SkiTrax Spring 2017 by SkiTrax

Spring 2017

HARVEY WINS 50KM GOLD Historic Lahti 2017

BIATHLON WORLDS Gold & Silver for USA

ROMANTIC INNS Great Food & Skiing

GEAR 2018 Inside Scoop

Plus Para Nordic World Cup Wrap XC Ski Nationals Junior/U23 Worlds IBU Youth/Junior Worlds

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ContEntS

SPRING 2017 Volume 27, Issue 4

28 32 54 24

fEAturES 24 28 32

2018 Gear Preview

by Dalia and Dan Clausen

CoMPEtition nordic Junior/u23 World Championship: uSA Double Bronze

by Mark Stevens

romantic inns

by Jonathan Wiesel

Lahti 2017 historic Medal run

Biathlon Worlds: historic Gold for Bailey and Silver for Dunklee

by Noah Brautigam

40 42 44

Comp uSA

by Julie Melanson

Comp Canada

by Sara Meyers

Comp international

by Ben Andrew, Noah Brautigam and Julie Melanson

Pro tALK

SKi tiPS

CoLuMnS

14 16

20 21 52

8 18 19 53 54

high voltage by Kikkan Randall Killer instinct by Andrew Newell Spring 2017

Canadaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Alex Harvey makes history winning the menâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 50km freestyle race at Lahti 2017 - the biggest win of his career. Nordic Focus

Harvey Wins 50km GOLD Historic Lahti 2017

BiatHLOn WOrLDs Gold & Silver for USA

rOmantiC inns Great Food & Skiing

Gear 2018 Inside Scoop

Plus Para nordic World Cup Wrap XC ski nationals Junior/U23 Worlds iBU youth/Junior Worlds

Official publication of

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technique by Keith Nicol tele technique by J. Scott McGee Waxworx

by Jack Cook and Patrick Moore

out in front Backcountry by Steve Threndyle Masters by J.D. Downing Graves on nordic by Peter Graves Sasseville report by Jack Sasseville

Pro Talk andy newell kikkan randall

Registration Number 9875 Agreement Number 1372521 Printed in Canada

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SkiTrax, a division of 1198189 Ontario Inc., is published 4 times each season: Annual, Winter, February/March and Spring, at 260 Spadina Ave., #200, Toronto, ON M5T 2E4. Advertising rates/data are available on request: Phone (416) 977-2100; Fax (416) 977-9200, or write to the address above.The entire contents are the property of SkiTrax Magazine and may not be reprinted or reproduced, in whole or in part, without the written permission of the publisher. Unsolicited material or contributions are welcome, but must be accompanied by return postage. SkiTrax Magazine will handle all such material with reasonable care; however, it assumes no responsibility for the safety, loss of, or damage to such photographs or manuscripts. 2nd Class Publications Mail Registration #9875, paid at 969 Eastern Ave., Toronto, ON M4L 1A5. If undeliverable or address changed, please notify: 260 Spadina Ave., #200, Toronto, ON M5T 2E4. U.S. Office of Publication: 240 Portage Road, PO Box 670-25, Lewiston, NY, 14092. Periodicals postage paid at Niagara Falls, NY. 2nd Class U.S. Publications, USPS Registration #012177. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to SkiTrax Magazine, PO Box 553, Niagara Falls, NY 14304.

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publisher/editor Benjamin Sadavoy international correspondent Peter Graves contributors Ben Andrew, Noah Brautigam, Dalia and Dan Clausen, Jack Cook, J.D. Downing, Peter Graves, J. Scott McGee, Julie Melanson, Sara Meyers, Patrick Moore, Andrew Newell, Keith Nicol, Carrington Pomeroy, Kikkan Randall, Jack Sasseville, John Symon, Steven Threndyle, Jonathan Wiesell photographers Jacqueline Akerman, almaty2017.com, Bearskin Lodge, Biathlon Canada, Reese Brown, CCC, Pam Doyle, Emerald Lake Lodge, Fischer, Steve Fuller, Harvey Collection, Tom Kelly/USSA, Latigo Ranch, Masters World Cup 2016, Montmorency Forest, Heather Nicol, Nordic Focus, Lance Parrish, Kikkan Randall, Scania, Selko Photos, Phil Shaw, Ahvo Taipale, Steven Threndyle, Stokely Creek Lodge, USOC graphic design Wendy Pease copy editing Claudia Brown administration & circulation Crystal Burs production CrackerJack Enterprises webmaster David Irving advertising sales Benjamin Sadavoy editorial office 260 Spadina Ave., #200, Toronto, ON M5T 2E4 Phone: (416) 977-2100; Fax: (416) 977-9200 subscriptions (2016/17) Newsstand (plus 13% HST).......................................... $4.95 Annual (plus 13% HST)................................................ $5.95 1 yr. (4 issues) Canada........................................$14.95 CDN 1 yr. (4 issues) USA...............................................$17.95 US 2 yr. (8 issues) Canada........................................$25.95 CDN 2 yr. (8 issues) USA...............................................$32.95 US International Subscribers: US$34.95 (1-yr); US$62.95 (2-yr) customer service Phone: (416) 977-2100; Fax: (416) 977-9200 info@skitrax.com subscriptions@skitrax.com official magazine of Cross Country Canada

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KICK Don’t Stop Believin’ What a rock ‘em, sock ‘em “golden” season for North American Nordic skiers. Topping the heap are Alex Harvey’s historic 50km victory at the close of the Lahti 2017 FIS Nordic Worlds (our cover boy) and Lowell Bailey capturing the U.S.A.’s first-ever Biathlon Championship gold medal in the men’s Individual 20km (pictured here with US Biathlon teammates). Next, Susan Dunklee’s mass-start silver marked the first Individual Biathlon Worlds medal by an American woman. Add two more World Cup golds for Harvey, one with Len Valjas in the Team sprint and two golds for Jessie Diggins, and you start to get the picture. Canadians Léo Grandbois and Megan Bankes delivered back-to-back golds at the IBU Youth/Junior World Championships for good measure. The hard work is paying off, not to mention the slew of silver and bronze medals also captured. Don’t Stop Believin’ is the new mantra for Canadian and American winter athletes. Enjoy the off-season; you earned it. – BAS

uS Biathlon men’s squad and crew celebrate at the 2017 iBu Biathlon World Championships in hochfilzen, Austria where Lowell Bailey captured the u.S.A.’s first-ever Biathlon Championship gold medal in the men’s individual 20km. 6 SKITRAX SPRING 2017

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Nordic Focus

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SPRING 2017 SKITRAX 7

out in front

by John Symon

Ski Tour Canada Wins Event of the Year

CCC

International Audience of More Than 52 Million Viewers

he organizers of the 2016 Ski Tour Canada were among the winners at the 11th annual Canadian Sport Tourism Alliance (CSTA) PRESTIGE Awards. “Each one of our PRESTIGE Award recipients has made a meaningful contribution either personally or as part of an organization to keep Canada a world leader in bidding and hosting events,” said Rick Traer, CEO of CSTA. Recipients were announced on March 21 during the 11th PRESTIGE Awards gala luncheon at the

CSTA’s annual Sport Events Congress in Ottawa, Ont. Ski Tour Canada Group won in the budgetgreater-than-$1-million category. With stages in Quebec (Gatineau, Montreal and Quebec City) as well as Alberta (Canmore), Ski Tour Canada took place over 12 (l-r) Laurent Bèdard days, attracting 400 of the (Laval SportCité, which world’s top cross-country sponsored the award), Shane Pearsall (CCC/ skiers from 25 nations to the Ski Tour Canada), Joel first World Cup Cross-country Bergevin (City of Gatinfinals ever staged outside of eau), Annie Léveillée (Tourisme Outaouais) Europe. Ski Tour Canada 2016 showcased Canada’s ability to stage a massive multisite event. Featuring ski expos at each stop that engaged people of all ages, it also generated awareness of Canada’s winter-sport communities worldwide. The event had an operating budget of $8.3 million. Livestreamed in Canada, it reached an international audience of more than 52 million viewers. The success of the 2016 FIS XC World Cup finals in Canada was a significant factor in awarding the 2017 World Cup finals to Quebec City.

by John Symon

Boreal Glide XC Ski Trail

Opens Oct. 27 in Montmorency Forest

8 SKITRAX SPRING 2017

The Boreal Glide welcomes regular clientele as well as skiers from American and Canadian university programs and ski clubs of all calibre. Overnight accommodation is available for up to 150 visitors, including fireplace-equipped lounges, entertainment theatres, classrooms and a cafeteria. Montmorency Forest offers a total of 57 kilometres of trails – 41 kilometres of Classic and 16 kilometres of skate – many of them challenging, as well as snowshoe trails. For more information, visit www. foretmontmorency.ca, info@foretmontmorency.ca or 418-656-2034.

Montmorency Forest

uebec’s Montmorency Forest is boasting a season launch of Oct. 27 for cross-country skiers via its Boreal Glide trail, now in its fifth year. The two- to 2.5-kilometre trail made with artificial snow claims to be exclusive in the Northeastern region of the continent, and is similar to the renowned “Frozen Thunder” trail at the Canmore Nordic Centre in Alberta, which opens in mid- to late October as well. Located 90 kilometres (56 miles) north of Quebec City, Montmorency Forest (operated by Laval University) is the world’s largest research and educational forest, and claims to have the longest cross-country ski season in the province and averages six metres (20 feet) of natural snowfall annually. Normally open from December to March, this past season, skiers were there on last weekend of April, says Julie Moffet, operations coordinator. The Boreal Glide trail is created using thousands of cubic metres of artificial snow prepared since February 2017 and then stored under tons of wood chips throughout the summer. In the fall, snow cannons also contribute to the overall volume and quality of snow.

Boreal Glide offers early skiing option in the East.

Alpine Insurance Joins Forces with AWCA as Title Sponsor The Alberta World Cup Academy (AWCA), a high-performance training centre, welcomes Alpine Insurance (AA) as a title sponsor for the 2017/2018 season. The partnership represents the next step in a long-standing and mutually beneficial relationship between the two iconic organizations. AA has a rich history of supporting amateur athletics in Alberta, while the AWCA has a trusted track record in training Canada’s future cross-country skiers as they develop into future Olympians. “We’re thrilled Alpine Insurance has agreed to join the Academy team in developing Canada’s next generation of cross-country ski champions. The company is an ideal partner for us, and we sincerely appreciate their support,” said Norbert Meier, AWCA Society president. “Alpine Insurance has been a proud sponsor of Nordic events since the World Cup in 2005, and we see this as a natural progression of helping to build our sport,” said Ken Hughes, chairman of Alpine Insurance & Financial Inc. The 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics are less than a year away, and AWCA has already seen two of its athletes – Dahria Beatty and Knute Johnsgaard – meet Canadian criteria to attend. The partnership will assist more athletes as they chase their Olympic dream.

U.S. Biathlon Announces Partnership with Auto Europe In March, Auto Europe CEO Imad Khalidi announced a three-way partnership between his global car-rental company, Outdoor Sport Institute (OSI) and the U.S. Biathlon Team. This new deal will provide support for OSI’s highly successful Biathlon Development Program; a program that has produced 15 Olympians and Paralympians in its first 17 seasons, including recent world champion Lowell Bailey. “With such a strong program here in Maine, this partnership allows us to make a difference where we live, while also supporting an impressive U.S. team in their pursuits abroad,” said Khalidi. Bailey became the first American to win a World Championship in biathlon when he took the gold in the 20km Individual race in Hochfilzen, Austria in February. He was on hand to offer his perspective on this new announcement. “OSI was there for me when there was no other coaching and training support available. It was the bridge that allowed me Continued on page 10

Press Release

For immediate distribution

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by John Symon

Team USA to Acquire Wax Truck Delivery in September 2017

eam USA will take delivery of its new wax truck in September 2017. Fundraising for the $500,000 project was spearheaded by Liz Arky and Kikkan Randall. Arky is a member of the USSA Board of Directors and chair of a U.S. Nordic Advisory group she formed. Well-connected in Washington, D.C., she is also the principal at Arky Group Consulting, a specialty firm providing strategic, government relations and development advice to corporate and non-profit clients. “We’ve been talking about this for perhaps five years, but needed to get some other fundamentals in place first,” said U.S. cross-country team head coach Chris Grover. “The U.S.A. is only team ranked in the top-nine last year without a wax truck.” “We’re working with the same Swedish companies as the Canadians – Scania and SKAB. Our wax truck will be similar to Canada’s, but it will open in three directions, including a covered-porch option for outdoor waxing.” Oleg Ragilo, the team’s head of service, was very helpful in the project, and Grover stressed that “team effort” was part of the process. Randall was the perfect partner for Arky as a veteran star of the U.S. team who is now surrounded by a very talented group of women coached by Matt Whitcomb. “[Liz] brought me to the USSA Board of Trustees meeting last year

Scania

in Vail, and I just got to talk about our team and Team USA’s wax truck will what we do. I shared my story from Sochi, and open in three directions, including a covered-porch stressed that it not only takes the world-class option for outdoor waxing. physical and mental preparation to win medals, it also takes a world-class service team and getting the right skis on the right day,” commented Randall. The message hit home and things began to fall into place. “With USSA CEO Tiger Shaw’s Foundation, we appealed primarily to individuals,” said Arky, but added that company announcements are coming. For Grover, safety and comfort of the team are always top of mind, and the working environment of the wax crew is crucial in delivering consistent top-level skis at every race site. “It’s amazing and rewarding to see it come together. The plan is to take delivery on Sept. 1 next year as we head into an Olympic season,” concluded Grover. For Randall, the wax truck adds additional kick to her swan-song season in 2018: “I also was secretly hoping it would arrive before I retire so I could get a chance to experience the truck for my final season,” quipped the legendary triple sprint-globe winner.

EXPLORE NORTH LAKE TAHOE • TRUCKEE, CA

The most concentrated region of groomed cross countr y terrain in Nor th America, of fering 167 groomed XC trails, covering 457km, and spanning 11,000 acres of terrain.

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SPRING 2017 SKITRAX 9

out in front

Continued from page 8 to continue my career. I’m excited about this new partnership because it means other kids in Maine will be able to chase their biathlon dreams too,” said Bailey. This new partnership adds Auto Europe to OSI’s best-in-class family of Maine brands, including L.L.Bean, Emera Maine, the Press Hotel and Inn of Acadia. “We are a year-round, statewide organization and committed to making a difference in people’s lives through our curriculum of empowerment,” said Andy Shepard, president, CEO and founder of OSI, formerly known as the Maine Winter Sports Center.

by Ben Andrew

Phil Shaw Interview

Worldloppeteer Skis 255 km ompleting a Worldloppet can be a big enough challenge for some, let alone completing four in 15 days. That is exactly what Canadian Phil Shaw did this winter, competing in the Gatineau Worldloppet 51km Classic and 51km Freestyle events, followed by the Tartu Ski Marathon 63km Classic in Estonia, and finally the Vasaloppet 90km Classic in Sweden between Feb. 18 and March 5. Shaw skied a total of 255 kilometres during the four competitions. Montreal, Que.-based Shaw, who has been racing Worldloppets for 30 years, undertook this challenge to simply prove to himself that he could. With a love to compete and more than 100 events already skied, Shaw was looking to raise the bar. During this most recent Worldloppet campaign, he faced several bumps along the way, including a disqualification during the Gatineau 51km Classic for incorrect pole length, as well as battling a sinus infection during the Vasaloppet. Despite this, Shaw completed his goal, and is already looking forward to putting in more time on the snow. You were sick for the Sweden Vasaloppet. How big of a hurdle was this to overcome? Phil Shaw: I came down with nasal congestion the Thursday before the big race. My sinuses were very irritated and I sneezed a lot. Unfortunately the symptoms didn’t start going away until the day after Vasaloppet. I was weak during the race and I had trouble trying to pass people on the first long uphill. I think I lost about 15 minutes due to that nasal flu. Maybe I would have finished around 200th instead of 400th. Otherwise, I had great skis. I used my new Fischer RCS double-poling Speedmax skis. I remember passing people on the flats and downhills. It was a good rush. The freshly fallen snow made for tricky waxing, so I’m glad to have used my double-poling skis. The pine-scented forests and blueberry juice were worth the trip. Especially towards Eldris and Mora. One tends to get thirsty and delirious. When we spoke to you prior to your campaign, you had suggested that the 51km skate at the Gatineau Loppet would be the hardest because it followed the Classic event the day before. Was this the case? PS: Yes! I was tired and rather cranky before the start of Sunday’s 51km skate race. Tired from having exerted myself at Saturday’s 51km and cranky because I was disqualified for using poles longer than 83% of my height. I am happy it was me they disqualified and not someone else. I can take a hit! Hey, I played competitive hockey and was once 10 SKITRAX SPRING 2017

courtesy Phil Shaw

thrown out of a game. That’s what it felt like. So I cut my poles after the incident. Now I Classic-ski race with shorter poles, but my passion for cross-country skiing and racing is still unshakable. Phil Shaw at the Tartu Ski Marathon in Estonia

This was your first time attending the Tartu Ski Marathon in Estonia. How was the event? PS: It was really nice to be able to travel to Estonia. Because they shortened the main race to 36km, it wasn’t much of a marathon. We skied around a 6km loop. It was well groomed and wide enough to pass. I started the race conservatively and passed a few skiers in the second half of the race. Like the Vasaloppet, it’s a Classic race, so I decided not to use any kickwax. My double-poling Speedmax skis were pretty fast. And my newly shorted Swix poles did the trick. But in Estonia, as in Sweden, they did not check pole length. So much for uniformity. Was there anything you would have changed about your preparation, event schedule, etc.? PS: Yes! I would have benefited from spending two weeks before each race at their venues to adapt to the time change. That would have been impossible because I was in Canada doing both Gatineau Loppets. But in a perfect world . . . . Are you happy with your results and the outcome of your Worldloppeteer challenge? PS: Yes, of course I’m happy! I encourage other 50-year-old+ Canadians to take up doing three or more Worldloppets in 2018! It doesn’t have to be too intense or difficult. Start off by doing one or two of Gatineau Loppets. I will be doing both next year! Then come and join me and my wife, Annie, for the Engadin Ski Marathon in Switzerland in March 2018! What’s next? Do you have any upcoming goals? PS: My goal is to train six to seven days a week on skikes until snow falls this December. My skike training includes a trip to the Alps from May 1 to June 1 while promoting the Worldloppet circuit. Readers can follow my adventure via my website www. glisse-roule.com and my Facebook page.

CCC Announces Partnership with XC Ski Nation In March, Cross Country Canada (CCC) announced a new partnership with XC Ski Nation, producing fresh coaching content and supporting athlete and coach development. Launched in 2016, XC Ski Nation is an online membership site for skiers who want in-depth information about Nordic-ski technique. A cost-effective way to learn, XC Ski Nation provides ongoing support for users through an interactive platform. For those signing up via CCC’s website, XC Ski Nation will donate a portion of the membership fee to CCC’s coach- and athlete-development programs. “We look forward to assisting CCC in the production of educational videos for Canadian Nordic-skiing coaches,” commented Kim McKenney of XC Ski Nation. In addition, CCC and XC Ski Nation will be co-producing new skiing technique and drill videos for CCC’s Athlete Development Matrix and XC Ski Nation’s members. CCC’s Athlete Matrix videos have been extremely popular with coaches. By partnering with XC Ski Nation, CCC will be able to deliver more resources at a higher standard to Canadian coaches. “Partnering with XC Ski Nation allows us to deliver up-to-date technique and resource to coaches in a clear and timely manner. Ultimately this will allow coaches to improve their skills and develop stronger athletes,” said Mike Vieira, manager of coaching development at CCC.

Tragedy Strikes at CSM Cheemun Lum, a doctor from Ottawa, Ont., died during this year’s running of the 162km Canadian Ski Marathon (CSM) on the weekend of Feb. 11-12. Lum was the head of neurointervention and diagnostic neuroradiology at The Ottawa Hospital. He is being reContinued on page 12 www.skitrax.com

photos: Harvey Collection

by Jack Sasseville

50km victories A Harvey Tradition

s I followed the World Championship men’s 50km freestyle race in Lahti, Finland on the live International Ski Federation website, the last checkpoint before the finish was at 48.2km, and it showed Canada’s Alex Harvey near the front, as he had been all day. With only 1.8km to go, I began thinking about another 50km race back in 1988 that I had the privilege to watch in person in Oslo, Norway. On that day, Alex’s father, Pierre, won the 100th edition of what is likely the most prestigious single-day race in the world – the Holmenkollen 50km Classic. In those days, the 50km was an interval-start race over a 25km course. The skiers started one by one every 30 seconds. Pierre had a very fast start, and by the end of the first lap, he was the leader by 30 seconds over second-placed Vegard Ulvang (NOR), who had started 30 seconds ahead of him. They were now skiing together, and it seemed that as long as Harvey stayed with Ulvang, he would win the race. However, at the back of the field, Italian skier Silvano Barco was making his move, and when he reached my timing station at the 13km mark, he was within 30 seconds of Pierre and was gaining fast. Frantically I called our other coaches on my walkie-talkie, but only reached our head waxer, John Plummer, who rushed out of the wax room to let Pierre know. Head coach Marty Hall in the stadium got wind

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Canada’s Pierre harvey wins the 100th holmenkollen 50km Classic in 1988 – the first nonEuropean to claim this prestigious title. rare holmenkollen Diplom presented to Pierre harvey by the King of norway following his victory.

of things via a PA announcement and sent a message to senior-team coach Laurent Roux, who informed Pierre. With three kilometres to go, Pierre put in a final push and ended up winning by 13 seconds. It was the greatest victory of his career and one of my best memories as a coach with the National Team. Now, as the seconds ticked by, I waited for the moment that I could refresh my phone and see the final results from the current 50km in Lahti. When they flashed on the screen showing that Alex had won, I screamed “YESSSS!” and started running around the room. Alex said that this was the greatest race of his life. He said that he had been feeling good all week, but was missing the magic. For the 50km F finale, he had the magic, and will forever be a world champion in an Individual event. He and his father are the two greatest male skiers in the history of cross-country skiing in Canada. What a tradition.

