May 06, 2013 – Here are the final USSA SuperTour standings and Grand National Champions for the 2012/13 season. Rosie Brennan (APUNSC) and Michael Sinnott (Sun Valley SEF) are the women’s and men’s overall SuperTour winners. Brennan also secured the women’s sprint and distance standings. On the men’s side, Sinnott scored top spot in the sprint rankings, while Erik Bjornsen (APUNSC/USST) cleaned up in the distance rankings. The Grand National Champion title went to Sadie Bjornsen (APUNSC/USST) for the women, while Torin Koos (Bridger Ski Foundation/Rossignol) earned the crown in the men’s contest.

Women’s Overall Leader
1. Rosie Brennan (APUNSC) 654 points
2. Sadie Bjornsen (APUNSC/USST) 507 points
3. Kate Fitzgerald (APUNSC) 362 points

Women’s Sprint Leader
1. Rosie Brennan (APUNSC) 232 points
2. Sadie Bjornsen (APUNSC/USST) 207 points
2. Jennie Bender (CXC) 207 points

Women’s Distance Leaders
1. Rosie Brennan (APUNSC) 422 points
2. Sadie Bjornsen (APUNSC/USST) 300 points
3. Caitlin Gregg (CXC) 254 points

Women’s Grand National Champion
1. Sadie Bjornsen (APUNSC/USST)
2. Rosie Brennan (APUNSC)
3. Kate Fitzgerald (APUNSC)

Men’s Overall Leaders
1. Michael Sinnott (Sun Valley SEF) 474 points
2. Erik Bjornsen (APUNSC/USST) 445 points
3. Torin Koos (Bridger Ski Foundation/Rossignol) 334 points

Men’s Sprint Leaders
1. Michael Sinnott (Sun Valley SEF) 200 points
2. Dakota Blackhorse (Bend Endurance Academy) 167 points
3. Erik Bjornsen (APUNSC/USST) 138 points

Men’s Distance Leaders
1. Erik Bjornsen (APUNSC/USST) 307 points
2. Michael Sinnott (Sun Valley SEF) 274 points
3. Brian Gregg (CXC) 249 points

Men’s Grand National Champion
1. Torin Koos (Bridger Ski Foundation/Rossignol)
2. Erik Bjornsen (APUNSC/USST)
3. Tad Elliott (SSC Vail/USST)

Women’s Final USSA SuperTour Rankings HERE.

Men’s Final USSA SuperTour Rankings HERE.

USSA Grand National Champion Rankings HERE.

*The tie on the Grand Nationals Champion document is denoted in yellow and tie breaker in blue.

January 21, 2013 (Minneapolis, MN) – Jennie Bender (CXC) and Torin Koos (Bridger Ski Foundation/Rossignol) scored the women’s and men’s wins, respectively, in the 15/20km Classic Mass start event, Stage 2 of round #4 of the 2013 USSA SuperTour’s Tour de Twin Cities at Wirth Park in Minneapolis, Minnesota on Sunday.

Bender won by a healthy margin of 6.5s over her closest competitor, Rosie Brennan (APU), while APU’s Kate Fitzgerald rounded out the podium in third place, trailing by 8s. Raphaela Sieber (University of Alaska Fairbanks) was the top collegiate women.

Koos edged out Brian Gregg (Central Cross Country Team) for first place by 1.9s with Canada’s David Greer (Yukon Elite Squad) close behind at 2.4s in third. Top collegiate skier was Jonas Loeffler (University of Alaska Fairbanks).

The Stage 3 Classic Sprint scheduled for Monday, January 21 has been rescheduled to Friday, January 25 due to weather.

Full results HERE.

January 03, 2013 (Soldier Hollow, UT) – Here are some more great photos from the 2013 U.S. XC Ski Classic Sprint competitions at Soldier Hollow on January 2nd. Jennie Bender won the women’s crown, while Torin Koos snapped up the title in the men’s race. The 2013 U.S. Cross Country Ski Championships run Jan. 2, 4, 6 and 8. Day 1 report and results HERE.

