * 6th Prize – 2XU Long Sleeve Thermal Compression Top and Elite Socks (value $195) * 7th Prize – Ski*go Large Wax Box with XC kickwaxes/cork/scraper (value $190) * 8th Prize – Fresh Air Experience or High Peaks Cyclery Gift Certificate (value $100) * 9th Prize – AuclairMicro Mountain Olympic Gloves + Earbags (value $65) * 10th Prize –BuffHeadware (value $23)
Good luck to all contestants and thanks to FIS, Fiemme 2011 and all of our great sponsors including Salomon, Alpina, Fischer, One Way, Bjorn Daehlie, Fresh Air Experience, High Peaks Cyclery, Auclair, and Buff Canada.
SkiTrax is North America’s leading Nordic skiing publication and the official magazine of the United States Ski and Snowboard Association (USSA) and Cross Country Canada (CCC).
February 28, 2013 (Val di Fiemme, Italy) – The powerhouse Norwegian squad led by Marit Bjoergen charged to victory today in the women’s 4x5km CL + FR at the 2013 FIS Nordic World Championships in Val di Fiemme, Italy, while Team USA’s Sadie Bjornsen, Kikkan Randall , Liz Stephen and Jessie Diggins, scored a best-ever fourth place. The Canadian women did not finish.
Leg #1 of the race kicked off with the classic mass start as Canada’s Dasha Gaiazova skied strong near the front of a pack that included Norway, Finland, and Russia. The USA’s Bjornsen was also positioned in the top 10. During the second lap, Norway’s Heidi Weng chose the inside track vs the slicker centre lanes to take the lead.
Chasing Finnish skier, Anne Kyllönen crashed and got caught up in the fencing to lose 15s. Weng attacked on the climb gained her a massive 20s gap, which second place, France’s Aurore Jean, and third place, Russia’s Julia Ivanova, fought to earn back. Meanwhile, American Bjornsen had moved into sixth spot, while Gaiazova appeared to run out of steam and fell back through the pack. At the end of the first leg, Weng tagged off to her teammate Therese Johaug with a healthy 20s lead, followed by Finland and Russia in second and third, USA sixth, and Canada 11th.
Leg #2 saw Norway way ahead, while the scrap for silver and bronze continued with Russia moving into second spot and Poland’s Justyna Kowalczyk jumping up to third, while USA’s Kikkan Randall maintained her sixth place spot. Farther into the leg, the Polish ringer threw down a gutsy attack to assume second place and gain time on Norway’s Johaug.
Finland’s Kerttu Niskanen also put in a big dig to bring her crew back into contention, moving up to third. Meanwhile, Kowalczyk heroically caught and passed Norway’s Johaug, leaving Sweden and Finland behind to fight over the bronze medal position. Still in sixth, Randall tagged off to teammate Stephen, with Canada’s Perianne Jones coming through in 12th to tag Emily Nishikawa.
The start of Leg #3 saw Norway’s Kristin Stoermer Stiera quickly pass Poland’s Paulina Maciuszek for the lead, while the battle for bronze heated up, with Finland’s Riitta Liisa Roponen fighting Sweden’s Anna Haag tooth and nail in a back-and-forth nailbiter. Their efforts allowed them to overtake the flagging Polish skier, as they trailed Norway by a massive 35s.
Farther back, USA’s Stephen looked strong and smooth as she cruised up the field to take over fourth place. Back in the medal fight, Haag delivered a big attack the final time up the Zorzi climb to put a gap into Roponen, while Stephen continued to gain time with Russia’s Mariya Guschina in tow.
At the end of the leg, Stiera tagged off to Marit Bjoergen maintaining a 25s lead over Sweden, with Finland crossing in third at 30s. Stephen delivered a 4th place hand-off to US anchor Diggins at 55s in arrears with Russia fifth at 1:03. Nishikawa handed off to Brittany Webster at 3:27 behind.
With such a large advantage going into the final leg, Bjoergen proved unstoppable on her uncontested charge to win the gold medal by 26s over Poland. Sweden’s Charlotte Kalla quickly dropped Finland’s Riikka Sarasoja-Lilja for second spot, while Diggins battled fiercely with Russia’s Yulia Tchekaleva.
The bronze medal was far from sewn up as Sarasoja was obviously struggling. Tchekaleva overtook Diggins and then caught Sarasoja to assume third, while Diggins continued to advance. In the end, the Russian skier was too quick for Diggins, but the young American hunted down the fading Finn to claim fourth for Team USA at 1:12 – the team’s best ever result in that event. It was a tough day for the Canadians as their anchor Webster did not finish.
February 27, 2013 (Val di Fiemme, Italy) – Check out this video interview courtesy of CCC with Canada’s Ivan Babikov after he narrowly missed out on the podium in the men’s 15km individual start free race at the 2013 FIS Nordic World Championships in Val di Fiemme today. His performance marked the best-ever result by a Canadian male in the 15 kilometre individual start skate-ski race at the Nordic World Ski Championships
February 27, 2013 (Toronto, ON) – We are excited to announce the standings for the SkiTrax FIS Fantasy Fiemme Worlds 2013 Contest after the Team Sprint events. Racing is getting hotter in Val di Fiemme as the weekend nears. Read our coverage of Team USA winning historic GOLD in the women’s team sprint, courtesy of Kikkan Randall and Jessie Diggins here.
The competition is just as sizzling in the contest there’s a tie between the top three teams for first place, all in a stalemate at 140 points. The teams are CATZ4LYFE, Team Northug – antoine-briand, and Max’s.
For the complete contest standings after the Fiemme Team Sprint please click HERE.
SkiTrax FIS Fantasy Fiemme Worlds 2013 Contest Prizes
* 1st Prize – Salomon SLab package skis, poles, boots, bindings (value $1,497) * 2nd Prize – Alpina ESK Ski Boots (value $419) * 3rd Prize – Fischer Carbonlite Poles ($339) * 4th Prize – Bjorn Daehlie Exclusive US XC Ski Suit (value $300) * 5th Prize – One Way Skate 7 Roller Skis (value $250) * 6th Prize – 2XU Long Sleeve Thermal Compression Top and Elite Socks (value $195) * 7th Prize – Ski*go Large Wax Box with XC kickwaxes/cork/scraper (value $190) * 8th Prize – Fresh Air Experience or High Peaks Cyclery Gift Certificate (value $100) * 9th Prize – AuclairMicro Mountain Olympic Gloves + Earbags (value $65) * 10th Prize –BuffHeadware (value $23)
Good luck to all contestants and thanks to FIS, Fiemme 2011 and all of our great sponsors including Salomon, Alpina, Fischer, One Way, Bjorn Daehlie, Fresh Air Experience, High Peaks Cyclery, Auclair, and Buff Canada.
SkiTrax is North America’s leading Nordic skiing publication and the official magazine of the United States Ski and Snowboard Association (USSA) and Cross Country Canada (CCC).