SPRING 2017 SKITRAX 11

by Carrington Pomeroy

Universiade 2017

Report from Kazakhstan

he 18th Winter Universiade took place in Almaty, Kazakhstan on Jan. 29-Feb. 8, and featured more than 1,500 athletes competing in all of the Olympic events. Individual Classic: In the men’s 10km, Valeriy Gontar took an 8.9-second win over Russian teammate Dmitriy Rostovtsev, a former world U23 medalist. Alexandre Pouye of France was third at 21.8 seconds behind. Mason Vincent (University of Wyoming) had the best U.S. finish in 44th at 2:54 back, while Jordan Cascagnette (Nipissing) was the top Canadian in 49th. The women raced a 5km, won by Lilia Vasilieva of Russia with a 13.3-second advantage over her teammate Anna Nechaevskaya, a podium finisher at last year’s Russian Nationals. Anna Shevchenko of Kazakhstan – who started the season on the World Cup – was third. Elise Sulser (University of Wyoming) led the U.S. in 23rd place at 1:58.4 off the pace. For Canada, Christel Pichard-Jolicoeur (Université Laval) was one spot behind Sulser in 24th. Pursuit Skate: In the men’s 10km Pursuit, Rostovtsev overtook Gontar to win by 14.7 seconds. Armenia’s Sergey Mikayelyan – who would later place in the top 30 at the Senior World Championships – moved from fourth up to third to claim the bronze. William Dumas skied from 58th all the way up to 40th to lead the Canadian squad, while Vincent once again had the best U.S. finish in 55th. In the women’s 5km Pursuit, Nechaevskaya of Russia overtook teammate Vasilieva for the gold. Anna Shevchenko of Kazakhstan kept her hold on third place. Sulser again led the U.S.A., slipping one spot to finish 24th, while Pichard-Jolicoeur finished 31st for Canada. Classic Sprint: In the men’s 1.6km Classic sprint, local favourite Ivan Lyuft took home the gold medal just ahead of Vladimir Frolov and Egor Berezin of Russia. Canada’s Alexis Morin was the only North American to qualify for the heats and finished the day in 18th overall. The top American on the day was Vincent in 56th. The women’s 1.3km race was won by Maria Davydenkova of Russia, followed closely by her teammate Vasilieva in second and Anna Stoyan of Kazakhstan in third. Andrée-Anne Théberge in 17th led a quartet of Canadians in the top 30, with Emma Camicioli in 25th, Pichard-Jolicoeur in 27th and Shelby Dickey in 30th. The Americans were led home by Yara Thomas in 47th.

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almaty2017.com

out in front

Mixed Team Sprint FR: Day Canada’s Carrington Pomeroy Four of racing saw a very (left) in the Men’s 30 km Classic mass-start race rare format. Teams of two from every country competed in a mixed-gender Team skate sprint. Each competitor completed three loops of the 1.3km course, handing off to their teammate after each lap. The home favourites prevailed, with Shevchenko of Kazakhstan taking gold ahead of Celine Chopard Lallier and Louis Schwartz of France, followed by Davydenkova and Frolov of Russia. No North American teams made it out of the semifinals, with Théberge and Morin of Canada coming closest in 16th. Team Relay: The men’s 4x7.5km race saw a very tight battle between the Russians and the Kazakhs. Both teams took turns leading, and it wasn’t until the final stretch that Rostovtsev of Russia pulled away for good. The Czech Republic outsprinted Japan for the final podium spot. The Canadian team of Cascagnette, Dumas, Conor Thompson and Carrington Pomeroy finished 10th, three minutes ahead of the American team of Vincent, Leif Hanson, Cameron Moore and Will Timmons. The women’s 3x5km featured a similar battle between Russia and Kazakhstan, but this time Nechaevskaya wasted no time pulling away from Irina Bykova of Kazakhstan on the final leg to give the Russians the gold. Continuing a strong week, the French team finished in the bronze-medal position, well ahead of fourth-place Belarus. The Canadian women’s squad of Pichard-Jolicoeur, Dickey and Kyla Vanderzwet mounted a late charge and overtook the American team of Sulser, Thomas and Meghan Kent on the last lap to finish seventh-place overall, with the U.S.A. finishing eighth. Classic Mass Start: In the women’s 15km mass start, Vasilieva put a cap on dominating Universiade, outsprinting her teammate Nechaevskaya and Shevchenko of Ukraine. The U.S.A.’s Sulser continued to impress with her Classic proficiency, finishing as top North American in 16th. Canada’s Pichard-Jolicoeur continued her string of top-30 results in 24th, just ahead of Dickey (CAN) in 25th. The final race, the men’s 30km Classic, featured a similar story to the rest of the week. Rostovtsev and Gontar of Russia and Sergey Malyshev and Vitaliy Pukhkalo of Kazakhstan broke away for good early on, finishing in that order almost three minutes ahead of the rest of the field. Dumas once again led the Canadians home in 34th place, while the United State’s lone finisher Sam Wiswell came in 47th.

Continued from page 10 membered as a pioneer in the field of treating strokes, as well as for his love of cross-country skiing and mountain biking. The 51-year-old Lum suffered some sort of cardiac malaise on the trail on Feb. 11 while skiing with his wife and friends. He was immediately attended to by another skier, also a doctor, according to the local Petite Nation newspaper. “The doctor started doing CPR on [Lum]. Our paramedic team arrived on the scene and worked with a defibrillator, but were unable to reanimate the skier, whose death was declared in the ambulance,” explained Julie Boyer, president of the CSM. The 1,700 CSM participants observed a minute of silence before starting their ski on Sunday morning. Boyer noted that this was the first fatality in 51 consecutive years of running the CSM. This year also saw some 600 school students participate in a mini-marathon. Lum is survived by his wife and two teenaged children. SkiTrax joins the ski community in sending condolences to Lum’s family and friends.

Taschlers and Dr. Ferrari Receive Suspended Sentences in Biathlon Doping Affair Biathlete Daniel Taschler, his father Gottlieb Taschler, a former president of the International Biathlon Union, and Dr. Michele Ferrari all received suspended sentences from a biathlon doping affair that dates back to 2010-11. Based on wiretap evidence gathered by Italian police, Gottlieb Taschler was charged with helping his son, Daniel, buy EPO (erythropoietin), a banned red-blood-cell booster, in 2010 from Ferrari, who gained notoriety for his role in collaborating with former cycling athlete Lance Armstrong to dope his way to seven Tour de France victories. Ferrari was subsequently banned from the sporting world for life by U.S. Anti-Doping Agency in 2012. Daniel Taschler received a suspended sentence of nine months, while Ferrari was handed down an 18-month suspended sentence. Gottlieb Taschler also received a suspended sentence. Ferrari, who once famously declared that “EPO is no more dangerous than orange juice,” must also pay a fine of 15,000 Euros (approximately $21,500 [CDN]) to the World Anti-Doping Agency as well as lesser fines of 3,600 to 4,500 Euros. Ferrari also sees his medical license suspended for 18 months. The lawyers of all three men found guilty have lodged appeals. www.skitrax.com

by John Symon

Russian Doping Fiasco Continues

Major Ramifications from McLaren Report, Part 2

he fallout continues from the Russian dopsports while allowing individual Russians to ing scandal. This follows the publication participate as “neutral practitioners.” on Dec. 9 of the World Anti-Doping Agency’s Then in early February, the FIS Doping (WADA) McLaren Investigation Report, Part 2, Panel upheld the suspensions of four Russian relating to allegations of systemic doping in cross-country skiers: Julia Ivanova, Evgenia Russia, especially in connection with the SoShapovalova, Alexey Petukhov and Vylegchi 2014 Olympic Winter Games. zhanin. These four were among six Russian The McLaren Report, Part 2 suggests that cross-country skiers provisionally suspended up to 1,000 athletes could have been involved on Dec. 22, 2016 due to the findings of the in Russia’s massive doping scandal. Of these, McLaren Report because of alleged doping 28 Nordic athletes were highlighted by the Inat the 2014 Sochi Winter Games. ternational Olympic Committee (IOC), while it In November, Sheik Ahmad Al-Fahad seems that some 31 biathletes are listed withAl-Sabah, a Kuwaiti member of the IOC and in the pages of McLaren’s president of the Nationdamning report. al Olympic Committees In a dramatic In late December, (NOCs), suggested Swedish media decoded reforms to WADA and reversal, Russian information in the McLarthat the agency move to authorities stopped Switzerland because of en Report to tentatively identify athletes being inits strong stands against denying widevestigated, including top Russian doping. spread doping at Russian skiers Alexander In efforts to keep the 2014 Sochi Legkov, Maxim Vyleg WADA’s international zhanin and Nikita Kriukov. headquarters in MontreWinter Games. About the same time, in al, mayor Denis Coderre a dramatic reversal, Rustraveled to Switzerland sian authorities stopped denying widespread in January to talk with IOC chairman Thomas doping at the 2014 Sochi Winter Games. Bach. Anna Antseliovich, acting director-generIn apparent retaliation for the strong sancal of Russia’s national anti-doping agency, tions imposed on Russian athletes, a group RUSADA, spoke of “an institutional conspircalling itself the “Fancy Bears” hacked into acy,” but claimed that the government’s top WADA computers to leak confidential inforofficials were not involved. And Vitaly Smirnov, mation in September 2016 about many leadappointed by President Vladimir Putin to reing sports figures worldwide. WADA claims form the country’s anti-doping system, admits that the attacks originated from inside Russia. that “we made a lot of mistakes.” This leaked information typically involved Soon after the 2017 Cross-Country World the various athletes’ Therapeutic Use ExempCup finals, originally scheduled for the Siber tion (TUE) forms in an attempt to deflect attenian city of Tyumen were awarded to Quebec tion from Russia and suggests the problem is City, Que. in Canada to be held March 17-19, not only in Russia. The most publicized case marking the second time in history that the FIS was that of Sir Bradley Wiggins, who won the Cross-country World Cup finals have been 2012 Tour de France while accessing the othheld on this side of the Atlantic. The inaugural erwise banned steroid triamcinolone. occasion was in Canmore, Alta. in 2016. Various intelligence reports also link the Meanwhile, the International Biathlon Union Fancy Bears to the Russian government’s ap(IBU) Youth/Junior World Championships parent hacking attacks this summer against 2017 moved from Ostrov, Russia to Osrblie, the Democratic National Convention in the Slovakia for Feb. 22-28. The BMW IBU World U.S. According to allegations by the FBI, Cup #8 originally scheduled for Tyumen, Rusthese attacks represented a foreign power sia was relocated to Kontiolahti, Finland from trying to interfere with U.S. politics. Some sugMarch 6-12. gest Fancy Bears leaked information about In January, a group representing 19 nationHillary Clinton that may have tipped the 2016 al anti-doping agencies met in Ireland and presidential election in favour of Republican wants to exclude Russia from all international Donald Trump.

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high voltage by Kikkan Randall

Life as a World Cup Mom

A Strong Support Network is Vital

Breck around through the snow and ice, and some items never left the bag. Turns out that Breck is just as happy to play with a paper-towel roll as he is with the many toys we brought! I was impressed with how well equipped many places in Europe were for babies. Highchairs were great for feeding Breck as he became more independent, and it turns out they’re great when learning to walk as well! With four “World Cup moms” returning to competition this season, it was encouraging to see the International Ski Federation and many of the World Cup race organizers provide support that made it easier to bring our families on the road. It was key to have on-site “baby rooms” at race venues so that while I was focused on preparing for my racing, I had peace of mind that there was a warm space for the babies and their caretakers for resting, changing diapers, feeding and playing. While many of the other “athlete moms” left their babies at home, on the few occasions that we got the babies together to play, it was fun. The camaraderie of the World Cup moms and relationships with other parents were unforeseen perks of the season. I had always been friendly with Marit Bjoergen, Katja Visnar and Aino-Kaisa Saarinen, but now we had an entirely new level of experience to share. We traded stories on development stages, baby gear and our experiences of coming back to competition after pregnancy. We owe credit to Aino-Kaisa for convincing us to do sleep training with Breck mid-season, which got him sleeping through the night. Baby Breck...traveling with a tiny Perhaps the best lesson learned human requires more gear than you over the season was the confircan imagine. mation that it’s possible to have a baby and come back to high-level competition. It took some patience on my part early in the season to reacquaint myself with race-hard efforts and to give my body a little more time to normalize from the pregnancy and delivery effects. But each week that went by, I felt a little stronger, and by the start of World Championships, I was finally hitting my stride. My daily schedule was different than my pre-baby days, but I found a good balance in managing family time and logistics with my training and recovery needs. The best part was that no matter the result, I got to come back to a smiling baby, and that is more amazing and fun than I could have ever imagined. Having the family on the road was definitely challenging this winter, but thanks to all the great support from my family, my team and the World Cup family, it was a great experience. courtesy of Kikkan Randall

t’s hard to believe my first season as a “World Cup mom” is already ending, and that my son is just a couple weeks away from his first birthday! This winter has been such an adventure – full of great memories, plenty of patience and perseverance, and many lessons learned. While it’s fresh in my mind and I have a few free moments (much more rare these days), I want to share some of the themes that came to define our year as a traveling family. To be able to return to high-level athletics after having a baby, there is no doubt in my mind that the most important thing is to have a strong support network. I’ve been fortunate to have an amazing “team” behind me this season. It begins with my husband, Jeff, who lovingly embraced the job of “Daddy Daycare” right from the beginning, and made it possible for the three of us to travel everywhere together. My parents and Jeff’s parents took turns traveling with us in Europe this winter to help take care of Breck, even going so far as to take him the night before important races so that I could get a full night’s rest. My team has been incredibly accommodating – not only giving me the opportunity to come back to the World Cup fully supported, but also in helping to schlep baby gear on and off buses and in being adopted aunts and uncles to Breck. Another thing we learned is that traveling with a tiny human requires more gear than you can imagine! Last fall as I packed up, I did my best to predict the minimum amount of gear we would need to get through four months and many growth spurts. We brought toys, a portable highchair, a travel crib and enough clothes to span seven months to one year. Some items were key, such as our Thule Chariot that carted

14 SKITRAX SPRING 2017

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killer instinct by Andrew Newell

Pyeongchang 2018 Olympic Preview Test Event Pays Dividends

Nordic Focus

a pain because every ski, pole, bench and crate of wax supplies will need to be flown from Europe. I have had many people ask me what it’s like to adjust to the time change and food. South Korea is a 14-hour time change from the U.S. Athletes have a general guideline we try to follow for racing, which is one day on the ground for every hour of time change. When we arrive in Korea for the Olympics, we will most likely be traveling from Europe, and, to adjust, will arrive eight to nine days before our first event.

his season, the cross-country World (l-r) Russia’s Gleb Retivykh Cup made its racing debut at the 2018 wins the men’s sprint CL final Olympic venue in Pyeongchang, South over Norway’s Sondre Turvoll Fossli at Olympic test event, Korea. These World Cup races, which took as Canada’s Len Valjas just place approximately one year out from the misses the podium by a toe to Games, are known as Olympic Test Events, Andrey Parfenov (Rus). and it’s a customary International Olympic Committee rule that the host country holds such events in preparation for the Olympics. The scheduling of these World Cups wasn’t perfect for the cross-country athletes because the races fell three weeks out from the World Championships and at a time when many countries have their National Championships or training camps scheduled. Since traveling to Korea isn’t the quickest of journeys, it was a little risky to make the trip, but for me it was an easy choice and a big priority of the season. Seeing pictures and video is one thing, however to be there in person to ski and race the Olympic tracks is not only great practice, but it also allows me to begin to map out the best preparation strategy for what will be the biggest races of my life. Since the test events, I’ve had many people ask me about my initial impression of Pyeongchang. Here are some takeaways: Travel It took a long time to get there . . . that’s for sure, especially for anyone coming from the North America. Fortunately, the majority of the World Cup skiers were flying from Estonia, so our trip was smooth, catching one flight to Helsinki, Finland, then an eight-and-a-half-hour flight to Seoul. From Seoul, it’s about a three-hour bus ride to Pyeongchang. One thing to remember is that when National teams are traveling around to World Cups, most of our skis and all our wax gear are driven from one country to the other in cargo vans and wax trucks. This is obviously not the case with Korea, which makes it a gear-intensive travel day. Nobody will be driving their wax trucks to the Olympics next year, which is cool because it levels the playing field, but is also

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Lay of the Land The majority of the Olympic disciplines such as freestyle, snowboarding, bobsled, luge, cross-country and most of the alpine events will be held very close to one another, which is rare for the Games and also a pretty cool feature of the area. There are mostly very small towns surrounding where the Olympic village will stand, with the exception of Alpensia, a more established resort village. Alpensia is a typical alpine-resort town and tourist destination, with many hotels, condos and restaurants. The fact that there is a mountain nearby that is large enough to host alpine events gives an idea of the terrain, but, in general, the mountains aren’t huge. For the most part, the landscape is similar in size to the tree-covered mountains of New England, but with much more challenging slopes, valleys and topography. Race Courses When most of the World Cup athletes heard that the Olympic venue was going to be built on a golf course, we were skeptical as to whether the terrain would be up to world-class standards. Not the case with Pyeongchang. All I have to say is that it must be a very hilly golf course. Not one of the climbs is excruciatingly long for distance racing, but there are many ups, downs and turns on all the courses. Two of the toughest climbs are beside the stadium, which will make for exciting spectating and a super-challenging sprint course. With a Classic sprint scheduled for the Games, it is always a concern that racers might double-pole, but I can tell you that won’t be the case with this course. There is a solid one-minute gradual climb right out of the start and a second very steep climb before dropping back into the stadium. By World Cup standards, this course has the most striding I’ve ever seen for a sprint. I was really stoked to have the opportunity to race all the way to the final while there for the test events. It not only gave me valuable practice on the Olympic course, but it also ingrained in my mind exactly what I will need to work on physically to perform my best. I know, for example, I will incorporate much more fast striding and steep striding drills into my training for the next year. That, and seriously stepping up my chopstick game. www.skitrax.com

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backcountry by Steven Threndyle

Ski Iconoclasts Join Forces to Reclaim a Name

courtesy of Steven Threndyle

Legendary Sylvain Saudan Skied Like No One Else in the World

or thousands of skiers and snowboarders who remember a time when there was a Whistler Mountain and Blackcomb Mountain, the intimidating treeless expanse that dominates the view from the top of the Jersey Cream chair will always be known by one name – the Saudan Couloir. Blackcomb ski patrollers who routinely hiked into the bowl nicknamed it “the Saudan Couloir,” a compliment to the daring FrenchSwiss extreme skier who became known as the “skieur de l’impossible” for his visionary descents of Europe’s most challenging mountains. Like the steep, rock-studded chutes on Whistler Peak, back in the early 1980’s, the Saudan could only be accessed via a half-hour bootpack trail to a sketchy entrance that was most often negotiated on the weapons of the day, namely 207cm (or longer) GS skis.

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The word “visionary” (like “authentic,” and even “extreme”) is a word that’s been pummeled into meaninglessness by its overuse in everyday storytelling and marketing-speak. For the space of a decade and a half, from 1968 until 1982, however, Sylvain Saudan was skiing like no one else in the world. He was living his life by a very simple rule. “You fall,” he told me at Peter Chrzanowski’s house outside of Pemberton, B.C., “pffft. It is over. The end.” Morte. The compactly built, energetic Saudan has just turned 80, but could easily pass for being a decade younger. He’s come to British Columbia at the invitation of Chrzanowski, who has seen the rare opportunity to correct an injustice of mountain nomenclature now that Whistler-Blackcomb has been purchased by Vail Resorts. Since moving to Whistler in the late 1970’s, Chrzanowski was pretty much a one-man extreme-skiing adventurer himself who gained a certain amount of notoriety wherever he went. He used up eight-and-a-half lives in the 1980’s in various misadventures in Peru, the Coast Range and the B.C. Rockies. He went to Peru in 1978 and nearly died in a massive landslide. In 1989, he coaxed Saudan to come to Canada to ski on Mount Waddington, the highest peak in Canada’s Coast Range, as part of his film Reel Radical. The ski descent from Waddington’s northwest peak was completed not by Saudan, but by two young Whistler hotshots who had fallen into Chrzanowski’s orbit named Trevor Petersen and Eric Pehota. After their adventure on Waddington, Saudan returned to Whistler with Chrzanowski and saw something rather odd: T-shirts, coffee mugs and other branded product bearing his very own name. When Blackcomb opened the Horstman T-bar and Seventh Heaven Express in the mid-1980’s, the Saudan Couloir was now accessible to anyone who had the cojones to tackle the gnarly, rutted entrance to get onto the main face. In fact, the Saudan Couloir was so challenging that it became known as not just an expert (black-diamond) run, but a “double-black,” or extreme, descent. Soon, skiers from all over the world were coming to Blackcomb to ski the infamous Saudan. There was even an all-comers race down the Saudan Couloir that received heavy-duty corporate sponsorship. Understandably, Saudan was annoyed to see his name being usurped without having any personal or, it must be Swiss extreme-skier Sylvain Saudan, said, financial, connection to the resort. The details known as "skieur de of what was demanded by Saudan and where talks l’impossible" at 80 broke off remain unclear, but the fact is that Saudan’s name was stripped from all of the trail maps and signs. With the takeover of Whistler-Blackcomb by Vail Resorts, Chrzanow ski saw an opportunity for the American owners to make amends with Saudan. “Besides,” as Chrzanowski says, “nobody around here calls it the Couloir Extreme. We all know it’s the Saudan.” Saudan came to Whistler in mid-April and put on a well-received presentation about some of his mountain descents in the 1970 as part of the annual World Ski and Snowboard Festival in Whistler. He even received a well-timed greeting from senior Whistler staff members David Brownlie and Rob MacSkimming. No official decision has been made at press time, but Chrzanowski believes that things are “looking good.” Like extreme skiing itself, however, the devil is often in the details. www.skitrax.com

masters by J.D. Downing

Thirty Years of Two Techniques Masters World Cup 2016 Vuokatti

The Positive and Negative Impact

he 2016-2017 marks a somewhat arbitrary anniversary season of sorts in the cross-country world. Roughly 30 ski seasons ago, the entire cross-country world fully embraced the concept of separate competitive Classic and skate techniques in our sport. A year earlier, international elite racing had largely abandoned the obstructions and infighting of the early skating years to come up with official policies and rules for competitions in both techniques. But in terms of actual grassroots adoption of separate techniques, 19861987 was arguably the season it all came together. Thirty years is typically enough time to evaluate positive and negative impacts of most major changes in sports. For starters, with two techniques, cross-country skiing today is clearly more diversified visually and functionally. Although it’s generally well known that skating on cross-country skis was performed informally in and out of competitions long before Bill Koch took it mainstream in the early 1980’s, as a youth skier in the 1970’s, I can testify that I never once did the kinds of diversified types of skiing that youth skiers do today. Twenty-first-century recreational cross-country skiing provides the opportunity to go out and enjoy either technique in the conditions, terrain and type of snow that best suit Classic or skating (yes, technically they are “freestyle”). With two techniques and new race formats to attract mass audiences, our sport has been able to buy more years as at least an occasional spectator sport and extended the run as part of the Olympic family. On a functional level, the rise of skating on a recreational level created a second boom in cross-country ski resorts worldwide and led to a rapid adoption of grooming machinery originally intended for alpine resorts. The improvement in terms of grooming product produced by big, heavy, powerful snowcats was undeniable, and is credited by many long-time industry experts for pushing cross-country skiing out of the “granola age” and into the “mainstream lite.” The skating boom of the late 1980’s and early 1990’s also pushed manufacturers in creative directions that have improved the overall function of the gear we use. The bigger market that developed in the early skating years combined with the unique demands of skating versus traditional techniques certainly drove the industry to produce new and sometimes exciting product advances. As mentioned in previous columns, waxes and ski performance have also evolved, with a similarly significant push during the original skating boom. And some would argue, that with waxes, we risk taking the sport beyond sustainability in terms of cost, complexity and environmental impacts. Unfortunately, high-tech waxes with a dark side aren’t the only reality checks that the advent of skating has introduced or amplified. As a parent of two teenagers and a coach with several junior programs, I know firsthand how much the gear equation for cross-country families has changed in the past 30 years. These days, entry-level competition skiers need to instantly come up with two identical sets of skis, poles and boots. This amounts to a 100% increase in the amount of gear required, on top of overall cost-of-production increases just to take part in cross-country racing