January 03, 2013 (Solider Hollow, UT) – Check out these interviews with newly crowned U.S. XC CL Ski Sprint Champions Jennie Bender and Torin Koos. It was a spectacular finish for Bender in the women’s Classic Sprints, especially after coming off a summer of both mono and Lyme’s disease. Bender talks about acclimating to the altitude, returning to ski at Soldier Hollow, recovering from her double illness, and is looking forward to testing herself in the distance races. In the men’s competition, Koos qualified third and then led most of his heats to take the victory. Hear his thoughts on racing at Soldier Hollow and his excitement for the rest of the 2013 U.S. National Championships.

For the report, results and photos click HERE.

January 10, 2012 (Rumford, Maine) – This year’s snowless winter isn’t getting the best of the cross country ski season – it’s in full force and Rudy Project athletes continue finishing ahead of the competition.  At the 2012 USSA Cross Country Skiing Championships this past Tuesday in Rumford, Maine, U.S. Olympic skier and Rudy Project sponsored athlete, Torin Koos, found himself at the top of the podium, winning the men’s freestyle 1.6km sprint. Winning the women’s 1.4km sprint was another Rudy Project athlete, Jessie Diggins.

The event at Black Mountain, originally scheduled for last Monday, was cancelled early that morning as a result of temperatures being too warm for snow making on the barren course.  However, as Mother Nature often does, within 24 hours, she chilled the 40-degree temperature to a frigid 15 degrees, cold enough to make snow for Tuesday’s competition.

In the men’s 1.6km sprint, Torin Koos was victorious, ahead of Blackhorse-von Jess in second, and Tyler Kornfield of the University of Alaska in third.  Koos crossed the finish line wearing his Rudy Project Ekynox SGV Mask, an older model that Koos has been swearing by for years.  “Most days, I’m usually rocking the Rudy Project Prestige Sunglasses. But on race days, I pull out the old school Ekynok SGV Mask with the double-layered racing red lens,” said Koos. “They are kind of like my lucky charm on race day,” he added.

While crossing the finish line in her Rudy Project pink fluo Noyz sunglasses, Jessie Diggins took the gold in the women’s 1.4km sprint.  Finishing second was Caitlin Gregg and Jennie Bender in third, all sporting their Rudy Project shades. “As an official supplier for USSA, Rudy Project is honored to see so many Rudys out there on the championship course,” remarked Paul Craig, President and Co-Founder of Rudy Project North America.  “We are especially thrilled to see so many top athletes crossing the finish line in Rudy’s fluo colors,” added Craig.

www.e-rudy.com

December 21, 2011 – After the ski racing scene made a stop in British Columbia’s SilverStar Mountain, I headed six hours south down the Okanogan Valley to my old stomping grounds to the Wenatchee Valley. Highway 97 might not have the most recognizable name, but traveling the two lane road takes you through some of the finest agricultural country in the west. It’s always interesting to head through mostly rural, largely geographically isolated towns, like those that trade in names such as Pentecton, Oroville, Brewster or Chelan, where signs from a different era and brick storefronts replace the Chevrons and Golden Arches. The locals have a little more presence, a little more personality and, I suspect, reflect more the life of the people who live there.

Heading home, though, has not brought an end to the mostly snowless winter. Snow is patchy at best. The first day I hit the trails I couldn’t head to my familiar haunts like the little Ski Hill in Leavenworth or trails that meander along the Wenatchee River. That first day I skied the first day in an alfalfa field, rolled with an Arctic Cat snowmobile in Plain, Washington. For the meager amount of snow, and limited terrain, the skiing wasn’t more than what one could expect. Also, it’s always interesting to skate and glide in some new locale. That the Plain ski venue in the alfalfa fields sits next to the only road I’ve ever seen the backseat of a Crown Vic on – for rollerskiing outside the fogline up Beaver Hill – brought back some remembrances.

Getting back home also gave me the chance to catch up with Mr. Peck and his 5th grade class. With Christmas Break now upon them, and the schoolwork assignments giving way to Christmas parties, the girls have told me they think I am their lucky rabbit’s foot. It’s been great to get back in the classroom – especially that I finished my own finals for the university learning – to catch up with Mr. Peck and connect with the kids. Yes, the days in Pacific Northwest are the perfect place to be, even if I wouldn’t mind for a few more snowflakes to fall any day yet.

