April 11, 2011 (Rovaniemi, Finland) – Here are more great photos from this past weekend’s 2011 Tour de Barents won by Petra Majdic (SLO) and Jean-Marc Gaillard (FRA). The event featured amazing racing with Gaillard winning the tour by only 0.2s over teammate Maurice Manificat. The tour also held an emotional and historical component, as it marked the retirement of Slovenian star Majdic, along with Pirjo Muranen (FIN) and Jaak Mae (EST).

Read more HERE.

April 08, 2011 (Planegg, Germany) – ‘After the season is before the season’ was the motto for more than 20 representatives of the organizing committees, representatives of Infront Sports & Media as well as FIS and FIS Marketing AG who conducted a debrief on the fifth edition of the Viessmann FIS Tour de Ski performance by Craft Sportswear in Planegg, Germany on April 1.

A detailed review, including results from surveys with different stakeholder groups and discussions on several topics like marketing & promotion, accommodation and logistics, was held to make sure that improvements will be effected so that the next edition of the Tour will be even more successful than the last one.

“The Tour de Ski had his fifth birthday this year and the “child” keeps growing and developing. We can be proud of the TV ratings, amazing online interest and the number of spectators on site, but we also realize that we still have space to improve further. The Tour de Ski already delivers high value to the sport of Cross-Country Skiing – it is the premium product after the Olympic Games and the FIS World Championships. But to achieve the status of a premium brand we have to continue to work closely together with the National Ski Associations and local organizers.

At the same time, the FIS Cross-Country Committee and the Sub-Committees have the task to develop the Tour rules further and make a logistically easy and interesting Tour calendar,” explained Jürg Capol, FIS Cross-Country Race Director. “Especially next year, when the Tour de Ski is the main highlight in the Cross-Country season, the Tour Organizers and the FIS Cross-Country Committee will work hard to make the Tour even more attractive.”

April 08, 2011 (Jyväskylä, Finland) – World Champion Matti Heikkinen has made Salomon’s complete ski, boot, and binding system his choice. The 27-year-old Heikkinen has chosen to become a Salomon complete athlete in what should be the peak years of his career. Heikkinen states, “Salomon as a company shows today the greatest potential to develop the near perfect equipment which is necessary to achieve my goals.”

At the recently completed 2011 World Ski Championships in Oslo, Norway, Matti was crowned World Champion in the 15km Classic. In so doing, Matti brought to Finland its first victory at major competition in over 12 years. This medal complements two bronze medals he won at the 2009 World Championships.

Matti aims to use his World Championship success as a stepping stone for his country and himself to reach much grander skiing goals. He continues to be outspoken advocate for the sport and is working to find ways to build a successful future for Finland in the sport. Personally, he believes the change to Salomon will aid him to become a more consistent figure on the World Cup podium in 2012 with continued success at the 2013 World Championships in Fiemme, Italy the 2014 Olympic Games in Sochi, Russia and the 2015 World Championships in Falun, Sweden.

Salomon’s Racing Services Director, Bertrand Regard, is pleased and excited that Matti has found Salomon’s complete system his best choice. Regard states, “We are pleased that more and more World Cup skiers are seeking out Salomon for their ski, boot and bindings needs. If you do the same thing you get the same result. If you wish to make improvement, change is not only good, it is necessary!”

Salomon, as the Nordic brand that develops each and every aspect of the development, integration and production of its skis, boots, and bindings is uniquely capable of rapidly developing and delivering the state-of-the-art concepts and technologies. An endless list of advancements in its boots and bindings since 1979 has delivered a comenserate endless list of Olympic, World Championship, and WorldCup success by athletes selecting its product. And in just seven years since the inception of its first racing ski, Salomon has developed and delivered three complete generations of WorldCup winning skis, an impressive feet.

We at Salomon are already preparing for the 2011-2112 World Cup season just 210 days away. We are excited to see what the changes by Matti’s and all of the athletes will deliver as we continue to rapidly bring our advancements in the technology to the sport so all skiers can better glide through winter.

Fallow all Salomon Nordic action at SalomonRacing.com and Facebook/Salomon-Nordic.

April 05, 2011 (Sun Valley, ID) – Following the conclusion of the World Cup racing season, I made one last stop over in Sun Valley, Idaho for the final domestic races of the winter. With five races in 7 days, it was a busy couple of weeks.

The first race was the 30km US National Championship. It was a challenging mass-start race of four laps around a tough 7.2km loop. I took the lead halfway through the race and despite some gnarly cramps in the final 10km managed to take my 16th US National title. The next four races were contested as a mini-tour, with cumulative times and an overall champion.

In the opening race, the 2.8km skate prologue, I skied to a 16 second victory in just over seven minutes. The second race of the tour was a 10km classic mass-start with some cash bonuses up for grabs. I skied from the front once again, taking all four preems and held off some strong challengers in the last kilometers for another victory. After a day off we were back at it with classic sprints. The sun was hot and the snow was slow but I felt great and skied to the win. I did manage to get a wicked sunburn on my arms in the process. The final race was a 4km skate hill climb up Dollar Mountain. I started with over a minute lead, but pitted myself against the clock and skied all out to take the stage victory and the overall. In total I won six golden belt buckles over the course of the week. It was the perfect end to my best season to date.

Before leaving Sun Valley I got to help lead an awesome Fast and Female ski day, enjoying ski drills, dancing, yoga and healthy eating with over 70 girls. Now the season is over and it’s officially time for some R&R. Enjoy spring everyone!

Quote of the Day:
“To get to the end of the season and still feel strong in back to back races is a good feeling. But now, I am ready for vacation!”

What’s Coming Up:
VACATION!!

For more news and photos check out the new www.kikkan.com

The Full Story – Season Wrap up from Sun Valley
The 2010-2011 ski season has now come to a close with the final domestic races in Sun Valley, ID. Here’s a little update on how it went…

US National 30km Classic Championships
The first races contested in Sun Valley were the 50km and 30km US National Championship races. The men went first on Saturday, and endured some gnarly weather through seven laps of a challenging course. Thankfully, the weather dramatically improved for the women’s race on Sunday.

The race was mass-start with the women skiing four laps. My fellow US teammate Morgan Arritola led much of the first two laps, setting a brisk opening pace that quickly strung out the field. I took over at the end of the 2nd lap, initially planning on only leading for a few kilometers. However, the lead pack was now down to just five skiers and no one else was willing to lead.

Towards the end of the third lap, Maria Graenings (a Swedish skier skiing for University of Utah) and I began to pull away. Going into the final lap I began to feel twinges in my arms and hips of cramps coming on. I took several Coke feeds to try and stave off the cramps, but through the lap my muscles began locking up more and more.

I kept pushing the pace as Maria was still right on my tails and amazingly, junior standout Jessie Diggins was only 10 seconds behind. Up the last two climbs my arms and hips were cramping like crazy but I was still able to keep my tempo up. Heading up the “South Bench” climb in the last 2km, I was finally able to shake Maria and get a gap of 10 seconds which I held until the finish. With only one shot at a US National title this season, I was happy to take the win.For the next hour, I fought off continuing cramps and even my fingers wanted to curl up into my palms.

We got a rest day following the 30km, to prepare for the start of the SuperTour Finals 4-stage mini-tour.

2.8km Skate Prologue
With my hips and triceps still sore from the cramping, I was glad to switch to skating for the start of the mini-tour. At just under 3km, the prologue event is a challenging event to pace, especially with the altitude factor of 6600 ft.

I was the last woman to start. I used the opening kilometer on the flats to build into my pace and carried good momentum into the main stair-step climb called “Hammer.” When I hit the base of the hill I got a split that I was in the lead by 2 seconds. As I made my way up the steps, I focused on keeping a good rhythm. I got splits that my lead was increasing. The hill was tough for sure, but I came over the top quicker and feeling better than I had anticipated.

Legs definitely a little stiff, I managed to hang on around a tight, technical turn at the bottom, which was tough to navigate in the flat light conditions. I hammered the rest of the way up and over the final hill and drove hard into the finish. The race was over in less than eight minutes. When the results came in, I took the win by 16 seconds and took the lead in the overall mini-tour standings. If only all races were just seven minutes!

Two down, three to go.

10km Classic mass-start
Right away the next day we contested a 10km classic mass-start race. The men raced first and by the time we raced, the sun was coming out and the temperature was just starting to change. I opted to go on some stiffer skis for better glide.

For this race there were four preems of $100 each up for grabs at intermediate points along the course. We would be racing 3 laps of 3.3km. From the gun, I found myself at the front of the pack and even though we started at a pretty relaxed pace, no one else wanted to lead. So I settled into a good rhythm over the first lap. As we approached the first preem line, I expected some racers to come up along side and sprint for the bonus. But no one challenged and I took it. Heading into the 2nd lap, I kept the pressure on over the flats and skied with quick tempo up the climbs. For the 2nd preem at 5km, again no one challenged and I took it.

By the end of the 2nd lap I had started to open up a small gap on a couple chasers. I was still feeling good and determined to keep the pace honest. When I hit the main climb however, the effort finally started to set in. The sun had come out so my skis no longer had solid kick, and I was definitely fighting off fatigue.

The chasers were coming hard but I managed to hang on to my lead and cross the finish line for the win. I immediately collapsed into the snow and lay there for a few minutes. Man it felt good!

Three down, two to go

There was one more rest day before the final two stages of the mini-tour, which I spent scoping out the hill climb course, hanging in town with friends and doing some shopping at the Lululemon showroom run by my good buddy Kate Whitcomb.

1.5km Classic Sprint
The Sun Valley I remembered from my first trip here 11 years ago finally showed up for the sprint with icy, frozen tracks in the morning and then turning to slow slush by early afternoon. To keep the tracks intact as long as possible, no one was allowed on course except for the coaches. So I did my warm-up without a course preview and didn’t really get a chance to completely test my skis before the start. I just had to trust our wax guys and go for it!

This time I was the first racer on course. The tracks were fast and icy. I double-poled aggressively around most of the course and then hit the climb. My skis were a little bit slick and I really had to pull with my arms to make it up and over. I almost lost my balance coming around the final turn, but made it safely to the finish. I was immediately frustrated with the way I had skied the uphill but it was good enough to head on to the quarterfinals as the top qualifier.

By the time the heats started two hours later, the icy tracks had turned to slush and it was faster to ski outside the tracks. I won both my quarterfinal and semifinals by always making a strong move on the uphill. The sun was beating down and it felt hot!

Just before the final, our wax team decided to make a last minute switch from klister skis to Zeros to try to improve the glide in the slow snow. I just had to cross my fingers that it would work!

I decided to try and take the lead from the gun and push the pace the whole way. Double-poling through the slush, I could feel the others on my tails. When I hit the climb I just started running as fast as I could go. I kept pushing all the way to the line and crossed in first. I turned around to see my roommate for the week, Chandra Crawford coming in right behind me. High five!

We then watched the men’s final and soaked up a little more sun. It finally felt like spring!

Four down, one to go!

4km Skate Hill Climb
And then finally it was down to the last race of the mini-tour, and of the season, the skate hill climb up Dollar Mountain. While I enjoyed a big lead over 2nd place, I still wanted to race all out and end the season knowing I gave it everything I had. We didn’t get to enjoy the sun like the previous day, but that might have been a good thing because the trail stayed relatively firm and fast. The men raced first.

My strategy for the race was to start off controlled, build momentum into the base of the main climb and then maintain tempo up the climb and over the final rolling bench at the top. I executed the plan well coming into the long grind and was surprised to still be feeling pretty strong halfway up. Approaching the last 50m of the saddle however, the full-body burn set in. It took extreme focus and internal coaxing to keep fighting the fatigue. Everyone was screaming and cheering and then at last the finish was in sight. Those last few meters weren’t particularly pretty, but I made it to the line and dropped down onto the snow. As I lay there, chest heaving, I could finally smile and enjoy the conclusion of the season.

The finish area was pure carnage as the bodies of spent skiers lay everywhere. My APU teammate, Kate Fitzgerald, had pushed herself so hard that she had to be escorted down on a sled! Chandra (who had skied the race in a Lady Gaga outfit) and I enjoyed some sweet tele turns to get back down the mountain. I realized that I am ready to ski downhill for a while!

The awards wrapped up just as the rain started to fall. A big thank you goes out to Rick Kappala and the SVSEF team for putting on some great races! The rest of the day was dedicated to celebrating – first with my APU team, and then with everyone – a wonderful and memorable season.

To cap off my stay in Sun Valley, I got to help lead a Fast and Female event on Sunday. We had 23 ambassadors (including 7 Olympians) leading 70 girls ages 7-19 through ski drills, dancing, yoga and inspirational stories. The sun was out, the stoke was high, and everyone left with a big smile. It was a great way to wrap up the season!

Now I’m on my way to Whistler with Chandra to participate in a Lululemon Ambassador Summit. It’s going to be a fun couple of days of inspiration and personal development before I head back to Alaska.

In the next few weeks there will be a lot of reflection and evaluation about the season, and of course planning for next year. But for now it’s time to kick back, relax and have fun!

It’s been really fun to be able to share this season with you. Thank you for all the encouragement and support! I wish you all a happy spring and cheers to going for broke again next year!