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– not to be actually competitive, which takes a Narrower groomed trails bigger ski quiver, grinds, high-tech waxes and with one to two Classic tracks provided a the knowledge base (coaches, techs, etc.) to distinctly more intimate experience than the put everything in motion. Some Masters readers may ask “But I am superhighways of today. perfectly happy just being a one-technique skier, so why can’t the youth?” The simple answer being that the youth don’t have the choices given to Masters. It is almost impossible to find any structured program that doesn’t mandate both Classic and freestyle racing for youth. Yes, combi-equipment is a wonderful concept, but on a practical level, it is not widely adopted. Yes, you can technically Classic in a freestyle race – but how many people are going to do that if they don’t technically or physically have to? The increased buy-in has unquestionably had a negative impact on the competitive side of our sport in growing further and faster around the world. While we have seen largely steady, if not mildly increasing, numbers of recreational skiers (both Classic and skate), we’ve seen a steady decline in the numbers of motivated Masters, especially under the age of 50. Our grassroots numbers of youth and junior racers are holding up pretty well, but on a relative scale to the number of club and school programs, as a sport we aren’t attracting nearly the number of youth per dollar invested in ski education as 30 years ago. Then we come to the trails. To those Masters who have only arrived to our sport in the past 30 years, you probably have only known the superhighways we have developed in the age of skating. But once upon a time, the narrower groomed trails with one to two Classic tracks provided a distinctly more intimate experience. There is a reason other than cost why every winter we see hundreds of thousands of North American cross-country skiers deliberately choose not to ski at nearby groomed areas and instead opt for narrow skied-in Classic trails. There is a feeling of connection with the wilderness that is arguably reduced on the wide trails that skating requires. More esoteric is also the reduction in the element of “play” that comes with the territory these days. In sum, the big flat-product snowcats that give us the perfect choice of both Classic and skate options also take away the finesse and intuitive array of skill sets that made up our sport prior to the mid-1980’s. Not only have the equipment, wax and ski trails changed, but as well competitive skiers themselves have morphed into power-based machines. I seriously doubt if we would have ever seen the nonsense surrounding the new International Ski Federation Classic-pole-length rules if skating had never gone mainstream in cross-country skiing. Ultimately the advent of separate competitive techniques has been a mixed bag. Our sport will undoubtedly need to continue to adjust in the decades and years to come as climate change and other global pressures put new wrinkles into the equation. SPRING 2017 SKITRAX 19

technique by Keith Nicol

Commitment to a Ski

Improving Your Balance is Key

photos: Heather Nicol

hile teaching at the Silver Star-Sovereign Lake XC Supercamps in late November and early December 2016, I came up with some overriding concepts to help skiers improve many aspects of their cross-country skiing. Since most skiers came for several days to improve their skating, Classic and hill technique, we could work on many aspects of cross-country skiing, and one common concept that many students liked was the idea of what I called “commitment to a ski.” 1 By commitment to a ski I mean feeling that your entire body weight is over a ski and that you are comfortable gliding on that ski. We would start with simple one-ski balancing exercises on the flat, where each skier would simply lift a ski up and balance on the ski that is on the snow. To challenge the skiers, we have them put the ski that is in the air out to the side, behind them, in front of them and then to pretend it was a windshield wiper, swinging back and forth in the air. To perform these exercises well, you must to feel “committed” to the ski that is 2 placed on the snow. The ski that you are balancing on needs to be flat on the snow, and your toe, knee and nose need to line up over that ski. It also helps to slightly bend at the ankle and to feel your weight just behind the ball of the foot. Many skiers have their weight too far back – on their heels – and this creates instability, where your skis may shoot out from underneath you and you then have an uncontrolled fall onto your back. So think soft flexed ankles to feel comfortable balancing on a single ski. The next step is to translate this 3 feeling while you are moving while balancing on a single ski. There are many drills to help you with this, but my favourite is the scooter drill. We did a lot of single-ski skiing at the Supercamps, and there is a drill that gives students a feeling of “commitment” like no other (see photo 1). It can be easily applied 20 SKITRAX SPRING 2017

to both Classic and skate skiing and involves pushing with your ski-less leg and balancing on the gliding ski. What I like about this drill is that students know immediately when they have nailed it. Suddenly, they can glide two to three metres, whereas before they could only glide for one metre before falling off the glide ski. Now with both skis on, skiers should be able to duplicate this same committed feeling (see photo 2). Notice how my toe, knee and nose are over my gliding left ski. A skating drill I like to use to 4 attain this feeling of commitment is the coffee-cup drill. I ask skiers to imagine they are taking a drink of coffee while they are striding or skating without poles. The process of bringing your opposite hand up to your mouth while you are gliding helps to create this feeling of being “committed” to the glide ski (see photo 3). Another neat trick is to have skiers put down their outside edge first (see photo 4). Though it may seem that this would make you less steady, it generally really improves your balance on the glid5 ing ski. Lastly, when it comes to improving hill technique, you want to feel committed to the downhill ski when you make a snowplow turn or a step turn. If your body weight is over the uphill ski as you make a turn, you will often lose control. To assist skiers with this, I often have them touch the outside knee in snowplow turns (see photo 5) or drop the outside hand to become “committed” to the downhill ski in step turns (see photo 6). For help with any aspect of your Nordic skiing, seek out the assis6 tance of a certified CANSI or PSIA instructor. Contributor Keith Nicol has been on four Canadian INTERSKI demonstration teams for Nordic skiing. He holds CANSI’s highest instructor ranking in both track and telemark skiing. www.skitrax.com

tele technique by J. Scott McGee

Brush the Trees to Poach More Powder Pockets Skiing into a Blind Spot More Safely

till looking for the best way to powder your nose long after the freshies are gone? One place that gets skied less is a triangle of snow below a clump of trees, or a tree with longer branches. To get this fleeting powder patch, there’s a tactical (where-to-ski) element, as well as one that’s more technical (how-to-ski).

J. Scott McGee served on and then coached the PSIA Nordic Team (USA) 2000-2016 and works as Snow King Mountain Sports School’s director. A former telemark competitor, he now dreams of perfect corn on spring backcountry skate-ski tours. McGee spends his summers guiding climbs in the Tetons for Exum Mountain Guides.

Selko Photo/Montage: J. Scott McGee

Try this: Ski in close below a tree to get at that patch of unskied snow beneath it. Brush the branches with your leading shoulder, looking ahead and down, and use the softer snow to help slow you down. One nice thing about skiing below the tree is that you don’t have to worry so much about hitting the tree. On the other hand, trying to hit the tree – by brushing the branches with your shoulder – gets you a bigger, less tracked pow patch. Overdo it though, and you could end up with a ripped jacket, or worse.

As you finish the turn below the tree, you’ll already want to be facing downhill with both hands in front, looking forward to your next turn or two to help you keep your rhythm and momentum. The softer, deeper snow below the tree can be a big help in speed management once you learn to trust that it will slow you down a little. On many days, these triangles of unskied snow are the best skiing on the mountain! Try connecting as many unskied pow patches as you can to get in the most powder skiing and have the most fun!

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SPRING 2017 SKITRAX 21

HISTORIC PERFORMANCE: 2 medals at Junior worlds 3 medals at World Championships

Gear 2018 Preview

by Dalia and Dan Clausen

Ski and accessory manufacturers rolled out the red carpet on their new lines displayed at the Outdoor Retailer Winter Market (OR) in Salt Lake City, Utah on Jan. 10-12 and at the SnowSports Industries America (SIA) Show in Denver, Colo. from Jan. 26-29. SkiTrax was on hand and gear lovers have plenty to look forward to next season. Here’s a snapshot look at some of the great new high-tech products the Nordic world will be dying to get their hands this coming winter. Fischer Carbonlite Twin Skin ski

Salomon

Salomon S-Race Classic boot

Turnamic binding

24 SKITRAX SPRING 2017

Isaac Wilson, the commercial manager for Salomon, enthusiastically presented the new race-boot line at SIA, stating that Salomon collected information from elite World Cup racers Alex Harvey and Jessie Diggins about their needs in a ski boot, and transferred that information to this new boot line. Much of the S-Lab carbon technology is now found in this boot, including its long carbon sidewalls and full-carbon sole. It has a forward free-flexing cuff, butterfly zipper and disassociated lacing, and is 50g lighter than its predecessor. The boot is sleek, light and powerful, no longer requiring the power strap across the top of the foot. It features the Prolink sole introduced by Salomon last year, but is also available with the Pilot-binding sole. Next season, Salomon will offer a racing skin ski. The S-Race skin ski is lightweight and modeled after its well-known S-Lab series. The ski will have Salomon’s signature Zeolite base and feature an upgraded skin section. The kick zone will have AT climbing-skin technology’s pink skin, wherein the hairs on the ski are shorter and laid in an upgraded braiding system that creates improved gliding surface and consistent kick, resulting in a very successful high-end ski. Salomon also introduces its S-Race line this year, and it includes an extremely high-performance Classic boot with a low-profile sole for superb snow feel. Its “skin construction” wraps the boot around the foot, giving a snug feel. An easy-toaccess heel-adjustment strap affords further comfort customization. Carbon extends around the heel and into the sole for stiffness and optimal power transfer. The boot also has dissociated lacing and an inner sleeve for added comfort and warmth. It comes in a Vitane women’s-last version as well. www.skitrax.com

center of the pole instead of from the side of the pole grip. This exciting, innovative pole is claimed to enhance any skier’s performance! Swix is excited to collaborate with Jessie Diggins, a very successful member of the U.S. women’s Nordic team, on a complete line of her signature Nordic gloves. The stylish, functional collection of gloves features leather palms. Both men’s and women’s glove options include a very light racing glove, a training glove and a lobster-split mitt. All feature Diggins’ personal motto printed on the palm: “Your Moment, Your Race.”

Turnamic Binding

Rossignol Rossignol is introducing their new R-Skin Race ski this season. Nordic Division Manager Ryan Green, called it “a real-deal race ski.” Out of Rossignol’s X-ium line, it has the exceptional characteristics that this line is known for, offering good grip and consistent kick in almost all snow conditions. The shorter mohair piece enhances the glide. Introducing skin technology on higher-performance skis means more time skiing, even in challenging snow conditions, or the ability to go out for a quick evening ski post-work. This is also a good ski to have when travelling in various climates or conditions, such as at an unusually warm ski race.

Fischer Thomas Drindl, head of Fischer’s Nordic division, introduced the Carbonlite Twin Skin ski, a new addition to its racing line. Team Fischer has applied its Twin Skin technology – 100% mohair Twin Skin strips – to its lightest true-race-cambered ski, the Carbonlite. Drindl stated that not only is this a great training ski, it is also an excellent race ski. As well, Fischer has relocated its logo to nearer to the ski’s binding for improved visibility when atop the podium. This cosmetic change will be made to its entire racing line.

Swix Swix’s Triac 3.0 is an updated and exciting third generation of this very successful pole. Creator Svein Pedersen, who was at SIA by way of Norway, stated that this version is at least 13% lighter - as if this product could get any lighter - and features their Triac Basket System (TBS), an easy-on-off basket system that requires no glue and only a few seconds for changes, along with two new, lightweight baskets. The strap material is lighter and contours better to the hand, as Swix eliminated the neoprene and replaced it with a flexible, strong mesh. The straps are interchangeable, depending on your wrist size or glove thickness. The shaft is still the same carbon quality, however the multi-colour paint scheme has been eliminated, reduced to only a simple finish so that the weight of the paint will not impact the pole’s performance. The baskets now also have an aluminum spike that significantly reduces the weight of the pole. The new strap positioning and its attachment to the top of the pole allow for power transfer down the www.skitrax.com

Jessie Diggins Warm Mitt

In 2010, Fischer began developing its own integrated Nordic binding system that slides onto a fixed plate. Fischer collaborated with Rossignol, and together they have worked to introduce the new Turnamic binding system for next season. This binding is focused on a turn-lock mechanism that is very easy to get in and out of. The sliding-plate system is easy to use, so the skier may set the unit ahead or behind the balance point, depending on the snow conditions. The new binding and plate set are in two pieces over the wax pocket to offer more precision in the kick and flex of the ski, delivering improved feel of the wax pocket. An additional benefit comes in the boot soles, as Rossignol and Fisher now have the ability to fine-tune their boot lines even further, as they design, develop and produce their entire product “in-house.” The companies are both producing an entire range of binding and boot systems for juniors, touring and racing skiers.

Swix Triac 3.0 pole

Alpina Marketing Manager Jason Stadler introduced Alpina’s new RSK racing skate-Classic boot for next season. The boot upper is made of a neoprene Thinsulate fabric, which is stretchable, water-resistant and offers a great deal of warmth. A simple lacing system keeps the boot snug, and a cuff stabilizer improves performance as well. Specific to Alpina is its heel-grip stabilizer, which offers customized heel fit and comfort. Alpina boots use the NNN binding system by Rottefella. Stadler added that the boot offers “warmth, performance and comfort.”

Atomic Atomic has introduced its Redster C9 racing-level skin ski after the great success of its Skintec line. This is a lighter, more

iStock

Alpina RSK boot

(l) Atomic Redster C9 Skintec ski (r) Rossi’s R-Skin Race ski

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pole for coaches, ski instructors, parents and biathletes, essentially anyone who needs to get out of their poles often. Easy, active and intuitive, this is an exciting advancement in ski poles.

Madshus Nano Carbon Skate boot

dynamic ski than its original Skintec, but still offers the 100% mohair strip that provides reliable grip/kick. The slightly lower cambered “power kick zone” means 100% of your power transfers directly to your kick. The ski also features Atomic’s ultralight Nomex core, a more narrow sidecut and flexible narrow ski tip, providing less drag and making it race-ready! Atomic has also worked with its sponsored World Cup skiers to develop a new Redster skate ski, following the successful launch of its Redster Classic ski last season. Similar to the Classic version and now the lightest skate ski (left) Leki on the market, its 100% carbon chassis and Shark Fin a narrow tip result in a ski that offers speed Vario pole and stability all in one! As well, Atomic uses a (right) racing camber and V-shape sidecut to provide One Way explosive acceleration and power. The updatPremio SLG 8 ed Atomic Redster graphic is quite eye-catchMAG ing as well. Point

One Way SkiTrax met with One Way USA President Geoff Hurwitch who was excited to talk about its new Mag pole. It features a quick, simple and easy way to get in and out of your poles, while keeping your straps on over your gloves. It involves a small metal ball on the strap that magnetically pulls into the pole and, using one’s index finger, quickly releases with one snap. This is a great

Madshus Jon Fewster, category manager for Madshus Nordic, introduced the new nanocarbon skate boot, based on Madshus’s super-nano boot on which Heidi Weng won the 2017 Tour de Ski. It has a one-piece integrated power base, whereby the same piece of material begins at the cuff, extends around the heel, through the sole to the tip of the toe to produce rigidity, superior power transfer and torsional control. The rigid material extending from the cuff to the tip of the toe allows for continued power transfer and propulsion from the initiation through completion of each push-off, especially when employing V2 technique. It has a slightly wider last to accommodate a greater variety of foot shapes and sizes without compromising performance.

Toko This year, Toko introduced a soft wax box, far more streamlined than the large bright iconic yellow hard case of the past. The best part of this is that there is no wasted space in its well-laid-out soft flexible shell. This smaller case still holds all of the necessary waxing items. The top pocket holds items such as klisters and hard waxes, which can be stored in the plastic containers included. The larger zippered bottom pocket can hold a wax iron even while still Toko soft wax box hot, its interior protected with a heat-resistant material. The side pockets have enough room for a variety of brushes or items such as ski vises. This soft, very practical bag also travels well in small spaces, such as a car trunk, and can also easily be worn like backpack. Toko has also developed a new boot bag for this season. The bag can accommodate Nordic or alpine boots, is waterproof and has a bottom made of a material that won’t crack, even in extremely cold temperatures. There are extra pockets for items such as sunglasses and other accessories. An attractive low-profile bag, it can be worn as a backpack comfortably.

Leki Poles Vauhti wax bench

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Leki is introducing its new Nordic Shark Fin Vario pole system, where the tip allows the interchange of four basket options. The basket simply twists or threads on and off. It also locks or snaps in place, so it won’t spin when in use. Four baskets for different snow conditions, as well as a summer rollerski basket are offered. The shaft is made of 100% carbon and is double-braided in both a transverse and longitudinal fashion to provide superior stiffness and stability. This lightweight pole also comes with Leki’s World Cup Performance straps, which ensure extremely effective power transfer. Sales www.skitrax.com

Bjorn Daehlie Spectrum jacket

Start Skin Care line

and Customer Service Manager Marty Callahan shared that this pole will be offered in a fun pink, similar to the colour on poles used by many female World Cup Nordic and alpine skiers.

Vauhti Vauhti now offers a lightweight, easyto-use, yet extremely stable wax bench that is transportable, compact and fits easily into a ski bag or the back of most cars. The ski attachment and quick-release are part of one simple mechanism that clips on and releases easily. This is a great product for any skier who travels, or as a permanent fixture in one’s home. This has to be the most stable bench we’ve seen in a long time, even under heavy pressure, brushing or scraping.

Bjorn Daehlie According to the principals at Bjorn Daehlie, the Spectrum 3.0 is the favourite jacket of the Norwegian National cross-country ski team. This lightweight technical jacket has breathable panels, four-way stretch and is water-repellant. The sleeves are articulated with mesh underarm panels to further enhance the comfort and aid in body-temperature control. The softshell material feels nice against your skin. This jacket could also be used when rollerskiing, running or biking. It has two front pockets, as well as reflective details for safety should you be out in the dark. It comes in attractive colours for both men and women. For the upcoming season, Bob Donker, director of Bjorn Daehlie’s international sales, introduced its touring Gatineau jacket. This attractive, comfortable jacket comes in a two-tone colour option. It is made of a softshell and ribstop combination, with a hood and windproof reinforcements around the shoulder area to help maintain Auclair Integrated 2 warmth. The sleeves are articulated for optimal Finger Claw glove movement while skiing. Its pockets are large enough to hold a few personal items securely. This is also a good crossover piece to wear for other outdoor activities. Bjorn Daehlie is also introducing an exciting new product to its baselayer line called Airnet. Made of 100% merino wool with mesh construction, it provides warmth and insulation, while removing excess heat from the body when necessary. The quick-dry capabilities of the wool keep the body warm and dry. According to Donker, Airnet is effective at keeping athletes warm, while also maintaining a dry, comfortable and odor-free state, even suggesting product could be worn for multiple days without washing if need be due to the material’s odor-free properties. It is a light, thin baselayer, soft to touch, without any tightness or restriction, and a slim fit that leaves you feeling as if you are hardly wearing a baselayer at all. www.skitrax.com

Start Skin Care Start is now offering a line of products for skin skis, including skin grip, skin-grip fluor spray and skin-grip wipes. These products work best in a -15°C to 5°C temperature range, and lend anti-icing and water-repellent properties to the skins’ mohair material. They also help protect the skins from dryness damage, making the skis glide better and turn more easily, thereby enhancing performance. Start USA owner Andrew Gerlach stated these products are a must for next season’s trend in skin skis.

Auclair New for this year from Auclair is the Gatineau Integrated 2-Finger Claw glove. Director, Business Development, Sport Division Patrick Mitschuinig explained that the 2-Finger Claw allows fingers to stay warm without compromising dexterity. The glove is made of 70g Thinsulate with a Chamude palm, which keeps you warmer for longer when out in the elements. The knit cuff fits snugly around the wrist, and will not interfere with pole straps. The glove comes in a variety of attractive colours.

Buff Buff is introducing new headwear made of thin, seamless Thermonet material. Thermonet is a primaloft yarn that is four times warmer than microfibre, proving that you don’t need bulky material to stay warm. Also exciting, this new product wicks moisture away from skin, keeping you warm and dry. This year, Buff is offering additional options in its merino-wool headwear line. It will continue to produce its award-winning lightweight headwear made of 100% eco-friendly merino wool, but will also offer new midweight and heavyweight merino-wool versions. The midweight will have a thicker construction, and the heavyweight will feature double-layered construction. All still offer the same soft feel, breathability and odor-resistance in a variety of colour choices.

Honey Stinger Honey Stinger is pleased to announce the introduction of the Gluten Free Organic Wildflower Honey Waffle to its line-up. It is similar to Stroopwafel cookies from The Netherlands, but made of organic and natural ingredients. The gluten-free waffle is a mixture of rice flour, potato flour and tapioca starch instead of wheat flour. Great to take on long ski excursions, biking, hiking or any other endurance activity, its carbohydrates and sugar from natural and organic honey provide athletes with the nutrition and energy they need. The waffle is also delicious as a snack or treat, so you may have to hide the box in the back of your pantry, or before you Honey Stinger gluten-free waffle know it, it will be gone! SPRING 2017 SKITRAX 27

Romantic Inns Great Food and Great Skiing

by Jonathan Wiesel

I began cross-country in 1971 as a living stereotype - young, male, kinda/sorta athletic, loved granola, had a sometimes-frozen mustache and liked to ski alone. These days, I find it’s a lot more fun to ski with company, and granola isn’t often on the menu. (The mustache comes and goes.) I love to ski, but I also love to eat. Part of the delight of XC is that it justifies marvelous meals (and rich desserts) so it’s a special pleasure to share those two romantic things: great skiing and great food at these four venues.

