February 08, 2013 (Sun Valley, ID) – Watch this highlight video courtesy of John Plummer and SV Resort, and check out some great photos by Nils Ribi from the Boulder Mountain Tour, the renowned 32km freestyle race and one of America’s longest running and most respected cross-country ski events. The video includes interviews with women’s winner Lauren Fritz (APU) and men’s champ Sylvan Ellefson (Vail Ski and Snowboard Club), as well as race action.

Results and more HERE.

February 07, 2013 – Check out this amazing video as Suzy “Chapstick” Chaffee pulls some fantastic moves on skis. Chaffee is a former Olympic alpine ski racer, ballet skier, model, and actress. She won three world titles in freestyle ski ballet in the early 1970’s. Her nickname “Chapstick” stems from her stint as a spokesperson for ChapStick lip balm in the 70s. Chaffee is also a Vermont Ski and Snowboard Museum Hall of Fame Inductee.

October 10, 2012 (Val Müstair, Switzerland) – On January 1, 2013, the FIS Tour de Ski will make its first stop ever in Switzerland. Val Müstair, the home valley of the triple FIS Cross-Country World Cup and FIS Tour de Ski winner Dario Cologna, will host the third stage of the Tour, a free technique sprint. Val Müstair lies close to the Italian border, approximately two hours by car from Innsbruck. It is situated between two passes, the Ofenpass from the Swiss side and the Reschenpass from Italy.

Picturesque Val Müstair
The Müstair valley is one of the most beautiful mountain valleys in Switzerland. It is acclaimed for two things. The world-famous Convent of St. John, a UNESCO World Heritage site, and the Swiss National Park, a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. A cultural highlight and chief attraction, the Benedictine Convent of St. John is an idyllic alpine monastery which was founded by Charlemagne to whom it owes its distinction. Built in the 8th Century the convent church houses the world’s richest and best preserved series of figurative Romanesque murals, with impressive Carolingian frescos. The new “Planta Tower” museum gives insights into the cloister life.

Sporty Val Müstair
In the summer, Val Müstair offers a wide range of holiday experiences. Hikers can explore the valley, the Swiss National Park and the nearby Ortler mountain region. Trails are well marked, and for both beginners and experienced cyclists there is an extensive network of paths and mountain bike trails.

Skiing, snowboarding, cross-country – for those who want a classic winter sports holiday, Val Müstair is the perfect place. The Minschuns ski area is family friendly and the cross-country trails are everything you could wish for. There is also the opportunity for ski touring and snowshoeing.

FIS Tour de Ski in Val Müstair
Cross-Country Skiing has a long tradition and histors in the valley. Most importantly, Dario Cologna was born in St. Maria, which lies only 8 km from Tschierv, the competition venue. Dario Cologna’a successes and growing repuation has increased the popularity of Cross-Country Skiing in the region. “Firstly we want to take advantage of the growing popularity of Cross-Country Skiing and the personal appeal of Dario Cologna to create something magnificent. Secondly, we want to promote our position as a tourist destination in connection with Cross-Country Skiing,” Claudio Daguati, Secretary of the Organizing Committee, says.

Find out more about Val Müstair
www.tour-de-ski.ch
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February 06, 2012 (Minneapolis, MN) – The City of Lakes Loppet on Sunday drew nearly 600 racers, despite an organizer’s nightmare that forced relocation of the event just one week before the date. Because recent snowfall weakened the ice resulting in puddles on the original Chain of Lakes route, the event was moved to a man-made snow loop in Theodore Wirth Park in north Minneapolis.

After snatching the men’s victory at the Boulder Mountain Tour in Idaho on Saturday, Matthew Liebsch (Team Strongheart/Team Birkie) continued his winning streak the following day in the freestyle discipline at the City of Lakes Loppet in Minneapolis, finishing the 17km race in a time of 37:06, with second place, Brian Gregg (CXC) right on his tail in second, only one second behind. Eric Wolcott placed third with a finishing time of 38:33.

Caitlin Gregg (CXC) took home the women’s title in a time of 40:32 with more than two minutes to spare over her teammate in second place, Jennie Bender. Natalia Yakimova picked up the final podium spot for third place.

Full results for all events HERE.

January 31, 2012 (Marquette, MI) – Nearly 1,400 participants took part in the 14th annual Noquemanon Ski Marathon presented by Marquette General Health Systems. The headline event – the 50km classic – started in Ishpeming, home of the National Ski Hall of Fame. It was Santi Ocariz (CXC) who crossed the line first in Marquette after 2:31:20.9. In the women’s competition, Natalia Naryshkina won with a time of 2:56:34.9.

Michael Brothers (Alpina/Madshus) logged the fastest 50km freestyle in 2:20:35.5, while Paulette Niemi collected the women’s crown in 2:41:00.4.

Skiers also had opportunities to test themselves over shorter distances, such as the Bank Half-Marathon, a 24km race that uses the second half of the Noquemanon course, sharing the finish line outside of the Superior Dome. Andrew Bruning (CHS Boys) and Monica Markvardsen (NMU Ski Team) won the men’s and women’s 24k freestyle races, respectively, while classic counterparts Erik Soderman and Jordyn Ross, both from NMU Ski Team as well, took top spots in their categories.

Full results HERE.

January 15, 2012 (Milan, Italy) – The Russian duo of Alexey Petukhov and Nikolay Morilov scored the win in the men’s 6×1.4km free men’s team sprint at the FIS WCup Sunday in Milan. Sweden’s Calle Halvarsson and Teodor Peterson took the silver medal, while, to the delight of the Italian crowd, David Hofer (ITA) and Fulvio Scola (ITA) sprinted to bronze.

The U.S. squad of Andy Newell and Simeon Hamilton did not advance to the final, finishing off with a 19th-place ranking. No Canadian team was entered in the event.

Results HERE.

December 20, 2011 (Crescent Lake, OR) – Registration for the Crescent Lake Challenge freestyle ski race and citizen tour, set for Sunday, January 15, 2012, is now open. The event, which takes place on a 22km course on the groomed trails and rolling hills around scenic Crescent Lake, Oregon, in the central Cascades is popular, and due to limited space in the lodge for the free hot lunch, entries are limited to 120 skiers.

Organizers are adding a classic track set (conditions permitting). All levels of skiers are welcome but be prepared to ski 14 miles.

Start Time: 10 am Sunday, January 15th

Learn more and sign up HERE.

September 27, 2011 (Oberhof, Germany) – The second Cross-Country Skiing sprint race will take place in Oberhof’s indoor ski venue on September 29. This is the first year it will be sanctioned by FIS. The freestyle sprints will kick off the German performance tests in a Mini-Tour format. For the first time, the athletes will fight for FIS points during the first event held on snow in the ski hall and organizers expect a larger international field to compete.

The German performance test program traditionally features Cross-Country running and Roller Skiing pursuit races.

Follow the race LIVE!
You can follow the Oberhof indoor sprint races LIVE! Competition starts on Thursday at 18:00 CET with qualifying session and finals starting at 18:30. You can watch the race HERE or on fiscrosscountry.com