Cheers,

Kikkan

April 05, 2011 – I just returned from product development meetings in Switzerland. As a company, we meet a few times each year to look at opportunities to go in new directions and take advantage of opportunities. The World Cup race service team is there as well as the team of scientists. Additionally there are representatives from the major markets. There is always a great synergy and passion. There were follow ups on initiatives that were taken since the last meeting. Also, some new ideas. Most exciting are some new products that involve some new technologies (new raw materials that nobody else has). Good stuff!

Summer Storage Waxing
Here are Toko’s recommendations for storage waxing of skis. First, brush the base out with a copper brush. Then drip on a generous amount of System3 or LF Red. Iron it in making sure that there is enough wax to provide a thick layer on the base and that the iron is hot enough to ensure a good bond between the wax and the base. This ironing procedure is normal, but sometimes a person rushes through storage waxing and the wax is not really heated outside of that it becomes liquid. The ski bases often times don’t even become warm. This will result in air between the base and the ski and less protection.

Red is our choice for storage waxing as Blue is so hard that it is more difficult to make sure that there is no air between the ski and base and Yellow is so soft that it gets “eaten away” quicker. System3 Red is good, but LF Red is even better as its consistency is perfect. If waxing skis or a board with metal edges, slop the wax over the edges and cover them too.

A SUMMARY:
1. Brush skis out well with Copper Brush
2. Iron in System3 Red or LF Red making sure adequate wax is used and that the wax is heated in well.

See you on the Flip Side!
It was an epic season. The US had a super winter in terms of snow coverage. The industry posted some very good numbers. Toko USA had an all time record year (and the 4th in 4 years). The US had some solid results internationally in all disciplines. Gotta love it!

This is the final Toko newsletter for the season. Thanks for your interest! We’ll leave you alone until the late fall unless something remarkable happens.

Have a good one!

Ian Harvey, Toko USA

March 30, 2011 (Auburn, NH) – Fischer Skis announced today that its skis and boots dominated the Nordic World Ski Championships in Oslo, Norway, and Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia, held February 24 through March 6, 2011. The company beat its record figures from the Vancouver Winter Games to win 50 gold, 45 silver and 35 bronze medals, making Fischer more successful than ever before. Overall, 71% of the ski medals and 32% of the boot medals went to athletes who choose to compete on Fischer equipment.

U.S. Ski Team member and Fischer ski athlete Kikkan Randall finished third in the sprint rankings and tenth in the Overall World Cup. Her third place finish in the overall sprint was the best finish ever by a U.S. Nordic sprint athlete.

“Fischer has a long history of dominating the race circuit, and our performance at the 2011 World Championships proves that our commitment to innovation is second to none,” said Chris Hall, Nordic racing director, Fischer Skis U.S. “We are especially pleased with the success of our boots, which exceeded our expectations.”

“This World Cup season has been my most successful yet,” said Kikkan Randall. “I rely on the consistency that Fischer skis deliver to help me compete in every stage of the season, and I am already excited to see what we can accomplish together in the coming year.”

For a complete list of Fischer’s Nordic World Ski Championships medals and winners, please click HERE.

March 30, 2011 – Check out this video by Plum TV featuring shots of last weekend’s US XC Ski National Championships 30/50km Classic races in Sun Valley, Idaho, along with an in-depth description of the event and explanation of the USSA SuperTour by Travis Jones, Cross Country Olympic Development Coach for the Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation.

Click HERE to view the video.

March 29, 2011 (Canmore, AB) – Hello to all ski lovers out there, it’s my first blog and I’ll try not to bore you too much with it….so enjoy it… 2010/2011 season is over now and I guess I’ll like to talk about all ups and downs and all the bad and (not so many) good decisions I’ve made in past few month, about “good living”, and rolling big of Canadian National Ski Team at the Tour de Ski, excitement and experience of World Champs in Oslo, Norway – keep reading and check out Babikov’s blog here.

FIRST HALF OF THE SEASON….slow…

Let’s start with beginning of the World Cup season in Gallivare, Sweden and (very depressing for me) Kuusamo, Finland. I’m one of those all dogs that need a good, and I mean very good amount of hours on snow, before I can ski fast. That’s why I usually skip these couple of early World Cups races of the season. I guess looking at youngsters such Devon and Alex, I’ve decided to give it a chance…turned out as an “Epic Fail”. Not only I didn’t race well but also screwed up my shape for the next races, just because there were not enough time for good training.

Than was “pretty good” 17th place (considering that “Epic Fail” from above) result for me in La Clusaz, France World Cup. I always like racing there, first of all, there some very serious climbing involved and a lot of it, and secondly it’s pretty high altitude, about 1600 meters above the sea level.

From there team moved to Davos, SUI for pre-Tour de Ski training camp. Svetlana and Sergey (my wife and son) visited me there for Christmas. Some great training + family time = I’m happy 🙂

THE TOUR DE SKI…. WORLD CHAMPS….WORLD CUP FINALS….faster, but still slow….

Can’t say that I expected better result than 9th place overall at the last year’s Tour de Ski, but this time it didn’t go my way at all. With some bad sprinting at the beginning and losing a ski during 20km Pursuit, but holding strong at the end, I finished it with 21st place in overall. Amazing job by Devon, winning a stage and medalling on couple more, as well as Alex by finishing pretty much all the stages in top 10. Well at least I had a chance to live a week like a Rock Star, riding a very nice tour bus between the stages. Yea Buddy…

Very tired and not satisfied with my season so far, I got back to Canmore, and put the pedal to the floor with training for the 2011 World Championship in Oslo. It’s very hard to describe that atmosphere we had there, just going to say that was The Best skiing time in my life. I’ve never seen people so fired up about ski racing. Just imagine about 200 000 people, camping for two weeks out on the trails, and cheering us every day, that’s a spirit of skiing in Norway. It’s made it even more special when Alex and Devon became World Champions in Team Sprint relay. I personally, had my best (World Championship) 15th place in 30km Pursuit and 17th at 50km skate. Again not the best but I’ll take it.

I found my shape in the end of the season, with 8th place at 20km Pursuit in Lahti, Finland, and having a couple solid “top 15” races at World Cup Finals in Falun, Sweden.

So it wasn’t my best season, but also not the worst one. It will just make me train way harder in upcoming summer. What doesn’t kill you, that makes you stronger, at least that what “they” say.

Also I’ll say “Big Respect” to my friend George Grey, and thank you for all those days we spent at the many camps and races. You had an awesome career. We’ll miss you teammate.

Now I’ll have couple is week to rest and recover, and then back to the battle. Very excited about two things for now, first – it’s a start of another soccer season, and second – my Wipeout Canada episode on TV on April 14th. But about that in my next blog.

P.S. Huge THANKS to my friend Sergey Yermolayev for this website….

March 29, 2011 (Quebec City, QC) – Listen to this heartwarming CBC interview with Alex Harvey, one of Canada’s top XC skiers on the history-making men’s National Ski Team. Harvey and Devon Kershaw are blazing the way for men’s XC skiing in Canada with two top-10’s in the overall 2011 FIS World Cup standings.

Listen HERE.

March 28, 2011 – This morning, when I was busy speculating on just how much a 30km might possibly hurt, I got a text from my family wishing me and the team luck and saying “Kenzie says 35km was a blast.” Kenzie is my 14-year-old sister. And she raced 35km before I’ve even raced 30! So THAT threw all my plans of complaining out the window…and got me motivated to suck it up and get tough. And it was a beautiful day, which always helps!

I went into the race with these goals in mind:

1. DON’T break a pole. And don’t fall down.

2. If you do fall, fall where nobody can see you.

3. Don’t give yourself a gatorade facial again. Take at least one feed the RIGHT way. (In Oslo I managed to disgrace myself in front of coaches from around the world my first dropping a feed, and then slooshing the next one all over, yet still not getting a drop in my mouth. Sooooo embarrassing).

And believe it or not, I managed to accomplish all three (although I got ridiculously close to going down face first on the largest downhill a few times). And I’ve decided I need to start figuring out which feeds to take when during a distance race, because my stomach was doing some curious flip-flops in that last lap. But hey, it’s all a learning experience, right?

And wow, did I learn a lot today. It was such an honor to ski with more experienced girls who know how to pace and navigate a pack without wasting energy. After the second lap, I was in a small group with Kikkan, Maria, Morgan and Holly. During the third lap, we lost Holly and Morgan, and I tried my hardest to hang onto Kikkan and Maria but the long climb at the end of the lap was more than I could handle. So I skied the final lap alone, always within sight of Kikkan and Maria but never quite able to bridge the gap. On that final hill, I knew Morgan was putting in a huge effort to catch me and I was totally dying, but our coaches (Gus and Cork) gave the CXC girls such fantastic skis that I knew I just had to make it over the top with a tiny gap and I could stay in 3rd place. Although I’m not going to comment on my technique in the last few km of the race because if you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all.

Lap splits and results can be seen HERE.

One of these days I’ll remember to bring a camera to the race, but for now I think the words “sunny”, “picturesque mountains” and “totally enthusiastic cheering crowd” ought to do it!

March 25, 2011 (Sun Valley, ID) – Welcome to the 2011 US Championship 50km and 30 km races and to the 2011 USSA SuperTour Finals in Sun Valley, ID, March 26-April 2. Below, you will find essential information about the 2011 USSA Distance National Championships and SuperTour Finals in Sun Valley, ID. Racing kicks off on Saturday, March 26 with the Men’s 50k CL U.S. Championship. Check out everything you need to know about the event below.

SCHEDULE:
2011 US Championship 50/30 km / SuperTour Finals Schedule HERE.

MAPS:

Local Maps:
– Ketchum / Sun Valley Overview Map HERE.
– Downtown Ketchum Map / Coaches Meetings HERE.

Course Maps:
– US National Championship 50/30km CL (7.2km Loop) HERE.
– SuperTour Finals Men’s 3.3km Prologue FR HERE / SuperTour Finals Women’s 2.8km Prologue FR HERE
– SuperTour Finals Men’s 5km loop for 15km CL HERE / SuperTour Finals Women’s 3.3km loop for 10km CL HERE.
– SuperTour Finals Sprint CL HERE.
– Image of SuperTour Finals Hill Climb FR HERE.

Stadium Maps:
– SuperTour Finals Prologue FR Stadium HERE.
– US National Championship 50/30km CL / SuperTour Finals Mass Start CL Stadium HERE.
– SuperTour Finals Sprint CL Stadium HERE.

REGISTRATION:
– Zone4 HERE.

RESULTS:
– Summit Timing HERE.

CURRENT 2011 USSA SUPERTOUR STANDINGS:
– Current USSA SuperTour Standings HERE.

CURRENT MINI-TOUR STANDINGS:
– Check back…

PRIZE MONEY GUIDELINES:
– 2011 US Championship 50/30 km / SuperTour Finals Prize Money HERE.

SCORING GUIDELINES:
– 2011 US Championship 50/30 km / SuperTour Finals Scoring Guidelines HERE.

FAST AND FEMALE:
– Fast and Female Registration HERE.
– Fast and Female Poster HERE / Fast and Female Press Release HERE.

LODGING INFORMATION:
Official Lodging Partner is Sun Valley Company – contact them at 800.786.8259 and mention the SuperTour Finals for discounted rates.

More info HERE.

March 25, 2011 (Canmore, AB) – Nationals week has now come to an end in Canmore and what a great week of ski racing it was! Although my personal racing was a disaster, it was great to be a part of such an outstanding event.

The 10k Skate:
In a word: Ouch. The day started off well; perfect weather, perfect snow, perfect conditions for a ski race! After flying through 7km with the lead, followed closely by George, I felt like I had paced myself perfectly to contend for the win. At points early in the race I felt as though I was skiing too easy but could tell I was skiing well as I had managed to get within a few seconds of my 30-second man (Graeme Killick). Little was I aware though that the wheels were about to come off in a big way!

Perhaps my pace was too high for the grueling course, or maybe my lack of quality training over the past month started to show… whatever it was, my body checked out early. Feeling like someone had thrown out the anchor at full throttle I began to die a quick and unexpected death. There was little I could do but dig deep and try to minimize the damage. Despite redlining most of the last 2.5km I watch in dismay as Killick skied away from me and my split times steadily got worse.

I suffered to the line for 4th place, losing 30 seconds to Grey and Gkill (Killick) who skied an incredible final lap. There’s nothing worse than blowing up in a race, especially when you have the energy to keep pushing, but the body just won’t go. It’s like being chased in a dream, no matter how fast you try to run, it seems like you just can’t go as fast as you need to!

This is most certainly the most I have made myself hurt all year. Lying on the ground at the finish, feeling like my head was about to explode, all I could do was hope such a hard effort would stimulate the body to perform better for the rest of the week.

The 15km Classic:
If the 10k was rough, this race was nothing short of a train wreck. Warm temps, icy tracks and new snow made for a waxing nightmare. With cool mornings and rapidly warming temperatures, the few cms of fresh snow in the early morning was icing on the cake of suffering. As the Alberta World Cup Academy wax team scrambled to anticipate the rapidly changing snow conditions and make the all important klister or hardwax decision, I began warming up for the type of classic conditions I always dread. Faced with having to make a last second guess on what the weather was going to do and which skis were going to be the best- I chose wrong. I was banking on the sun continuing to shine and temperatures rapidly rising, so went with a heavily klistered pair of skis. The weather wouldn’t cooperate though and I ended up with a painfully slow, icing, draggy mess. After losing 12 seconds to the leaders in the first 1.5km (most of which was downhill) I knew I was in for a hard day at the office. Most of the field struggled with the wax but it was apparent that the top 3 (all waxing together) had nailed it, gapping the rest of the field by a whopping 1minute and 40 seconds!