Until the next time,

Torin

December 09, 2011 (Sovereign Lake, BC) – Many of the continent’s top skiers have gathered this weekend at  Sovereign Lake near the mountain resort of Silver Star, in Vernon, BC, for the first races of the season for the 2011-12 Haywood NorAm and Teck Sprint Series, which are being hosted at the Sovereign Lake Nordic Centre.

This weekend features a classic double-header, with classic sprints on Saturday and an interval start classic distance race on Sunday. US SuperTour leaders Jessie Diggins and Michael Sinnott will be on the start line along with most of the members of Canada’s Senior Development Team, including Kevin Sandau and Alysson Marshall, fresh back from some early season racing at the World Cup in Norway and Finland.

The strong fields include former US Olympians Torin Koos and Morgan Arittola who will both contest the races as well. Joining the elite racers will be hundreds of the top juniors from across Canada and the United States.

SkiTrax caught up the USST’s Diggins, Koos and Kate Fitzgerald (APU) during today’s official training day. Check out the vids as  Jessie Diggins reveals her Canadian roots… Sorry for the delay – the Fitzgerald interview is good to go. – ed.

May 09, 2011 – With May and the traditional start of ski training season upon us, strength training conversations are picking up in pace. Discussions like these are clockwork. They abound every year. Instead of pulling out some new studies on strength, skiing and power, I thought I’d pull out the old training logs and see the multi-year trends I’ve followed through the years.

In April, strength makes up a solid chunk of my training volume. First off, the April training load is lower than the rest of the year. And two, I’m not worried about heavy legs or tired arms affecting my now non-existent specific ski training period. I get into the gym three to four times a week for all-around general strength work.

For one month a year I don’t follow a specific strength plan in the gym. Instead, it’s a little more freeform. My guide is remembering the little conversations I had with myself during the past season. Like, “Oh man, I have the horsepower for a top-end double-pole finish, but the chain from my upper core to my lower body is a little weak. Best to address this early on in next season’s preparation.” And now that the training season for 2012 is upon us, it’s time to act on these thoughts and impressions.

Skiers go into the weight room to turn strength into power, and as the big races approach, to turn this into ski-specific power. As the big races of the season loom ahead, work in the weight room gets more ski specific, and strength drills on skis take on a greater preference.

May, though, is not the time to place the emphasis on such priorities. In May it’s about addressing any lingering physical ailments you might have built up from so much repetitive movements, done over and over, day after day. Spring’s the time to recover. It’s also the time to make sure that the aggravating tendonitis in the elbow or Achilles is a thing of the past.

Once a week, I focus for two hours only on basic physical therapy inspired drills so I don’t spend at least this much time nursing along ailments through the meat-and-potatoes of the race season.

May is also the time to build the foundation of strength. To do this, I focus on four core lifts. Twice a week I head to the gym and do these four lifts as the bulk of my weight room session. More specifically, I do these three-to-four sets of each of these lifts, with twelve-to-fifteen reps a time.

It’s a time for me to get back in touch with proper lifting techniques. To help me with this, I will enlist at least once the helpful eyes of an outsider. I may think I’m lifting from the hips, and keeping my weight back on the heels in my full squats, but sometimes perception has a way in getting in the way of reality. This is where the second pair of eyes from a video camera or your lifting partner comes in handy.

But what to focus on, you ask? Well, I asked the same questions to Zach Wetterford, US Olympic Training Center Lifting Coach (and former US Ski Team Lifting Coach) to get the skinny from someone who thinks about cleans, squats, plyometrics and strength-based plyometrics every day of the week. Here’s the technique pointers Zach has for the “Wetterford Four.”

Dead Lift into Clean

Key Points:

– Remember this is very explosive movement utilizing the hips, legs, back and shoulders.
– Keep the back tight and flat throughout the lift.
– The bar’s trajectory should move only in a vertical plane. Don’t swing it out and around; rather jump it straight up.

Squat

Key Points:

– Look straight ahead, keeping one’s head and chest up – this aligns the spine, protecting it from injury.
– Keep weight equally distributed between both feet.
– Push through one’s feet. Don’t get up on your toes!

Pull Down

Key Points:

– Maintain upper body in upright position, with a slight backward lean from the hips.
– Avoid jerky movements
– Keep shoulders down to stabilize scapula and isolate the lats.