February 27, 2013 (Val di Fiemme, Italy) – The USA’s Elizabeth Stephen raced to the best result of her career, finishing in 5th place, only 8.5 seconds off Russian bronze medalist, Yulia Tchekaleva, in women’s 10km FR Individual Start on Tuesday at the 2013 FIS Nordic World Championships in Val di Fiemme.
Taking the win was the diminutive Norwegian, Therese Johaug, who charged with her characteristic quick tempo to best her teammate Marit Bjoergen for the gold by 10.2 seconds. The win marks Johaug’s third career gold as super-star Bjoergen started to falter with fatigue in the latter stages of the race. Biathlete Miriam Goessner of Germany had an incredible day, missing the podium by only a half a second.
“I’d never skied the course as a skate course before. We always do it as a classic on the Tour de Ski, so I was psyched to be able to skate up those hills and just kept channeling the Tour de Ski energy and vibes,” said Stephen post-race. “Heck, it’s World Championships, there’s pretty good vibes here with Kikkan [Randall] and Jessie [Diggins] getting the win the other day. The mood of the team is outstanding right now – lots of energy kicking around.”
Teammate Jessie Diggins who placed 23rd, voiced her excitement to SkiTrax: “I am first and foremost super pumped for Liz! Nobody deserves it more and I’m so proud of her and excited to cheer for her at the awards ceremony tonight. As for my race, I definitely could have used an extra recovery day beforehand. The racing and emotion of the last two days has definitely left me without that extra gear, but I know I’ll be recovered in time for the relay.”
Kikkan Randall was disappointed with her 30th place, but expressed excitement over her teammate’s success. “Today was a tough one for me personally,” said Randall. “I felt like I was missing the power and capacity I had in my distance skating earlier this season. I was probably a little fatigued from the team sprint two days ago and since I haven’t done very much distance skate racing since the Tour, my aerobic system may have been a little asleep.”
“It was still, however, a spectacular day as my teammate Liz Stephen was fifth in the world, just eight seconds off the podium! I’ve been training alongside Liz for a few years now and have witnessed how hard she works. She has been reaching new levels this season, including skiing the second fastest time up the Alpe Cermis on the Tour’s final day, and she is so deserving of this amazing result. Her finish today is the best ever US women’s distance finish in a major championship. The whole team came out to the awards this evening to cheer her on.”
Coach Matt Whitcomb is pleased with Stephen’s success and after the gold medal performance by Randall and Diggins in the Team Sprint, and the team is moving ahead with excitement and confidence. “Today was just a perfect day for Liz, and one that makes pretty good sense given how our team works. Our athletes really get behind each other’s successes – they feed off of each other. And so with the gold medal from Kikkan and Jessie the other day you could feel the energy building. Liz skied an aggressive race under a lot of pressure to perform and she rose to the occasion.”
As for the Canucks, the top finish was Daria Gaiazova in 40th. “I really don’t have much to say today,” said Gaiazova. “It was not great, but I guess it was a good preparation for the relay, which I am really excited to do.”
Other North Americans included: Holly Brooks 27th, Kikkan Randall 30th, Daria Gaiazova 40th, Emily Nishikawa 57th, and Brittany Webster 68th.
The relay is up next for the women on Thursday. The Americans look to be positioned favorably. The foursome of Brooks, Diggins, Randall, and Stephen had already climbed on to the World Cup podium early in the season in Gaellivare, and they hope to carry that momentum towards World Championship gold.
February 27, 2013 (Val di Fiemme, Italy) – Norwegian Petter Northug set a devastating pace out of the start in the 15km individual start and created a gap large enough to hold on to his first gold of the 2013 FIS Nordic World Championships. At the 6.8km mark he was more than 23 seconds up on the silver medalist, Sweden’s Johan Olsson. While Olsson was faster than Northug over the final kilometers of the course, it wasn’t enough to take the title from the Norweigan great, and he had to settle for the second spot on the podium.
Canada’s Ivan Babikov hung on to Alexander Legkov (RUS), who skied the first half of the 15km slow enough for Babikov to catch up, but the Russian picked up the pace in the final stages of the race allowing Babikov a great slipstream.
Yet the Canadian bulldog was just pushed out of the medals by the aviator-sunglass-wearing Tord Asle Gjerdalen (NOR). Gjerdalen, who is the alternate for the Norwegian relay team, tied his best-ever individual result at the World Championships as he won bronze in the 50km in Oslo in 2011.
“It isn’t a medal, but I’m pretty happy for sure,” said Babikov, who has enjoyed the best season of his career – crediting his strong results to a new training program set out by himself and Canadian head coach Justin Wadsworth last summer. His performance is the best result by a Canadian male in the 15 kilometre individual start skate-ski race at Worlds.
“I have not been feeling great last week, and was pretty down after the pursuit. To get my body and legs back is really good. Our team worked amazingly well today. My skis were awesome, and it was really important for my confidence to have this race today.”
American Noah Hoffman also had an incredible day in 15th. Hoffman went out slow, and picked his way through the ranks on each subsequent split time.
“My plan was to go out under control. I was able to do that today. I felt very under control in the 40s at 1.8k which was exactly where I wanted to be,” said Hoffman. “Late in the race I got on (Lukas) Bauer. I was struggling to stay with him but he was a good ride for me. With a lap to go I was 20th and following him I moved up to 15th.
Other North Americans included Devon Kershaw in 33rd, Tad Elliot in 34th, Graham Nishikawa in 39th, and Erik Bjornsen in 48th.
February 22, 2013 (Toronto, ON) – We are pleased to announce the standings for the second annual SkiTrax FIS Fantasy Marathon Cup 2012/13 Contest after the Tartu Maraton held in in Otepää, Estonia on Sunday. Team Redl continues to lead the contest with 421 points, while Team asterion has moved up into second place with 401 points. Team dom is in third with 395 points.
Simen Oestensen of Norway and Sweden’s Sandra Hansson won the 2013 men’s and women’s 63km classic technique event. Read about the race and view the results here.
For the contest standings after Tartu Maraton, please click HERE.
These are the only FIS Fantasy Nordic contests of their kind worldwide so don’t miss your chance to enjoy fabulous top level xc ski racing and win fabulous prizes – good luck to all contestants.
FIS Fantasy Marathon Cup Prizes
* 1st Prize – Nipika Lodge – 4-nights for 2 people in luxurious cabin, including Trail Fees (value up to $1,160) * 2nd Prize – Marwe 610c Roller Skis (value $349) * 3rd Prize – Yoko 9100 Poles (value $299) * 4th Prize – Halti XC Race Suit Hemmo Set (value $269) * 5th Prize – Skiwax.ca Racer Kickwax kit (value $235) * 6th Prize – 2XU Long Sleeve Thermal Compression Top and Elite Socks (value $195) * 7th Prize – One Way Snowbird Glasses (value $120) * 8th Prize – Fresh Air Experience or High Peaks Cyclery Gift Certificate (value $100) * 9th Prize – Auclair Micro Mountain Olympic Gloves + Earbags (value $65) * 10th Prize – Buff Headware (value $23)
Thanks to all of our great sponsors, including Nipika, Marwe, Yoko, Halti, Skiwax.ca, 2XU, One Way, Fresh Air Experience, High Peaks Cyclery, Auclair, and Buff.