The Classic Sprint:
I would have paid good money for the usual hard and fast ‘Canmore Snow Conditions’ this week however the Classic sprint day brought more of the same difficult conditions. More fresh snow overnight and rapidly warming temps once again left me scrambling to find a ski/wax combo that was working well. After having adequate skis in the morning qualifier but a disappointing result, I returned in the early afternoon to much different conditions. Warm sun and some lingering fresh snow had made for a glazy hard to kick track. I tried a few different options and settled on what I thought was going to be my Ace in the hole… Hairies Skis. With a relatively easy course and not being able to kick my hard wax skis, I figured hairies would be the ticket… I was wrong again. Kicking poorly and not gliding as well as others, I struggled through the rounds on hairies and ultimately went down in a crash on one of the two hairpin corners to end my day. In the words of Forrest Gump: ‘That’s all I have to say about that.’

I do have to give a shout out to AWCA teammates Jess Cockney and Joey Burton who put on a gun show out there, double poling their final rounds finishing 4th and 10th respectively. Also a shout-out to Lennardis Valjas, freshly back from Europe, who was strong all day winning the qualifier and going on to take a commanding win in the final.

The Mass Start 50km Skate:
Finally!! Hard fast conditions had at long last shown up for a race in Canmore! The 50km is by no means one of my strengths but being as it was the last event of the National Champs and even more importantly the last time I’d line up at the start with long-time teammate George Grey, it was a race I wasn’t going to miss. And what a race it was! Fast conditions made for 25min 10km laps and a winning time of just over two hours! I was finally able to find a great pair of skis and would say that I probably had the best skis in the field. Even the fastest skis in the world wouldn’t help me though as my legs started to give out on me at around 40k. Brutal cramping (as is a normal occurrence for my sprinter legs in long races) caused me to lose contact with the lead group of 12 who had been skiing together since the 15k mark. I hobbled to the line for 11th place, pretty happy with my result in a race that is often complete hell for me!

A huge congratulations goes out to neighbor, teammate and friend, George Grey, he finished off a brilliant career with a big win in the 50k-his final race. That win was on top of two National titles won earlier in the week, an incredible final week of racing for George and I couldn’t be happier to see him go out on such a high note!

It was with a heavy heart that I watched George make his final trip to the top of the podium, we have had so many great times together over the years I’m sad to see him leave the racing scene. The race trails just won’t be the same without him. I know that many great things lay ahead for George and wish him all the best in his future endeavors!

Overheard:
“Mmmkayyyy” -George Grey

In the Tape Deck:
Artist: Robortom, Track Paganini Rocks (Feat. Au Revoir Simone)
Artist: Cold War Kids, Track: Hang Me Up To Dry

On the Tube:
The secrets of a great workout:

March 24, 2011 (Ottawa, ON) – The Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) announced today that Beckie Scott has been appointed as Canada’s Chef de Mission for the 2012 Winter Youth Olympic Games (WYOG) in Innsbruck, Austria.

“I am absolutely thrilled and incredibly honoured to have been asked to be the Chef de Mission of the Canadian team competing in Innsbruck 2012,” Scott said. “The first winter edition of the Youth Olympic Games will be sensational and I can’t imagine a greater experience for young competitive athletes. I really look forward to guiding, assisting and sharing this memorable event with our team.”

Scott is a three-time Olympian, a double medallist and one of Canada’s best cross-country skiers ever. She made history at the Salt Lake City 2002 Olympic Winter Games by winning a gold medal in pursuit. In so doing, she became the first North American woman to win an Olympic medal (of any kind) in cross-country skiing. Four years later, Scott took to the podium again, teaming with Sara Renner to win the silver medal in team sprint.

“Beckie is the ideal candidate for these inaugural Winter Youth Olympic Games,” said Caroline Assalian, the COC’s Executive Managing Director, Sport and NSF Relations. “She has intimate knowledge of these Games from her work on the IOC Coordination Commission for Innsbruck 2012. More importantly, the WYOG are about inspiring youth and living the Olympic Values. Beckie has demonstrated her commitment to those values. She believes in the Youth Olympic movement which is why she has decided to make the Canadian Youth Olympic Team a priority.”

During the 2006 Olympic Winter Games, Scott was elected to the IOC Athletes’ Commission for an eight-year term. She is also a member of the IOC’s Coordination for the 2014 Sochi Olympic Winter Games – as well as the Coordination of the 1st Winter Youth Olympic Games.

As a member of the World Anti-Doping Agency’s Athlete Committee, Scott is a passionate and influential lobbyist in this area. Among her many initiatives was an athletes’ petition that requested an independent drug-testing body for all World Cup and Olympic competitions.

She was also a part of the 2010 Olympic Winter Games as a board member for the organizing committee, VANOC. In 2006, Scott became a member of the COC’s Executive Committee as well as the Athletes’ Council, consequent to her election as an IOC member. She also serves on the board of the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport.

As Chef de Mission, Scott will take on the role of official representative and spokesperson of the Canadian Youth Olympic Team, and be a key member of the overall leadership team for Canada’s participation in the Winter Youth Olympic Games. Her leadership and Olympic experience are invaluable assets to the delegation. Scott’s knowledge of sport and the Olympic Movement will be of utmost importance in the interaction with stakeholders, both nationally and internationally.

The inaugural Winter Youth Olympic Games will take place from January 13 – 22, 2012 in Innsbruck, Austria, site of the 1964 and 1976 Olympic Winter Games.

March 24, 2011 – The general feedback on the 2011 World Championship in Oslo was that it was the biggest most spectacular World Championship ever held. Over 100,000 spectators were in the stands or out around the track each day for the last weekend of competition, and even the qualification race the day before the first official World Championship medal event had a bigger crowd than most World Cup events in central Europe. Seven Australian athletes competed – Esther Bottomley, Ben Sim, Callum Watson, Ewan Watson, Nick Grimmer, Mark van der Ploeg and Chris Darlington. The competition highlights for the Australian Team were Esther Bottomley’s 44th place in the Sprint Freestyle, the 19th place of Ben Sim and Callum Watson in the Team Sprint, and the 10km qualification race in which Mark van der Ploeg and Ewan Watson finished 4th and 6th. The lowlight was the overlapping of the men’s relay team before Mark van der Ploeg had a chance to start to the final leg. Waxing conditions were the most challenging the team has experienced probably since the 1998 Nagano Winter Olympics, not with grip waxing as can often be the case but from the glide perspective. The overall summary: Great atmosphere, incredible event, some solid results, it would have nice to have some faster skis and higher results in a couple of the distance events.

Most of the team athletes are now back in Australia, with the exception of Esther Bottomley who finished a very creditable 14th in the Engadin Ski Marathon two weeks ago and plans to race the Swiss Championship next weekend.

More details from the World Championship can be viewed on the AUS XC Website HERE.

National Rollerski Event, Canberra, April 23-24
On the Easter weekend of April 23-24 Ski Australia is organising some rollerski events in Canberra. While there are still some details to be sorted out with ACT Roads and the land managers, the preliminary schedule of events is as follows:

Saturday April 23
– 10:00 am – 3.3km Uphill Classic Time Trial – Mt Stromlo Road
– 2:00 pm – Freestyle Criterium – Canberra Institute of Technology, Bruce
Saturday April 24
– 10:00 am – 3.3km Uphill Freestyle Event – Mt Stromlo Road

More details will be available soon on the AUS XC Website.

March 23, 2011 (Toblach, Italy) – Check out this fantastic video coverage of Devon Kershaw’s (CAN) first World Cup victory during Stage 5 of the 2011 Tour de Ski in Toblach, Italy. He beat out the world’s best sprinters with the ultimate breakthrough performance that paved the way for a historic season in Canadian men’s XC skiing, including a gold medal in the Team Sprint with teammate Alex Harvey at the Nordic World Championships, at the famous Holmenkollen in Oslo, Norway.

March 23, 2011 – Check out these video highlights of one of the greatest moments in Canadian XC ski racing history – Pierre Harvey’s first World Cup win in 1987 in Falun, Sweden. Harvey’s amazing feat is even more significant as we fast-forward to the present where his son, Alex, and his Canadian teammates, have continued Pierre’s legacy, enjoying a break-out season, winning multiple medals on the FIS World Cup and World Championships circuit.

March 23, 2011 – You’ve supported us all winter long by participating in NENSA events and sharing your love of skiing with those around you, now is your chance to contribute to NENSA financially, to help provide us with the platform to get even better as we move forward.

Make a Donation and check on our drive’s progress HERE.

Create Your Own Fundraising Page for NENSA to encourage your friends to contribute HERE.

We’ve had a wonderful winter. We’ve set records for membership again this year, with growth of at least 5% (numbers are still coming in!) had great snow throughout the region once it got started, and enjoyed wonderful events at fantastic venues all winter long. Now is our chance to say thank you for being a part of it and to ask you to support both the current work of NENSA and build a strong foundation for its future growth.

What does the future hold? Short-term, I envision full funding for New England qualifiers to J1, World Junior, and U23 trip. I also see further expansion of our successful ski lease program that helps get kids and families on skis for the first time. And, yes, it means continual improvement of our core programs like the TD Bank Eastern Cup Series, BKL Festival, Championship events, Gaining the Edge Clinics, Kids Ski Days, and more… Longer term, a strong financial foundation gives us the strength to spot and seize opportunities for new programs and avenues to enhance our mission. In summary, the Annual Fund Drive is important and your contribution matters!

What will it take to reach our goals? A big part of it is the continuous support of our major sponsors like TD Bank, LL Bean, and Trapp Family Lodge, but in recent years our Annual Fund has grown… and grown… and is now a critical component of our success. Donate $5 or donate $500 if you can… NENSA is doing well, we are strong, but we need your continued support to continue to serve the xc skiing community.

Follow us, and this annual fund drive at www.twitter.com/nensa

March 22, 2011 – Check out this video by Andrew Casey (Aurora Nordic) from the NL Provincial Championships in Labrador City, featuring Marty Whalen, Luke and Noah Taylor, Emma Holmes, Allie Crowley, Natalie Chambers-Hughes (Aurora Nordic), Peter Boland from Corner Brook (Blow Me Down Ski Club) and Andrew Casey. A few other skiers make cameos throughout the video from Menihek Nordic. Everyone really enjoyed themselves at the races and all look forward to going back to Lab. City and the trails at Menihek Nordic to race, train and hit up Koch’s Delight once again. Good times and fun all around.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1RpoZZqMIBo

March 22, 2011 (Canmore, AB) – Brian McKeever will lean on childhood ski friend, Erik Carleton, to guide him to the top of the podium at the IPC Cross-Country Skiing and Biathlon World Championships in Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia, March 30 to April 10, Cross Country Canada announced today.

With Robin McKeever, who has guided Brian to 10 Paralympic medals including seven gold and three at the 2010 Games in Vancouver-Whistler, forced to the sidelines with a torn ACL, the legendary brother tandem tapped on the shoulder of the 33-year-old Carleton to carry the torch and lead the visually-impaired Brian in the cross-country skiing events at the 2011 World Championships.

“I was surprised and shocked when the McKeevers first asked me, but this is a great opportunity for me and one that I could never turn down,” said Carleton. “It is an honour to race with Brian. He and Robin have done so much for Para-Nordic sport, and I just hope to do whatever I can tohelp continue to build on what they have already accomplished.”

While Robin will return to guide his brother along the road to the 2014 Games, the elder McKeever was also named coach of Canada’s Para-Nordic Team this fall.

“Erik is a very talented, and dedicated athlete and a great friend who I know will do everything he can to ensure we have the opportunity to hear the Canadian anthem being played at the World Championships,” said Brian McKeever who has never worked with another guide other than his older brother since he began competing in Para-Nordic skiing prior to the 2002 Paralympics. “This is obviously a new beginning, but our goals will not change. We are focused on gold, and I’m excited to be heading to Russia knowing I have a great friend and hard-working athlete guiding me to the podium.”

Carleton and the younger McKeever are longtime friends who were introduced to skiing at the same time when they signed up at the same time for a Jackrabbit ski program in Calgary. The two began racing together at the age of 13, and the friends became roommates when they moved to Canmore after eventually qualifying for the National Development Team.

While McKeever’s accomplishments are well documented having won everything on the table in Para-Nordic sport including earning a spot on Canada’s 2010 Olympic Team, Carleton has had numerous top-10’s as recently as this season while mucking it out on the Haywood NorAm Series throughout hiscareer. A part-time database administrator with a degree in computer science from the University of Calgary, Carleton’s best results as a senior racer came at the 2000 National Championships when he won two bronze medals.

“This is a new experience for me racing internationally so I’m nervous about maintaining my form through the travel and time zone changes, but I am also extremely excited,” said Carleton. “Brian and Robin are connected in a way that I will never be able to replace, but I am confident I can ski a pace that will help Brian perform at his best and reach his goals.”

The newly-formed McKeever-Carleton duo will lead a high-powered Canadian contingent into the showcase event on the 2011 IPC calendar. The Canadian squad will include a group of six athletes who have combined to win medals at the Paralympics, World Championships or World Cups.