Stokely Creek Lodge (South-central Ontario) I’m not sure when I visited Stokely Creek Lodge for the first time, but I’ve never forgotten the roasted-garlic mashed potatoes – tasty, plentiful and served with delights such as a six-ounce filet mignon with blackberry Merlot sauce and Boursin cheese, roast butternut squash with pistachios . . . and

above) Fabulous options with 100 kilometres of Classic and skating trails groomed by three snowcats (right) I’ve never forgotten the roasted-garlic mashed potatoes, filet mignon with blackberry Merlot sauce and Boursin cheese. (below) Enjoy comfy accommodations in the lodge, cabins or chalets, some with private baths.

dessert, because what is a great meal without, say, homemade rhubarb pie? Visit Stokely, ski or snowshoe up to the summit of King Mountain (every serious skier-and-gourmand should do this), and you’ll never believe those stories about how flat this area is. Stokely is a skiing giant in every way: 100 kilometres of Classic and skating trails groomed by three snowcats, spread over 12,000 acres and running through old-growth white pine and along frozen streams, lakes, waterfalls and spectacular granite bluffs. It’s overwhelming. The resort has almost exactly the same vertical change (1,000 feet+) as Lutsen Mountains in Minnesota, the biggest mountain I’ve skied downhill in the region. It’s part of the Canadian Shield, all that’s left of a huge mountain range that was ground down by millennia of glaciation. So there are gentle trails, intermediate-type trails and zingers that can leave you wide-eyed. And where else can you find that kind of vertical but no altitude problems? Open from just before Christmas to the third week of March, the resort gets as much as 15 feet of snow around the lodge. It’s one of those rare cross-country ski-in/ski-out destinations (open for day skiers too) where you ski around a half-kilometre to reach the lodge while your baggage is transported for you. As another way to work off the results of recreational eating, guests can snowshoe more than 25 kilometres of dedicated trails (owners Susan and Gaylen Byker tell me that snowshoeing has taken off in a huge way). You can rent skis and snowshoes as well as arrange group or private lessons with a CANSI-Level-2-certified instructor. Stokely Creek Lodge opened for skiing in 1976, the vision of American businessman Chuck Peterson, who died in 2000. Rare in the Nordic world, he chose the site primarily for its skiability – wonderful topography, favourable climate and the availability of thousands of acres of private land. The Bykers, longtime skiing guests and now managers, purchased the property in 2007 with another couple and have added refinements, such as doubling the kitchen and dining-room space. All-inclusive rates cover lodging, meals, skiing, snowshoeing, sauna, a sledding hill (and sleds) for the kids and more. You can book accommodations in the lodge, cabins or chalets, some with private baths. Head chef Yvette Leonard has been at Stokely almost 20 years and knows what her guests love. Breakfast can include blueberry pancakes with maple syrup (the real thing), fresh cornmeal muffins (the kitchen is famous for baked goods) and eggs and bacon; your lunch can be anything from deli sandwich194 Pickard Rd., Goulais River, Ont., Canada P0S 1E0 es to thick-crust pizza; and dinner has 1-866-786-5359 been already described (four entrées every info@stokelycreek.com night). There’s also a bar with wine, beer www.stokelycreek.com and mixed drinks.

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REPOUR

Emerald Lake Lodge (Southeastern British Columbia) I’ve been to Emerald Lake Lodge maybe five times, as a tourist, guide and writer. The place is unforgettable, with the kind of high-mountain beauty that has made nearby Chateau Lake Louise world-famous – but with just the tiniest fraction of the number of visitors, especially in winter. The historic post-and-beam lodge is part of a five-hectare enclave on a peninsula within Yoho National Park, approximately 10 kilometres off the Trans-Canada Highway. Emerald Lake is a “pure” cross-country and snowshoe resort – no gondolas, dog-sledding or sleigh rides, just silent sports. It’s an elegant, relaxed place where you’re free to recreate or to hang out at the Kicking Horse Lounge. Part of the calm magic comes from limited vehicle access, so baggage is transported for you. I can remember only two cross-country areas where avalanche paths actually ran across groomed trails (how regularly, I don’t know) after night-time storms – Sundance Mountain Resort in Utah and Emerald Lake. My first visit there, walking from my cabin to a sumptuous breakfast at the Mount Burgess dining room, I watched a slide flowing thousands of feet down the gorgeous Presidential Range. It’s a marvelous and impressive natural phenomenon, best enjoyed from a distance. Snowfall is pretty reliable around Emerald Lake (something on the order of 180 inches per year), and the ski season runs from December through March. Best guess is there’s something like 30 kilometres of snowmobile-groomed trails near the resort, maintained by the Kicking Horse Ski Club. It’s all within Yoho National Park, which carefully controls any alteration of the land and vegetation. This means that the trail surface itself www.skitrax.com

– pre-snow – is pretty rough compared to com- (above) The historic postmercial operations that grade with earth-mov- and-beam lodge in Yoho National Park. ing and -smoothing machinery. (left) Charcuterie and so The club does a remarkable grooming job. much more It also runs Emerald Sports near the lodge, (below) Expansive and where you can rent ski equipment, snowshoes tasteful “cabins” feature and pulks. Snowshoers and skiers use some of wood-burning fireplaces. the same trails. Locally my favourites are the 4km Alluvial Fan Loop, with gorgeous views, and the mostly forested 9km Connector Trail, which links into the 3km Tally-Ho Trail, which ends in the tiny town of Field. (Remember that you’ll have to backtrack the same distance, unless you’ve arranged a ride.) Twenty-four expansive “cabins” offer different room styles, all with balconies, private baths and wood-burning fireplaces. As for meals, the dining room and lounge serve Rocky Mountain cuisine, with multiple entrees (for example, seared duck breast or grilled bison tenderloin, with varied side dishes) and the outstanding wine list has more than 400 selections. You can finish the day with a hot tub Field, British Columbia, Canada or sauna at the clubhouse, retreat to your V0A 1G0 cabin and dream of tomorrow’s dinner, 800.663.6336 followed with desserts such as pumpkin ellmanager@crmr.com crème brûlée. And sir, madame, perhaps a crmr.com/emerald/ glass of Taylor Fladgate 20-year port?

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Part of the delight of XC is that it justifies marvelous meals, combining carbs, protein, vitamins, minerals and that other food group – yeah, chocolate. Latigo Ranch (North-central Colorado) At Latigo Ranch, it feels like you’re skiing the top of the world, with views stretching 70 miles and glorious sunsets streaming forever. It’s breathtaking in two senses: the beauty of a mountain winter and puffing when you’re skiing at more than 9,000 feet. For many reasons, including altitude acclimation, it’s a great idea to figure on a multi-day trip, though the ranch also welcomes day skiers. Latigo is family-owned and -operated, from the longtimers (Randy and Lisa George) to their youngsters, who grew up there. I remember Spencer and Hannah tearing around the ranch when they were little children. Now Hannah’s a professional cook and an artist, while Spencer is a gourmet chef and names saddlemaking as one of his hobbies. Amanda, his new wife, is dining-room manager and a novelist. Guest ranchers are versatile folks – they have to be! Colorado has a near-monopoly on winter guest ranches, and Latigo is one of the great ones in every sense – natural beauty, history, wonderful hospitality, fantastic skiing, great food. Originally a cattle, sheep and dude ranch, the Georges have been running the place since 1987. (Their longtime partners, Jim and Kathy Yost, retired early in 2017.) What are you going to find at Latigo? Well, start with roughly 50 kilometres of groomed trail, most of it skate lane with tracks on each side. One of my favourite memories is skiing up to Jumper Flats through huge meadows interspersed with pine, spruce and aspen, then skiing home on The Luge, adrenaline flowing freely, finally stopping to watch sunset over Welcome to La Grave the Indian Peaks where skiing is wild, Wilderness, straddling the Continental Divide. Randy is around almost unpatrolled, steep any and time to give guests instruction (Latigo is a great place very demanding of powder techniques). to learn downhill commitment If you’re inclined, you can snowshoe (the ranch has both skis and snowshoes for rent), try fatbiking (BYOFB), go tubing and sledding on a packed hill (kids aren’t mandatory), enjoy the hot tub or games in the Social Center and more. Lodging at Latigo is a warm and quiet experience. They have 10 separate cabins nestled into pines, ranging from duplexes to four-plexes, with wood-burning (clockwise from right) Latigo ofstoves or fireplaces, refrigerators and pri- fers a warm and quiet experience with natural beauty and 50km of vate baths. In theory, the cabins can han- groomed trails. dle 40 guests, but as Lisa explains, “That Ten comfortable separate cabins never happens in winter! Twenty would nestled among the pines be a pretty good weekend for us.” All the Phenomenal dinners from times I’ve visited, weekdays may see half Colorado lamb with fruit chutney to tiramisu that number.

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And the food! I remember Randy making pancakes imprinted with the Latigo brand. Lisa recently told me, “Spencer has always wanted to run the ranch,” and in some ways, he does. These days, he cooks phenomenal dinners (Hannah is breakfast chef), from Colorado lamb with fruit chutney to tiramisu. Latigo now has a liquor license, so they can pair wines with meals. And if you ask, there’s still real maple syrup with those breakfast pancakes. Open from the weekend before Christmas on through mid-March, Latigo still sees 200 inches of snow most winters. The ranch 201 County Road 1911, is approximately 15 miles from Kremmling, Kremmling, CO 80459 the nearest town, but only 65 miles from 970-724-9008 Yampa Valley Regional Airport and fewer info@LatigoTrails.com than 150 miles from Denver International www.latigotrails.com Airport.

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Bearskin Lodge (Northeastern Minnesota) To me, northern Minnesota is Nordic heartland – snowy, cold, marvelous terrain, warm people, welcoming. It’s where I first learned to cross-country ski after roughly 20 years as an alpine skier. It’s where I learned humility, especially that leaning forward doesn’t make you an aggressive skier on downhills – it just buries your nose between your sticks. Bearskin Lodge is quintessential Minnesota. It has lots of trails and reliable snow (just ask folks from the Twin Cities, who are learning to rely on snowmaking in the parks, but would love to find more time to drive up to the Gunflint Trail region, west of Grand Marais). Bearskin in various incarnations dates back approximately a century. It was a summer resort until Kentuckians Dave and Barb Tuttle bought the property in the early 1970’s. They were pioneers in the cross-country world, building it into an outstanding Nordic destination. I’d say that Bearskin and Maplelag are the best-loved cross-country ski areas in the state. In turn, the McCloughan family purchased the resort on July 20, 2007. They’ve refined and expanded facilities, but retained the Tuttles’ warmth and marvelous sense of humour (for proof, check out Sue’s blog at https:// bearskin.wordpress.com/about-the-author-2/ – it’s worth the effort!), which have brought generations of guests to Bearskin. The McCloughans groom 70 kilometres of wonderful, sinuous trails, working in cooperation with the Baumann family of neighbouring Golden Eagle Lodge. It’s a heavily glaciated area, where you ski through virgin white pine, aspen and birch, and have moose and wolf as, hmm, not precisely neighbours, but frequent visitors. It’s a terrific area for beginners,

intermediate and advanced skiers, with (top) Enjoy 70 kilometres of good run-outs on downhills and challenges wonderful, sinuous groomed trails. such as the Bear Cub World Cup. (above) Superb And then there’s the white stuff. Sue accommodations and a pro thinks there may not be as much as a cou- chef as well ple of decades ago, but you can count on (below) Snowshoeing, lit trails eight to 10 feet each winter. Curiously, Bear- and dogsledding skin seems to have more reliable snow than the lower, nearby North Shore of Lake Superior. Guests say that the resort has outstanding grooming (mostly singletrack and skate lane). A new snowcat helps keep up that reputation, but it often comes down to personal dedication, and the McCloughan family certainly has that. Along with skiing, there’s an extensive system of dedicated snowshoe trails, dogsledding, broomball and ice-skating, with snowmobiling and good ice-fishing nearby. The resort has ski and snowshoe rentals, and instruction is included in overnight packages. Ahh yes, if you haven’t had your fill of day skiing, there’s also 1.5 kilometres of lit trail every night. And next year, to keep things lively, Bearskin will add fatbike trails and more snowshoeing. The resort has 10 cabins and four “Lodge units” (two stories and three bedrooms) – all with kitchens. They’re full on weekends and holidays (that’s what great trails and snow will do for you!), and almost at capacity on weekdays. If you’d like a break from your own cuisine, Bear124 E. Bearskin Road, skin has lodge lunches every day and special Grand Marais, MN 55604 dinners on Saturday nights (think breast of 800-338-4170 chicken or grilled New York steak entrees prestay@bearskin.com pared by a professional chef, with wine by the www.bearskin.com bottle or glass) and gluten-free options.

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Lahti 2017 Canada’s Harvey Leads Historic Medal Run at Championships

he 2017 Nordic World Ski Championships took place in Lahti, Finland from Feb. 22-March 5. The races were exciting and challenging, and cross-country dominance was once again asserted by a strong Norwegian team. Many North Americans had stellar and sometimes breakthrough performances, highlighted by Canadian Alex Harvey’s gold medal in the men’s 50km freestyle mass-start.

1.4km FR Sprint Races got underway with the women’s 1.4km skate sprint. Americans Jessie Diggins and Kikkan Randall led Team USA’s charge with an emphatic statement, taking silver and bronze respectively. Teammate Sophie Caldwell joined them on the start line for the historic three-strong A-Final, finishing sixth. Norway’s Maiken Caspersen Falla was unstoppable in her quest for gold, making a high-tempo move on the final climb to drop the rest of the field. Diggins used a slingshot tactic down the final downhill to move around Sweden’s Ida Ingemarsdotter and put on a fast finishing sprint to comfortably secure the silver medal. Randall skied in the back half of the final for the majority of the race, but made a very strong move in the 32 SKITRAX SPRING 2017

Nordic Focus

by Noah Brautigam

finishing sprint to pass both Swedes, Ingemarsdotter and Hanna Falk, in the final 100 metres to take bronze at 3.8 seconds back. In the men’s 1.6km skate sprint, Canadian Harvey raced to a strong 12th place as the top North American. U.S. skier Andy Newell finished 21st. Federico Pellegrino of Italy was crowned the winner after making an explosive move in the finishing lanes to take the gold over a disappointed Sergey Ustiugov from Russia. Third went to Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo of Norway. “I felt great all day,” Harvey said after the race. “The qualifier, I may have gone out a bit too easy in the first half, but I had a lot of punch on the last climb.”

15km/30km Skiathlon The next race was the women’s 15km Skiathlon. The U.S.A.’s Randall led the North Americans in 17th as 35,000 fans cheered skiers on. Norway’s Marit Bjoergen claimed gold over Finland’s Krista Parmakoski. The bronze went to Sweden’s Charlotte Kalla. Fans were excited to see Parmakoski test Bjoergen’s legs, but in the end, the Norwegian star had too strong of an attack on the final climb. www.skitrax.com

Ahvo Taipale

way’s Heidi Weng and anchor Falla, who prevailed over Russia’s Yulia Belorukova and Natalia Matveeva, as the two teams battled out front for most of the race. (above) Americans Jessie Diggins Norway became the first nation to claim and Kikkan Randall celebrate silver and bronze respectively in three Team sprint victories in a row, havthe women’s freestyle sprint. ing won previously at the Sochi Olympic (left) USA’s Sadie Bjornsen (l) Games 2014 and Falun World Ski Chamand Jessie Diggins are all smiles pionships 2015. winning bronze in the women’s For Team USA, it was a historic day Team sprint. as this was their first Classic-technique FIS Nordic Worlds medal since the two disciplines were established. The bronze is the third Worlds medal for the U.S.A. – a new high – and also marked the fourth career medal for Diggins from Afton, Minn., another U.S. record. In addition, it was the debut World Championship medal for Sadie Bjornsen, who hails from Winthrop, Wash. In the men’s Team sprint, Team USA’s Erik Bjornsen and Simi Hamilton finished a record fifth, with Canada’s Len Valjas and Harvey in sixth. A fateful late crash involving Norway and Finland determined the final podium in the men’s 1.3km Team sprint, with Russia claiming the gold over Italy. “We had great synergy out there today. Team sprints are always hectic and ridiculously tough, but our transitions were smooth and we did a great job of keeping our composure throughout our semi and the final, and I thought we both skied really well,” said Hamilton.

Nordic Focus

(facing) Canada’s Alex Harvey savours gold in the men’s 50km freestyle mass-start race at Lahti 2017, the biggest win of his career.

American Liz Stephen followed Randall in 20th, with teammate Rosie Brennan in 28th, Canada’s Cendrine Browne in 35th, Emily Nishikawa in 38th and Katherine Stewart-Jones in 40th. U.S. star Diggins opted to abandon the race when she realized it was not her day. In the men’s 30km Skiathlon, Harvey again took top North American honours with a phenomenal fifth-place finish. Russia’s Ustiugov took the win over Norway’s Martin Johnsrud Sundby, who stumbled on the final climb and settled for the silver. Fellow Norwegian Finn Haagen Krogh grabbed the bronze in a bunch sprint to the line. “It’s disappointing to be so close to the goal in my favourite race,” said Harvey, who had the podium in his grasp. “I had really, really fast skis, and I was in good position in the top-four near the end, but completely blew up.”

Team Sprint The ever-exciting Team sprint competition was up next, and the women didn’t disappoint. The U.S.A.’s Diggins and Sadie Bjornsen delivered a gutsy bronze medal. Diggins went head to head with Sweden’s Stina Nilsson in all-out sprint to line for the final medal. The gold went to Norwww.skitrax.com

10/15km CL Individual Start The Individual-interval starts were up next, and Bjoergen proved that she still has what it takes to dominate a world-class field, winning the 10km Classic by 41 seconds over Sweden’s Kalla. Norway’s Astrid Uhrenholdt Jacobsen had a strong race as well, earning the bronze. American Sadie Bjornsen was the top North American in 23rd. With a Team-sprint bronze medal already in the bag, she went into the 10km Classic with optimism. “Being on the podium Sunday definitely gave me a lot of confidence,” she said. “I went in today a bit nervous because I had some more expectations. I was giving it all out there, but it was a really tough day condition-wise and making your skis work.” SPRING 2017 SKITRAX 33

In the men’s 15km Individual-start Classic, U.S.A.’s Erik Bjornsen finished strong in 18th, posting the best World Cup distance result of the U.S. cross-country ski men’s team this season. Erik Bjornsen was also the top North American, matching his sister’s performance in the women’s 10km Classic race, but managing to move the needle even higher with a top-20 finish. The win went to Finnish hometown favourite Livo Niskanen, who specializes in Classic events. The partisan crowd was stoked to see him prove his strength with a gold-medal performance by a decisive 17.9-second margin over race favourite Johnsrud Sundby of Norway. Fellow Norwegian skier Niklas Dyrhaug took the bronze medal, finishing 31.3 seconds behind Niskanen.

Team Relays

photos: Nordic Focus

The Championship’s keystone event, the women’s 4x5km relay, was next on tap. The Norwegian women were golden once again, taking a decisive victory and marking the nation’s 100th gold medal at a Championship (including the Olympics). Sweden claimed the silver, as Finland settled for the bronze in hard-fought battle. Team USA came into the day’s relay with high expectations after recent medal performances in this event, but could not close the gap on the leaders, settling for a solid fourth. The Canadian squad of Katherine Stewput on a clinic, as Bjoergen claimed her fourth gold medal of the Championships, leading a Norwegian sweep of the top(far left) American Simi Hamilton four. earned a record 5th with Erik American Diggins finished a caBjornsen in men’s Team sprint. reer-best fifth in this event, followed by (left) Marit Bjoergen (NOR) won a phenomenal 13th-place performance four golds at the Lahti 2017 by World Championships rookie Chelsea Championships. Holmes. Diggins’ fifth place is the top American finish in the women’s 30km, topping Stephen’s 11th place in the 2015 Falun World Championships. In this 30km, Stephen finished 25th (+3:09.4) and teammate Caitlin Gregg was 36th (+5:03.7). “This was by far my best-ever 30km, and I had so much fun, I was actually smiling during the race! It was an icy fast course with big climbs, and my skis were absolute rockets, thanks to our service team,” said Diggins, who was ecstatic about her fifth-place finish – the first non-Norwegian. Twenty-three-year-old Canadian Browne proved again that she belongs with the elite of the sport, finishing 26th at 3:16.0 behind Bjoergen. After the race, she commented, “I really surprised myself today. I had the legs, the power and the shape, so it was an awesome race.” (above right) Canada’s Len Valjas leading the U.S.A.’s Erik Bjornson in the men’s Team sprint.

art-Jones, Emily Nishikawa, Cendrine Browne and Dahria Beatty delivered a strong 10th-place finish for their second-best women’s relay result. In the men’s 4x10km relay, again it was the Norwegians on top. They claimed their ninth consecutive World Championship, winning a seesaw battle with Russia, as Sweden took home the bronze. Russian powerhouse Ustiugov came close to hunting down a distant Krogh on the final lap, but ultimately fell short, crossing the line at only 4.6 seconds behind his Norwegian rival. Team USA comprised of Kyle Bratrud, Erik Bjornsen, Tad Elliott and Hamilton skied a strong race to finish 10th. Twenty-four-year-old Bratrud is competing in his second World Championships, but this was his first scramble leg in the relay, having skied the third leg two years ago in Falun, Sweden. “I was definitely more nervous for this one because I was starting,” Bratrud said after the race. The Canadian team of Graeme Killick, Devon Kershaw, Valjas and Harvey finished 12th after being lapped and pulled from the race on the final leg. After the race, Valjas said, “It just wasn’t our day. We’re all in shape, it’s just none of us were on our A-game today, and that’s what it takes to be fighting in this.” In January, the Canadian men’s team placed third in the World Cup relay in Ulricehamn, Sweden.

Women’s 30km FR The crowning event of the Championships was the women’s 30km and the men’s 50km skate mass-starts. In the women’s race, the Norwegian 34 SKITRAX SPRING 2017

Men’s 50km FR The final event of the Championships – the men’s 50km – finally saw a North American triumphant, as Harvey brought home the gold medal in an epic battle. Near the front the entire race, Harvey timed the finish perfectly, taking the inside line on the final descent for the lead into the last corner and the finishing straights and never looking back. Pumping his fist across the finish line was followed by playing air guitar Nordic-style, which is tradition for the Canadian team each time they ski to the podium, Harvey topped Russia’s Ustiugov, who finished in second spot at 1:46:29.5. Finland’s Matti Heikkinen took home the bronze medal with a time of 1:46:30.3. “This is amazing. When I won the 15km Classic race in Ulriceham, Sweden, I said it was the ‘man’s race,’ but this is the real man’s race, winning the 50km. It is the greatest race of my life,” said Harvey. The top American was Durango, Colo.’s Elliott in 27th at 1:49:45.7, followed by Kershaw of Sudbury, Ont. in 38th at 1:52:14.4; Killick of Fort McMurray, Alta. was 43rd (1:53:32.9); Noah Hoffman from Aspen, Colo. was 50th (1:55:22.0); Knute Johnsgaard of Whitehorse, Yukon placed 55th (1:58:32.2); and Bratrud from Eden Prairie, Minn. did not finish. www.skitrax.com

FIS Nordic Junior and U23 World Championships Historic Worlds for Team USA with Double Bronze Medals

oldier Hollow Nordic Center in Midway, Utah hosted the FIS Nordic Junior and U23 World Championships from Jan 30 to Feb. 5. The Salt Lake City area is no stranger to world-class sporting events, but it had not seen an international Championship since the 2002 Olympic Games. North Americans hoped to use their home-court advantage to out-ski their European rivals.