SkiTrax is North America’s leading Nordic skiing publication and the official magazine of the United States Ski and Snowboard Association (USSA) and Cross Country Canada (CCC).
February 20, 2013 (Val di Fiemme, Italy) – The 2013 Nordic World Ski Championships begin today! Val di Fiemme welcomes over 700 athletes from 57 countries – all names have been unveiled. Let the games begin. Opening ceremony is today at 6pm in Trento and Val di Fiemme
The time has officially come and the curtains are about to be raised tomorrow on the 2013 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in Italy’s Val di Fiemme. Over 700 athletes from 57 countries and five continents are going to take the field today (Qualification Rounds XC Men and Women) and will be battling it out until the 3rd of March.
Almost 60 nations will be represented in Cross-country, Ski jumping and Nordic combined competitions. The first training days have already taken place inside the XC Stadium (Lago di Tesero) and SJ Arena (Predazzo).
The World’s best skiers are about to test their abilities on the snow in order to grab a World medal. In cross country, the Norwegian armada will be counting on double Olympic champion Petter Northug who will attempt to improve his Oslo 2011 record of five medals. Dario Cologna, Alexander Legkov (2013 Tour de Ski winner) or Markus Hellner are certainly his main opponents, but the list is way longer and includes also Italian Giorgio Di Centa, Roland Clara and Federico Pellegrino, ready to fight hard in front of their home crowd.
On women’s side, Justyna Kowalczyk of Poland and Marit Bjoergen of Norway will be drawing everyone’s eyes on them, even though Johaug, Steira, Kalla or Randall will surely be in the mix.
The first cross-country qualifying rounds will kick off today at 10.45 am at the XC stadium and everyone’s invited to support athletes from all over the planet from place like Togo, Nepal, Brasil or Perù.
The 2013 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships opening ceremony is scheduled for tonight at 6pm in central Duomo Square in Trento. The national squads will be parading through the picturesque city centre and gathering beside the majestic cathedral, on the square where the torch will be lit and a fantastic show will entertain all the guests with dancers, actors, climbers and much more. The very last minutes of the ceremony will take place in Lago di Tesero (broadcast live on video walls in Trento as well), 150 paper lanterns will illuminate the valley together with fireworks.
Learn more about the courses and legendary climbs of Val di Fiemme HERE.
Read about past World Championship winners in Val di Fiemme HERE.
Competition Schedule
During the 2013 FIS World Nordic Ski Championships there will be 8 individual gold medals up for grabs between the two genders (Skiathlon, 10/15km F, Sprint C, 30/50km C) and 4 for team events (team sprint, team relay). In total there will be 36 World Championship medals handed out over 11 days of competition. Stay tuned in with the complete competition schedule listed below.
– 20.02 – Qualifications Ladies 5km – free technique – 10:45 CET
– 20.02 – Qualifications Men 10km – free technique – 12:45 CET
– 21.02 – Sprint Ladies and Men (Qualification) – 10:45 CET
– 21.02 – Sprint Ladies and Men (Final) – 12:45 CET
– 23.02 – Ladies Skiathlon 7.5km C + 7.5km F – 12:45 CET
– 23.02 – Men Skiathlon 15km C + 15km F – 14:15 CET
– 24.02 – Team Sprint Ladies and Men (Qualification) – 10:00 CET
– 24.02 – Team Sprint Ladies and Men (Final) – 12:00 CET
– 26:02 – 10km Ladies Interval Start – free technique – 12:45 CET
– 27.02 – 15km Men Interval Start – free technique – 12:45 CET
– 28.02 – Ladies Relay 4×5 km – 12:45 CET
– 01.03 – Men Relay 4×10 km – 13:30 CET
– 02.03 – 30 km Ladies Mass Start – classic technique – 12:15 CET
– 03.03 – 50 km Men Mass Start – classic technique – 12:30 CET
February 06, 2013 (Toronto, ON) – We are pleased to announce that team modification is now open for the FIS Fantasy Marathon Cup 2012/13 Contest – the twist. Contestants can modify their team until 10pm EST on Feb. 9, prior to the 57/76km CL Tartu Maraton in Estonia on Feb. 10.
Contestants may only swap one of their team’s four main skiers – either male or female – not their Outlaw Skier. All points earned to date by the skier that’s out are retained, and only points earned by the new skier from Feb. 10 going forward will be counted.
Note: you only have one chance to make the swap – once completed you will not be able to change your selection so please be sure of your choice before making the change.
* 1st Prize – Nipika Lodge – 4-nights for 2 people in luxurious cabin, including Trail Fees (value up to $1,160) * 2nd Prize – Marwe 610c Roller Skis (value $349) * 3rd Prize – Yoko 9100 Poles (value $299) * 4th Prize – Halti XC Race Suit Hemmo Set (value $269) * 5th Prize – Skiwax.ca Racer Kickwax kit (value $235) * 6th Prize – 2XU Long Sleeve Thermal Compression Top and Elite Socks (value $195) * 7th Prize – One Way Snowbird Glasses (value $120) * 8th Prize – Fresh Air Experience or High Peaks Cyclery Gift Certificate (value $100) * 9th Prize – Auclair Micro Mountain Olympic Gloves + Earbags (value $65) * 10th Prize – Buff Headware (value $23)
Good luck to all contestants and thanks to all of our great sponsors, including Nipika, Marwe, Yoko, Halti, Skiwax.ca, 2XU, One Way, Fresh Air Experience, High Peaks Cyclery, Auclair, and Buff.
SkiTrax is North America’s leading Nordic skiing publication and the official magazine of the United States Ski and Snowboard Association (USSA) and Cross Country Canada (CCC).
February 06, 2013 – Check out this great video of the FIS women’s 4×1.25km team classic sprint in Sochi, where Canada’s Perianne Jones and Dasha Gaiazova snapped up a thrilling bronze medal with an incredible surge in the final leg.
February 04, 2013 (Sochi, Russia) – SkiTrax caught up with Canadian Ski Team members Dasha Gaiazova and Perianne Jones after their bronze medal women’s team sprint effort in Sochi. It was a thrilling finish to the women’s 6×1.25km Classic Team Sprint as Gaiazova started the final leg in fourth, then stormed on to pass the USA’s Sadie Bjornsen in third, and then chased down Russia’s Natalia Matveeva to barely miss out on silver in a photo finish. Check out what the ladies had to say about their race.
February 04, 2013 (Sapporo, Japan) – Park City’s Sarah Hendrickson was 3rd and 7th in a pair of tough and windy competitions in Sapporo this weekend, boosting her to second place overall on the World Cup.
Hours before Sunday’s event, a 6.9 magnitude earthquake rattled the northern Japanese island of Hakkaido, the epicenter of which was about 120 miles east of Sapporo. There were no reports of damage, though it made for an interesting start to Sunday’s competition.