Six-time Paralympic medallist, Colette Bourgonje will be the lone athlete entered in the women’s sit-ski category. Saskatoon’s Bourgonje, who has competed in six Paralympics in both winter and summer sport, captured a silver and bronze medal at the Vancouver-Whistler Paralympics. Chris Klebl, of Canmore, Alta., who sits fourth overall in the men’s sitting class, has a World Cup bronze medal to his credit this year.

Rising young star, Mark Arendz of Springton, P.E.I., who has enjoyed a dream season in 2011 where he finished second overall in the IPC Biathlon World Cup standings in the men’s standing division will be gunning for his first World Championship medal. With a goal of following the legendary path set by Brian McKeever, the 21-year-old Paralympian shocked the world by winning three gold medals, two silver and two bronze medals this year.

Jody Barber, of Smithers, B.C., who has five IPC World Cup medals to her credit, rounds out the Canadian squad. Barber, who is a 2010 Paralympian and also an accomplished Para-Triathlete where she won a bronze medal for Canada at the 2010 Triathlon World Championships, will compete in the women’s standing category in cross-country skiing.

The Canadian contingent will depart for the IPC World Championships on March 23 where they will take part in a training camp prior to the weeklong competition, which kicks off March 30, 2011.

March 21, 2011 (Falun, Sweden) – If you missed the action at this past weekend’s 2011 FIS Viessmann WCup finale in Falun, Sweden check out this great photo gallery of some of the sport’s top skiers as the season’s final champions were crowned following the 10/15km Handicap start pursuit race. Norway’s Marit Bjoergen and Petter Northug won the final mini tour while Dario Cologna (SUI) and Justyna Kowalczyk (POL) were crowned the overall season champions – read more here and here.

March 21, 2011 (Oslo, Norway) – Check out this great photo gallery of the action, drama, and emotion at Sunday’s Mass Start event, the final IBU World Cup of the season, in Oslo, Norway. Darya Domracheva (BLR) won the women’s 10km race – more here – while Emil Hegle Svendsen (NOR) took top honours in the men’s competition – more here.

March 21, 2011 (Canmore, AB) – Here are some more great photos from Saturday’s Junior and Juvenile races at the 2011 Haywood Ski Nationals in Canmore, AB.

March 18, 2011 – New scientific studies have found that chemicals from ski wax can build up in the blood, causing potential health risks, according to an article recently published at scientificamerican.com. The studies tested wax technicians of World Cup ski teams and found they had high levels of perfluorochemicals (PFCs) in their blood. PFCs may lead to cardiovascular disease, liver damage, hormone disruption, and cancer.

Read the article HERE.

March 18, 2011 (Canmore, AB) – The Juvenile and Junior categories competed in the 1km Teck Classic Sprints yesterday at the 2011 Haywood Ski Nationals with Quebec’s Emilie Stewart-Jones of Nakkertok winning the Juvenile Girls race and Angus Foster of Big Thunder taking top spot in the Juvenile Boys competition. Alexia Rancourt of Mont Ste. Anne won the Junior Girls title with Julien Locke of Black Jack snapping up the victory in the Junior Boys race. Today is a rest day at the Nordic Centre before racing wraps up tomorrow with the mass start long distance skating events.

Full Results HERE.

Results (brief)

Juvenile Girls
1. Emilie Stewart-Jones
2. Sophie Carrier-Laforte
3. Anne-Marie Comeau

Juvenile Boys
1. Angus Foster
2. John Connor
3. Olivier Hamel

Junior Girls
1. Alexia Rancourt
2. Gabrielle Lemire
3. Camille Burbidge Izquierdo

Junior Boys
1. Julien Locke
2. Simon Lapointe
3. Fred Weaver

March 17, 2011 (Stockholm, Sweden) – Here are some great photos from yesterday’s Royal Palace Sprint in Stockholm won by Petra Majdic (SLO) and Emil Joensson (NOR). With their victories, Joensson and Majdic sewed up the respective men’s and women’s 2011 World Cup Sprint titles, as the series now heads into the final weekend in Falun, Sweden. The USA’s Kikkan Randall claimed third overall in the women’s Sprint Series – read more here on the women’s race and here for the men’s race.

March 17, 2011 – Lowell Bailey is a two-time Olympian, and the top-ranked US biathlete in this year’s overall World Cup standings in 37th. The Lake Placid native is in the midst of a career-best year, which includes a personal best 9th place finish in the Fort Kent Mass Start, as well as a 12th place effort in the Antholz Sprints. He was also part of the team’s historic 6th place relay finish at the IBU World Championships in Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia. The 29 year-old University of Vermont graduate has accrued four top-20 finishes so far this season with one final World Cup remaining in Oslo, Sweden. Bailey, who has been a member of the National team since 2001, talked to SkiTrax about this year’s World Cup circuit, also touching on the direction he hopes to see US Biathlon take in building towards the 2014 Sochi Olympics

This has quite possibly been the best season of your World Cup career – what do you attribute your success to?
Lowell Bailey: It has been a good season so far. Perhaps the biggest change was that I was able to stay relatively healthy throughout the training and racing season. Last season, I was hit with Swine Flu at the beginning of the race season, and a mixture of other minor ailments throughout the year. Secondly, after last season, my coaches and I decided to make a few adjustments to my training plan. Generally speaking, I did more low-intensity endurance sessions at the beginning of the year and added more intensity later in the training season.

The US relay team finished 6th place at the IBU World Championships…what does this say about the future of US Biathlon?
LB: I think we’ve all known that we could perform at this level – it was just a matter of executing. It’s a really important step for the team. We proved that we can compete with the best teams in the world. We were in medal contention throughout the entire race. With a few less extra rounds, we will be on the podium.

As a veteran on the US team, what advice have you given to the younger athletes such as Leif Nordgren, who has had a breakout season at the World Champs?
LB: Biathlon is such a competitive sport now. The level of competition is higher than I have ever seen it. As such, the difference between 10th and 60th place is often only a matter of one or two missed shots. In order to have success over the long term, you have to be patient. Simple as that.

Where do you hope to see US Biathlon by the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi?
LB: On the podium!

You’re a two-time Olympian – what do you hope to accomplish that you haven’t already?
LB: Simply put – to reach the World Cup podium.

How do you plan to achieve your goal?
LB: I want to improve my shooting consistency. I made a big step this year, but I also missed a lot of significant opportunities because of poor shooting – most notably, moving up to 18th midway through the World Champs Pursuit, only to fall back to 42nd after missing 6 targets over the last two shooting stages. Every athlete has good days and bad days on the shooting range. I want to do everything over the next three years to maximize those good days!

How long do you plan to stay in the sport of biathlon?
LB: Right now, my short-term focus is to finish the season on a high note at the WC final in Oslo. I am motivated for next year and Sochi is definitely in my sights. However, I’ve found that if I put too much focus on the distant future, I lose the grip on the present.

Thanks for your time and all the best in Oslo.
LB: Right

March 17, 2011 (Canmore, AB) – When two-time Olympic cross-country skier George Grey hits the start line for Saturday’s 50-kilometre skate-ski race at the Haywood Ski Nationals, it will be his final competitive trip around the famed Canmore Nordic Centre.

After racing on the World Cup for nearly a decade against the top athletes on the globe, and competing in the Torino and Vancouver Olympics along with five World Championships, the 31-year-old Grey, of Rossland, B.C., has decided to retire.

“For me the timing just felt right,” said Grey, who started skiing when he was four years old, and racing at age seven. “In the last two years I felt like I accomplished many of my career goals and reached a performance level that was as high as I could attain. I am now looking forward to being a husband, father, and to new challenges and experiences in life.”

“I reached a peak in 2010 and thought maybe, just maybe, if I skied one more year I could contend for a medal in 2011 at the World Championships. To be able to hang in for one more season and experience the World Championships in Norway, and see Devon and Alex become World Champions, was an incredibly memorable final season.”

With Canada’s Beckie Scott having just broken through to win Canada’s first Olympic medal in the sport, Grey emerged onto the National Ski Team in 2002 with a group of bright-eyed, energetic young men from across the country poised and determined to follow Scott’s trail to the international podium.

Devon Kershaw was the first to find his way onto the podium. Kershaw became the first male in more than a decade to mount the international podium in 2006, and it didn’t take long for the others to follow suit. Four years later, Grey enjoyed a breakthrough moment of his own with his most memorable races coming at Whistler Olympic Park. The veteran teamed up with National Ski Team rookie, Alex Harvey, in 2009 to win a World Cup bronze medal in the sprint relay at the Olympic Test Event in Whistler. His best Olympic and individual career finish was eighth during the pursuit competition in 2010 when all three Canadian men finished in the top-10, and all four in the top-20.

“Getting my hands on just one medal was such an incredible high for me, and sharing it with such a talented athlete and friend in Alex made it even sweeter,” said Grey, whose best individual result outside the Olympics was a ninth-place finish at the Tour de Ski prologue in 2009. “My fondest memory has to be the 30-kilometre pursuit race with Ivan (Babikov), Alex (Harvey), and Devon (Kershaw) skiing right at the front of the pack with me. We were showing the world that we had finally arrived, and what we were capable of as a team. It was a career best for me, and to do it at a home Olympics with three of my buddies was amazing.”

After 10 years of blood, sweat and tears, Grey leaves the sport with the Canadian men’s squad amongst the best in the world.

“When I joined the Canadian men’s team we were described as ‘Canada’s most anonymous athletes,’ he said. “Now our team has World Championship medallists, World Cup medallists, Tour de Ski medallists. We have delivered a solid team. I know Canada is in good hands and there is loads of great talent coming up the system so I will sleep well.”

While racing was such a small part of his career, it was the countless hours of training with his friends and teammates that taught him to be patient, driven, tough and most importantly, goal-oriented along the journey.

“I get nostalgic thinking about all the hard training days that I endured with teammates at my side,” said Grey, who cites five-to-six hours of roller skiing in the pouring rain, nearly 50 kilometres of running and stomping their way up to glaciers as some of the most grueling training moments. “Only with your closest teammates is it possible to repeat training days like this every other week. My team and I have shed more sweat and spit on mountains than most would ever think possible.”

With the last goal remaining in his career to ski to the top of the podium on Saturday at the Haywood Ski Nationals, Grey would like to stay within sport if there is an opportunity to do so in the future, while also studying in the securities industry.

“The 2010 Olympics were sensational. The World Champs this year in Norway were staggering, but I am more than happy to wave a warm good-bye and smile at all the precious memories that I have accumulated. Thank you to everyone for your incredible support. My father always told me it is the process and not the outcome. I have fully realized that now, and I will never forget those who have helped me along this incredible ride.”

March 17, 2011 (Clark, CO) – On March 19, the U.S. National Marathon and Ultra-marathon Championships takes place in Clark, Colo. The seventh annual North Routt Coureur des Bois offers participants the choice of a 45-kilometre loop or a 90-kilometre loop in either classic or skate techniques.

Both races go through Steamboat Lake State Park, Routt National Forest and the National Continental Divide Trail. The North Routt Coureur des Bois is the only time these trails are open to skiing.

The 45-kilometre loop takes place on rolling, technical trails with close to 3,000 feet of vertical climbing. There are four feed stations on the course and a good mix of challenging climbs and descents.

The 90-kilometre loop is considered to be highly challenging with several long, solitary stretches. The total climbing is more than 6,500 feet. Racers choosing the 90-kilometre option will be required to carry appropriate food, water, clothing and gear, in case of emergency. There are feed stations approximately every 15 kilometres along the route.

Both courses are expertly marked and groomed in addition to having contingency courses set up in case of either poor or excessive snow conditions.

To learn more, check out www.coureurdesbois.org, or to register, go to www.imathlete.com.

March 17, 2011 (Burlington, VT) – Forty-five adventurous skiers from throughout New England and New York stood on the starting line at Trapp Family Lodge for the 4th Annual Catamount Trail Backcountry Challenge Race and Tour on March 13th.

As the valley residents were experiencing rain in the lower elevations, these hardy backcountry participants were treated to lightly falling snow and up to five inches of fresh cover in the elevated mountainous areas. Unlike other Nordic ski races and tours, the participants were totally self sufficient on this remote backcountry trail. The 17km course in one of the most famous and well used sections of the Catamount Trail, generally skied from South to North. Race and Tour participants skied it in reverse fashion, which entailed a 2300 ft vertical climb and a 1300 ft hair raising descent off Bolton Mountain to the Bolton Valley Nordic Center below.

The touring division was given a head start before the competitive skiers raced off the start line 90 minutes later. While the touring division was able to enjoy the incredible scenery on their leisurely tour up and over Bolton Mountain, the racers were giving 100% of their effort to reach the finish line in the shortest possible time.

In the hotly contested field of elite racers, it was Eli Enman of Huntington Vermont who broke free of the main pack early in the race to set a new course record of 1:30:30, improving on his winning time and record from the 2010 race. Olympian Marc Gilbertson of Hyde Park and Eric Tremble of Jericho raced head to head down the mountain with Gilbertson making up ten seconds in the last kilometer to place second while Tremble nailed down the third position in 1:34:50.

The women’s race developed into a similar scenario as the men’s competition with Kate Crawford of Essex breaking free from the pack early in the race and setting a new course record in 2:05:22. The second and third positions were up for grab as Brie and Tyne Pike-Sprenger of West Dover, Vermont raced head to head throughout the entire race. Brie’s alpine racing experience paid off in the final descent, edging out her sister Tyne by two seconds to take second in a time of 2:13:13.