Women’s Junior Classic Sprint Racing got underway on Jan. 30 under sunny skies with the junior Classic sprints. In the women’s race, it was Polina Nekrasova of Russia who skied clear to claim gold in the women’s 1.4km Classic race, winning by 3.56 seconds over Germany’s Antonia Fräbel and her teammate Coletta Rydzek at 4.58 behind. The top North American was the U.S.A.’s Julia Kern making the top-10 with a strong ninth-place result. Three American women placed in the top-30 to advance to the quarterfinal heats, including Kern in 11th, Hannah Halvorsen in 13th and Lauren Jortberg placing 27th. Claire Grall-Johnson posted the top Canadian finish in 39th.

Men’s Junior Classic Sprint In the men’s race, Germany’s Janosch Brugger surprised top-qualifier Petter Stakston of Norway at the line with a superb effort from behind, claiming the top podium spot. Fellow Norwegian Herman Martens Meyer 36 SKITRAX SPRING 2017

by Mark Stevens

rounded out the men’s podium with the bronze. Top North American honours went to the U.S.A.’s Bill Harmeyer in 12th. Canadian Étienne Hébert also posted a strong result, finishing 17th.

Men’s U23 Classic Sprint In the next day’s men’s U23 Classic sprint, the U.S.A.’s Cole Morgan raced to strong ninth. Fredrik Riseth from Norway claimed a decisive victory with a 1.05-second margin over Russia’s Alexander Bolshunov. Norwegian Joachim Aurland took bronze at 2.3 seconds back. The top Canadian was Evan Palmer-Charrette in 33rd.

Women’s U23 Classic Sprint In the women’s U23 Classic sprint, rising Canadian star Dahria Beatty led the North Americans in 12th, as Anna Dyvik of Sweden blew away the competition, winning both the qualifier and A-Final. Norwegian Thea Krokan Murud used fast skis and strong double-poling to lock up the silver, and Sweden’s Maja Dahlqvist won a tight race for bronze. Jesse Knori was the top U.S. skier in 15th overall.

Women’s Junior 5km Individual Freestyle The U.S.A.’s Katherine Ogden raced to a phenomenal fifth-place finish in the junior women’s 5km Freestyle Individual start. She finished 6.5 seconds www.skitrax.com

Women’s Junior 10km Skiathlon

off the podium, as Sweden’s Ebba Andersson stormed to a dominant victory. Marte Maehlum Johansen from Norway claimed the silver, 13.8 seconds behind, while the bronze went to Russian Mariya Istomina, 15.3 seconds behind Andersson. American Halvorsen also posted a top result with a solid 13th-place finish at 1:01.2 back. Taeler McCrerey (USA) was the thirdbest North American finisher in 20th at 1:18.9 behind. Honours for the top Canadian finisher of the day went to Lisle Compton in 39th at 1:51.9 back.

The U.S.A.’s Ogden claimed a historic podium in the junior women’s 10km Skiathlon, winning bronze and becoming the first American to medal at the Nordic Junior World Championships. “It’s been my goal to medal here for the past two years. Every day in training it’s kind of like something that I think about; it’s the little thing that helps me push myself,” said Ogden post-race. Norway’s Johansen came from behind in the final half of the freestyle leg to take gold, while Swede’s Andersson earned her third medal of the Championships, finishing second at 6.6 seconds back. Ogden finished 10.4 seconds behind Johansen. The U.S.A.’s Hailey Swirbul was 24th, Natalie Hynes was the top Canadian in 28th, followed by teammate India McIsaac in 30th.

Men’s Junior 10km Individual Freestyle American Hunter Wonders from Anchorage, Alaska put together two solid laps on a challenging loop to finish 16th in the junior men’s 10km Freestyle Individual start, as Russia swept the podium. Vladislav Vechkanov started 59th and skied negative splits to take a 7.9-second victory over teammates Egor Kazarinov in second, and Yaroslav Rybochkin in third at 13.3 seconds back, as Team Russia placed all four of its athletes in the top-five. Gareth Williams was the top Canadian, skiing to 20th overall at 1:24.6 back.

Men’s Junior 20km Skiathlon Canada’s Williams delivered a strong 11th-place finish, followed by the U.S.A.’s Wyatt Gebhardt in 12th in the junior men’s 20km Skiathlon, as Russia’s Vechkanov picked up his second gold medal at the Junior Worlds in Utah. Norway skied to the silver and bronze medals with Thomas Helland Larsen in second at 1.9 seconds back, edging out his countryman Harald Oestberg Amundsen, who settled for third at 2.2 seconds behind. The U.S.A.’s Wonders of APU Nordic was the top American, finishing a solid 18th. Canada’s Philippe Boucher made the top-30, finishing 26th.

Women’s U23 10km Individual Freestyle Canada’s Beatty skied a strong race to finish in 16th at 1:25.8 behind Dyvik of Sweden, who made it two-for-two (opposite) U.S.A.’s Women’s Junior relay in winning the U23 women’s 10km team take home bronze (l-r): Hailey SwirFreestyle Individual start over three bul, Katharine Ogden, Hannah Halvorsen and Julia Kern. Norwegian rivals. Tiril Udnes Weng of Norway faded after having the (below l-r) Canadian Dahria Beatty was 12th in the U23 women’s CL sprint; Paddy fastest first lap in the field, but manCaldwell (USA) was a fab 9th in both the aged to hold onto the silver medal U23 men’s 15km Individual FR and the at 16.8 seconds behind Dyvik. Two 30km Skiathlon.

Women’s U23 15km Skiathlon Canada’s Beatty was the top North American in 19th, as Norway’s Lotta Udnes Weng closed out the USANA FIS U23 World Championships with gold in the Skiathlon at Soldier Hollow. Lotta Udnes Weng came from behind to overtake Finland’s Johanna Matintalo, who took silver. Russia’s Yana Kirpichenko won bronze. Canadian Stewart-Jones finished 21st, while teammate Vezina was 29th. Knori was the top American in 30th, with Alayna Sonnesyn in 31st.

phtos: Steve Fuller / flyingpointroad.com

Men’s U23 30km Skiathlon While the day belonged to Russia, the U.S.A.’s Caldwell delivered a strong ninth-place finish in the U23 men’s 30km Skiathlon. Bolshunov took the win as Russia swept the podium yet again with Chervotkin winning silver and Spitsov the bronze. Fellow American Hegman of the Sun Valley Ski Education finished just behind Caldwell in 11th, while Northern Michigan University’s Martin placed 15th for three U.S. skiers in the top-15. Palmer-Charrette was the top Canadian in 26th, with Alex Dumas in 33rd. As the three Russians came off the final hill after a grueling 30 kilometres, they locked arms on the downhill and coasted together into the stadium. As they came to the finish line, they stopped in unison seeking to cross together.

Women’s Junior 4x3.3km Relay

more Norwegians battled for the bronze, with Lovise Heimdal edging out Lotta Udnes Weng by one-tenth of a second at 23 seconds behind Dyvik. Frederique Vezina (CAN) skied negative splits to place 25th at 1:58.8 back. Vezina was closely followed by teammate Katherine Stewart-Jones in 27th at 2:07.8 behind. Kelsey Phinney posted the top U.S. result of the day, also skiing negative splits to sneak into 30th place at 2:24.6 back.

In the women’s relay, the U.S.A. took a historic bronze medal with strong performances from Swirbul, Kern, Halvorsen and Ogden. The Russian junior women’s team took gold over France in a hotly contested race. While Russia and Italy battled for gold up front, Ogden made a move on France to take the lead, while Russia gapped Italy to take the gold by 20 seconds, with U.S.A. winning bronze at just 26 seconds behind Russia. Canada’s Hynes, Compton, McIsaac and Annika Richardson finished 12th.

Men’s U23 15km Individual Freestyle

Men’s Junior 4x5km Relay

The U.S.A.’s Patrick Caldwell had a stellar performance, placing ninth in the U23 men’s 15km Freestyle Individual start, as the Russian team owned the podium again, led by Bolshunov with a decisive 22-second victory over teammate Alexey Chervotkin. Denis Spitsov rounded out the podium at 28.2 seconds behind Bolshunov. Adam Martin (USA) was the next North American finisher, crossing the line in 22nd at 2:22.4 back. Martin was closely followed by teammate John Hegman in 24th at 2:25.2 behind. Palmer-Charrette was the fastest Canuck on the day in 36th at 3:20.2 back.

The U.S.A.’s Harmeyer, Wonders, Gebhardt and Kamran Husain finished ninth in the junior men’s relay, with Canada’s Antoine Blais, Ryan Jackson, Boucher and Williams just behind in 10th. At the finish coming into the stadium, there was a tight battle between Norway’s Larsen and Russia’s Vechkanov. Larsen found himself on the outside of the 180° turn into the final 100 metres. But he had strong momentum and made the pass to set up a finish spring. Larsen kept pace and made his move at the finish line to take the gold by four-tenths of a second. France claimed the bronze.

www.skitrax.com

SPRING 2017 SKITRAX 37

Biathlon worlds Historic Gold for Bailey and Silver for Dunklee by Noah Brautigam

he 2017 IBU Biathlon World Championships, Feb. 9-19, in Hochfilzen, Austria, were historic as Lowell Bailey captured the U.S.A.’s first-ever Biathlon Championship gold medal in the men’s Individual 20km, while Susan Dunklee’s mass-start silver marked the first Individual Biathlon Worlds medal by an American women.

Mixed Relay The Mixed relay kicked the racing off under sunny skies, with hard tracks and low wind. The day belonged to the strong German team, with France just behind at 2.2 seconds and Russia in third at 3.2 seconds behind. Canada’s Julia Ransom, Rosanna Crawford, Brendan Green and Scott Gow finished 13th at 2:18.2 back using nine spare rounds. Team USA’s Susan Dunklee, Clare Egan, Lowell Bailey and Sean Doherty were 16th at 3:20.2 behind with two penalties using 13 spares. “We had a gorgeous sunny and snowy start to the World Championships,” said Dunklee. “My skiing felt sharp and my body feels ready for these Championships.”

Women’s 7.5km Sprint Individual racing started up the next day, beginning with the women’s 7.5km sprint competition. American Egan delivered a career-best 20th with clean shooting and fast skiing to finish at 1:12.4 behind winner Gabriela Koukalova of the Czech Republic. Despite a decorated career, it was Koukalova’s first World Championships gold medal. Germany’s Laura Dahlmeier set the time to beat early on, but settled for second, while Anais Chevalier of France took home the bronze for her first Individual World Championships medal as well at 25.1 seconds back. Crawford was the top Canuck and second North American with one penalty, finishing 26th.

Men’s 10km Sprint In the Individual men’s 10km race the next day, it was American Bailey’s chance to show off his years of training. Bailey, 35-years-old and a threetime Olympian, put together a phenomenal performance for the best-ever finish by an American in a 10km sprint at a World Championships with a fourth-place result. Bailey shot clean and skied fast to finish 29.5 seconds out of first and only 6.4 seconds off the bronze-medal position. His fourth is the third-best American finish overall at the IBU World Championships – previously Josh Thompson won silver in the men’s 20km Individual in 1987, and Tim Burke achieved the same result in 2013. Benedikt Doll of Germany shot clean to take the gold in a time of 23.27.4 for his first Individual World Championships title. Doll unseated France’s Martin Fourcade and then waited for Johannes Thingnes Boe, who also shot clean, as the Norwegian battled through the final kilometres, but crossed the line 0.7 seconds short, settling for second. Fourcade struggled on the range, as did most of the French team and others, missing one shot in prone and one in standing, yet still skied fast enough to hold onto the bronze. 38 SKITRAX SPRING 2017

Women’s 10km Pursuit The women had a day of rest before competing in the 10km Pursuit race on Feb. 12. The U.S.A.’s Dunklee battled back from a tough day in the sprint to finish 22nd. Germany’s Dahlmeier defended her title, while Darya Domracheva of Belarus served notice that she is back, claiming the silver. The bronze medal went to Koukalova, who rebounded after some issues with her rifle on the opening prone session on the range.

(above) Lowell Bailey captured the U.S.A.’s first-ever Biathlon Championship gold medal in the men’s individual 20km (facing left to right) Susan Dunklee wins the the first Individual Biathlon Worlds medal by an American women; Claire Egan (USA) achieves a career best; Germany’s Laura Dahlmeier won a record six World Championsip medals.

Men’s 12.5km Pursuit The men’s 12.5km Pursuit followed hot on the heels of the women’s race. The U.S.A.’s Bailey had fans on the edge of their seats as he left the final standing range in second after shooting clean to deliver yet another a stellar result, claiming a career-best sixth in the event. The gold went to France’s Fourcade, who missed his final shot in standing yet cruised to a 22.8-second victory. Norway’s Boe overtook his compatriot Ole Einar Bjorndalen for the silver, as the storied Bjorndalen settled for bronze. “In the end, I just didn’t have enough,” said Bailey, who suffered one penalty. “It’s just so close and there are so many good guys. One more shot, 10 more seconds . . . you know, I could keep going and going, but that’s the way it is.” Canadian Christian Gow at 1:57.3 behind also missed a single shot in standing to move up from 32nd at the start to 23rd at the finish. “Starting today, I didn’t feel very good warming up . . . my legs just felt kind of dead . . . but then something changed on the range, and all of a sudden, I just felt fine on my skis. I was pretty hurt, but I am really happy with the race,” he said at the finish.

Women’s 15km Individual Next up was the women’s Individual 15km race, and it was a day that saw the U.S.A.’s Dunklee find her form for the rest of the Championships, as she skied well and shot fast to secure sixth place. In the process, Dunklee secured a berth on the 2018 U.S. Olympic team. Canada’s Ransom continued her breakthrough season with a personal-best 18th-place finish. It was another golden day for Germany’s Dahlmeier, who missed only a single shot in the first prone shooting stage and turned in the fastest www.skitrax.com

Men’s 20km Individual The U.S.A.’s Bailey made history in the men’s Individual 20km race, winning the first-ever Championship gold medal by an American biathlete. Bailey hit all 20 targets and skied a remarkable final kilometre to edge out Ondrej Moravec of the Czech Republic by 3.3 seconds. The bronze went to France’s Fourcade. “After the Pursuit and watching the medal go away from me, I replayed this last loop in my head probably 1,000 times the last three days,” said Bailey. “I just told myself if I ever have that chance again, I can’t let that medal go away. So I kept saying that in the last loop today.” Bailey put himself in the position to succeed – he was one of only three athletes to shoot clean, the other two being Moravec and his Czech teammate Michal Krcmar. “I am waiting for someone to wake me up. It’s all cliches: ‘it’s unbelievable, it’s like a dream.’ It means so much because of all the hard work that went into this medal and all of the support that I’ve had; it all has paid off,” added Bailey.

Team USA put on a solid showing with a seventh-place finish, with Canada in 13th. Bailey, fresh off his historic World Championship victory in the 20km Individual race, needed just one spare as he tagged Leif Nordgren in fourth. Nordgren also used one spare and exchanged with Burke in sixth. Using four spares, he made the final exchange, with Doherty in seventh, which he maintained until the finish. “We had a great team performance and I’m proud of what we did,” said Bailey. “Seventh place, and in the mix at the top of the field for most of the race.” Canada’s Christian and Scott Gow, Macx Davies and Green used 10

photos: Nordic Focus

ski time for a comfortable win over Koukalova. The bronze medal went to Alexia Runggaldier of Italy, who made up for a mid-pack ski time with clean shooting.

Women’s 4x6km Relay The next event at the IBU World Championships was the relay. The women’s 4x6km competition saw a dominant showing by Germany – its fourth relay gold medal this season. Ukraine took the silver at 6.4 seconds back spares en route to 15th. “As a team, we were hoping for more in our relay today. We all raced consistently well, but at the end of the day, it just wasn’t quite enough,” said Green, who skied the anchor leg.

Women’s Mass Start In the women’s 12.5km mass-start event, the final women’s race of the Championships, the U.S.A.’s Dunklee was inspired by her teammate Bailey and delivered a silver-medal performance, becoming the first American woman to claim a World Championship biathlon medal. Dunklee finished only 4.6 seconds behind Germany’s champion biathlete Dahlmeier, whose medal in this event gave her a record five gold medals from the Championships. Finland’s Kaisa Makarainen took the bronze at 20.1 seconds back. “It’s a dream come true,” Dunklee, 31, said after the race. “We’ve believed in the U.S. that we can get these World Championships medals in the past. A [U.S.] woman winning a World Championships medal is a really big thing. We believed that we could get a gold someday, and Lowell did that this week. We just have all this positive momentum going right now.” Dunklee’s perfect shooting on the range coupled with her fast skiing put her in podium contention. Her ski speed on the last lap was not quite enough to match Dahlmeier, who also shot clean for the gold as the women’s Championships came to a close.

Men’s Mass Start with just four spare rounds, and France took the bronze medal with seven spares. Team USA finished 14th and Canada was 16th on the day. Of the day’s challenging weather, American Dunklee said, “Well, after a couple weeks of sunshine, Mother Nature decided to keep us on our toes and give us a blizzard. Skiing was a little tricky – slow snow and hard to balance on, plus I could barely see through my fogged-up glasses on the last lap. I had a blast chasing people down though, and we all put together solid performances.”

Men’s 4x7.5km Relay In the men’s 4x7.5km relay, Russia stormed to victory with a brilliant anchor leg by Anton Shipulin. France claimed silver, while Austria’s Dominik Landertinger found something special in the last kilometre to bury Germany’s Simon Schempp for the bronze. www.skitrax.com

In the men’s 15km mass-start competition, U.S.A.’s Bailey was in the medal hunt again, ultimately claiming sixth. Germany’s Schempp took the win, while Norway’s Boe overtook Austria’s Simon Eder for the silver in the run to the finish. It wasn’t until the final lap that the medals were decided, as Bailey shot clean, posting the third-fastest overall range time of the day and in the lead, but later he ran out of gas. “I was able to hang for four laps, and I just told myself to go as long as I could,” said Bailey. “Unfortunately, I only had four laps, and the fifth was brutal, as they say in Germany. But I’m so psyched with this whole World Champs.” The American had an incredible Worlds, finishing fourth in the sprint and winning gold in the 20km Individual. Indeed, Bailey has been remarkably consistent, skiing well and shooting close to perfect through these Championships, missing only one shot out of 70 in four Individual races. SPRING 2017 SKITRAX 39

COMP USA

photos: Lance Parrish, Fairbanks

US Distance National Championships 2017 Season Wraps Up in Alaska by Julie Melanson

“It’s really good for our country to move the title around,” said Sadie Bjornsen. “We were fighting with what we had, and today it wasn’t enough.”

he season wrapped up at the Birch Hill Recreation Area in Fairbanks, Alaska with the US Distance National Championships, March 30-April 2, hosted by the Nordic Ski Club of Fairbanks (NSCF) for the third time.