Hendrickson endured multiple gate change delays to finish on the podium in 3rd place with jumps of 93.5 and 87.5 meters. U.S. teammates Lindsey Van clinched 8th with jumps of 91 and 87 meters, Jessica Jerome was a strong 15th with jumps of 87 and 90.5 meters, and Abby Hughes was 29th with jumps of 80 and 78 meters. Austria’s Jacqueline Seifriedsberger claimed her first World Cup victory and Norway’s Anette Sagen had a huge leap of 99 meters in her second round to take 2nd.
“It was typical weather for this area and made the comp very difficult,” said Van. “You never know what kind of wind you are going to get, so it is like a lotto game. I enjoy the randomness most of the time, though. It is an outdoor sport and is always fun.”
Saturday’s event ended after the first round of jumping due to high and irregular winds, leaving Hendrickson in 7th, Jerome in 10th, Van 28th and Hughes 34th. France’s Coline Mattel was 1st over Seifriedsberger and Sagen.
Home country favorite and current World Cup leader Sara Takanashi, 16, finished 12th on Saturday and 5th on Sunday.
World Cup competition continues Feb. 9-10 in Zao, Japan.
February 01, 2013 (Sochi, Russia) – USA’s Kikkan Randall dominated the FIS World Cup women’s 1.3km free sprints today in Sochi, making her mark at the venue as the top contender for the upcoming 2014 Winter Olympic. The American team had a strong day overall, with five U.S. skiers qualifying for the heats. Read more here.
Randall started her day with a second place finish in the qualifier and then went onto win each of her heats, leading the final from start to finish for an undisputed victory over second place, Aurore Jean (FRA) who passed Norway’s Celine Brun-Lie near the finish to take the silver.
“I’ve been working really hard in my training to make every sprint course a good course for me so it was cool to get out there and see how it felt,” said Randall. “The course is deceptively tough and there’s not much rest out there outside of maybe 10 or 15 seconds on one downhill but you’re preparing for a turn so I think the weather conditions are really going to play in how the race goes but I think it’s a good course for me and I’m a strong finisher and it’s a really long stadium, so I like that. This is definitely a confidence boost for next year!”
Ida Sargent was the next-best American finisher with a personal best sixth after finishing second in her quarterfinal and then sneaking through in her semifinal as lucky loser to contest in her first ever “A” final.
“I like the course here,” Sargent told Trax. “It’s short but hard and technical and there isn’t much recovery out there so you’re working a lot. We had very fast skis today and I was 17th in the skate qualification which was a PB. In the rounds I tried to ski at or near the front and was very happy to make the final! I was pretty tired by the time the final heat came around but it was still an awesome day for me.”
Jessie Diggins (USA) charged to third in her heat with Holly Brooks (USA) placing fourth in hers. Sadie Bjornsen (USA) was eliminated after her fifth-place quarterfinal. In the end, they ranked 15th, 16th, and 21st, respectively.
“I was disappointed to end the day after the quarterfinal, but considering that it was my best qualifier and my best sprint final place to date, I’m really happy,” said Brooks in a post-race email exchange with Trax. “It’s awesome to have a good experience at the Olympic venue, on the Olympic course … and be able to leave here with a great vibe. Kikkan [Randall] took the win easily which points towards success one year from now and Ida [Sargent] had her first appearance in the A-final!”f
Dasha Gaiazova was the top finisher of the two Canadian qualifiers, finishing 12th after she placed second in her heat and sixth in the semis. Perianne Jones (CAN) finished in 18th spot.
Elizabeth Stephen (USA) and Chandra Crawford (CAN) did not qualify, and finished 42nd and 51st, respectively.
January 30, 2013 (Toronto, ON) – We are excited to announce the 2012/13 SkiTrax FIS Fantasy World Cup Contest standings after the events in La Clusaz, France, host of the latest round of the 2012/13 Viessmann XC FIS World Cup tour Jan. 19-20.
The contest saw team Little Matt take hold onto the lead for another round with 719 points, still only one point ahead of second place team Summerstars with 718. Team maksimy has moved into third with 699 points.
USA’s women’s relay team placed ninth in the 4x5km relay, which was won by the Norwegian squad – read more here.
Good luck to all contestants and thanks to all of our great sponsors, including Fischer, Trapp Family Lodge, SkiGo, Alpina, One Way, Bjorn Daehlie, 2XU, Bliz, Fresh Air Experience, High Peaks Cyclery, Auclair, and Buff.
For the Contest standings after La Clusaz, click HERE.
SkiTrax Fantasy FIS World Cup 2012/13 Contest Prizes * 1st Prize – Fischer 12/13 Carbonlite Skating Hole Skis, Xcelerator Bindings, Carbonlite Poles (value $1,100) * 2nd Prize – Trapp Family Lodge – 2 nights lodging in a Deluxe Room w/breakfast (value $600)
* 3rd Prize – SkiGo Carbon 335 Skate Roller Skis (value $420)
* 4th Prize – Alpina ESK Ski Boots (value $419) * 5th Prize – One Way Premio Ski Poles (value $400) * 6th Prize – Bjorn Daehlie Exclusive US XC Ski Suit (value $300) * 7th Prize – 2XU Long Sleeve Thermal Compression Top and Elite Socks (value $195) * 8th Prize – Bliz Proflip Visor (value $129) * 9th Prize – Fresh Air Experience or High Peaks Cyclery Gift Certificate (value $100) * 10th Prize –AuclairMicro Mountain Olympic Gloves + Earbags (value $65) * WCup Breaks –BuffHeadware to top 3 contest leaders before the Tour de Ski (value $23)
SkiTrax is North America’s leading Nordic skiing publication and the official magazine of the United States Ski and Snowboard Association (USSA) and Cross Country Canada (CCC).
January 28, 2013 (Sochi, Russia) – At the moment, the 5th Russian fix-it-man of the day is watching Holly try to explain/pantomime that the upstairs shower leaks through the ceiling and upstairs someone else is working on the pipes. And this has been the “down-time” part of the last few days! Russia has been very exciting, like this huge adventure. I’m never quite sure what to expect, where to go and when to be there, but it’s cool as long as you go with the flow. And don’t bother asking questions – you won’t get anywhere!
So here’s how our travel to Sochi started: we drove to the Zurich Airport a full 4 hours before our flight was supposed to leave. Just in case, you know. And we had to tag and drop off all our ski bags and duffels, and then go purchase tickets inside. Then we boarded the plane. So far, this sounds like a normal travel day, right?
Because this was a charter flight full of athletes and all their skis, wax tables, benches and boxes, there were about 90 bags that didn’t make the flight. But not for lack of trying. The last 10-ish rows of the plane had the seats folded down and duffels stacked up – and the row in front of them was emptied “for safety reasons”. In case the bags started sliding, I guess. I think the plane was weighted funny because when we landed, we landed HARD and there might have been a few screams from the back row (we were in the back rows).