Following their heroic efforts over the grueling course, all participants were treated to a meal and over $2000 in donated raffle prizes and awards. Sponsors included Outdoor Gear Exchange, Rossignol Ski Company, Darn Tough Socks, Seventh Generation, Green Mountain Coffee Roasters and Silverwear Jewery. A special thanks goes out Trapp Family Lodge, Bolton Valley Resort, and the Bolton Valley Ski Patrol for making this Catamount Trail Association event so successful. Proceeds from this event will help protect the 300-mile Catamount Trail.

Full results HERE.

March 15, 2011 (Toronto, ON) – We’re pleased to announce the winners and final standings for the SkiTrax FIS Fantasy Oslo Nordic Worlds 2011 Contest following the seven-day Doping De-Points period – sorry for the short delay.

The winner of the grand prize Alpina package valued at $1,350 is… GBx with a total of 305 points! The 2nd place prize, a Nipika Mountain Resort package (value up to $1,220) goes to Yellowknife with 300 points and the 3rd place prize, a pair of Fischer RCS boots (valued at $469) goes to Brown Chicken Brown Cow who won the tie for third (by registering for the contest first) over BOOKER T – both finished with 295 points. BOOKER T wins the 4th place prize, a pair of One Way Diamond Storm Premio Poles (valued at $360).

Congratulations to the winners and thanks to all contestants for participating in the contest. We’d also like to thank FIS, Oslo 2011, and our great sponsors including Alpina, Peltonen, Yoko, Nipika Mountain Resort, Fischer, One Way, Swix, Fresh Air Experience, High Peaks Cyclery, Rottefella, Auclair, and Buff Canada.

There’s more action still to come as the SkiTrax FIS Fantasy World Cup 2011 Contest draws to a close soon with the series stopping in Stockholm on Mar. 16, and wraps up in Falun, Sweden, March 18-20.

For the final standings of the FIS Fantasy Oslo Nordic Worlds 2011 Contest click HERE.

Nordic Worlds 2011 Contest Winners
———————————————————–
*1st Prize – Alpina package – Peltonen Infra or Supra skis, Alpina ESK Boots, Rottefella Xcelerator Bindings, and Yoko 81100 Carbon Poles. (value $1,350)
– GBx – Guillaume Arnaud – Haute-Savoie, France

*2nd Prize – Nipika Package – 2-nights for up to 6 people in luxurious cabin, including Trail Fees (value up to $1,220)
– Yellowknife – Thomsen D’Hont – Whistler, BC

*3rd Prize – Fischer RCS Skate or Classic Boots (value $469)
– Brown Chicken Brown Cow – Sam Tarling – Portland, ME

*4th Prize – One Way Diamond Storm Premio Poles (value $360)
– BOOKER T – Leif Lennie – Thunder Bay, ON

*5th Prize – Swix Digital T72 Iron (value $350)
– poiss team – Jari Milov – Parnu, Estonia

*6th Prize – Fresh Air Experience or High Peaks Cyclery Gift Certificate (value $150)
– peta – Petra Palatova – Jihlava, Czech Republic

*7th Prize – Rottefella Xcelerator Skate/Classic Bindings (value $130)
– Bono Equipe/Bonogagnants – Jeremie Bonneau – Quebec, QC

*8th Prize – Sporthill Men’s XC Pants (value $120)
– Swedish – Vincent Ruet – Montalieu Vercieu, France

*9th Prize – Auclair Micro Mountain Olympic Gloves + Earbags (value $65)
– Cathi – Catherine Gola – Rogaland, Norway

*10th Prize – Buff Headwear (value $40)
– 10 Deep – Jimmy Gunka – Thunder Bay, ON

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 15, 2011 (Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia) – Sara Studebaker has had a breakout season during this year’s World Cup circuit. The 2010 Olympian, who scored top-20 finishes at both the Presque Isle WCup and the IBU World Championships, entered the season as the top ranked US woman and the 26 year old has shown she’s a force to be reckoned with.

The Dartmouth College graduate, who has been training with the US Biathlon team since 2007, was the only US woman to qualify for the pursuit race at the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver, and has since been developing her skills towards what she hopes will produce top results in the coming seasons. SkiTrax caught up with the Boise, Idaho native at the IBU Worlds in Russia just before the final event, the women’s relay, to talk about her success on this year’s circuit, and what we can expect from her and the United States down the road.

You’ve had some impressive results this World Cup season including a 17th place finish in the Individual 15km at the IBU Worlds. What do you attribute your success to and has it changed your overall perspective?
Sara Studebaker: I think my success this year has been the result of several years of hard work and training. It takes time to develop as an athlete, and especially with biathlon you need experience at the high level before you can do well consistently. This year has been much more relaxed for me and I’ve felt comfortable competing at the World Cup level and I think that allowed me to really take a step forward. My successes haven’t really changed my perspective so much as verified things for me. I always believed that with hard work I could be in the mix of things, and seeing how this year has gone just gives me confidence that I can get to that top level.

Nine of your career top 10 World Cup finishes have come this year – what’s different this season?
SS: I think the atmosphere is just more relaxed for me. Of course, the stress of the Olympics was tough last year, but it was also my first season on the World Cup and it can be stressful just being in such a new and crazy situation all season. I think that after having a couple of good results, rather than feeling pressure, I felt confident that I could continue to perform. It’s really been fun to see how all the training is paying off, and it makes me look forward to the next few years as we head towards Sochi.

With success do you feel more pressure to maintain a higher level of performance?
SS: Not right now. I think this year has been such a break-out season for me that it’s just been more enjoyable to see my results and look forward to the next races. I hope that I’ll always be able to have the perspective that keeps pressure off, but I know it will get tougher as I get better. For me, I just have to remember that this is biathlon, and anything can happen. You have great days and hopefully those days come more often – but even the best have bad days, and that’s ok.

This is your first IBU World Championships – what were your expectations going in and have you achieved them so far?
SS: After the US World Cups I definitely had higher expectations for myself. I knew that if I had a good race I could be in the top 20. The sprint race was really a tough one for me, and I had to really focus and re-group after that [she placed 48th]. Having a decent pursuit [Studebaker finished 38th] and getting back into World Cup points was really good for me mentally and I was able to stay relaxed for the individual, despite the conditions, and have a great race. Even though I had hoped to do better in the sprint, having such a good Individual on such a tough day was really exciting for me and has certainly made my World Champs so far!

What do you expect from the US foursome at the upcoming relay event on Sunday?
SS: I think we have a really solid women’s team and that we can have a great relay. We’re not quite at the level yet where we can expect to do great all the time, but we’re getting there and I think if we all have a decent day we can have a good result. Right now it’s a lot about experience for us, and hopefully by Sochi we can be right in the mix of things. Of course it’s really motivating to see the men’s team have such a great result here [the US men finished 6th] – it really shows us what is possible!

What do you hope to accomplish going forward after these World Championship races?
SS: This season in general has been an amazing learning experience. I got to race in my first World Cup Mass Start in Fort Kent, and being right in the mix of things in a few pursuits really gave me the opportunity to see the level of the women I’m chasing. I know I still have a lot of work to do before I can stand on that podium, but it’s possible, and I’m really excited about that potential.

How far away do you think the US Biathlon team women are from medaling at a World Cup…?
SS: Our goal for sure is to be in contention in 2014. With several top-20 and top-30 finishes this year from our team I think we’re not too far from that goal. It’s definitely going to require a lot of work, but I think we’re all motivated and excited to make that happen.

Thanks for your time, all the best on Sunday and good luck with the rest of the season.
SS: Thanks

The US Women’s Relay team finished 14th overall out of 20 teams on Sunday – read more HERE.

March 15, 2011 (Midway, UT) – On Saturday, I started my last Junior National race. And it was my favorite – a relay! Five years ago, in Soldier’s Hollow, I raced my first Junior National relay ever, on a team with Libby Ellis and Lynn Duijndam. Libby scrambled, Lynn went second and I anchored. We started a lot of traditions that year, including racing in facepaint and glitter for the relay.

Every year since then, we’ve continued “bedazzling” ourselves come race day. Now I had an opportunity to close out JO’s with Libby scrambling again, and Elizabeth Simak skiing 2nd leg. And you know what? I still got nervous, just like the first time!

The conditions were quite tricky on Saturday, as the tracks were slower yet still glazed, and the outside of the track was icy and fast. We went on klister, and we had just enough kick for 3km but still had to work hard to close the wax pocket down. Because it was so icy, we stayed out of the track as much as possible and did a TON of double-poling.

Libby and Elizabeth did a fantastic job keeping us in the top 3, and staying within contact of the leaders. Because we started right alongside the J1 teams, it was sometimes hard to figure out which place you were in while racing. So we just hammered.

When I got the tag off from Simak, we were within sight of the leader – just far enough to have a fun chase. I started a little frantically, pretty much abandoning technique as I scrambled around the icy corners. How embarrassing. But once I got going, I calmed down (slightly) and got into a rhythm. The hometown crowd cheering was fantastic, and it helped enormously on the long grinding climb.

I was super excited to have such a great team; one that really topped off a great JO experience. And I don’t just mean my relay team – all the athletes, coaches, wax techs, family and friends that made this possible. Thanks guys!

The awards banquet was really well done (thanks to all the volunteers and organizers) but the best part was sharing it with my family and grandparents who came to cheer.

March 14, 2011 (Sovereign Lake, BC) – Sovereign Lake’s annual 30km freestyle loppet became an international competition as Petr Pavol of the Czech Republic finished in first place. Renowned competitors such as US Olympians Leslie Hall and Laura McCabe, who had participated in the Sparkling Hill Masters World Cup but were ready for more racing, competed in the loppet as well.

“He was looking forward to take part in this race as a finish or culmination of his results from the masters,” said a translator for Pavol. At the MWC2011 Pavol scored two golds and one bronze.

“He was really disappointed that he didn’t medal in the marathon race on the first day of racing so he was insisted on taking part in this one… he was trying to be first.” Pavol finished his race in a time of 1 hour and 22 minutes.

For Pavol skiing in Canada at Sovereign Lake was a memorable experience. When asked of his impression of the ski area he smiled and commented, “Skiing at Sovereign Lake is the best skiing in my life. Really, really.”

Pavol had new competition in the Sovereign Lake Loppet, as second place went to local skier David Harbocian who wasn’t old enough to race as a master skier in the previous week of racing.

“We had a pack of five to eight people at the start, then we went down Silver Queen, some Czech racer decided to attack so I went with him for a few minutes and he decided to drop me,” said Harbocian.

“There were a couple of sections where you would turn a corner and get a blast of head wind,” added Harboacian. “Racing was great, so was the temperature… and the snow was fast.”

Harbocian took the first place result in the men’s 18-29 age category in the 30km race with a time of 1:25. The fastest women’s time was American Olympian Hall with a time of 1:31.

In the men’s 15km race the men’s fastest time went to Jon Sader who finished in 49 minutes. In the women’s category, Theresa Korobanik layed down the fastest race with a time of 1:02.

Gareth Williams topped the 7km field finishing in 23:58 and Dana Allen lead the women 30:50. Ian Oliphant and Keeya Corbett were first in the kids aged 7-9. Mitchell Bond and Sofie Steinruck were the quickest skiers in the six and under category.

Full results HERE.

March 13, 2011 (Lahti, Finland) – Norway’s Marit Bjoergen was back on form on Sunday looking unbeatable again as she took the women’s 1.4km Classic sprint victory at the FIS World Cup in Lahti on Sunday.

On the flip side World Cup Sprint leader, American Kikkan Randall, had to deal with a topsy-turvey day as she qualified strong in 5th just behind Bjoergen only to meet disaster in her quarter final finishing 5th and was out early in the match.

It was a lucky loser day in the final as top qualifier, Astrid Uhrenholdt Jacobsen (NOR), and Petra Majdic (SLO) both landed on the podium after advancing to the final as lucky losers. Jacobsen and Majdic were 3rd and 4th in the semi won by Bjoergen in a photo-finish over Follis. In final they both advanced one spot as Jacobsen claimed the silver and Majdic the bronze.

Majdic out-skied Justyna Kowalczyk (POL) for the final podium spot as Charlotte Kalla (SWE) ended up fifth and Arianna Follis (Italy) 6th. With her 60-point podium score the Slovenian star wrestled the Sprint leader’s jersey from Randall now third overall behind Follis in second.

The final series outcome will be decided on a shorter classic sprint in Stockholm, Sweden on Mar. 16.

The Lahti sprint course is one of the toughest on the circuit starting with a grueling uphill climb followed by a bit of downhill relief leading to a second smaller climb and then a fast dowhill with a challenging final right hand turn dropping skiers into the chute into the stadium to the finish. It was on this corner that the course delivered an unusual number of crashes throughout the day – moreso in the men’s race.

Randall, who began slipping after a strong start in the quarterfinal, could not keep pace and fell back to finish fifth. She wasn’t the only one who had difficulties with the tough snow conditions and demanding course as others like Bjoergen and Kowalczyk both experienced some slippage.