(above) Jessie Diggins (Stratton) topped all three race podiums. (from far left) Scott Patterson (APU) won both the men’s Skiathlon and 50km FR finale. Stratton Mountain finally claimed the Mixed relay title. Logan Hanneman captured the men’s

1.5km FR Sprint 1.5km FR sprint title. Hometown favourite Logan Hanneman survived a war of attrition to capture the men’s 1.5 km FR National Championship sprint title, while Minnesota’s Jessie Diggins handily won the women’s race, besting legendary Anchorage native Kikkan Randall. Hanneman, who grew up in Fairbanks and graduated from University of Alaska Fairbanks, took advantage of the absence of Simi Hamilton, the prerace favourite and top qualifier who withdrew before the heats with a stomach illness, and used the home course to his advantage. Hanneman skied the first half of the six-man final in fifth place. As racers came through the stadium about halfway through the race, he tried to advance, but was boxed out by the racers in front of him. On the penultimate corner, Hanneman took the outside lane, slingshooting into a lead he didn’t relinquish. Evan Palmer-Charrette of Canada was in second, and third-place finisher Tyler Kornfield of Anchorage was the second American across the line to take the silver medal. In the women’s race, Diggins and Randall competed neck and neck in the women’s FR sprint finals. Diggins took an impressive win, besting Randall by two seconds. Third place went to Erika Flowers, beating a number of World Cup competitors to earn her first National Championship medal. Team Relay Stratton Mountain came from behind to claim the title in the 4x5km Mixed relay competition over defending champions APU-1 (Alaska Pacific Univerity) in second, with APU-2 landing third on the podium. Sophie Caldwell, Benjamin Saxton, Diggins and Hamilton finally dethroned the local APU favourites, who have dominated the relays since their inception in 2014. Settling for second were APU-1’s Randall, Erik Bjornsen, Sadie Bjornsen and Scott Patterson, while Rosie Brennan, Eric Packer, Chelsea Holmes and David Norris (APU-2) took the final spot on the podium. Both Erik and Sadie Bjornsen were battling illness coming off of a long season. 40 SKITRAX SPRING 2017

Women’s 30km FR Diggins continued a victory streak at the National Championships, claiming the women’s 30km freestyle mass-start title on the final day. Diggins skied away from the field at the 5km mark and didn’t look back, taking a minute-and-a-half lead for the win. After Diggins dropped the field, a chase pack formed that included Randall, Holmes and Caitlin Gregg of Minnesota. APU teammates Randall and Holmes skied most of the race together, with Randall taking silver by 13 seconds ahead of teammate Holmes. Diggins clocked the fastest split time of the field for each of the four laps. Temperatures were just above freezing with occasional rain flurries, making slow conditions for the racers. “It got slower throughout the week as things warmed up,” Diggins said. “It felt like suction cups on the bottom of your skis, but the snow stayed pretty hard. It wasn’t like we were wading through slush.” Nicole Schneider from Northern Michigan University took the junior women’s 15km race and title in a close battle with Margaret Gellert (Alaska Winter Stars). Anna Darnell (University of Alaska Fairbanks) finished at 30 seconds back for the final spot on the podium. Men’s 50km FR Patterson powered to the biggest win of his career with a decisive and dominating victory by a three+-minute margin in the men’s 50km FR signature competition, the final race of the USSA Distance National Championships. Similar to Diggins’ tactics, Patterson skied with the group for three laps before decisively pulling ahead of Brian Gregg (Loppet Nordic Racing). “The final 50K today was awesome. After the Skiathalon, I was super-confident that I could win it. The only question was whether I could actually do it on the day. I think I led the race for about 48K of the 50K,” said Patterson. Brian Gregg took home the silver, with APU’s Packer landing third on podium almost a minute farther back. In the junior men’s 20km FR race, it was Gus Schumacher (Alaska Winter Stars) taking the win over Ti Donaldson (NSCF/FXC) as the two battled for the win. In third was Lars Soensterud (Northern Michigan University). 2017 U.S Long-distance National Championships March 31-April 2, 2017 Mixed 4x5km Relay 1. SMS-1 (Sophie Caldwell, Banjamin Saxton, Jessie Diggins, Simi Hamilton) 50:02.8; 2. APU-1 (Kikkan Randall, Erik Bjornsen, Sadie Bjornsen, Scott Patterson) 50:13.1; 3. APU-2 (Rosie Brennan, Eric Packer, Chelsea Holmes, David Norris) 51:38.2; Men’s 50km FR 1. Scott Patterson (APU) 2:19:36.3; 2. Brian Gregg (Loppet Nordic) 3:19.9; 3. Eric Packer (APU) 4:14.2; Women’s 30km FR 1. Jessie Diggins (SMS) 1:20:55.1; 2. Kikkan Randall (APU) 1:37.2; 3. Chelsea Holmes (APU) 1:50.4. www.skitrax.com

USSA SuperTour Finale he USSA SuperTour finals in Fairbanks, Alaska saw strong leaders emerge, with Scott Patterson (Alaska Pacific University [APU]) and Jessie Diggins (Stratton) in charge. In the 22.5km men’s competition, after leading the entire race, Patterson crossed the finish line with a 24-second margin over Vermont’s Patrick Caldwell (Stratton) and Tad Elliott of Colorado, who took third. Diggins, with a strong season behind her that included medals in the World Championships in Lahti, Finland, won the 15km women’s race by nearly two minutes. APU’s Kikkan Randall won the battle for the silver over Caitlin Patterson (Craftsbury Green Racing Project [GRP]). In the SuperTour final standings, Scott Patterson won the overall men’s title along with the distance crown. Benjamin Saxton (Stratton) took home the sprint leader’s jersey, while Brian Gregg (Loppet Nordic) was named Grand National Champion. Winning the women’s overall was Chelsea Holmes (APU), also capturing

the distance title as well as being named Grand National Champion. Jennie Bender (Bridger Ski Foundation) topped the field to win the women’s SuperTour sprint title. 2017 USSA SuperTour Final Standings Overall Men 1. Scott Patterson (APU) 276; 2. Patrick Caldwell (Stratton) 243; 3. Brian Gregg (Loppet Nordic) 232; Women 1. Chelsea Holmes (APU) 288; 2. Caitlin Patterson (Craftsbury GRP) 252; 3. Kaitlynn Miller (Craftsbury GRP) 249. Distance Leader Men 1. Scott Patterson (APU) 232; 2. Patrick Caldwell (Stratton) 182; 3. Brian Gregg (Loppet Nordic) 170; Women 1. Chelsea Holmes (APU) 228; 2. Caitlin Patterson (Craftsbury GRP) 179; 3. Rosie Frankowski (APU) 159. Sprint Leader Men 1. Benjamin Saxton (Stratton) 119; 2. Tyler Kornfield (APU) 118; 3. Logan Hanneman (APU) 115; Women 1. Jennie Bender (Bridger Ski Foundation) 157; 2. Julia Kern (Stratton) 120; 3. Kaitlynn Miller (Craftsbury GRP) 113. Grand National Champions Men Brian Gregg (Loppet Nordic) 134; Women Chelsea Holmes (APU) 184.

CXC News Masters World Cup 2018

Masters World Cup 2018 (MWC2018) comes to North America’s backyard Jan. 19-26, 2018 at Theodore Wirth Park in Minneapolis, Minn. The MWC is an annual event hosted at different ski venues around the world. This event is revisiting the United States after a decade, last here when the 2008 Masters World Cup was in McCall, Ind. The city of Minneapolis is expecting more than 1,000 competitors over 30 years of age from all over the world at the eight-day competition series. The MWC2018 planned by local organizers at The Loppet Foundation and the American XC Skiers (AXCS) non-profit Masters’ association has been five years in the making, as all prepare for the most dedicated Master athletes from nearly two dozen nations. Skiers ranging from 30 to 90+ years require no qualification process, and the series welcomes all abilities. Racers can expect three Individual races and a National Team relay for all age/gender categories. Other happenings on the schedule include opening and closing ceremonies, social events and medal ceremonies. With less than a year until the races commence, many Masters skiers have begun dryland training for this prestigious event. Central Cross Country Ski Association (CXC) offers a variety of programming www.skitrax.com

options to help Master skiers prepare for race season, including daily training plans, fitness testing, training camps and technique clinics. Look at the 2017 dryland-season schedule for training opportunities to prepare for the big event!

Training Camp Schedule for Master Skiers

Aug. 18-20, 2017 – Cable, Wis. Sept. 20-24, 2017 – Lake Placid, N.Y. Oct. 13-15, 2017 – Cable, Wis.   Nov. 14-19, 2017 / On-snow Camp – Fairbanks, Alaska   Dec. 29-31, 2017 / New Year’s On-snow Camp – Cable, Wis. March 21-25, 2018 / On-snow Camp – Snow Mountain Ranch, Colo.

Technique Clinics Schedule for Master Skiers Milwaukee, Wis. and Chicago, Ill. – Oct. 7/Nov. 25/Dec. 9

Registration and more information can be found at cxcskiing.org/camps & cxcskiing.org/personal-coaching SPRING 2017 SKITRAX 41

COMP CANADA

Haywood Ski Nationals 2017 Champions Crowned

Pam Doyle

by Sara Meyers

he Haywood Ski Nationals held in Canmore, Alta. from March 21-25 took place in cooler temperatures with bright blue skies. Retired National biathlon team member Zina Kocher of Rocky Mountain Racers won the Open Women’s 5km race, followed by Jenn Jackson of Lappe Nordic in second. “I missed the excitement of racing,” said Kocher. “I haven’t raced in Nationals since they were in Whistler. I thought they were holding them here, so why not.” Kocher says she has kept in shape: “I want to race, but I don’t miss the lactate pain,” she added. Third went to Sun Valley’s Deedra Irwin (USA), while the third-best Canadian was Ontario’s Isabella Howden of Team Hardwood. For the men, the University of Denver did well, with German racer Moritz Madlener grabbing the win by six seconds over Whitehorse Ski Club’s Graham Nishikawa, who was crowned the Canadian champion. Third went to Norwegian Eivind Romberg Kvaale, also of the University of Denver, with Jack Carlyle of Soo Finnish coming in next as the second-best Canadian, with Lappe’s Michael Somppi fifth overall and the next-best Canadian. In the junior women’s race, Hannah Mehain of Sovereign Lake Nordic claimed the top spot, followed by Zoe Williams of Nakkertok and Darya Sepandj of Foothills Nordic. In the junior men’s competition, the Godfrey twins, Ty and Reed, gave Canmore first and second on the podium, with Skinouk’s Antoine Cyr in third. Emily Nishikawa (NST/Whitehorse Ski Club) and Devon Kershaw (NST/ Onaping Falls Nordic) battled through incredibly difficult conditions to climb onto the top of the women’s and men’s podiums in the 10km/15km Classic-ski interval-start races. Fresh off competing at the World Cup finals in Quebec City, the two veterans of the National Ski Team handily won their first National titles of 2017. “It was so hard, hot and the conditions were vicious,” said Kershaw. “I cramped up with five kilometres to go. It was a really hard day, but this is my home. I love Canmore and I think it is important for the kids to see that even after a hard World Cup season, you should come and support the National Championships.”

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Winning the men’s 15km race, Kershaw shared the podium with two American skiers from the University of Denver. Dag Frode Trolleboe was second, while Madlener skied to the bronze. Graeme Killick (Ptarmigan Nordic/AWCA) of Fort McMurray, Alta. was the second best Canuck, while Davis Palmer from the Black Jack Ski Club clocked the third-best Canadian time. Emily Nishikawa showed her Whitehorse strength again, winning the women’s 10km Classic-ski race. American Mary Rose (Sun Valley SEF) posted the second-fastest time, while Katherine Stewart-Jones (Nakkertok Nordique) of Chelsea, Que. was the next-best Canadian, finishing third overall. Quebec City’s Frederique Vezina (CNEPH) was the third-best Canadian in the women’s field. Emily Nishikawa and Lappe Nordic’s Evan Palmer-Charrette went on to celebrate National titles in the Buff Canada sprint races. Emily Nishikawa left little doubt she is the woman to beat in Canada after sprinting to her second-straight National title in the 1.3km Classic competition. After qualifying third for the round of 30 in the head-to-head heats, the 27-year-old was on a mission for gold while leading the country up and down the steep hills of the Canmore Nordic Centre. Emily Nishikawa cruised through her opening two heats before topping her rivals in the final. “It was another great day. The conditions got slower and slower as the day went on. I really was just trying not to get tripped up in the deep snow, but I’m so honoured and thrilled to win,” said Emily Nishikawa. “I am so excited and so exhausted. This is my fifth race in six days. It has been a lot, but I couldn’t be happier. There has been so many highlights of the season, and to finish it here in Canmore with two National titles is pretty exciting.” Emily Nishikawa opened a sizable lead on the 2016 women’s sprint champion and fellow Whitehorse, Yukon resident Dahria Beatty (Whitehorse Ski Club), who battled to a silver medal. Stewart-Jones locked up the bronze. Later in the day, Palmer-Charrette of Thunder Bay, Ont. was crowned Canadian champion after placing third in the men’s race as the top Canadian. Germany’s Madlener was first to cross the line, while his fellow University of www.skitrax.com

Pam Doyle

www.skitrax.com

Pam Doyle

CCC

Denver teammate from Norway, Trolleboe, finished second. Antoine Briand from Skibec was the second-best Canadian male, while Whitehorse’s Knute Johnsgaard (AWCA) was the third-best Canuck. Vancouver’s Annika Richardson (Hollyburn Ski Club) handily won the junior women’s sprint event, while Etienne Hebert (Montériski, QCST), and a member of Canada’s Junior World Championship team, was crowned junior men’s sprint champion. Emily Nishikawa and Killick became the champions of the cross-country ski marathon as the season came to a close. The Olympic veterans proved they were the top women’s and men’s cross-country skiers in the field after grinding through the challenging 30km and 50km skate-ski races. Emily Nishikawa controlled the pace with Kocher, up and down the punishing hills at the world-renowned Canmore Nordic Centre until the final three kilometres, where Nishikawa opened a 47-second lead on Kocher, who took home the silver medal. Vezina won the race for the bronze medal. “Canmore is one of the toughest places to race. The hills are relentless, and it suits my skiing,” said Emily Nishikawa. “I attacked on the wall of the last lap, which is the toughest part of the course. I just went for it, and didn’t look back.” In the men’s, Killick won his first 50km skate-ski distance race at the National Championships. The 28-year-old persevered in a battle to the finish line over the seven-lap course just edging out Lappe Nordic’s Andy Shields in a sprint to the line. Michael Somppi, also with Lappe Nordic out of Thunder Bay, Ont., put in a strong effort for the bronze. Gareth Williams (Telemark Nordic/BCST) of Kelowna, B.C. led the junior men’s 30km skate-ski race. Feeding off the experience gained competing in the past weekend’s World Cup finals in Quebec City, the member of Telemark Nordic stomped the field to capture the junior title. Richardson captured back-to-back titles in the junior women’s division. Lisle Compton of Kenora Nordic also reached the podium for the second straight race – this time winning the silver medal.

(opposite) Devon Kershaw (l) won the men’s 15km freestyle; Emily Nishikawa took home three National titles. (top) It was a tight finish as Graeme Killick edged out Andy Shields at the line in the men’s 50km freestyle. (above l-r) Junior men’s sprint podium Nicolas Beaulieu, Etienne Hebert and Larkin Wasmuth; Zina Kocher; Annika Hicks and Graham Nishikawa

2016/17 Haywood XC Nationals March 18-25 - Canmore, Alta. March 18 - Relay Cross Open Men 1. Canmore Nordic 1 (Ty Godfrey, Reed Godfrey) 10:46.1; 2. Sea Bass (Silas Talbot, Max LaChance) 10.9; 3. Lappe Lads (Michael Somppi, Gavin Shields) 14.4; Open Women 1. Nakkertok 13 (Zoe Williams, Claire Grall-Johnson) 13:03.6; 2. Lappe Lasses (Jennifer Jackson, Hannah Shields) 27.9; 3. Hardwood 1 (Isabella Howden, Madison Fraser) 28.4. March 19 - Open Men 10km FR 1. Moritz Madlener (University of Denver) 23:58.0; 2. Graham Nishikawa (Whitehorse Ski Club/CPNST) 24:04.8; 3. Eivind Romberg Kvaale (University of Denver) 24.11.4; Open Women 5km FR 1. Zina Kocher (Rocky Mountain Racers) 13.08.7; 2. Jennifer Jackson (Lappe Nordic) 13:23.3; 3. Deedra Irwin (Sun Valley SEF) 13:42.8. March 21 - Open Men 15km CL 1. Devon Kershaw (Onaping Falls Nordic/CNST) 45:05.3; 2. Dag Frode Trolleboe (University of Denver) 45:49.9; 3. Moritz Madlener (University of Denver) 45:52.1; Open Women 10km CL 1. Emily Nishikawa (Whitehorse Ski Club/AWCA-CNST) 29:07.7; 2. Mary Rose (Sun Valley SEF) 30:32.4; 3. Katherine Stewart-Jones (Nakkertok Nordique/NTDC TBay) 30:35.5. March 22 - Open Men 1.3km CL 1. Moritz Madlener (University of Denver); 2. Dag Frode Trolleboe (University of Denver); 3. Evan Palmer-Charrette (Lappe Nordic/ NTDC TBay); Open Women 1.3km CL 1. Emily Nishikawa (Whitehorse Ski Club/AWCA-CNST); 2. Dahria Beatty (Whitehorse/AWCA-CNST); 3. Katherine Stewart-Jones (Nakkertok Nordique/NTDC TBay). March 25 - Open Men 50km FR 1. Graeme Killick (Ptarmigan Nordic/AWCA) 1:56:40.21; 2. Andy Shields (Lappe Nordic) 1:56:40.43; 3. Michael Somppi (Lappe Nordic/NTDC TBay) 1:56:46.49; Open Women 50km FR 1. Emily Nishikawa (Whitehorse Ski Club/AWCA-CNST) 1:21:50.02; 2. Zina Kocher (Rocky Mountain Racers) 1:22:37.52; 3. Frédérique Vézina (CNMSA/CNEPH) 1:24:19.83. SPRING 2017 SKITRAX 43

COMP INTERNATIONAL

FIS XC World Cup 2016/17 Wrap

Record Season for Canadian and American Skiers

orth American highlights of the past World Cup race season are topped by Canadian Alex Harvey’s back-to-back gold medals, followed by a bronze for the Canadian men’s relay team. And just when it seemed the results had peaked, Harvey’s performance continued to sparkle with gold and silver in the stellar events in that took place in Quebec City, Que. at the World Cup finale. Dec. 10-11 – Davos, Switzerland In the women’s 15km freestyle Round #3 of the Viessmann FIS Cross Country World Cup in Davos, Switzerland, the U.S.A.’s Jessie Diggins was on fire, taking a historic fourth, with Ingvild Flugstad Oestberg of Norway winning her first 15km race. Norwegian teammate Heidi Weng took second and Finland’s Krista Parmakoski was third. Diggins delivered another top result in Davos, placing fifth in the women’s freestyle sprint, as Maiken Caspersen Falla of Norway set a torrid pace for the win ahead of teammate Oestberg. Sweden’s Hanna Falk took home third. Dec. 17-18 – La Clusaz, France In France, Canadian Dahria Beatty chalked up her best distance result for Canada, finishing 26th, earning her first World Cup distance points in the

44 SKITRAX SPRING 2017

Nordic Focus

by Julie Melanson

women’s 10km freestyle mass start in La Clusaz, and U.S.A.’s Erik Bjornsen scored his first skate distance points with a solid 20th-place finish, a career-best result for him. Team USA battled to seventh place in the women’s 4x5km relay in La Clusaz, as Team Canada’s Beatty, Emily Nishikawa, Cendrine Browne and Sophie Carrier-Laforte brought home 12th. Jan. 14-15 – Toblach, Italy In Toblach, Italy, Harvey and Len Valjas won gold in their debut run in the men’s World Cup Team sprint. The duo held their own, and on the final leg, Harvey attacked on the final climb and took the lead at the top of the final downhill into the stadium and never looked back to secure the title for the Canadians. The duo rocked the traditional Canadian air-guitar show with their skinny skis in the finish area. It was the first time that Canada has won a Team sprint event since Harvey and Devon Kershaw won the gold medal in the Classic Team sprint at the 2011 World Championships in Norway. Team USA’s Andy Newell and Simi Hamilton combined for a strong sixth-place finish. Hamilton turned in some impressive legs, winning his www.skitrax.com

first of three rounds and anchoring with the second-fastest time of the final leg.

Feb. 3-5 – Pyeongchang, South Korea In a day of firsts marked by South Korea hosting its inaugural FIS Cross-Country World Cup event, the U.S.A.’s Ida Sargent claimed her first World Cup podium with a third in the women’s Classic sprint at the Pyeongchang Olympic test event. Teammate Sophie Caldwell topped the qualifications for a career-first win, finishing eighth. It was also rookie Elizabeth Guiney’s first time in the World Cup heats. Racing on the 2018 Olympic course, Valjas just missed the podium by the toe of his boot despite his long legs in a finish-line lunge in the men’s Classic sprint final against Andrey Parfenov of Russia, who edged out the Canadian for the bronze. In the men’s 30km Skiathlon, Noah Hoffman finished eighth to match his best Individual World Cup finish, while teammate Scott Patterson in ninth re-

“The Team relay and the 50-kilometre (opposite) Canada’s fab-four air guitar (l-r): Len Valjas, Alex Harvey, Knute are the biggest races in our sport by far, Johnsgaard and Devon Kershaw so this means the world to us,” said the delivered historic bronze in the 34-year-old Kershaw, who skied onto the men’s relay at Toblach, Italy. podium for the first time in three years. (top) The U.S.A.’s Ida Sargent nails first World Cup podium at the “We have talked about this medal a lot Pyeongchang Olympic test event. when I first came onto the World Cup. It is (above) Canada’s Alex Harvey took something we have always wanted, and home 3rd in the men’s World Cup weren’t able to get done in previous genoverall rankings and 2nd overall in the Distance series. erations even back to the Pierre Harvey days or when Lenny, Alex and I were all (right) The U.S.A.’s Jessie Diggins was winning multiple medals individually a few the top-ranked North American woman. years ago. It shows just how hard it is.” Following the Team sprint, Harvey carried on with the colour gold and put the hammer down for his second consecutive World Cup victory, winning the men’s 15km freestyle Individual start at the new venue. The win was historic, as he became the first Canadian cross-country skier to claim back-to-back gold medals on consecutive weekends on the World Cup and the first time Harvey has ever won a 15km skate-ski race. www.skitrax.com

Nordic Focus

Reese Brown

Nordic Focus

Jan. 21-22 – Ulricehamn, Sweden In front of energized crowds at the new FIS World Cup venue of Ulricehamn, Sweden, Canada’s fab four – Kershaw, Harvey, Valjas and Knute Johnsgaard – delivered historic bronze, reaching the podium for the first time in the men’s 4x7.5km World Cup relay. Norway 1’s Finn Haagen Krogh took the win over Sweden 1’s Calle Halfvarsson in the finishing straight in a very close battle as Canadian anchor Valjas closed in on Halfvarsson for a photo finish that went to the Swede while the partisan crowd roared watching the thrilling finish. Only 0.5 seconds separated the top three teams on the final podium.

corded his best-ever World Cup finish. Liz Stephen continued the U.S.A.’s stellar start to the women’s World Cup Olympic test event with another podium finish, claiming second to Poland’s Justyna Kowaczyk in the women’s 7.5km C + 7.5km F Skiathlon. The U.S.A.’s Caitlin Patterson was also on form, scoring a remarkable fourth, while Guiney continued to shine by crossing the line in 13th – both career bests. Feb 18-19 – Otepaa, Estonia In Otepaa, Estonia Diggins claimed a fab fifth in the women’s 1.3km free-technique sprint, and Kikkan Randall signaled she’s back, qualifying third and finishing ninth, as Stina toppled Norway’s Falla for the win. Fellow Norwegian Heidi Weng was third. The U.S.A.’s Hamilton finished a solid eighth in the men’s 1.6km freetechique sprint, while Harvey was 15th, as Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo, 20, of Norway finally secured his first World Cup victory, putting him just behind series leader Federico Pellegrino (Ita). Krogh (NOR) finishe d second at 0.60 behind, with Russia’s Sergey Ustiugov in third, a second back. SPRING 2017 SKITRAX 45

onds over Weng. Finland’s Parmakoski claimed the final podium spot. An all-star line-up began the women’s 10km Pursuit finale, as Sadie Bjornsen skied a phenomenal final race to claim 10th, while Bjoergen showed why she is a legend, taking the win and the mini-series over Weng, with Sweden’s Nilsson in third. Nishikawa was the top Canadian on home turf in 38th and was all smiles at the finish. Weng had already captured the overall World Cup title and series crystal globe, along with the Distance globe, for the first time in her career. A massive turnout of fans were on the edge of their seats again as Harvey raced to the finish at the final World Cup race of the season on the Plains of Abraham, the men’s 15km freestyle Pursuit. The Quebec star battled two strong Norwegians, Klaebo and Dyrhaug, to claim silver in a photo-finish cli-