But the flight was fine, and then we had to get through customs. Turns out getting into Russia isn’t that easy and you need an invitation, then a visa, and then you fill out identical sides of this tiny piece of paper that they stamp. What they don’t emphasize nearly enough is that the other half of that little paper is your ticket back out, and you can’t lose it. Just don’t let it out of your sight!
Our team was really lucky and all our bags made it through, so we loaded them into these huge trucks and then waited in the rain for a bus. Once we were on the bus, we waited on the side of the road for 30 minutes, then drove slowly through traffic up to the venue. Then waited some more, before going through accreditation processing.
Once we got our credentials, which you also CANNOT LOSE because there are guards in fur hats everywhere that check your creds at all these checkpoints, we went through another security scanner. Then we hopped into a gondola that took us to the Olympic village and trails at the top of the mountain, at the venue called “Laura”. Turns out the venue is named after a raging river, which is named after a girl named Laura who jumped in it to kill herself instead of living with an old prince she didn’t love. Whoa. More info on the venue and 2014 Olympics in general HERE.
After getting off the gondola, we had to check in again to get our keys to the condo, and after eating dinner at 1:00am we took the bumpiest bus ride EVER to get to our lodging. It was super exciting! We all thought the bus ride was hilarious so everyone had their phones out. The picture below helps to explain some of the bumpy ride. So yep, that was our travel to Russia! But because we arrived in the dead of night, we woke up to see beautiful mountains and check out the venue.
Basically, we’re staying in brand spanking new condos that have 5 rooms each, for 10 people total, and they’re super roomy. The only problem is the aforementioned leak in the ceiling whenever Simi and Noah shower. But we’re working on that! However, most of the village is still under construction so there are cranes and construction crews all over.
And the GUARDS. They are everywhere, and there must be several hundred volunteers all in blue jackets. The volunteers are super friendly and most speak very good english, but most of the guards don’t say a word. Except when they stop the buses to check everyone’s credentials. I told you – you don’t want to lose that thing!
Once you leave the really modern new strip of housing, things get a little messy. And I do mean that literally since there is mud and water all over, and in some parts of the road all you can smell is sewage. But what I noticed most was the absolute lack of privacy. Some people say “God is always watching”…but now I know the real deal. The Russians are always watching. There are cameras everywhere, along the fences, on the course, in the entrances to buildings.
The dining hall is about an 8-minute walk away, up the side of the bunny hill where little kids in boots up to their knees are bombing around. And what starts out as a waist-high metal fence on the right slowly morphs into a 10-foot tall fence with barbed wire spiraling over the top and cameras mounted in all directions along the wall. On our side of the fence are the new buildings, glass-walled bars, chalets and chairlifts, and on the other side there is mud, construction zones, and containers stacked on containers that provide housing for the workers. And I’m not complaining about a thing because I’m on the right side of that fence!
So here are some things I’ve figured out about Sochi so far:
– The ski trails are amazing – rolling, super wide, and with seperate trials for cross country and biathalon
– There are also two seperate stadiums, and while the biathalon is a permanent structure, the cross country stadium is a temporary one. But it’s still gigantic.
– It doesn’t look like there are other lodging options up here except for the condos, but there is a hotel at the bottom of the gondola where some of the teams are staying.
– There seem to be rules and regulations about so many little things. Like checkpoints, fences, credentials, transport, meal tickets.
– And then sometimes there seem to be no rules at all. Like what time you eat and train at, or whether your wax cabin is unlocked.
The races start on Friday with a skate sprint, Saturday a 15km skiathalon, and Sunday is the classic team sprint. I’m excited to be here and will put up more pictures when I can!
January 28, 2013 (Gatineau, QC) – Yes, in less than a month, from February 15th to 17th, 2013, we will be giving the start for the 35th edition of the Gatineau Loppet. We hope that your preparation for the biggest cross-country skiing event in Canada is going well. We invite you to participate at the Gatineau Loppet in your way – as a skier, volunteer, spectator or as a visitor.
Happy reading and we look forward to seeing you all on the trails.
– Yan Michaud, president of the Gatineau Loppet
Tara Whitten Named Honorary President
On January 15th 2013, at our press conference, we had the great pleasure to announce the Honorary President of the 35th Gatineau Loppet: Olympic medalist in London in 2012, Tara Whitten. We invite you to read the press release and biographical document to learn more about this athlete who’s been significant in both skiing and cycling. Tara will ski the 55 km classic on Saturday and the 10 km freestyle on Sunday. Come and ski with her!
New Challenges
On February 16th, two new linear courses of 55 and 38 km classic style will be inaugurate at the start of Lac Philippe (P.19). Participants of both races will have the chance to ski through the beautiful scenery of three municipalities; La Pêche, Chelsea and Gatineau.
It is very important to note that all skiers who take part in the 55 and 38 km classic will be transported by bus to Lac Philippe. Then, they must:
– Go at the Mont-Bleu Secondary School on Saturday morning;
– Be prepared to take the bus 1 h 10 before the start of their race at Lac Philippe;
– Go in front of the school to take the bus.
NO PARKING WILL BE ALLOWED P19.
Skiers register for the 55 and 38 km classic will receive an email with all the details a week before the event.
Carnaval Soleil Polaire
We are extremely pleased to present the second year of the Carnaval Soleil Polaire, neighborhood party held Sunday, February 17th, 2013. At noon, we invite you behind the Relais plein air to participate in a variety of activities for all. Inflatables, face painting, giant skis, music, culinary enjoyment await you. This is a family event not to be missed.
Cross-country Ski Show
This year, at the cross-country ski show, you will find the major players in the industry and also several retailers in the region: Atomic, Buff, Bushtukah, Fischer, Fresh Air Experience, Greg Christies, One Way, Peccos, Salomon, Skifast Ergometer, Suunto, Swix … without forgetting the Gatineau Loppet’s shop!
Volunteers
The Gatineau Loppet is looking for volunteers in different positions:
– Feeding stations
– Medals and awards
– Sales
– Official
– Start / Finish
Accommodations
For official hotels and rates, click HERE.
Location Sauvageau Promotion
To get in Gatineau, enjoy a 5% discount on car rental from our partner Location Sauvageau by using the following promotional code: 2013LOPPET35
Haywood NorAm (FIS) Canadian Eastern Championships
The 2013 Haywood NorAm (FIS) Canadian Eastern Championships will be held at Nakkertok Nordic Centre, Cantley, Québec, from Feb 1-3, 2013. We encourage you to support the cross-country skiing community and to contribute to the success of this event by volunteering. Please click HERE for details.
On behalf of the EOC-2013, thank you for supporting this prestigious cross country ski event!
Canadian Ski Marathon
Learn about the Canadian Ski Marathon, a Nordic ski tour of 160 km over two days that will take place on February 9 and 10, 2013 between Gatineau and Lachute, Quebec HERE.
Special Offer Gatineau Loppet – Ski Trax
Gatineau Loppet and SkiTrax Magazine, the largest cross-country ski magazine in North America, have teamed up to bring you great savings. SkiTrax keeps you up to date on all the latest Nordic news, ski gear, adventure and recreational skiing, including race reports from across Canada, the USA, and around the world – check out skitrax.com.