“It was a real bummer after a strong qualification,” said Randall in a phone interview with SkiTrax. “My skis were fine thru the qualification and start of the quarter final and I was in contention but soon after they slicked up – I was slipping with less glide than the others as well and lost ground. We think that perhaps my skis picked up some ice along the way that slowed them down.”

Randall concurred that the Lahti course is long and tough. “It’s precarious in some parts and perhaps has the most sustained sprint climb I’ve experienced. The qualification times were over 3:30 that tells you something.”

Four other North Americans did not qualify including Holly Brooks (USA) in 34th, Daria Gaiazova (CAN) in 48th, Chandra Crawford (CAN) in 55th and Perianne Jones (CAN) in 56th.

“Tough day today,” said Canadian Head Coach Justin Wadsworth in a brief email to SkiTrax. “Chandra and Dasha will head back to Canmore for XC Ski Nationals.”

dDespite the lackluster results for North America the day had some positives.

“Holly Brooks almost qualified for the rounds and Kikkan blazed her qualifier as if classic sprinting had been her strongest event. And perhaps it will be,” US Coach Matt Whitcomb told SkiTrax post-race.

“Kikkan struggled in her quarterfinal, finishing 5th. While her skis were great in the qualifier, they were not as competitive in the heats. The wax was the same as we used for Andy [Newell] who had great skis – both athlete and tech liked them in testing, but they didn’t roll as well as expected when the gun went off.

“It is classical racing in variable conditions. We own the choices we made and were confident in them, and own that it didn’t go as planned. When you miss by a little on the World Cup, you’re missing by a little against the best teams in the world.”

With only 29 points separating Randall from the Sprint jersey she’s keen to get another crack at it in Stockholm. “It felt good wearing it today and I’m looking forward to having the chance to take it back,” added Randall, who sits 10th in the overall WCup standings.

The US team heads to Stockholm on Monday and begins their final preparation for the remaining four WCup events in the series.

Qualifications HERE.
Final Results HERE.

Overall Sprint Standings HERE.
Overall WCup Standings HERE.

March 13, 2011 (Minneapolis, MN) – Winter returned to Minneapolis in the form of temperatures in the low twenties, strong winds, and a trace of new snow.  The course was firm-to-icy and the tracks were filled with the fresh drifting snow.  Given the abrasive conditions, coaches tested a variety of klister or binder bases covered with waxes slightly warmer than the temperature.  The savvy athletes double-poled out of the tracks and strided in the tracks. Coaches tried to find the balance between wax that wouldn’t shear off on the ice and wax that offered good glide on the dry snow that filled the tracks.

Given the very short racing length – 3×3 kilometers – speeds were very high and aggressiveness played a big role in the scramble leg. The course had one long and one short very fast downhill, each with a corner at the bottom.  The athletes who were both fearless and skilled on their feet had the advantage.

In the first race of the day, the J2 boys relay, New England’s scramble leg, Hamish McEwen, set the tone by taking an aggressive lead from the gun. McEwen and the other top skiers in the field double-poled out of the stadium between the many tracks. The remainder of the boys quickly caught on and also exited the tracks. Most then remembered to get back into the tracks for the climbs, but some forgot and were dropped instantly as they slipped.

McEwen gained an 8-second lead over the course of his leg and tagged off to Ben Hegman. Hegman lost two seconds to the Midwest team, but still held the lead when tagging off to Tyler Foulkes. To the delight of the hometown crowd, the Midwest’s Harris Dirnberger skied an aggressive anchor leg, passing Foulkes and skiing the Midwest to a six-second win.

Matthew Berntston, second leg for the Midwest, said the team had thought that they had a chance to win.  “The goal of the first and second legs was just to keep up with the leaders.  We hoped that Harris would beat out anyone.”

Unlike many Junior Olympic winners, Dirnberger has not been thinking about this day for a long time.  “My first JO qualifying race was this winter.  I went because I thought it would be fun to race the JOQ with my teammates.  I did pretty well in the classic, so I kept going to the JOQs. I made the team, so here I am.”

Dirnberger’s success isn’t surprising to his coach Piotr Bednarski of Go! Training, who first saw his talent this summer. “He first came to practices this summer.  He surprised me by staying with an elite CXC skier in rollerski sprints.”

J2 Boys
1.    Midwest (Nick Proell, Matthew Berntson, Harris Dirnberger)
2.    New England (Hamish McEwen, Ben Hegman, Tyler Foulkes)
3.    Intermountain (Noah Anderson, Karsten Hokanson, Marc Jackson)

The J2 girls relay was also won on the last leg, when Alaska’s Marion Woods erased a 23-second deficit to pass New England for the win.  Wood’s teammates were motivated by her successes this week. Sarrissa Lammers, the team’s scramble leg explained, “We really wanted to get Marion her four golds.”

Woods, for her part, still seems surprised by how well she finished this week. “I didn’t know what to expect coming down here.  I knew a lot of people had been training a lot. I just planned to come to JOs and do my best.”

J2 Girls:
1.    Alaska (Sarrissa Lammers, Mackenzie Flynn, Marion Woods)
2.    New England 1 (Brooke Mooney, Cate Brams, Heidi Halvorsen)
3.    New England 2 (Halie Lange, Zoe Snow, Hannah Benson)

The J1s and OJs raced together, even though they were scored separately.

The New England OJ’s scramble leg, Skyler Davis, posted the fastest time of the first leg, but Intermountain’s J1 team scramble, Cole Morgan, remained in touch, five seconds behind and in second place.

Strong second legs were put in by Intermountain’s Sawyer Kesselheim and Midwest’s Dylan McGarthwaite, who were the only two skiers in the second leg to dip under nine minutes. Kesselheim caught New England OJ Peter Hegman and passed him on the long climb, going through the lap in the overall lead by one second.  McGarthwaite’s strong leg pulled the team into second for J1s and fourth overall.

The anchor for Intermountain, Akeo Maifeld-Carucci, faced the daunting prospect of trying to keep up with David Sinclair, the winner in this week’s mens OJ classic.  “Sinclair caught me early on, so I tried to stay with him as long as I could.”  Maifeld-Carucci held on bravely, staying within five seconds Sinclair (New England OJ team) and bringing Intermountain in for the J1 victory with a 24-second margin over the Midwest J1 team.  Carucci summed up his experience:  “I had really good skis and super-strong teammates.  It all came together for us.”

J1 Boys:
1. Intermountain (Cole Morgan, Sawyer Kesselheim, Akeo Maifeld-Carucci)
2. Midwest: (Andy Dodds, Dylan McGarthwaite, Ben Saxton)
3. Alaska (Forrest Mahlen, Isaac Lammers, Logan Hanneman)

OJ Boys:
1. New England 1 (Skyler Davis, Peter Hegman, David Sinclair)
2. New England 2 (Austin Cobb, Chris Stock, Bridger Tyler)
3. Alaska (Jack Novak, Silas Talbot, Peter Mamrol)

The Minneapolis crowd looked forward to the finale of the weekend, the OJ/J1s girls race, knowing the Jessie Diggins would anchor the Midwest OJ team.

Diggins and her team did not disappoint.  First and second legs, Libby Ellis and Elizabeth Simak, accomplished their plan of staying within reach of the leaders.  Simak tagged off to Diggins in 2nd among OJs and 4th overall.  As expected, Diggins made up the slack. She roared by the three teams in front of her, bringing the team in first overall, 23 seconds in front of the New England J1s.

Teammates Ellis and Simak were confident that if they held their own on the first legs, Diggins would make up any deficit.  “Jessie is the most motivated person we have ever met.  If she wants something, she goes out and gets it.”

Victory was especially sweet for this close-knit team. Ellis and Diggins have been skiing together for five years, while Simak been with them for four.  The team raced the course with gold-glitter face decoration, a tradition the Midwest girls started at the 2006 Soldier Hollow JOs.  Ellis explains that this is the perfect end for her and Diggins, who are both in their last year as older juniors.  “It’s even better that this race is here in Minneapolis.  I love the fans and appreciate all the hard work the organizers did to put this together.”

The New England OJ team of Heather Mooney, Cambria McDermott, and Corey Stock won the J1 relay, although they were pushed by the team from Rocky Mountain.  Heather Mooney and Michaela Frias were neck-and-neck at the front of the pack throughout the scramble leg; Mooney had a 1-second lead at the tag.  Mary O’Connell put the hammer down on her leg, and tagged off to Emily Hannah with an 11-second lead.  The speed of Corey Stock, who was likely motivated by being passed by Diggins, was just too much for Rocky Mountain.  Stock brought the team in for the J1 win and second-place overall.

Second-place in the J1s was a good result for team Rocky Mountain.  They followed their race plan perfectly.  For Frias, that plan was to “get the team in a good a position.”  O’Connell’s role was to “push the pace high.”  Hannah was determined “to try to stick with their position.”  All three skiers are from Steamboat Springs High School, the public high school in the community of Steamboat Springs.

J1 Girls
1.    New England (Heather Mooney, Cambria McDermott, Corey Stock)
2.    Rocky Mountain (Michaela Frias, Mary O’Connell, Emily Hannah)
3.    Alaska (Celia Haering, Tristan Ramey, Teagan Yutrzenka)

OJ Girls
1.    Midwest (Elizabeth Ellis, Elizabeth Simak, Jessie Diggins)
2.    Alaska (Mackenzie Kanady, Alyson McPhetres, Kinsey Loan)
3.    New England (Anne Hart, Mary Cirelli, Isabel Caldwell)

Look for final Alaska Cup results and high school and club team standings to be posted HERE.

March 11, 2011 (Canmore, AB) – The members of the Canmore Nordic Ski Club welcome skiers to the 2011 Haywood Ski Nationals from March 11-19. This will the 84th running of the Canadian National Ski Championships and a dedicated team of volunteers and sponsors have worked hard to make it the best nationals ever!

Canmore has a long history of hosting national and international ski competitions and they’re pulling out all the stops to make this a truly memorable week for athletes, coaches, officials, parents and ski aficionados from around the continent.

The Canmore Nordic Centre Provincial Park is home to world class ski trails and the best training and racing facilities in the country. When you’re done skiing, you’ll have time to explore the vibrant town and experience Canmore’s legendary hospitality.

We also hope that you will join us for the Canmore Ski Nationals Community Celebrations 2011 presented by the Canmore Destination Marketing Fund and Canmore Downtown Business Association in cooperation with Canmore Nordic Centre. The celebration will include a snow track down main street (with free ski rentals from Trial Sports), the Haywood Ski Nationals Welcome Ceremony, a block party, fun races, dog sledding and more!

To finish off a great week of racing, the Ski Nationals banquet promises a night to remember at the world famous Banff Springs Hotel- Ski Gala 2011!

See you at the 2011 Haywood Ski Nationals in Canmore, Alberta!

Schedule of Races & Events
—————————————————–
March 12 – 10:00 am – Team Sprint Freestyle (Open, Challenge, CCUNC)

March 13 – 10:00 am – Interval Start, Free Technique, Middle Distance Race (Able-bodied categories)
March 13 – 1:00 pm – Para-Nordic categories

March 15 – 10:00 am – Interval Start, Classic Technique, Middle Distance Race (Able-bodied categories)
March 15 – 1:00 pm – Para-Nordic categories
March 16 – 9:30 am – Sprint Qualification- Classic (Junior & Senior, Men & Women)
March 16 – 12:30 pm – Sprint Heats

March 17 – 9:30 am – Sprint Qualification- Classic (Junior & Juvenile, Boys & Girls, Para-Nordic)
March 17 – 12:30 pm – Sprint Heats

March 19 – 10:00 am – Mass Start, Free Technique, Long Distance Race (Able-bodied categories)
March 19 – 1:00 pm – Para-Nordic categories

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

March 11, 2011 – The Toko Race Wax Tips have been posted for this weekend’s events. Our goal is to have the tips posted 48 hours or more before each event. There are some events (that are on Sunday for example) that we have not received good information on yet. These recommendations will be posted in the next day. Also, should the situation arise that we need to update the wax recommendation, we will make the changes directly on the website. The Toko Race Wax Tips can be accessed directly HERE.

Toko Race Wax Tips have been posted for the following events:
– Friday, March 11: MWC Long Classic, Sovereign Lake, Vernon, B.C., Canada HERE

– Saturday, March 12: Wilson Cup, Vail Nordic Center, Vail, CO HERE
– Saturday, March 12: Big Shooter Bonk, Latigo Ranch, Kremmling, CO HERE
– Saturday, March 12: Pole Pedal Pant Winter Triathlon, Elm Creek Preserve, Maple Grove, MN HERE
– Saturday, March 12: Great Bear Chase, Swedetown Ski Trails, Calumet, MI HERE
– Saturday, March 12: Carl Johnson Memorial Ski-a-Thon, Great Glen Trails, Pinkham Notch, NH HERE
– Saturday, March 12: Gallatin Glissade, Lone Mountain Ranch, Big Sky, MT HERE
– Saturday, March 12: Bjornloppet Skate, Bear Valley XC, Bear Valley, CA HERE

– Sunday, March 13: Last Ditch Switch, Elm Creek Preserve, Maple Grove, MN HERE
– Sunday, March 13: Springloppet, Sugar Hills, Grand Rapids, MN HERE
– Sunday, March 13: Bjornloppet Classic, Bear Valley XC, Bear Valley, CA HERE

March 10, 2011 (Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia) – Leif Nordgren of the US Biathlon team has had a pair of breakout races at the 2011 IBU World Championships in Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia. Placing 26th and 21st in the Sprint and Individual competitions respectively, the young American pulled off consecutive career bests on the most important stage of the Biathlon World Cup circuit. SkiTrax caught up with Nordgren to talk about everything biathlon, including his results, the team, and the future.