Press

Four Lifts – all Coach Weatherford approved. Just remember to Keep it Simple. Get a coach to get the technique down. Emphasize multi-joint movements. Don’t substitute strength for sport training.

February 14, 2011 – The National Cross-Country Ski Education Foundation has partnered with the US Ski Team to fully fund all U. S. Cross Country athletes who represent the U.S. at the 2011 World Nordic Ski Championships.

Dave Knoop, NCCSEF director, states “The World Championships are the premier Nordic competition outside of the Olympics. We wanted to make sure each athlete who qualifies for the Championships could focus on their preparation for the games and not worry about covering the cost for this trip.”

“We will be going to Norway with a group of athletes who have all earned this honor with strong performances this season,” said Nordic Program Director John Farra. “And we are pleased that are at the championships as one united team all will be equally funded and supported. It’s a special honor for each of these athletes to be able to compete in Norway.”

NCCSEF Ski Fundraising Challenge
The NCCSEF challenges the ski community at large to help fund these athletes. Make your tax deductible contribution to NCCSEF designating World Championships and we will ensure that your contribution goes to offsetting trip expenses for all athletes. To contribute and learn about NCCSEF visit www.nccsef.org

2011 World Nordic Ski Championships U. S. Cross Country Ski Team
Men
– Tad Elliott – Central Cross Country
– Lars Flora – Alaska Pacific University
– Kris Freeman – Andover Outing Club
– Simi Hamilton – Sun Valley Ski Ed Foundation
– Noah Hoffman – Aspen Valley Ski Club
– Torin Koos – Methow Olympic Development
– Andy Newell – Stratton Mountain School

Women
– Morgan Arritola – Sun Valley Ski Ed Foundation
– Holly Brooks – Alaska Pacific University
– Sadie Bjornsen -Alaska Pacific University
– Jessie Diggins- Central Cross Country
– Kikkan Randall – Alaska Pacific University
– Ida Sargent – Craftsbury Green Racing Project
– Liz Stephen- Burke Mountain Academy

2011 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships Cross Country Schedule – Oslo, Norway
– Feb. 24 – Freestyle sprint
– Feb. 26 – W’s 15k Pursuit
– Feb 27 – M 30k Pursuit
– Feb. 28- W 10k Classic
– Mar. 1 – M 15k Classic
– Mar. 2 – Team classic sprint
– Mar. 3 – W Relay
– Mar. 4 – M Relay
– Mar. 5 – W 30k Freestyle
– Mar. 6 – M 50k Freestyle

February 12, 2011 (Beitostolen, Norway) – USA’s Simeon Hamilton led the North Americans at the Men’s 10km Classic in Beitostolen, Norway today, with a 16th-place finish, 1:20.7 off the pace of race winner Ronny Fredrik Ansnes (NOR). Pål Golberg (NOR) took second place, 15s back, followed by Arne Post (NOR) in third.

“Yeah, a good day for sure over here, especially since it was essentially my second distance race of the year,” Hamilton told SkiTrax by email. “The course suited me well, long climbs that required long striding with some good recovery downhills. And some technical corners added in for good measure. It felt good to see a hard effort pay off, especially since yesterday [sprints] wasn’t the best day in the world for me.

“It’s been fun watching the team ski really well over here, especially the ladies… they’re killing it. We’re all getting really amped for Drammen and Oslo.”

Canadians Ivan Babikov and Len Valjas were the next North Americans, finishing 23rd and 24th, respectively, with Babikov beating his teammate by only two-tenths of a second. Tad Elliott (USA) cruised into 55th position.

For Canada’s Babikov it was a day with bad luck but he found his groove and moved up about 60 spots after falling back to 80th.

“The race didn’t go well for me at all, I crashed and broke a pole about 2min after the start – and then skied almost half of the lap with broken poll, so at the first split time I was 80th,” said the veteran. “But it’s ok, better now than at the championships, right?

“On the 2nd lap I got into the rhythm and moved up to 23rd. But I think I feel more comfortable now in classic skiing than I felt at the beginning of the season. We’ll see how the 15km classic in Drammen goes for me.”

The “DNS” list was long, with Noah Hoffman (USA), Torin Koos (USA), Andy Newell (USA), Devon Kershaw, (CAN) all opting out of the race, which many used as a tune-up for next weekend’s World Cup in Drammen, Norway.