Gatineau Loppet participants save 30% off regular subscription prices – try a SkiTrax/Pedal Combo Deal and get Pedal Magazine as well – to order click HERE.
Remember to “like” the Facebook page of the Gatineau Loppet HERE!
January 23, 2013 (Toronto, ON) – We are happy to announce the standings for the second annual SkiTrax FIS Fantasy Marathon Cup 2012/13 Contest after the third round – Dolomitenlauf 42km free technique race held last weekend in Lienz, Austria. Team SSWSC still holds top spot in the contest with 206 points, while Nordic Thunder has moved up into second place with 171 points. Team Broken Poles has leaped into the top three with 158 points.
Olga Mikhailova (RUS) and Sergio Bonaldi (ITA) won the women’s and men’s races, respectively – read more here.
For contest standings after Dolomitenlauf click HERE.
These are the only FIS Fantasy Nordic contests of their kind worldwide so don’t miss your chance to enjoy fabulous top level xc ski racing and win fabulous prizes – good luck to all contestants.
Remember to register for our FIS Fiemme 2013 Fantasy Contest, launching soon…!
FIS Fantasy Marathon Cup Prizes
* 1st Prize – Nipika Lodge – 4-nights for 2 people in luxurious cabin, including Trail Fees (value up to $1,160) * 2nd Prize – Marwe 610c Roller Skis (value $349) * 3rd Prize – Yoko 9100 Poles (value $299) * 4th Prize – Halti XC Race Suit Hemmo Set (value $269) * 5th Prize – Skiwax.ca Racer Kickwax kit (value $235) * 6th Prize – 2XU Long Sleeve Thermal Compression Top and Elite Socks (value $195) * 7th Prize – One Way Snowbird Glasses (value $120) * 8th Prize – Fresh Air Experience or High Peaks Cyclery Gift Certificate (value $100) * 9th Prize – Auclair Micro Mountain Olympic Gloves + Earbags (value $65) * 10th Prize – Buff Headware (value $23)
Thanks to all of our great sponsors, including Nipika, Marwe, Yoko, Halti, Skiwax.ca, 2XU, One Way, Fresh Air Experience, High Peaks Cyclery, Auclair, and Buff.
SkiTrax is North America’s leading Nordic skiing publication and the official magazine of the United States Ski and Snowboard Association (USSA) and Cross Country Canada (CCC).
January 22, 2013 (Toronto, ON) – We are pleased to announce the 2012/13 SkiTrax FIS Fantasy World Cup Contest standings after the double sprint events in Liberec, Czech Republic, host of the fifth round of the 2012/13 Viessmann XC FIS World Cup tour.
The contest saw team Little Matt take over the lead with 586 points, only one point ahead of second place team Summerstars. Team jesters fell to third place with 575 points.
Canada’s Dasha Gaiazova turned heads in the 1.3km CL sprint when she finished just off the podium in fourth – read about it here.
Good luck to all contestants and thanks to all of our great sponsors, including Fischer, Trapp Family Lodge, SkiGo, Alpina, One Way, Bjorn Daehlie, 2XU, Bliz, Fresh Air Experience, High Peaks Cyclery, Auclair, and Buff.
For the Contest standings after Liberec, click HERE.
SkiTrax Fantasy FIS World Cup 2012/13 Contest Prizes * 1st Prize – Fischer 12/13 Carbonlite Skating Hole Skis, Xcelerator Bindings, Carbonlite Poles (value $1,100) * 2nd Prize – Trapp Family Lodge – 2 nights lodging in a Deluxe Room w/breakfast (value $600)
* 3rd Prize – SkiGo Carbon 335 Skate Roller Skis (value $420)
* 4th Prize – Alpina ESK Ski Boots (value $419) * 5th Prize – One Way Premio Ski Poles (value $400) * 6th Prize – Bjorn Daehlie Exclusive US XC Ski Suit (value $300) * 7th Prize – 2XU Long Sleeve Thermal Compression Top and Elite Socks (value $195) * 8th Prize – Bliz Proflip Visor (value $129) * 9th Prize – Fresh Air Experience or High Peaks Cyclery Gift Certificate (value $100) * 10th Prize –AuclairMicro Mountain Olympic Gloves + Earbags (value $65) * WCup Breaks –BuffHeadware to top 3 contest leaders before the Tour de Ski (value $23)
SkiTrax is North America’s leading Nordic skiing publication and the official magazine of the United States Ski and Snowboard Association (USSA) and Cross Country Canada (CCC).
January 14, 2013 (Chaux-Neuve, France) – Brothers Bryan and Taylor Fletcher (Steamboat Springs, CO) paired up to finish seventh in a FIS Nordic Combined World Cup team sprint in Chaux-Neuve. The brothers jumped to 13th and slowly moved up through the pack for the top 10 finish. The World Cup now heads to Seefeld, Austria for a pair of events next weekend.
Germany’s Eric Frenzel and Tino Edelmann won the contest by 1.4 seconds over their closest rivals, Team Norway. The hometown favorite French team was third.
Billy Demong (Vermontville, NY) and Johnny Spillane (Steamboat Springs, CO) were 13th.
QUOTES Bryan Fletcher
Today was a fun day. Personally I was a little disappointed with my jumping today, however I was pumped with Taylor’s performance both on the jump hill and in the cross country. I have not felt that great in cross country throughout the weekend however today I was able to hang tough and keep us moving up throughout the second half of the race. I am really proud of Taylor and his performance lately. He is really starting to step it up and he is without a doubt one of the strongest guys on the cross country course day in and day out.
Personally it’s very fun to race with my brother and I hope to do it more often. This is the second time this season we have been a team together and both times I think we have surprised ourselves with what we are capable of even if we don’t have a perfect day.
Taylor Fletcher
It was a pretty decent day for both of us. I had a pretty solid jump and a pretty good race as well. Bryan had a great race and hung though when the speed was turned up. We moved up about as far as we really could! The top jumpers really showed themselves today which put some time between packs. Racing with Bryan is a lot of fun. We keep improving with each race and hope to get a podium before the end of the year.
January 11, 2013 (Toronto, ON) – We are pleased to announce the SkiTrax FIS Tour de Ski 2012/13 Fantasy Contest standings after stage 6 in Val di Fiemme, Italy. In an exciting twist, Team Iisaku has taken charge with 632 points, trailed by ZIS XC with a mere one-point deficit. Team Mavericks has moved up into third place with 627 points.
Stage 6 was the day Canada earned a double podium in the men’s 15km CL competition, courtesy of Len Valjas and Alex Harvey – read more here. On the women’s side, Justyna Kowalczyk (POL) continued to dominate the field, while USA’s Kikkan Randall finished a strong 11th in the 10km CL race – read more here.
With only one stage to go, we’d like to wish all contestants good luck and once again thank all of our great sponsors, including Mont Ste-Anne, Alpina, One Way, Marwi, Halti, 2XU, Fresh Air Experience, High Peaks Cyclery, CCC, Auclair, and Buff.