Congrats on your great result in 20km individual race – tell us how things unfolded and how your race went.
Leif Nordgren: This week has been pretty crazy. After my 26th place in the Sprint race, I thought for sure that was it, I wasn’t going to get any higher. But I put a good race together in the Individual too so that was cool. My race was almost perfect – I had good enough skiing, I was just taking it easy behind Lars Berger for a few loops, and through the first three shooting stages I had hit all my targets. I was starting to get a little tired going into the last stage though, I got away with only one penalty. But it was definitely a fight for each shot.

You’re in your first full year on the World Cup Circuit – what do you attribute to your fast development?
LN: I’ve been steered in a good direction by my coaches Per [Nillson] and Armin the last couple of years. I have great teammates like Tim [Burke] and Lowell [Bailey] to train with, they are 100% professional the way they go about their training. I’ve learned a lot of things just watching them, and they’re always keen to give me any advice when I need it. But even with all that help, you still have to have a desire to work hard. I love training and improving myself, but when the good results come, it makes it a lot more fun to train even harder.

Your results at the IBU World Championships are your best by far this season. Did you make any changes or approach these races differently than the others?
LN: I think with me it’s just a process. I’ve had a few good results this year, but I would always be eager for more. A little high strung maybe. I think I’m just now realizing there are a lot of things that it takes to put a good biathlon race together. I’ve seen those things here and there this season, but this week I’ve been able to combine them all.

Being the youngest member of the men’s team, what kind of advice have you received from the veterans who have experienced every level?
LN: Most of the time if I have a bad race I will freak out about it and spend hours analyzing and searching the places where I can improve. Possibly the most important thing I’ve learned this year from the older guys is just to chill out… there will be more races, more opportunities. Of course it’s good to look at your race and analyze your mistakes, but it’s also smart to keep everything in its place.

With these great results have your expectations changed going forward…?
LN: No, not really. I’ve a had a few ok results yes, but for me there’s still a long way to go – a lot of development and hard work that needs to take place. I don’t want to just win a race and have that be the highlight of my career… I want to be at the top for a long time, to be consistent. That’s the most important thing I think, consistency. It will still be a few years until I get to that level. And biathlon is only going to get more competitive, so who knows, I may never make it there. Perhaps it’s more about the journey you take than the final outcome…

What do you hope to accomplish in your career in the sport of biathlon?
LN: To be the best and to inspire people the same way I’ve been inspired.

Good luck with the rest of the championships and this season.
LN: Thanks Clark!

March 10, 2011 (Sovereign Lake, BC) – Russia showed their strength once again at the Sparkling Hill Masters World Cup taking six golds, as competitors battled it out in the 4x5km classic-free relays on Wednesday. The U.S. walked away with five first place wins while Canada scored one gold.

Barry Makarewicz, Rune Harkestad, Kent Murdoch and Shaun Marchall-Pryde led the Americans in their first gold medal of the day winning the M04 (45-49) category with a lead of 2:27 against the pursuing Russian team.

“Barry laid the foundation for all of us,” said Harkestad. “Barry and I, if we could stay with it we were safe.” Teammate Marchall-Pryde was equally pleased adding, “I got the easy part today. They did all the work. All the guys had good legs. Barry got us started and in a good spot.”

J.D. Downing (American XC Skiers) speaks about the U.S. men’s team race.

The women’s races were led by the U.S. winning three of the four relays. Laura McCabe and Leslie Hall were joined by Angela Robinson and Beth Thomas to show their Russian counterparts they could take the lead and win gold in the F02 (35-39) category.

This was repeated in the F04 (45-49) with Trina Hosmer, Linda Mcclatchy, Carolyn Senty and June Lane winning gold. In the women’s F03 (40-44) Americans Muffy Rice, Ginny Price, Maria Allen and Rosalyn Singleton came in 28 seconds ahead of the Canadian women’s team.

Canada got on the gold scoreboard as their women defeated the Russians and US teams in the women’s F01 category (30-34) with two prior gold medalists Nikki Kassel and Marta Green joined by Doris Hausleitner and Nikki Norrie.

“It was a fast start,” said Kassel who followed a Russian skier. Then Hausleitner tagged in, “I came and caught the Russian and had a little gap on her.” Hausleitner was followed by Norrie who did the skating and “never saw the Russian after that.”

Norrie tagged in Green who described the race as “… all fun after that.”

Full results HERE.

March 10, 2011 (Oro Medonte, ON) – Hardwood Ski and Bike is introducing a fun new event on March 19 called the Pole, Pedal and Pound – an unconventional triathlon consisting of cross country skiing, biking and snowshoeing. This event can be done solo or as a team of three.

Race breakdown:
– 5km cross country ski
– 3km snowshoe
– 5km bike

Race Start Time: 9:00 am

For more information and registration information click here.

www.hardwoodskiandbike.ca

March 10, 2011 (Canmore, AB) – Cross Country Canada, the National Sport Organization for cross-country skiing in Canada, is currently seeking a full-time employee to fill the position as Senior Team Coach for the National Ski Team (NST). This position is designed to be part of a dynamic high performance team that is totally committed to developing and sustaining our international excellence in cross-country skiing.

The position: The Senior Team Coach is a coaching position that will deliver comprehensive technical leadership and coaching for Canada’s athlete’s competing at the World Cup level. The successful candidate will have extensive coaching and technical qualifications supplemented by strong communication, motivational and presentation skills, and effective organizational skills. This position requires extensive traveling during the entire year to attend training camps and competitions.

The candidate must be able to adapt to coming into a four year quadrennial plan, the core of which will not change. While the next two years is not a time for major changes in the Canadian program, innovations brought forward by the candidate, which do not affect the core program requirements, will be encouraged and considered by the head coach and director high performance.

The position is based at the National Training Centre in Canmore, Alberta. All of the team athletes live and train year round at this location.

This position reports directly to the NST Head Coach.

Term: Full-time position

General Responsibilities (These include but are not limited to the following):
– Work with the Head Coach and other coaching staff to design, implement and monitor an annual training and competition plan for the National Ski Team senior teams;
– In coordination with the Integrated Support Team (IST), coordinate athlete support services including sport science, sport medicine, and technical support;
– Coaching and leading international and domestic competitive tours;
– Provide timely and effective communication to athletes and other coaches and members of the IST;
– Manage administrative tasks and accountability measures established to evaluate the program.

Required Qualifications:
– Experience coaching at the international level with the proven ability to deliver and integrate the key components of the program: technique, physiology, tactics, psychology and health;
– Must be dedicated to high performance excellence through creative and innovative approaches to delivering training programs;
– Proven ability to motivate and gain the trust and confidence of high performance athletes;
– Excellent interpersonal and organizational expertise;
– Ability to work as a team member and independent contributor;
– Proven skills in distance and sprint training.

As a full-time employee, the Senior Team Coach the compensation package for this position will be based on the qualifications and experience of the successful candidate.

Applications should be in the form of a letter of application with CV and three references, submitted by e-mail no later than April 1, 2011 to:

Cross Country Canada/Ski de fond Canada
c/o Cathy Sturgeon
Director – Administration and Communication
csturgeon@cccski.com

Cross Country Canada would like to fill this position before the end of April.

CCC is an equal opportunity employer. This position is financially supported in part by Sport Canada.

March 09, 2011 (Toronto, ON) – We’re pleased to announce the standings for the SkiTrax FIS Fantasy Oslo Nordic Worlds 2011 Contest following the final event, the Men’s 50km Mass Start held on Sunday in Oslo and won by Norway’s Petter Northug – for complete coverage of this exciting race with photos click HERE.

Following the Men’s 50km freestyle race GBx is leading overall standings with a total of 285 points. Yellowknife trails by only five points and there’s a tie for third place between Brown Chicken Brown Cow and BOOKER T at 275 points apiece. Close behind in 4th place are poiss team and peta each with 270 points.

Look for the final official standings on March 14, following the Doping De-Points rule, when we will announce the winners of the contest.

For the standings after the men’s 50km mass start click HERE.

Nordic Worlds 2011 Contest Prizes
*1st Prize – Alpina package – Peltonen Infra or Supra skis, Alpina ESK Boots, Rottefella Xcelerator Bindings, and Yoko 81100 Carbon Poles. (value $1,350)
*2nd Prize – Nipika Package – 2-nights for up to 6 people in luxurious cabin, including Trail Fees (value up to $1,220)
*3rd Prize – Fischer RCS Skate or Classic Boots (value $469)
*4th Prize – One Way Diamond Storm Premio Poles (value $360)
*5th Prize – Swix Digital T72 Iron (value $350)
*6th Prize – Fresh Air Experience or High Peaks Cyclery Gift Certificate (value $150)
*7th Prize – Rottefella Xcelerator Skate/Classic Bindings (value $130)
*8th Prize – Sporthill Men’s XC Pants (value $120)
*9th Prize – Auclair Micro Mountain Olympic Gloves + Earbags (value $65)
*10th Prize – Buff Headwear (value $40)

Good luck to all contestants and thanks to FIS, Oslo 2011 and all of our great sponsors including Alpina, Peltonen, Yoko, Nipika Mountain Resort, Fischer, One Way, Swix, Fresh Air Experience, High Peaks Cyclery, Rottefella, 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 09, 2011 (Vernon, BC) – Here’s a selection of more great photos capturing some of the race action on Day 3 of the Masters World Cup at Sovereign Lake, BC where 1,134 fit and fast master aged skiers from around the world are duking it out for glory in great conditions. For our coverage of Day 3 please click HERE.

March 09, 2011 – One Way is pleased with its athletes’ performances at the 2011 FIS Nordic Ski Worlds in Oslo, Norway and IBU Championships in Khanty Mansiysk, Russia, with five gold medals and even more hardware, courtesy of Martin Fourcade, Vibeke Skofterud, Kristin Stoermer-Steira, the French Nordic Combined team with Jason Lamy Chappuis, Tord Asle Gjerdalen, and many more.

After the launch of the Diamond Storm PREMIO poles, all of One Way’s athletes switched immediately to the new technology. The new generation of stiffness in this high end racing pole created a lot of excitement at the World Championships.

Congratulations to all athletes.

March 09, 2011 (Oslo, Norway) – Sorry for the delay but we ended up with very slow internet connections over the final few days of the Oslo competitions, and also traveling home made for more sketchy internet connections. Here are some last impressions about our final days in Oslo.

Women’s Relay – Day 9
Back to the races – on site! The end of the World Championships is approaching which means it’s time for the relays and the final “King” and “Queen” of the distance races. Over the past few days there have been some holes in the crowd as many fans have had to return to work or school but tickets are more or less sold-out for rest of the Championships and we expect some intense racing!

As mentioned before, we have observed great sportsmanship here and while skiers are certainly competitive and driven, they are also very gracious and dare I say “normal” people despite their status. As journalists here we have seen what’s been written and how it was written, as well as the athletes in action, on the trails, and at the press conferences and there is somewhat of a difference.

The headlines do not always give the true picture, though it seems that some controversy can be good for the sport since we seem to survive the headlines. It’s only natural that some characteristics of a skier are either highlighted or ignored and skiers sometimes exchange words with each other that seem unnecessary – but taken out of context these things are sometimes made into a bigger deal than the skiers themselves think they are.

Aside from watching the races and enjoying the incomparable level of energy in the stadium, after a “recovery” dinner, we ventured over to the Finnish Team’s hotel to have a celebratory piece of cake with the medal winners, their teammates, and the coaching staff – see more photos HERE.

We also caught up with Andreas Bennert from One Way:

Men’s Relay – Day 10
We thought yesterday was crazy and loud (Women’s Relay). But Wow – today was even louder. Are these Norwegian fans just getting “warmed-up”? Today’s racing was unbelievable!! (but you’re all aware of the results already, so I will not go into detail. Suffice it to say that this race also required spectators to go find recovery food and drink after the competition. Whew.

Before the race started a group of old guys walked into the stadium. They looked like they were familiar with all of the hoopla… in fact, they looked very familiar. They were none other than Oddvar Brå, Harald Gronningen, Tormod Knutsen, Gjermund Eggen, Odd Martinsen and Vladimir Smirnoff!

Those guys hold more medals than any group you could possibly find “by accident” on the race-course. This is definitely the mecca of Nordic skiing. Thomas Alsgaard was a regular commentator on NRK (Norwegian TV), Bente Skari was Chief of Competition, Yelena Välbe was seen regularly (she is coaching now), Björn Daehlie was hanging out… and this is just to name a few of the medal winners and former World Cup and Olympic skiers that were at Holmenkollen.

Here are some of the folks we sought-out/ran into today.

Finnish Member of FIS

Chief of Competition – John Aalberg

Catching up with Atomic’s Roman Toferer

Taking a look inside the Norwegian wax truck with Knut Nystad

Chatting with Marit Bjoergen’s personal wax tech

Wrap Up
The races were followed up with some Italian food with our cousin/niece. Ritva balanced out the racing excitement with a trip to a concert with her cousin (Tord Gustavsen – Norwegian jazz musician – if you like jazz, especially piano jazz, I recommend looking up this guy and/or his trio – the music takes you to another place).