According to a recent Twitter update, Kershaw had intended to race, but he opted to rest up and recover from a bug that kept him from eating and depleted his energy.

Full results HERE.
All categories merged HERE.

February 11, 2011 (Beitostølen, Norway) – The US Ski Team had a strong showing at today’s FIS freestyle sprints in Beitostølen, Norway, with Torin Koos and Andy Newell finishing fourth and fifth, respectively, in the men’s final, which was won by Anders Gloersen (NOR). Ida Sargent took fifth in the women’s final, while Maiken Caspersen Falla (NOR) snapped up the win.

The American squad started very strongly in the qualifiers, with three in the top 10 in the men’s category: Newell 3rd, Koos 4th, and Simeon Hamilton 10th. Hamilton finished sixth in his quarterfinal heat, however, and did not advance.

In the women’s ranks, three U.S. skiers also qualified in the top 10, with Sadie Bjornsen 4th, Jessica Diggins 5th, and Sargent 6th. Bjornsen went on to take second in her quarterfinal heat, while Diggins and Sargent placed 1-2 in theirs. Sargent was the only one to advance through the semis, taking fourth in her heat, while Bjornsen and Diggins were shut out with fifth and sixth-place efforts.

Other U.S. results: Tad Elliott and Skyler Davis qualified 32nd and 47th, respectively, in the men’s event, while Liz Stephen and Morgan Arritola finished 30th and 42nd in the women’s qualifications, respectively. Stephen moved through to the quarterfinals, but was knocked out in the first heat.

Men’s Qualifications HERE.
Women’s Qualifications HERE.

Men’s Finals HERE.
Women’s Finals HERE.

January 13, 2011 – With U.S. Championships in Rumford, ME now complete, the updated USSA SuperTour standings are now in! Thanks to the Race Organizers, volunteers and officials of the Chisolm Ski Club for their hard work and dedication in dealing with some challenging weather conditions!

Women
1. Holly Brooks (APU Nordic Ski Cente) 280 points
2. Sadie Bjornsen (APU Nordic Ski Center) 200
3. Kate Fitzgerald (APU Nordic Ski Center) 185
4. Morgan Smyth (APU Nordic Ski Center) 172

Men
1. Lars Flora (APU Nordic Ski Center) 267 points
2. Michael Sinnott (Sun Valley Ski Ed Foundation) 160
3. Torin Koos (Methow Olympic Dev Prog) 150
4. Leif Zimmerman (Bridger Ski Foundation) 117

Full Men’s Standings HERE.
Full Women’s Standings HERE.

January 10, 2011 (Rumford, ME) – SkiTrax caught up with Torin Koos (Methow) , Saturday’s Freestyle Sprint champion, at the 2011 US XC Nationals in Rumford, Maine and USSA Nordic Director John Farra at the conclusion of the Nationals.

Koos expressed his excitement with posting three solid races at the weeks events, noting that there was “a lot of pride on the line.” The three-time Olympian also talked about his plans to train with the Swiss National Team in the coming weeks, before taking part in some Norwegian races.

Farra raved about what the volunteers were able to accomplish, given the challenging weather conditions. The former Olympian also talked about the electric atmosphere on what he called a “world class course,” saying these events were “one for the history books.”

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

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

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

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

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

January 04, 2011 (Rumford, ME) – The USSA National Championship classic sprint race in Rumford, Maine lived up to expectations as an exciting and challenging event. The organizing committee did an amazing job given the prevailing weather conditions over the past week and Sunday’s race was fair for all the racers competing.

The weather forecasts were as predicted for Sunday with warm air temperatures and wet corn snow crystals. Track conditions were extremely dirty and keeping ski bases as clean as possible was one important aspect to having fast skis. Structure also played an important role in the ski preparation process, as the snow was very wet due to temperatures not dropping below freezing for the prior 48 hours before the race. Glide wax selection was straight forward, as the weather and snow conditions did not drastically change prior to or during the race.

Swix racing service was present at the event and ran a number of on snow tests to determine the optimum combination of glide wax, base structure and kick wax that was used by many top competitors in the classic sprint.