For the contest standings after Stage 6 in Val di Fiemme click HERE.
* 1st Prize – Mont Ste-Anne – 2 nights lodging w/breakfast + 3-day XC gift certificate, tune-up (value $800) * 2nd Prize – Alpina ESK Ski Boots (value $419) * 3rd Prize – One Way Premio Ski Poles (value $400) * 4th Prize – Marwe 610c Roller Skis (value $349) * 5th Prize – Halti XC Race Suit Hemmo Set (value $269) * 6th Prize – 2XU Long Sleeve Thermal Compression Top and Elite Socks (value $195) * 7th Prize – Fresh Air Experience or High Peaks Cyclery Gift Certificate (value $150) * 8th Prize – Two free CCC Inside Track Rewards Cards plus a $50 Gift Card to the CCC e-store (value $100) * 9th Prize – AuclairMicro Mountain Olympic Gloves + Earbags (value $65) * 10th Prize – BuffHeadware (value $23)
SkiTrax is North America’s leading Nordic skiing publication and the official magazine of the United States Ski and Snowboard Association (USSA) and Cross Country Canada (CCC).
January 09, 2013 – It wasn’t sure for a long time if it would be possible to host the 46th edition of the Jizerská Padesatka on the 13th of January. Warm temperatures and a lot of rain had made it very difficult for the organisers to maintain the course. However, colder temperatures are announced for the coming days and also some new snow. With the help of a lot of volunteers, who helped to get snow back on the tracks, the OC decided that the race can be held. The track will remain the same as usual.
In total, 4470 participants from 30 nations will be on the start line for the 50km classic race which will pass through the wonderful landscape of the Iser mountains. Starting from the cross country stadium in Bedrichov, the track ducks into the forest and keeps on until close to the Polish boarder before turning back to Jizerka and finally to Bedrichov and the finish.
Already two days before, the first race goes under way with the 30km skating race around the Iser mountain tracks. The 25km classic race will then follow on Saturday.
All the classic specialists from Norway and Sweden will be present and are joining in the fight for the overall FIS Marathon Cup ranking for first time this season.
As there will also be the FIS Cross Country World Cup present in Liberec – only some kilometres from Bedrichov – the same weekend, a huge ski party will take place in the centre of Liberec Saturday night with a live band playing.
The racers – Who is on the start list?
First name to mention is certainly the one of Stanislav Rezac, the local hero, who could win last year’s edition. Last year’s complete podium will be present as Jimmy Johnsson (SWE) is announced to start as is Joergen Aukland (NOR) and his brother Anders. Toni Livers (SUI), the third of the FIS Marathon Cup opener La Sgambeda (ITA), Florian Kostner (ITA), Jerry Ahrlin (SWE), Daniel Tynell and his brother Rikard (SWE), Jörgen Brink (SWE) or Oskar Svärd (SWE) will certainly be the major contestants. It will be interesting to see how some World Cup skiers will do: Anders Soedergren (SWE), Simen Oestensen (NOR), Martin Bajcicak (SVK), Johan Kjoelstad (NOR), Vassili Rotchev (RUS) and Eldar Roenning (NOR) have decided to use the Jizerská Padesatka as a preparation for the 50km race at the World Championships in Val di Fiemme in the beginning of March later this year.
On the women’s side, the second and the third of last years race, Tatjana Manimaa (EST) and Jenny Hansson (SWE) will be present as will be last year’s overall FIS Marathon Cup winner Stephanie Santer (ITA), Laila Kveli (NOR), Susanne Nyström (SWE), Antonella Confortola (ITA), Seraina Boner (SUI) and Valentina Shevchenko (UKR). Vibeke Skofterud (NOR), who already did the Vasaloppet last year and who has also won it, will equally be starting.
The actual start list for the elite skiers can be found HERE (always subject to change).
Important dates & Information:
– January 13: Jizerská Padesatka (CZE) – 2nd FIS Marathon Cup 2012-13 / 50km classic
– 9am: start of the 50km Jizerská Padesatka at the Bedrichov cross country stadium
Winners in 2011:
– Men: 1st Stanislav Rezac (CZE), 2nd Jimmy Johnsson (SWE), 3rd Joergen Aukland (NOR)
– Women: 1st Sara Svendsen (NOR), 2nd Tatjana Manimaa (EST), 3rd Jenny Hansson (SWE)
More information on the race:
Jizerská Padesatka: www.jiz50.cz
Track information HERE.
Next FIS Marathon Cup: January 20 – Dolomitenlauf (AUT), 60km skating
Worldloppet – The World of Marathon Skiing!!!
More information: www.worldloppet.com
Visit also the official Worldlooppet Facebook Page HERE.
Never miss an info about the world of marathon skiing – follow @WLandFISMaCup
January 08, 2013 (Toronto, ON) – We are excited to present the SkiTrax FIS Tour de Ski 2012/13 Fantasy Contest standings after stage 5 in Cortina-Toblach, Italy. Team ZIS XC continues to lead with 568 points, followed by Fratuzzi TdS in second with 558 points, and then it’s Powered by Biscuits in third with 549 points.
USA’s Kikkan Randall finished seventh in the women’s 3.3km CL, while Justyna Kowalczyk (POL) won handily – read more here. Canada’s Len Valjas was a strong 11th in the men’s 5km CL, which was won by Alexey Poltoranin (KAZ) – read more here.
With two stages to go we’d like to wish all contestants good luck and once again thank all of our great sponsors, including Mont Ste-Anne, Alpina, One Way, Marwi, Halti, 2XU, Fresh Air Experience, High Peaks Cyclery, CCC, Auclair, and Buff.
For the contest standings after Stage 5 in Cortina-Toblach click HERE.
* 1st Prize – Mont Ste-Anne – 2 nights lodging w/breakfast + 3-day XC gift certificate, tune-up (value $800) * 2nd Prize – Alpina ESK Ski Boots (value $419) * 3rd Prize – One Way Premio Ski Poles (value $400) * 4th Prize – Marwe 610c Roller Skis (value $349) * 5th Prize – Halti XC Race Suit Hemmo Set (value $269) * 6th Prize – 2XU Long Sleeve Thermal Compression Top and Elite Socks (value $195) * 7th Prize – Fresh Air Experience or High Peaks Cyclery Gift Certificate (value $150) * 8th Prize – Two free CCC Inside Track Rewards Cards plus a $50 Gift Card to the CCC e-store (value $100) * 9th Prize – AuclairMicro Mountain Olympic Gloves + Earbags (value $65) * 10th Prize – BuffHeadware (value $23)
SkiTrax is North America’s leading Nordic skiing publication and the official magazine of the United States Ski and Snowboard Association (USSA) and Cross Country Canada (CCC).
June 28, 2013 – Liz Stephen of the US Ski team had a historic year in 2012/13, placing 5th in the 10k freestyle at the 2013 World Ski Championships (a best-ever finish for a US female), winning the Swiss National Championship 5km FR, along with a victory at the U.S. Distance Championships 30km CL.