The concert was held in Oslo’s Cathedral (more info HERE), which recently re-opened after some renovations. The church is beautiful, but the pews sure are hard to sit on after a day of running around Holmenkollen!

On Saturday morning, Ahvo returned to the US for the Junior Olympic action while I stayed in Oslo, but opted to stay in town and take in the excitement from another vantage point. Part of me wishes I had gone up to the race course as the sun finally came out but I opted to try something new. My flight on Sunday left early enough in the evening that I had to read up about the 50km later.

The trails will seem a bit quieter after this experience, but I think it is safe to say that both Ahvo and I have some really fond memories of this trip. I know that he has wanted to watch the Word Championships in Norway for a long time (15 or more years), and I decided that I wanted to watch the WC in Norway after watching his videos from the Lillehammer Olympics in 1994 and experiencing a little Nordic World Ski Championships in 1995 when the whole family went to the WC in Thunder Bay.

I am still trying to figure out if this want/need to go to Holmenkollen for the WC is a result of nature or nurture. I doubt that any country can stage the Nordic Worlds as well as the Norwegians can, and I have a hard time imagining that there could be a more ski-crazy nation. I also wonder who makes the Norwegian flags… they must have a pretty fat checkbook by now.

At this point I would also like to mention the hotel that we stayed at – the Hotel Guldsmeden Carlton Oslo (more info HERE). The hotel was on the smaller side and has only been open since about October. They are currently polishing off a spa in the basement and have very comfortable rooms, a tasty breakfast buffet and nice location not too far from the harbor, public transportation and Oslo center.

The staff were fantastic during our stay. I have never met a more hospitable and friendly group of hotel staff in all of my travels. Should you be traveling to Oslo in the near future, check this place out and say hi to the hotel manager Kim (who speaks impeccable English and is actually from Denmark).

For a quick look around the lobby with Kim, check out this video:

That’s it for now! We hope you all have enjoyed reading about our adventures (and secrets) and also hope that at least some of the excitement from this event has been transferred to you through our coverage here at SkiTrax. An event like this is an excellent reminder of the many positive things that can be experience and absorbed from our sport.

Keep on skiing!

March 08, 2011 (Vernon, BC) – Monday was the biggest day of racing at the Sparkling Hill Masters World Cup with 405 Canadians gracing start lines out of 1,000 racers competing in the short distance races – 5km and 10km – for either classic or freestyle technique.

“Perfect sunny skies, blue conditions and the tracks held up really well,” described American top master skier and former Olympian, Laura McCabe, of the near perfect conditions.

McCabe had another great day of racing winning silver in the women’s F03 10km CL at 9s behind the fastest woman of the classic races, Russian Liliya Vasilyva with a time of 31:26. “She gapped me by three feet on the downhill, and I just couldn’t quite get it back, but it was a good race,” she added.

Fellow American Leslie Hall took her second gold in the women’s F04 10km classic race on Monday in 33:14 ahead of two Canadians, Sheila Kealey with a time of 33:54 and Marg Fedyna who finished in 34:42.

The men’s 10km classic fastest time went to Biagio Di Santo of Italy (30-34) who finished in 28:16 while the freestyle overall male title went to Pavel Petr of the Czech Republic (40-44) in 25:24.

The fastest US male in classic racing was Eric Martin in 28:26, finishing ahead of Canadian Stephan Desfosses in 29:44.

The USA’s Nathan Schultz posted the best North American freestyle finish with the quickest time of 26:08 while Canadian Michele Labrie posted the second fastest NA time in 27:11.

“It was a great course, and a great day,” said Canuck William Gardner of his M09 (70-74) 10km classic race . “Everything was great. The snow was perfect.”

Canada’s Nancy Burden had a superb race, leading by two minutes in the 45-49 category with the fastest female freestyle race time. “I wanted to be right at the front, but not push too hard and then as soon as I get into the hills, that’s my strength… as soon as there’s climbing, then just start to wind it up. That was my approach.”

Local skiers continue to show their home town advantage, with Pat Pearce scoring her second gold in the women’s classic (55-59) and Marta Green taking gold in the 10km freestyle (30-34).

“It was a really tough race today, but very exciting,” said Pearce. “The conditions are absolutely perfect. I could go up every hill the way I like to.

“I absolutely feel that I have an advantage. I know the course, I know where I can pick up speed, I know where I can relax. I feel like it’s been a big advantage.”

Local Olympian Joe Derochie had the loudest fan club, drawing over 70 spectators to watch his race. Derochie was racing in the men’s freestyle (70-75) while his son Darren, also an Olympian, raced in the classic (40-44).

Derochie said “Me and the Swede fella worked one against another, and I caught him on a hill. My skis were well waxed. It was a good race.”

Day 3 Classic results HERE.
Day 3 Freestyle results coming

March 08, 2011 (Minneapolis, MN) – The 2011 Junior Olympics are underway in Minneapolis, running March 7-12. The event venue, Theodore Wirth Regional Park, highlights the vibrancy of skiing in a large metropolitan area for the first time in the history of the Nordic Junior Olympics. The week-long event provides opportunities for athletes, coaches and spectators to enjoy exciting race events, to socialize at spectacular venues, and to spend time together cheering along the courses.

The state of Nordic skiing in the Twin Cities and out-state regions of Minnesota and Wisconsin is alive and well with thousands of Nordic skiers in the communities. Minnesota’s Youth Ski League is one of the nation’s premier youth skiing programs with over 1,290 young skiers and the Minnesota State High School League state championship race is the largest state competition in the nation.

Day 1 Sprints
Monday’s Junior Olympic sprint competition at Wirth Park was a staggering success. After the noon qualifiers and early afternoon quarters, a select 72 skiers earned the right to compete under the lights in the evening’s semis and finals.

The night racing was uniquely special, as athletes competed on a lit course accented by luminaries and with a view of the Minneapolis skyline. In his post-race interview, boy’s J1 winner Logan Hanneman, called the venue, “Sick!” (a complement!). Hanneman, who has been around the world as a ski racer (Scando Cup team the last two years), especially wanted to praise the course and the volunteers, “It sounds cliché to complement the race, but in this case it’s legitimate. It’s sweet racing in a city environment.”

By the event’s 8:00 pm conclusion, six athletes had earned themselves the right to call themselves national champions. Not only did they win their final race of the night, but they also endured the pressure and fatigue of a long day at the venue, demonstrating more than just speed.

J2 boy’s winner, New England’s Hamish McEwen felt right at home at Wirth Park. McEwen, who took the overall win after qualifying in first position in the morning, calls the Weston Ski Track in Cambridge, Massachusetts home. Weston, located just outside of Boston, is a golf course with 15 kilometers of ski trails. Wirth Park, McEwen says, is “a lot like Weston.”

McEwen reports that he has done the training to back up his win. As he puts it, “I ski a lot” and estimated his training volume as being 450-500 hours last year.

Like McEwen, the other medalists in the boy’s J2 race, showed consistency through out the heats. Second place Thomas O’Harra (Alaska’s East HS) and third place Haakon Sigurslid (Rocky Mountain’s Durango HS) qualified in third and second respectively in the morning.

On paper, Marion Woods (Alaska’s Dimond HS) was a clear favorite in the girls J2 field. Though only a J2, she participated in this year’s Scando Cup J1 Trip, and was recently runner-up in the notoriously difficult Alaska State Championships. Nevertheless, after she crossed the line for the win in the final, she appeared delighted by what she had accomplished, and called JOs, “the ultimate in scale.” Behind Woods, New England scored critical points by putting two on the podium: Brooke Mooney (Stratton Mountain School) finished second after winning the morning’s qualification, and Heidi Halvorsen (Green Mountain Valley School) took third.

In the J1 boy’s field, Logan Hanneman (Lathrop HS) added another win to a successful season. Logan’s win, two weeks after his dominating win at the Alaska State Championships, is especially sweet given his health at this time last year. In 2010, he was unable to fulfill his end of season goals after he was diagnosed with mono around State Championships time. This year, his season started slowly (he had additional health problems in the fall), but now he finds himself peaking at the end of the season, in his words, “getting better and better” each day. Behind Hanneman were three Midwest skiers successfully representing their home region (second: Andy Dodds of Apple Valley HS, third: Kevin Bolger of Lakeland HS in Wisconsin, and fourth: Ben Saxton of Lakeville North HS.)

The girls J1 final was a show of dominance by New England. Heather Mooney (Stratton Mountain School) won by a decisive ten or so meters, and teammates Corey Stock (Cambridge Sports Union), Cambria McDermott (Stratton Mountain School), Tara Geraghty-Moats, and Rachel Hall (Stratton Mountain School) filled positions two through five. The group would not quite acknowledge that a sweep was their plan for the day, they said, “We knew we had the potential to do it. We woke up this morning ready to make the A-Final.”

Junior World Championships teammates and good friends Skylar Davis (Stratton Mountain School) and George Cartwright (High Plains, Northern Michigan University) knew it was likely to come down to one of the two of them for the win. Skylar acknowledged coming into the final really psyched; right before the final, he ate a Powerbar gel blast (cola), which “really got him going.” He made his move on the hill, gaining a few critical seconds on Cartwright and then held him off, although he was “completely spent in the lanes” and could hear people yelling for George, who finished second. Third went to the Midwest’s Ben Hugus, a Northern Michigan University skier, who won the Korteloppet two weeks ago.

For the hometown audience, the best race came last as Afton, Minnesota’s Jessie Diggins, recently returned home from the World Championships, lived up to her billing with a decisive win. Diggins was completely humble despite the triumphs of her 2011 season. She said that she had to “go all out,” and that she was happy to be competing against “such great girls. It’s a great privilege to race against them.” When asked to compare her experience at the Minneapolis Junior Olympics to her recent adventures at the Holmenkollen World Championships, she said, “Holmenkollen is cool, but a hometown crowd is even cooler.”

Full results HERE.

March 07, 2011 (Toronto, ON) – We’re pleased to present the standings for the SkiTrax FIS Fantasy Oslo Nordic Worlds 2011 Contest following the Women’s 30km Mass Start held on Saturday in Oslo and won by Norway’s Therese Johaug – you can read our complete coverage of this exciting race with photos HERE.

Following the Women’s 30km freestyle race BOOKER T and GBx have taken the lead. Both are tied with 260 points, while three (3) teams, poiss team, Yellowknife, and Bonoéquipe/Bonogagnants, are tied for second place each with 255 points. Brown Chicken Brown Cow and Turbo-Dino-Max are tied for third place with 250 points.

The top teams are very tight and anything could still happen! Look for the standings following the final event, the Men’s 50km skate, and then on March 14, following the Doping De-Points rule, we will announce the winners of the contest.

For the Standings after the women’s 30km mass start click HERE.

Nordic Worlds 2011 Contest Prizes
*1st Prize – Alpina package – Peltonen Infra or Supra skis, Alpina ESK Boots, Rottefella Xcelerator Bindings, and Yoko 81100 Carbon Poles. (value $1,350)
*2nd Prize – Nipika Package – 2-nights for up to 6 people in luxurious cabin, including Trail Fees (value up to $1,220)
*3rd Prize – Fischer RCS Skate or Classic Boots (value $469)
*4th Prize – One Way Diamond Storm Premio Poles (value $360)
*5th Prize – Swix Digital T72 Iron (value $350)
*6th Prize – Fresh Air Experience or High Peaks Cyclery Gift Certificate (value $150)
*7th Prize – Rottefella Xcelerator Skate/Classic Bindings (value $130)
*8th Prize – Sporthill Men’s XC Pants (value $120)
*9th Prize – Auclair Micro Mountain Olympic Gloves + Earbags (value $65)
*10th Prize – Buff Headwear (value $40)

Good luck to all contestants and thanks to FIS, Oslo 2011 and all of our great sponsors including Alpina, Peltonen, Yoko, Nipika Mountain Resort, Fischer, One Way, Swix, Fresh Air Experience, High Peaks Cyclery, Rottefella, 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 07, 2011 (Vernon, BC) – Russia showed their strength on Sunday in the classic mass starts dominating the field in the second day of competition at the Sparkling Hill Masters World Cup, winning 11 golds out of 23 races. The first men’s Classic races (M01, M02, M03) were led by Russia’s Anton Shevchenko and Alexander Mindrin along with Pavel Petr of the Czech Republic.

The first American medal of the day went to Dan Streubel in the M02 category in third place. Canadian Donald Farley was pleased with his second place finish in the 30km Classic M03 category.

“It was a tough race, right from the start,” Farley told SkiTrax. “There’s a good uphill at 4km. We all attacked there, and the group separated. We ended up with three guys and we worked together until the last 5km. I lost ground to the Czech on the last uphill. He had more legs.”

Canadian Michel Labrei, 2nd in M04 race, told us, “The first guy was too strong for us. I skied with the third and the fourth. I skied alone the last 15km. It was a very nice course but with the snow it was very slow.”

The first American gold medal in the women’s 15km classic races went to Inge Scheve in the F02, who was followed in by her teammates Sann Sevanto and Marlene Farrell in second and third place.

US skier Ginny Price took first place in the F06 category while Canada’s Marg Fedyna topped the podium in the F04 competition with teammate Wieske Eikelenboom in second.

Canada finished with 13 medals on day two while the and Americans netted nine – full results HERE.