Starting with glide testing, we tested base and mid layer paraffin waxes. MB77- Moly Fluor Wax was an ideal base paraffin for these dirty snow conditions. On top of the MB77, testing found HF8BW to run the fastest, with the BW additive aiding in repelling the considerable amount of dirt on the race course.

Once we had our base paraffin and layer paraffin waxes identified and applied to our skis, the next step was to find the ideal Cera F top coat. Testing found that FC8X was the fastest Cera powder. The combination of MB77, HF8BW and FC8X is a widely used in World Cup racing with a history of providing excellent race results.

The morning of the race, Swix RS tested final layer Cera F liquids and base structure. We found FC8L to be the best liquid to use over the top of FC8X. The structure test revealed that the T401 Swix Super riller with the 1.0mm coarse bar combined with the 1.0mm Broken V structure roller over the top greatly reduced the wet friction created by the moisture in the snow. Also, this structure combination did not collect dirt, keeping the skis as clean as possible in these extremely dirty snow conditions.

Kick waxing was very straight forward, given the snow crystals present. A thin klister base of KR20, covered with a thin layer KR35 provided a strong binder layer for the top, race wax layer of KR70 with just a few dots of K22n mixed into the KR70. The KR70 provided great kick and the K22n added toughness to the KR70, reducing wear and icing. It was important to make sure the race wax layer was not too thick, as this would collect dirt and slow the skis down.

Weather conditions look to improve as the temperatures will be dropping below freezing for the next week. The snow guns are running and we are looking forward to testing in the new conditions. Look for updates at www.SwixRacing.us and SwixNordic on Facebook.

Only Swix’s Cera Nova wax matrix takes the guesswork out of waxing by creating a perfect wax for each snow condition.

January 02, 2011 (Rumford, Maine) – A sudden warming trend made for challenging conditions that forced organizers to scramble working well into the evening to prepare for today’s 1.4km classic sprint event, the opening round of the 2011 US XC Ski Championships at Black Mountain just outside Rumford, Maine.

Temperatures in the 40s reeked havoc with the trails but the experienced Chisholm Ski Club crew pulled it off as pair of US Olympians from the Vancouver 2010 Games set the pace in the men’s and women’s sprint competitions. Torin Koos of the Methow Valley Olympic Development Program and Holly Brooks of APU took the top step on the podiums.

Brooks opened the day topping the women’s qualification round over teammate Sadie Bjornsen with Sophie Caldwell (Dartmouth) third, Morgan Smyth (APU) fourth and Ida Sargent (Craftsbury Green Racing Project) in fifth. The Alaska skier could not be stopped as she added another victory to her resume and following the event a beaming Brooks was thrilled with her first National title.

“You know the hills are my strength and I pushed it hard, as the finish was a downhill. I just hoped I could hold on in the double poling,” said Brooks.

“I was really motivated to win a national title today. I’ve been thinking about it for months – even longer than that. It’s kind of a dream come true, so I am just happy to share the podium with a bunch of my APU teammates.” Four out of the top six represented the program at APU.

Eliska Hajkova (Colorado) finished second in the final today with APU’s Smyth taking third but Hajkova, from the Czech Republic, is not eligible for a US title moving Smyth into second on the Nationals podium, and team mate Sadie Bjornsen into third – making it an APU sweep.

In fact APU’s Lars Flora was also the fastest in the men’s qualification this morning with Koos second, Mike Sinnott (SVSEF) third, Reese Hanneman (APU) 4th, and Jericho, VT’s Skyler Davis (Stratton)  in 5th.

In the end the veteran Methow Valley sprinter prevailed and was also pleased with his race – and winning the men’s title. He was not surprised by his fitness when he spoke with SkiTrax post-race. “I had great training this fall, went to Europe and had some good races over there. It should keep get better and better,” said Koos.

Second place went to Sinnott, a former Dartmouth captain, skiing out of Sun Valley, while third went to Vermont’s Davis from Stratton Mountain. Koos expects to ski the men’s 15 classic on Tuesday (now postponed to Wednesday), and next Saturday’s free technique sprint. He plans on skipping the 30km event.

Colder temperatures are expected this evening, which might well enable additional snowmaking at the famed Black Mountain venue.

Men’s Final Results and Qualifications HERE.
Men’s Heats HERE.

Women’s Final Results and Qualifications HERE.
Women’s Heats HERE.