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![A beauty of a view – great friends, great mountain adventures – Brent, Heidi and myself on the top of a Mt. James Walker a couple days ago. [P] Devon Kershaw](https://skitrax.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/A-beauty-of-a-view-great-friends-great-mountain-adventures-Brent-Heidi-and-myself-on-the-top-of-a-Mt.-James-Walker-a-couple-days-ago.-P-Devon-Kershaw.jpg)
![A common sight – me smiling away. Selkirk Mountain Experience is amazing. [P] courtesy of Devon Kershaw](https://skitrax.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/A-common-sight-me-smiling-away.-Selkirk-Mountain-Experience-is-amazing.-P-courtesy-of-Devon-Kershaw.jpg)
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![Heidi Widmer enjoying the serenity. [P] Devon Kershaw](https://skitrax.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Heidi-enjoying-the-serenity.-P-Devon-Kershaw.jpg)
![Here’s Nicoline showing us a sweet ice cave! [P] Devon Kershaw](https://skitrax.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Heres-Nicoline-showing-us-a-sweet-ice-cave-P-Devon-Kershaw.jpg)
![Ok, I officially got carried away. This is the parting shot – another Widmer getting after it – Erwin climbing away. It’s been a fun spring so far of ski touring. [P] Devon Kershaw](https://skitrax.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Ok-I-officially-got-carried-away.-This-is-the-parting-shot-another-Widmer-getting-after-it-Erwin-climbing-away.-Its-been-a-fun-spring-so-far-of-ski-touring.-P-Devon-Kershaw.jpg)
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![The only photo I have of the actual Durrand Chalet – here are Brent, Phil and I getting ready for another beauty day. [P] Devon Kershaw](https://skitrax.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/The-only-photo-I-have-of-the-actual-Durrand-Chalet-here-are-Brent-Phil-and-I-getting-ready-for-another-beauty-day.-P-Devon-Kershaw.jpg)
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![Yep. [P] Devon Kershaw](https://skitrax.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Yep.-P-Devon-Kershaw.jpg)
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![Classic Sprinting [P] Salomon](https://skitrax.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Classic-Sprinting-P-Salomon.jpg)
![Fourth! [P] courtesy of Sadie Bjornsen](https://skitrax.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Fourth-P-courtesy-of-Sadie-Bjornsen.jpg)
![Funny photo from the local paper. I have been hoping all week to get in there just once, but I wasn’t quite expecting this one. Google translation: What the Symbol of the World [P] courtesy of Sadie Bjornsen](https://skitrax.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Funny-photo-from-the-local-paper.-I-have-been-hoping-all-week-to-get-in-there-just-once-but-I-wasn’t-quite-expecting-this-one.-Google-translation-What-the-Symbol-of-the-World-P-courtesy-of-Sadie-Bjornsen.jpg)
![Group Effort [P] USSA](https://skitrax.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Group-Effort-P-USSA.jpg)
![Jessie – you did it! [P] courtesy of Sadie Bjornsen](https://skitrax.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Jessie-you-did-it-P-courtesy-of-Sadie-Bjornsen.jpg)
![Making records and having fun [P] USSA](https://skitrax.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Making-records-and-having-fun-P-USSA.jpg)
![Matt, the ladies, and the medals! [P] courtesy of Sadie Bjornsen](https://skitrax.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Matt-the-ladies-and-the-medals-P-courtesy-of-Sadie-Bjornsen.jpg)
![Racing through the stadium in the Pursuit [P] Salomon](https://skitrax.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Racing-through-the-stadium-in-the-Pursuit-P-Salomon.jpg)
![Sadie on the move [P] USSA](https://skitrax.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Sadie-on-the-move-P-USSA.jpg)
![Soaking in the sun [P] USSA](https://skitrax.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Soaking-in-the-sun-P-USSA.jpg)
![UP we go [P] USSA](https://skitrax.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/UP-we-go-P-USSA.jpg)
![And more UP [P] USSA](https://skitrax.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/And-more-UP-P-USSA.jpg)
![Sadie Bjornsen [P] USSA](https://skitrax.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Sadie-Bjornsen-P-USSA.jpg)
![Sadie Bjornsen (USA) [P] Nordic Focus](https://skitrax.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Bjornsen280213mf085.2.jpg)
![Marit Bjoergen (NOR) [P] Nordic Focus](https://skitrax.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/bjoergen280213al101.2.jpg)
![Final podium (l-r) Bjoergen, Steira, Weng and Johaug win gold in 4x5km women [P] Nordic Focus](https://skitrax.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/group280213al105.2.jpg)
![Swedish team (l-r) Ingemarsdotter, Wiken, Haag and Kalla take silver [P] Nordic Focus](https://skitrax.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/group280213al107.2.jpg)
![Norwegian team (l-r) Weng, Johaug, Steira and Bjoergen celebrate win [P] Nordic Focus](https://skitrax.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/group280213al112.2.jpg)
![USA team hugs [P] Nordic Focus](https://skitrax.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/group280213al116.2.jpg)
![Final podium (l-r) Ingemarsdotter, Haag, Wiken and Kalla in 2nd [P] Nordic Focus](https://skitrax.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/group280213al118.2.jpg)
![Final podium (l-r) Guschina, Iksanova, Ivanova and Tchekaleva in 3rd [P] Nordic Focus](https://skitrax.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/group280213al119.2.jpg)
![(l-r) Teresa Stadlober (AUT), Justyna Kowalczyk (POL), Katrin Zeller (GER) [P] Nordic Focus](https://skitrax.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Group280213mf1003.2.jpg)
![Anna Haag (SWE) [P] Nordic Focus](https://skitrax.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Haag280213mf052.2.jpg)
![Aurore Jean (FRA) in lead [P] Nordic Focus](https://skitrax.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Jean280213mf989.2.jpg)
![Therese Johaug (NOR) [P] Nordic Focus](https://skitrax.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Johaug280213mf998.2.jpg)
![Yulia Tchekaleva (RUS) [P] Nordic Focus](https://skitrax.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Tchekaleva280213mf069.2.jpg)
![Kikkan Randall (USA) [P] Nordic Focus](https://skitrax.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Randall280213mf1001.2.jpg)
![(l-r) Bjoergen (NOR), Johaug (NOR) and Tchekaleva (RUS) [P] Nordic Focus](https://skitrax.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/podium260213al121.2.jpg)
![Kerttu Niskanen (FIN) [P] Nordic Focus](https://skitrax.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Niskanen280213mf040.2.jpg)
![Perianne Jones (CAN) [P] Nordic Focus](https://skitrax.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Jones280213mf1005.2.jpg)
![Norwegian squad (l-r) Heidi Weng, Therese Johaug, Kristin Steira and Marit Bjoergen [P] Nordic Focus](https://skitrax.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Norway-1403.3.jpg)
![Norwegian squad (l-r) Heidi Weng, Therese Johaug, Kristin Steira and Marit Bjoergen [P] Nordic Focus](https://skitrax.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Norway-1403.2.jpg)