(above left) American Simi Hamgracing the Plains of Abraham under the ilton claimed 9th overall in Sprint bright blue skies. Cup as the top North American. Norway’s Krogh took second, while (above right) Women’s Skiathlon podium at Pyeongchang Olympic France’s Richard Jouve landed third on the test event (l-r): Liz Stephen (USA), podium, as Hamilton settled for fourth deJustyna Kowalczyk (Pol), Masako spite fine skiing throughout the day to make Ishida (JPN) the final. Jesse Cockney skied to 10th overall with a brilliant and patient ski in the quarterfinals, claiming second in his heat, but did not advance past his semifinal. With a second top-12 World Cup sprint placing this season, Cockney is in the running for the 2018 Olympic team. Valjas finished 19th, while new Canadian team members Julien Locke and Bob Thompson followed in 20th and 30th respectively. Five Canadians qualified for the sprint World Cup sprint heats, which speaks to the success of the men’s program. “I saw him win in Sweden once, but that was it,” said Harvey’s father, Pierre. “To win here, it’s one of the greatest feelings you can have. We say we are ‘on a cloud.’ When you’re leading, your head almost starts spinning because you say, ‘Holy smokes, I may win it!’ Then the race isn’t so hard anymore.” The battle for the men’s sprint globe was decided in the men’s semifinal when Pellegrino didn’t advance, making Klaebo the youngest-ever Sprint Cup crystal globe winner. Pellegrino took second in the sprint overall and Norway’s Sindre Bjoernestad Skar took third in the overall standings. Harvey looked destined for another podium in the men’s 15km Classic mass start as huge crowds cheered him on to a fourth-place finish. A mini-Norwegian army was up front surrounding the Canuck, including Norway’s Sjur Roethe and Swiss legend Dario Cologna. The duo were separated by less than two seconds at the finish from Klaebo, who claimed the victory for his first distance World Cup win, taking the final sprint to the line over teammate Nicholas Dyrhaug, with Russia’s Alexander Bessmertnykh third on the podium. Kershaw skied to 28th place, having broken a pole near the start and falling back to the sixties. The top American was Erik Bjornsen in 31st. Canada’s Graeme Killick was just behind Bjornsen in 32nd. In the women’s 10km Classic, Sadie Bjornsen was the top North American women in 15th, as Norway’s Marit Bjoergen continued her unbeaten streak in Classic-technique distance races this season, taking the win by just 0.6 sec-

max that Klaebo won by a boot toe, also becoming the youngest winner of a mini-tour, with Dyrhaug third. Erik Bjornsen was the next best North American in 25th. Kershaw, who was in 26th, plans on contesting for a spot on the 2018 Olympic team. Harvey’s silver-medal finish on the final day and performance all weekend secured him second place in the Quebec City mini-series, and he maintained his third-place ranking in the men’s FIS overall standings, won by Norway’s Martin Johnsrud Sundby. Klaebo also picked up the U23 Men’s World Cup crystal globe.

photos: Nordic Focus

March 17-19 - Quebec City, Que. Massive crowds and superb weather conditions were on hand for the FIS World Cup finals in Quebec City, Que., and start lines were packed with North American skiers led by local star Harvey, who did not disappoint. In the women’s field, Day One belonged to Nilsson, who triumphed over Falla in the women’s 1.5km skate sprint final, with Falk in third. Falla’s effort meant she captured the overall series Sprint Cup globe. The depth of the American women’s team was apparent, with five skiers qualifying to the heats. Diggins had a semi that included the top three sprinters of the day – and ended up fifth to claim ninth overall. In near-perfect conditions, Harvey dazzled to claim gold in dominating fashion in the men’s 1.5km freestyle sprint in front of thousands of ski fans

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2016/17 FIS Viessmann Cross-country World Cup Final Standings Overall Sprint Men 1. Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo (NOR) 399; 2. Federico Pellegrino (ITA) 363; 3. Sindre Bjoernestad Skar (NOR) 338; CAN/US 9. Simi Hamilton (USA) 200; 13. Alex Harvey (CAN) 178; 16. Len Valjas (CAN) 156; 28. Andy Newell (USA) 92; 37. Jesse Cockney (CAN) 52; 69. Julien Locke (CAN) 11; 80. Erik Bjornsen (USA) 7; 89. Simon Lapointe (CAN) 4; 96. Matt Gelso (USA) 2; 98. Bob Thompson (CAN) 1; Women 1. Maiken Caspersen Falla (NOR) 558; 2. Stina Nilsson (SWE) 520; 3. Hanna Falk (SWE) 359; CAN/US 10. Jessie Diggins (USA) 206; 11. Sophie Caldwell (USA) 201; 17. Ida Sargent (USA) 130; 20. Kikkan Randall (USA) 116; 23. Sadie Bjornsen (USA) 105; 71. Dahria Beatty (CAN) 8; 72. Elizabeth Guiney (USA) 7; 73. Julia Kern (USA) 7; 75. Liz Stephen (USA) 6; 80. Caitlin Patterson (USA) 4;82. Rosie Brennan (USA) 3. Overall Distance Men 1. Martin Johnsrud Sundby (NOR) 1,056; 2. Alex Harvey (CAN) 588; 3. Matti Heikkinen (FIN) 555; CAN/US 33. Noah Hoffman (USA) 103; 48. Devon Kershaw (CAN) 67; 61. Erik Bjornsen (USA) 38; 62. Scott Patterson (USA) 36; 86. Matt Gelso (USA) 12; 93. Graeme Killick (CAN) 10; 102. Patrick Caldwell (USA) 6; 108. David Norris (USA) 4; 117. Brian McKeever (CAN) 2; Women 1. Heidi Weng (NOR) 951; 2. Marit Bjoergen (NOR) 854; 3. Krista Parmakoski (FIN) 807; CAN/US 7. Jessie Diggins (USA) 432; 17. Sadie Bjornsen (USA) 260; 22. Liz Stephen (USA) 197; 43. Caitlin Patterson (USA) 60; 45. Kikkan Randall (USA) 52; 47. Rosie Brennan (USA) 49; 66. Elizabeth Guiney (USA) 20; 83. Dahria Beatty (CAN) 5; 85. Annika Hicks (CAN) 5; 90. Sadie White (CAN) 2. Overall World Cup Men 1. Martin Johnsrud Sundby (NOR) 1,626; 2. Sergey Ustiugov (RUS) 1,176; 3. Alex Harvey (CAN) 1,128; CAN/US 30. Simi Hamilton (USA) 200; 41. Len Valjas (CAN) 156; 51. Noah Hoffman (USA) 123; 61. Devon Kershaw (CAN) 109; 66. Andy Newell (USA) 92; 80. Erik Bjornsen (USA) 57; 85. Jesse Cockney (CAN) 52; 95. Scott Patterson (USA) 36; 125. Matt Gelso (USA) 14; 130. Julien Locke (CAN) 11; 133. Graeme Killick (CAN) 10; 148. Patrick Caldwell (USA) 6; 155. David Norris (USA) 4; 159. Simon Lapointe (CAN) 4; 168. Brian McKeever (CAN) 2; 170. Bob Thompson (CAN) 1; Women 1. Heidi Weng (NOR) 2,032; 2. Krista Parmakoski (FIN) 1,618; 3. Ingvild Flugstad Oestberg (NOR) 1,517; CAN/US 6. Jessie Diggins (USA) 912; 16. Sadie Bjornsen (USA) 465; 28. Liz Stephen (USA) 275; 33. Sophie Caldwell (USA) 201; 36. Kikkan Randall (USA) 168; 44. Ida Sargent (USA) 130; 63. Caitlin Patterson (USA) 64; 65. Rosie Brennan (USA) 64; 80. Elizabeth Guiney (USA) 27; 99. Dahria Beatty (CAN) 13; 102. Julia Kern (USA) 7; 107. Annika Hicks (CAN) 5; 114. Sadie White (CAN) 2. www.skitrax.com

Para-Nordic World Cup Finale by Ben Andrew

www.skitrax.com

(clockwise from top left) U.S.A.’s Jacob Adicoff (r) with guide Sawyer Kesselheim took home a career-first victory; American world champion Oksana Masters won several gold medals; silver and bronze for Canada’s Chris Klebl; Canadian Mark Arendz secured second place in the overall Para-Nordic World Cup biathlon standings for the third time in his career.

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Pyeongchang, South Korea - March 10-15 On March 10, Canada’s Mark Arendz continued his torrid pace on the Para-Nordic World Cup, winning the silver medal in the opening biathlon race at the 2018 Paralympic venue in Pyeongchang, Korea. The U.S.A.’s world champion Oksana Masters also claimed a medal, finishing third in the women’s biathlon middle-distance sitting race. Meanwhile, Brittany Hudak led two Canadians in the 6km women’s standing biathlon classification. The 23-yearold Hudak put down a medal-winning pace, but dropped to fifth with one costly miss in her opening round of shooting. On the second day of competition, the U.S.A.’s Para-Nordic skiers secured two wins in the cross-country skiing long-distance events. Jacob Adicoff, guided by Sawyer Kesselheim, won the first race of his career in the men’s visually impaired. The U.S.A.’s triple world champion Masters also took the top step of the podium in the women’s sit-ski race. In the men’s equivalent 15km cross-country sit-ski race, the U.S.A.’s Andrew Soule claimed silver, followed by Canada’s Chris Klebl, who won the bronze. Canadian Collin Cameron placed sixth. Canada’s Arendz fought through sunny and warm conditions to claim his second-straight podium in as many days after winning the bronze medal in the men’s standing 20km cross-country ski skate race, while Vancouver’s Emily Young had a solid outing in the women’s 15km standing race, finishing fifth. Competition resumed on March 13 with Canada’s sit-skier Cameron having the race of his life, capturing his first victory on the Para-Nordic World Cup. The 28-year-old was aggressive out of the gate in the final, where he skied near the front of the pack en route to winning the gold after an impressive final 100 metres. Americans Dan Cnossen and Soule finished second and third, respectively. “It’s amazing. It is the best feeling of my life,” said Cameron, who secured

USOC

.S. and Canadian competitors came prepared and did not disappoint at the final rounds of the Para-Nordic World Cups, which took athletes to the Pyeongchang, South Korea on March 10-15 for an Olympic test event and to Sapporo, Japan on March 18-22 for the season finale. Both events saw strong performances from North American athletes, demonstrating the depth of the Canadian and American Para-Nordic programs.

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U.S.A. and Canada on the Podium

his spot in the head-to-head heats with the third-fastest qualifying time. “It’s nice to see my hard work in training and experience from my last two sprint races this year pay off with a victory here in Pyeongchang.” Masters continued her winning ways in the women’s sitting after sealing a hat trick of titles at February’s World Championships in Finsterau, Germany. She secured a second win in Pyeongchang in the women’s sitting. The U.S.A.’s Adicoff, guided by Kesselheim, added a second victory to his haul in Pyeongchang, winning the men’s visually impaired. The trail to the podium continued for the Canadians in the women’s standing division. Young had her best race of the season, winning the silver medal. Qualifying for the heats in fourth place, the 26-year-old cruised through the semifinals with fast skis and aggressiveness on the course. Young crossed

the line in third place, but was elevated to the silver medal when a Ukraine skier was relegated for a false start. The final day of competition on March 15 was again a plentiful one for North American athletes, with the U.S.A.’s Masters winning gold in the women’s sitting. Canada’s Arendz toughed out a silver-medal victory under brutal conditions in the men’s 15km standing race, while Aaron Pike and Cnossen of the U.S.A. claimed the second and third steps of the men’s sitting podium, respectively.

Sapporo, Japan - March 18-22 The final Para-Nordic World Cup of the season took place in Sapporo, Japan over five days, and again the North Americans posted some strong performances in several events. On March 18 during the cross-country middle-distance events, the U.S.A.’s Masters took her first gold of the World Cup finals. Fellow Americans Adicoff and guide Kesselheim finished second in the men’s visually impaired event. The cross-country short-distance events took place on March 19, with U.S.A.’s Adicoff and Kesselheim taking the win in the men’s visually impaired. Canada’s Klebl won a silver medal in the men’s 5km sit-ski competition, while Masters claimed the silver medal in the women’s sitting race. March 21 saw the biathlon middle-distance events get underway, with World title-holder Masters finishing on the top step of the podium. Canada’s Arendz added a silver medal from the men’s standing 12.5km biathlon race to his collection. The biathlon sprint events wrapped up in Japan with Canada’s Young taking the first biathlon medal of her career in the women’s 6km sprint, while Arendz won his second-straight silver medal of the finals in the men’s sprint, securing second place in the overall Para-Nordic World Cup biathlon standings for the third time in his career. Masters also found herself on the podium once again in the women’s biathlon sprint. U.S.A.’s Pike finished fourth in the men’s sitting, while fellow Americans Adicoff and Kesselheim finished sixth in the men’s visually impaired. SPRING 2017 SKITRAX 47

FIS Biathlon World Cup 2016/17 Wrap

by Noah Brautigam

Nordic Focus

Career-best Top Performances from U.S.A.’s Bailey and Dunklee

he U.S.A.’s Lowell Bailey and Susan Dunklee raced into the history books with Bailey placing a best-ever eighth overall in the final men’s and Dunklee finishing 10th overall in the final women’s IBU World Cup season rankings. Both delivered personal- and team-best results along the way. Here’s a look at the highlights of the 2016/17 season. Dec. 7-11, 2016 – Pokljuka, Slovenia Beginning in December at Round Two in Pokljuka, Slovenia, Dunklee of Craftsbury, Vt. matched her best-ever performance in a World Cup Pursuit race, landing a fifth-place finish in the women’s 10km event. She had started in 11th, got off to a blazing start by clocking the fastest opening loop in the 57-woman field and calmly knocked down her first 15 targets. A miss in the final standing session dropped her to seventh, but she dug deep and rallied to finish fifth at 24.1 seconds behind winner Laura Dahlmeier (GER), who rebounded after losing the lead following two penalties in her second prone, closing a 37-second gap to claim her second consecutive win. Finland’s Kaisa Makarainen also had two penalties to finish in second, 16.8 seconds back. Czech Republic’s Eva Puskarcikova hit the podium for the first time in her career, finishing in third, 18.7 seconds back with one penalty. Dec. 13-18, 2016 – Nove Mesto, Czech Republic At Round Three in Nove Mesto, Czech Republic, a crowd estimated at 30,000 saw Dunklee land on the podium with clean shooting and fast skiing to claim bronze in the women’s 7.5km sprint at 5.1 seconds behind Russia’s Tatiana Akimova, who earned her first-ever World Cup victory with clean shooting

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as well. Anais Chevalier of France also shot clean for a personal-best second place. “Nove Mesto is one of my favourite places to race,” said Dunklee. “The stadium crowd roars like thunder and every metre of (left) Martin Fourcade (FRA) won the men’s overall title for his sixth the course is packed with spectators.” consecutive series victory. Dunklee continued her world-class performances the next day with a personal-best fourth in the women’s Pursuit despite two penalties. Chevalier took the win with one missed target for her first-ever World Cup victory. Canada’s Julia Ransom matched a career-best World Cup Pursuit result in 19th. The 23-year-old from Kelowna, B.C. shot clean until her fourth and final stop on the range, where she missed one target. (above) Americans Lowell Bailey (l) in eighth and teammate Susan Dunklee in 10th took home bestever overall final rankings in the IBU World Cup series.

March 1-5, 2017 – Pyeongchang, South Korea Following a brief hiatus after the Biathlon Worlds where she won historic silver, Dunklee didn’t miss a step, shooting nine out of 10 and finishing a stellar fifth in the women’s 7.5km sprint competition at the IBU World Cup in Pyeong chang, South Korea. Germany’s Dahlmeier won the race in a time of 20:43.7, 8.4 seconds ahead of Norwegian Tiril Eckhoff. Chevalier finished third, 41.6 seconds back. All three podium finishers shot clean. At the same event in the men’s 10km sprint, Bailey from Lake Placid, N.Y. continued his winning ways following his gold at the Biathlon Worlds by scoring the silver medal. Bailey shot clean to finish behind Austria’s Julian Eberhard and ahead of France’s Martin Fourcade. He missed only one shot in the last five of his races, all top-six performances. Bailey then came into the men’s 12.5km Pursuit to break his streak with two misses – one in the first prone stage and another in the first shooting stage. Despite those misses, he held onto ninth position, 1:20.6 behind winner Fourcade of France, who, matching Ole Einar Bjorndalen’s 2005 single-season www.skitrax.com

IBU Biathlon World Cup Final Overall Standings Men 1. Martin Fourcade (FRA) 1,322; 2. Anton Shipulin (RUS) 918; 3. Johannes Thingnes Boe (NOR) 812; 4. Arnd Peiffer (GER) 746; 5. Simon Schempp (GER) 741; CAN/US 8. Lowell Bailey (USA) 641; 46. Tim Burke (USA) 132; 50. Scott Gow (CAN) 98; 57. Leif Nordgren (USA) 62; 59. Christian Gow (CAN) 58; 71. Sean Doherty (USA) 37; 76. Brendan Green (CAN) 25; 92. Paul Schommer (USA) 9; 96. Russell Currier (USA) 7; Women 1. Laura Dahlmeier (GER) 1,211; 2. Gabriela Koukalova (CZE) 1,089; 3. Kaisa Makarainen (FIN) 971; 4. Marie Dorin Habert (FRA) 856; 5. Dorothea Wierer (ITA) 719; CAN/US 10. Susan Dunklee (USA) 596; 50. Rosanna Crawford (CAN) 112; 56. Claire Egan (USA) 86; 59. Julia Ransom (CAN) 77; 85. Megan Tandy (CAN) 21; 86. Emma Lunder (CAN) 20. www.skitrax.com

Double Gold for Canada

he 2017 IBU Youth/Junior World Championships were held in Brezno-Osrblie, Slovakia from Feb. 22-28, and Canadian Léo Grandbois started things off with a bang, winning the youth men’s 12.5km Individual, the opening race of the Championships. The 17-year-old was the lone athlete in the 101-man field to shoot clean in his four bouts on the range. Grandbois came out of his first round of prone shots in seventh, but jumped into second place after rattling off all five targets in his first standing. He finally grabbed the lead after Russia’s Said Kariumulla Khalili missed a target in his second prone and then took full control of the race after cleaning his final standing, where the Russian had one more miss for three penalties in total. Danilo Riethmueller of Germany won the bronze medal, also with three penalties at 1:21.5 behind. American Vaclav Cervenka placed 16th, suffering five penalties on the range. Team USA’s Chloe Levins led the North American women in the youth women’s 10km race, finishing 14th as she hit 17 of 20 targets to finish at 3:05.6 behind winner Lou Jeanmonnot Laurent of France, who had just one penalty, followed by Russia’s Kristina Egorova, who took the silver with one penalty. Sweden’s Elvira Karin Oeberg captured the bronze with two penalties. It was back-to-back victories for Canada, as Megan Bankes became the first Canadian woman ever to win a gold medal at these Championships. Starting 19th, the Calgary teenager put together a perfect day of shooting and skiing through 67 finishers to win the junior women’s 12.5km Individual biathlon race. Bankes was one of five women to clean all 20 targets, but none of the other clean shooters had the ski speed to match her. “It is pretty exciting. This is the first time I’ve shot 20 for 20. It never crossed my mind, but to be the first Canadian to win is very cool,” said Bankes, who earned her first big result in early February at the IBU Junior European Championships in Nove Mesto, Czech Republic, winning silver with two penalties in the junior women’s 10km

by Julie Melanson

Pursuit, only two seconds behind the winner. Grandbois finished a stellar 14th in the youth men’s 7.5km sprint, missing one target in prone and two in standing, as Emilien Claude of France, with two (left) Canada’s Léo missed targets, took Grandbois won the youth the win. men’s 12.5km Individual Levins scored her race. second top-15 finish (below) Megan Bankes won the junior women’s of the week with an 12.5km Individual, the first 11th-place finish in the Canadian woman ever to youth women’s 6km win gold at the Biathlon Junior Worlds. sprint, hitting nine of 10

Biathlon Canada

March 9-13, 2017 – Kontiolahti, Finland In Kontiolahti, Finland, Dunklee and Bailey paired up to deliver a stellar silver in the Single Mixed relay at the BMW IBU World Cup #8. Using five spares, they combined forces to win the U.S.A.’s first team medal in 23 years. Dunklee recovered from a fall on a downhill section and Bailey out-sprinted two other teams to secure the podium for the American duo. It was the first Single Mixed relay competition for both Dunklee and Bailey and the first team medal for the U.S. since a silver medal in the women’s relay at the 1994 World Cup in Canmore, Alta. Following a superb season, the U.S.A.’s Dunklee finished a career-best 10th overall as the IBU World Cup wrapped up at the Holmenkollen in Oslo, Norway. After 26 events, Germany’s Dahlmeier took the overall World Cup title, also claiming the Pursuit title. The Czech Republic’s Gabriela Koukalova was second overall, also taking home the sprint and mass-start globes. Makarainen rounded out the overall World Cup final podium. Rosanna Crawford was the top Canadian in 50th. Bailey finished a storybook historic season with a career-best eighth overall in the men’s World Cup overall rankings. Fourcade took the men’s title yet again for his sixth series victory. The Frenchman also won the overall titles in the men’s mass start, sprint and Pursuit rankings. Russian Anton Shipulin finished second to Fourcade in the overall, also finishing second overall in the Pursuit and third overall in the mass start. Johannes Thingnes Boe of Norway rounded out the World Cup overall in third. Scott Gow was the top Canadian male in 50th.

2017 IBU Youth/Junior World Championships

Jacqueline Akerman

win record, gave a nod to the legendary Bjorndalen: “I am part of this generation who grew up watching Bjorndalen on television . . . I want to thank him for being as inspiring as he was as I was growing up.”

targets and finishing 1:39.7 behind winner Irene Lardschneider of Italy, who also had one penalty. Gusty winds made for an interesting day on the range, with some athletes scoring calm air, while others battled strong gusts. Levins had a single penalty in the second shooting stage in a race where only two athletes shot clean. In the junior women’s 7.5km sprint, Bankes finished 13th, missing two shots to finish at 1:25 behind Italy’s Michela Carrara, who took the gold with clean shooting. An 18th-place finish by Siena Ellingson gave Team USA its third top20 finish in as many days. Ellingson had just one penalty on the range, finishing at 1:38 behind Carrara. In the youth men’s 12.5km Pursuit, Grandbois finished 22nd, missing six targets and finishing at 3:21 behind the leader Claude of France, who won the gold again. On the final day of the Individual races, Levins turned in the fastest time on the last lap to finish a stellar fourth in the women’s youth 7.5km Pursuit, putting her in the top-15 of all three events she raced in. Starting in 11th, Levins suffered two penalties on the first prone shooting stage, but cleaned the last three stages to move up to seventh place exiting the range, with three competitors just ahead of her. With fast skiing, she chased them down on the final loop and crossed the line fourth at 1:55.5 behind the winner. Bankes placed 16th in the junior women’s 10km Pursuit, missing one in prone and two in standing to finish at 2:15 behind Russia’s Valeriia Vasnetcova, who cleaned for the win. SPRING 2017 SKITRAX 49

Nordic-combined 2016/17 Season Wrap Rising Star Ben Loomis Turns Heads by Julie Melanson

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American Ben Loomis claimed a stellar 9th in the men’s 5km Nordic-combined race in early February at the 2017 USANA FIS Junior Nordic World Championships in Utah.

hunt for the bronze medal. Fletcher hung toward the back for the first two of four laps. On the third 2.5km leg, he moved his way up to take a position in the lead coming through the stadium for the final time. As the race intensity picked up, Fletcher held his position on the front line in a tactically strong position to challenge in the final stretch. But coming into the stadium on a hairpin downhill turn, he lost an edge and slid out, dropping from medal contention to 14th place in the blink of an eye. “Jumping was good – it was really a good start to the day,” said Fletcher. “I knew that I could be in contention on this hill. I was confident going in that I could put down a good jump.” Bryan’s brother Taylor Fletcher found himself well back after the jump – a bitter disappointment. But he skied his way from 47th up to 21st with the third-fastest cross-country time. “I knew it was going to be a hard cross-country race because it was so tight, and pack racing is always so difficult,” added Bryan. “You’re not only fighting for position, but anything can happen. That’s exactly what happened to me today. I did really well in the pack, and when I thought I had it locked up, I let my guard down and slipped out on a corner.” Germany made a clean sweep, winning the gold in the Nordic-combined Team sprint at the World Championships, while the U.S.A., with Bryan and Taylor Fletcher, finished ninth. The U.S.A. stood 12th after the jump, with both Fletchers going 109.5 metres. France took the lead, taking a 16-second margin over Germany into cross-country. The U.S.A. was two minutes, eight seconds back. In the cross-country leg, Norway came blazing from fourth to challenge Germany with the fastest time, with Norway’s Magnus Krog finishing just a second behind Germany’s Rydzek, who nabbed his fourth gold. The Fletchers also set a torrid pace, moving up from 12th to ninth with the second-fastest team time. At the final round of the World Cup in Schonach, Germany on Day One of the competition, Fletcher was just outside of the top 10, finishing 11th, while Frenzel took the gold and all but secured up his hold on the series title once again. When the dust settled, Frenzel took the overall series title over his compatriot Rydzek, with Akito Watabe of Japan in third. For the U.S.A., Bryan Fletcher finished 34th overall and Taylor Fletcher was 49th. Tom Kelly/USSA

his past season featured some promising results from young upand-comers Ben Loomis from Eau Claire, Wis. and Stephen Schumann from Park City, Utah, while veteran Bryan Fletcher of Steamboat Springs, Colo. suffered a fateful crash at Worlds in the battle for bronze. At Lillehammer, Norway in early December last year at Round Four, Fletcher delivered a solid ninth-place finish at 1:22 behind winner Eric Frenzel from Germany. Fletcher placed 22nd in the ski jumping and a strong sixth in the cross-country, showing good early form. Then in Lahti, Finland in early January 2017 at Round Seven, he secured the same results in the ski-jumping and the cross-country portions, but ended up 15th on the day, as German superstar Frenzel continued his winning ways. Heads turned in early February at the 2017 USANA FIS Junior Nordic World Championships at the Utah Olympic Park in Soldier Hollow as Loomis claimed ninth and Schumann 15th in the men’s 5km Nordic-combined race. Athletes faced some challenging conditions during the jumping portion as headwinds and heavy snow led to a 10-minute break. Combined with the shortened 5km distance, the athletes had their work cut out for them to gain every precious metre and second possible. “[The] 5K really places a big importance on the jumping,” said Loomis. “It’s a lot harder to make up time, and these Europeans are really quick. I was happy with [my jump], but I’m never really satisfied. I’m always hoping for more and that keeps me motivated.” Schumann felt otherwise, placing the importance on the cross-country ski leg: “It’s a lot harder to make up time on a 5km because it’s that much shorter and everyone is going that much faster. So it really makes it difficult to do too much in the race. It’s still possible; you just have to push yourself to that extra level.” Schumann added that he just looking to chase down as many people as he could: “I knew that if I went out too hard that there was no way I’d be able to finish the race and I’d get passed by a bunch of people at the end. So I just tried to take it a little easy the first lap, then push it as hard as I could on the second lap and over the very last hill and try to drop the guys I was with.” At the senior Nordic-combined Worlds on Feb. 24 in Lahti, Finland, Bryan Fletcher was in the running for the bronze when a crash took him out of medal contention just 200 metres from the finish. Fletcher soared in the morning jumping round, finishing 16th with a 93.5-metre jump, putting him 56 seconds back. Ben Berend (Steamboat Springs, Colo.) also had a strong jump, standing 22nd with a 92.0-metre ride, putting him one minute, nine seconds out. In the 10km cross-country, Frenzel and Johannes Rydzek (GER) shared the work from the start, skiing together until the final lap, when Rydzek made a clear breakaway to repeat as world champion in the Normal Hill event. While the two Germans were playing cat-and-mouse, a huge pack formed in the

2016/17 FIS Nordic-combined World Cup Final Overall Standings 1. Eric Frenzel (GER) 1,734; 2. Johannes Rydzek (GER) 1,609; 3. Akito Watabe (JPN) 1,086; USA 34. Bryan Fletcher (USA) 131; 49. Taylor Fletcher (USA) 34. www.skitrax.com

Ski Jumping 2016/17 Highlights

jump was 234.5 metres, but he hung onto 15th despite a crash on landing. Poland’s Kamil Stoch took the win. “I’ve been looking forward to this event the entire season,” said Bickner, who grew up outside Chicago and now trains at the Utah Olympic Park in Park City, Utah. “Vikersund is a big deal to me. It was here I had my first experience ski flying and [the] first time going over 200 metres. I also felt like it was a very unique hill and rather challenging, and I had learned how to jump it so there would be an advantage.” He hopes to inspire more interest in the sport leading up to the 2018 Olympic Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea. “I feel like ski jumping’s been ignored and assumed dead, but this will let people know it’s very much alive and on an upward climb. I think these accomplishments are really important for the advancement of ski jumping in America,” Bickner added. As the season came to a close, Austria’s Stefan Kraft took the overall World Cup series crown, while Canada’s “Mac” [Boyd-Clowes] is still the top North American on the circuit, finishing 41st, with the U.S.A.’s Bickner hot on his heels in a three-way tie for 42nd. It appears that the “Team North America” concept under Head Coach Bine Nordic is working well, and all eyes are on the Olympic season ahead.

U.S.A.’s Bickner Leads NextGen Charge by Julie Melanson

orth American ski jumpers have joined forces under a new program and continue to make their mark on the international scene, with veterans and young upstarts ready to strut their stuff at top events on the calendar, including those on home turf.

Tom Kelly/USSA

Men’s Ski Jumping Following a strong summer where he had a career-best sixth at a Grand Prix in Klingenthal, Germany, Canadian Mackenzie Boyd-Clowes demonstrated that he continues to be a top-10 threat. In early December back in Klingenthal at Round Two of the World Cup, he nailed a first-round jump that put him in sixth place and ended up a season-best 12th overall. In early February at the 2017 USANA FIS Nordic Junior World Championships in Park City, Utah, Casey Larson from Barrington, Ill. soared to sixth after the first round with a 92.5-metre ride. In the final round, the 20-year-old out of Norge Ski Club outside Chicago, Ill. went 92 metres and dropped down to eighth overall, only one spot away from the American Junior Worlds men’s record held by U.S. Coach Clint Jones back in 2002. “I put down two solid jumps that I was really pumped about, so I really can’t complain about anything. There’s a couple competitions left, so I just want to keep that groove going and not try too hard and let it flow,” said Larson, who also noted his confidence was high as the hill is on his summer-training grounds.

In March at the Lahti 2017 World Kevin Bickner claimed a new American Championships, all four American ski-jumping record and the best U.S. men’s finish on the Large Hill at Worlds ski jumpers qualified for the HS130m since 1999. Large-Hill medal round – the first time since 1991 in Val di Fiemme, Italy, where the U.S.A. saw four men advance to the Large-Hill final. Michael Glasder (Cary, Ill.) led the foursome with a 116-metre jump to finish 14th, while Will Rhoads (Park City, Utah) also went 116 metres to come in 21st. Both at their debut Worlds, Larson was 33rd and Kevin Bickner (Wauconda, Ill.) placed 34th. In the final, Bickner, 20, finished 30th, earning the best U.S. men’s finish on the Large Hill at a Worlds since Alan Alborn was 27th in 1999. On his first jump, Bickner soared 117 metres to place 28th, making the top-30 cut for the second round. On his final jump, he managed only 104 metres and dropped to 30th. Rhoads finished 39th, Glasder was 40th and Larson placed 46th. Then on March 19 at the penultimate round of the World Cup in Vikersund, Norway, Bickner claimed a new American ski-jumping record on the HS225m ski hill, flying 244.5 metres following a strong 233.5-metre trial. His second www.skitrax.com

Women’s Ski Jumping A former world champion, U.S.A.’s Sarah Hendrickson from Park City, Utah made a strong return to the FIS Ski Jumping World Cup after a nearly 15-month absence, finishing 11th on the opening day at Round One in Lillehammer, Norway by jumping 84.5 and 90 metres. On Day Two, she was eighth, jumping 94.5 and 89 metres. Having injured herself in the summer before the 2014 Olympics, Hendrickson attempted several comebacks, but took a break after the 2015 season for more follow-up surgery, taking her time to come back as strong as possible. “Yesterday was so much fun,” said Hendrickson. “I cannot put into words how amazing it felt to be back with a bib on. I honestly thought the day would never come, as I wanted to give up so many times.” At Round Two in Nizkny Tagil, Russia, Hendrickson continued her streak, finishing 10th on the second day of competition. On the Large Hill Individual in Round Three in Oberstdorf, Germany in early January, Hendrickson delivered another strong top-10 result, finishing ninth on Day One. On Day Two, her teammate Nita Englund from Florence, Wis. finished a solid 12th, while Canadian Taylor Henrich from Calgary, Alta. was 15th. In late January, Hendrickson claimed ninth in Rasnov, Romania at Round Six, while Canada’s Natasha Bodnarchuk took home a career-best 12th at the Junior Worlds that kicked off in Park City, Utah. Bodnarchuk was part of a foursome of young Canadian women that included Natalie Eilers, Abigail Strate and Nicole Maurer, who earned their first World Cup points at Round Nine in mid-February at the Olympic test event at Pyeongchang, South Korea. With these results, the four young jumpers were named to the National team at the National Championships in Whistler, B.C. in early April. The U.S.A.’s Englund also had great results at Pyeongchang, finishing seventh on Day One and eighth on Day Two. In early March at the Lahti 2017 Worlds, Henrich showed her form again, claiming 16th. Hendrickson led the U.S.A. in 23rd, with Englund finishing 27th. As the season came to an end, Hendrickson topped the North Americans, finishing 14th overall, followed by Englund in 16th. Henrich led the Canadians in 33rd, while Japan’s Sara Takanashi claimed the women’s series title for the fourth time. 2016/17 FIS Ski Jumping Final Standings Final Overall Standings Men 1. Stefan Kraft (AUT) 1,665; 2. Kamil Stoch (POL) 1,524; 3. Daniel-André Tande (NOR) 1,201; CAN/USA 41. Mackenzie Boyd-Clowes (CAN) 52; 42. Kevin Bickner (USA) 50; 67. Michael Glasder (USA) 3. Women 1. Sara Takanashi (JPN) 1,455; 2. Yuki Ito (JPN) 1,208; 3. Maren Lundby (NOR) 1,109; CAN/USA 14. Sarah Hendrickson (USA) 311; 16. Nita Englund (USA) 280; 28. Abby Ringquist (USA) 106; 33. Taylor Henrich (CAN) 74; 40. Tara Geraghty-Moats (USA) 52; 44. Natasha Bodnarchuk (CAN) 21; 44. Atsuko Tanaka (CAN) 21; 48. Nicole Maurer (CAN) 12; 51. Nina Lussi (USA) 8; 56. Abigail Strate (CAN) 5; 56. Natalie Eilers (CAN) 5. SPRING 2017 SKITRAX 51

WAXWorX by Jack Cook and Patrick Moore

Application testing Powder and Binder Wax

Application testing Testing of various glide-waxing products, such as underlayers, paraffins, powders and toppings, is a standard practice among waxers and teams. Less common, however, is the ST testing of different Template methods of applying HPeaks 8th Ann 2013_Pedal 11/30/15 11:55 AM Page 1 those products, in particular for powders and Consideration of different toppings. Over the past year, we have seen application methods is an area of the importance of considering different appliwaxing that continues to grow. cation methods continue to grow. In general, the standard practice for fluoro • Applying a liquid topping, then (without treatments is to burn a powder and then apbrushing) burning a powder directly over top. ply either a liquid or solid topping as a cov• After burning the powder, scrub up with a er. While this method is low in liability, there brush and iron again. may be an opportunity to find advantages in • After burning the powder, scrub up with a speed. Options to consider include: brush and roto cork. • Applying powder, brushing and then top• After burning the powder, scrub up with a ping with a block or liquid (standard pracbrush and roto fleece (different fleeces may tice) yield different results).

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The methods above indicate that there are many ways to apply the final fluorocarbon layers to race skis. And similar to different products, these application methods have to be tested because on any given day, one or the other may be faster.

Fischer

n this column, we comment on application testing, multiple layers of powder and the importance of binder wax.

Multiple Layers of Powder This is a situation where, in some circumstances, if one layer of powder is good, several layers of powder are better. In particular, in situations where the snow is wet and/or dirty or the race is long in duration (30 kilometres or longer), we find applying multiple layers of powder makes a significant difference in ski speed in the later stages of the race. The benefit seems to come from the ability of the powder to repel dirt and maintain durability. And in the longer races, speed at the end can be even more important than speed at the beginning! After the initial powder application, scrub up with a brush, add a bit more powder and re-iron. From there, you might consider fully brushing and applying additional layers. For marathons or in other exceptional circumstances, three to five layers of powder are not out of the question. A final application could be made pending the outcome of the testing noted above. Application of Base Binder A method that we have employed with good success when a klister binder is too much and when a base binder doesn’t hold up to the abrasion would be to use the new spray klisters and mix with a base binder, heating and corking smooth. Options to consider include: • Apply a thin, even application of sprayklister base binder. • Apply a thin layer of base binder on top of spray-klister base binder. • Cork smooth after heating lightly with iron or heat gun. • Apply one layer of hard wax while warm and cork smooth. • Let cool. • Then apply six to eight layers of the wax of the day.

Enjoy the spring skiing! www.skitrax.com

Graves on nordic by Peter Graves

Postcards from a Season of Superlatives Epic Results from North American Skiers

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Nordic Focus

he season just past was simply amazing, with stellar performances across all Nordic disciplines that must be celebrated for their sheer ability to inspire. The season ended internationally in superb style right here in Canada on Quebec City’s snow-covered Plains of Abraham in front of a crowd of more than 70,000 ski fans. This was both a delight and a treat, and kudos to the organizers. Three bluebird days of weather didn’t hurt either. Quebec should be a regular stop on the World Cup tour. A sensational season was had by Norwegians Heidi Weng, who won her first overall World Cup globe, and Martin Johnsrud Sundby, as both also grabbed the overall Distance Globe as well. In the sprint battles, kudos go to Maiken Caspersen Falla of Norway, who took her second title, with the amazing Stina Nilsson of Sweden in second. In the men’s sprint, an epic battle between defending champion Italy’s Federico Pellegrino and stunning newcomer Norway’s Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo was decided in the final sprint of the season, with Klaebo taking the crown and winning our hearts with his signature style. American Jessie Diggins rounded out a dynamic season, finishing a career-best sixth in the overall FIS World Cup standings, seventh in distance and 10th in the sprints. This marked the best overall U.S. finish since Kikkan Randall was third back in 2013. You’ve also got to hand it to Diggins for a brilliant, strong fifth place in the 30km at Worlds before a huge crowd in the Lahti Ski Stadium, as well as to the continued winning ways of 36-year-old Norwegian Marit Bjoergen, who won yet another gold medal. Diggins was superb again at the Lahti VM, winning silver, with Randall taking the bronze in the opening freestyle sprint of the Championships. I also want to note the fantastic performance of American Chelsea Holmes at her first VM, who skied to 13th place in the same race. Kudos to Canuck Cendrine Browne for also upping her game considerably by placing a promising 26th in the same event, an encouraging sign for the 23-year-old from Saint-Jerome, Que. American Sadie Bjornsen closed out an amazing World Cup season by finishing 10th in the 10km Pursuit freestyle event, while Diggins moved her way up to a solid 16th-place finish. In the men’s 15km Pursuit, Sadie’s brother Erik had a strong finale, moving up to 25th with the 11th-fastest time of the day (overlooked by some). And big cheers as well for Sadie Bjornsen and Diggins on their historic U.S. double podium in the women’s 5km individual skate at the Tour de Ski in Toblach, ITA (Bjornsen’s first-ever Individual World Cup podium) and for nabbing bronze for the U.S. in the Classic Team sprint at Lahti 2017. Other American shining lights at the Worlds were Erik Bjornsen and Simi Hamilton, who paired up to record the best finish ever in the men’s Team sprint, a fifth place. Russia took the gold over Italy and Finland. Canadian Alex Harvey’s skiing was simply epic during the long season, ending with a World Cup silver medal in Quebec City. And, for Harvey, it wasn’t just in Quebec City, but continued all season long. We were over the moon when the news broke of Harvey’s gold medal in the 50km at the Lahti VM. That marked his fifth career World Championship title and his second gold. Humble as ever, Harvey remarked, “This is the biggest race in cross-country skiing. It was so tough and

fast out there. You needed to have fast skis, Historic U.S. podium in great tactics, a bit of luck and some magic. To- women’s 5km Individual skate at the Tour de Ski day, I had the magic.” in Toblach, Italy (l-r) A huge shout-out to the American women Krista Parmakoski (FIN) for their great results, finishing fourth in the 2nd, Jessie Diggins (USA) 1st, Sadie Bjornwomen’s 4x5km relay at the Lahti VM. Not sen (USA) 3rd surprisingly, the Norwegian women took their fourth-straight title at a VM. It marked the thirdstraight World Championships where the American women finished just one spot out of the medals. I also have to single out Simi Hamilton’s marvelous fourth place in the World Cup finals sprint in Quebec, just missing the podium on a cold, crisp day by finishing fourth. Diggins led the way for the U.S. women in the sprint, finishing ninth. The Lahti Worlds were a huge success, attracting large crowds each day, and the venues for the 2018 Olympic Winter Games were well tested at the Alpensia Resort in South Korea, yielding some strong North American results. U.S. Biathlon had a super-strong season, with Lowell Bailey winning a coveted World Championships crown and Susan Dunklee capturing her first VM medal, silver, both at a lavish event in Hochfilzen, Austria. We couldn’t be happier for the pair, who performed well all season long. So proud, this is beyond HUGE! Big props to go to 20-year-old American Kevin Bickner of the Norge Ski Club for his season and his superlative jumping at Vikersund, Norway on March 19, 2017. Watching him on television, I thought he would never come down from a leap of 244.5 metres, which also snagged him the title of current U.S. distance record holder. Bravo! More props indeed go to the Organizing Committee of the FIS Junior World Championships for a great and memorable job! The Championships are very big undertaking now and require an amazing level of organization. Even more, the results were fantastic for the Americans – the magic is working, so roll on skiers. See you in the fall, and stand by for Pyeongchang. SPRING 2017 SKITRAX 53

sasseville report by Jack Sasseville

What are your Best Memories of the 2016-17 Season?

An Amazing Season by North American Skiers 5. The Canadian men’s relay team making history with a World Cup medal in a Team relay. Everyone skied an amazing race, and that is what you need to do in a relay.

hat are your best memories of the 2016-17 season? I have a number of great ones that I would like to share:

1. Alex Harvey winning the 50km in Lahti, Finland at the World Championships. This was absolutely the highlight of the season for me. The 50km is the hardest race on the World Cup circuit, and to win the World Championship is the pinnacle of the sport. He will always be a world champion. 2. Jessie Diggins at the World Championships and on the World Cup. Diggins continues to improve every year, and her two medals at the World Championships – silver in the sprint, with Kikkan Randall in bronze, and a bronze with Sadie Bjornsen in the Team sprint, to go along with a World Cup win earlier in the season – have made her the best non-Norwegian female skier in the world. She is a favourite in every race on the World Cup now. 3. The dominance of Marit Bjoergen. There is no one in the world right now who can ski as fast as she can (except Therese Johaug, who is serving a doping suspension). Bjoergen not only won almost every race she went into, but she also won them handily. In many races, she was 10-15 seconds ahead at the first timing point and cruised to wins by more than a minute. Sure, she was challenged a few times, but overall, she was way ahead of the world. This at 36 years of age and after having a baby and being hurt most of the summer. 4. The win by Len Valjas and Alex Harvey in a World Cup Team sprint. This memory hits very close to home, as I was Valjas’s coach when he was in high school. It was amazing to see him outsprint everyone for this gold medal, and it’s a great comeback for him after some tough seasons due to injury or illness.

54 SKITRAX SPRING 2017

Nordic Focus

6. The disappearance of Petter Northug from the results board. Of course, he did not disappear from social media or TV in Norway (he is the Justin Bieber of Norway), but due to overtraining in the fall, he was never able to ski well all winter. The big question for all the “Petterfiles” out there is whether or not he can come back next winter for the Olympics in Pyeongchang, or will he be like Tiger Woods and fade out of the picture. 7. The number of young skiers at the Eastern Canadian Championships, the Canadian National ChampionLen Valjas brings home historic bronze in the men’s relay at Ulriceships and the U.S. National Champihamn, Sweden. onships. There were record numbers at all of these events, which bodes well, I think, for the future of skiing in North America. These numbers rival the number of skiers that I saw at the Norwegian Championships in March. 8. The amazing World Cup held in Quebec City on short notice. Gestev is an amazing company, and with Cross Country Canada, it did a great job of showcasing our sport in Canada. Of course, it doesn’t hurt when the hometown hero, Harvey, delivers podium performances! 9. Johannes Klaebo sprinting uphill in Classic. Wow! I have never seen anyone with so much speed on skis – and with such a wild technique. And like anything wild, there is already a lot of imitation. At the Canadian Championships in Canmore, Alta. in March, there was a lot of highstep running in the sprint races. Look for even more of this next year as everyone starts to practise it. 10. And finally, after much controversy last winter and this fall about double-poling in Classic races, this year was very quiet. The polelength rules were a non-issue for the most part, courses were changed and made harder, diagonal zones were implemented and diagonal stride seems to have been saved again. With the emergence of skin skis, diagonal stride is easier and fun to do again and more racers are training using this traditional technique. I hope that you had a great winter with good snow and lots of skiing. I’m already looking forward to many more great memories in 2017-18. With the Olympics in Korea, it should be a memorable year. www.skitrax.com

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