(plus savings from Mother’s Day to Father’s Day!)

Leading up to Mother’s Day, we’re taking an opportunity to reflect on the special time that adult children and parents can spend together on a ski vacation. In a world with busy work schedules and obligations, time together is often squeezed into a meal, a weekend or the holidays. Recently, we have found that Lumi trips are increasingly popular for parents and their adult children. It’s rare that Moms or Dads can spend a dedicated week together with the adults they once taught to ski. The itineraries are planned and logistics are taken care of, so neither parent nor child has the responsibility of deciding which route to take, how to navigate transportation in a foreign country or even who is going to cook or wash dishes. I love seeing when our guests can simply relax at the hotel bar before dinner in the evening and catch up with their loved ones without any responsibility – this is especially the case when it is parents and their adult children.

With Mother’s Day this Sunday, we wanted to share some reflections from Katie who traveled with her mom Francie to Austria & Italy on the Seefeld & Seiser Alm Sight-Skiing trip last winter. 

Do you want to take a special ski trip with your or parent(s) or adult child(ren) this winter? Sign up for a 2025 Lumi trip that still has availability before Father’s Day on Sunday, June 16 and save $300 per person!

2024 Seefeld & Seiser Alm reflections by Katie Miller:

I knew going on a trip to Europe with my mom would be unlike anything we had experienced together before. What I did not know or expect was the connection, gratitude, and joy that I was going to experience traveling with my mom. We had never been on a trip of this length or magnitude. 

To say the trip and traveling with my mom for 11 days was special would be a vast understatement. I saw her in ways that I never had before, we bonded not only as mother and daughter, but became closer as friends which I think is one of the greatest gifts that arises when you spend time with a parent as an adult. You can see them and understand them in ways that you were not able to when you were younger.

We spent the majority of our time in Seefeld, Austria, and Seiser Alm, Italy, with a quick added day and half in Venice, Italy at the end of the trip. We hit the timing just right and Seefeld was blanketed with snow that looked like vanilla frosting creating some mouth-watering photos and the kind of skiing that Nordic enthusiasts dream of. We skied through stunning trails, got the perfect mix of snowy and sunny weather, ate lunch at huts on the side of the trail, trying local dishes including Kaiserschmarrn and Käsespätzle. Drank several hot chocolates with Amaretto (highly recommended!) and went Rodeling (Austrian sledding!) down the mountain at an alpine hill. 

It was hard to leave the dreamy trails, delicious local foods, and perfect ski days in Seefeld, but we made the trek to Seiser Alm, Italy and somehow the trip only got better. Seiser Alm is truly a skier’s paradise (Nordic and Alpine). I can say without a doubt it is now at the top of my list of favorite places to ski ever. The trails are seemingly endless, the grooming is impeccable, and the views are stunning and leave you feeling like you are standing in a painting. Our days in Seiser Alm were filled with joyful skiing, never ending smiles, soaking up sun and drinking a lot of coffee and espresso. We started and ended our days enjoying meals with our other trip goers and guides filled with tales of our days, recommendations for the next days, and information about the local area. 

My mom and I got to see each other push our comfort levels and be adventurous out on the trails; my mom pushed herself by trying to ski longer than normal and on trails that were harder than those she normally skis on. I headed out on one of the days for a day of alpine skiing on the Sella Ronda (which may have been the coolest thing I have ever done!). When we were off doing different activities, we’d come back together later in the day and share what we’d done and continue to be in awe of the amazing place we were in and the gratitude we had for being able to experience it together.

A trip filled with laughter, new experiences, new places, and becoming closer friends with my mom was a truly unique experience and one I would recommend to anyone lucky enough to have the opportunity.

It’s always a treat for me to have parents and adult children enjoying the trails together on Lumi trips. My Dad joined me for the Iceland-Fossavatn trip (his first Lumi trip!) last month – more on that later. If you’d like to travel with your parent(s) or adult child(ren) this next winter, there is still some space available on the 2025 Seefeld & Seiser Alm Sight-Skiing trip that Katie and Francie experienced last winter. 

Prefer to watch your favorite skiers race together? Check out the Tour de Ski and Trondheim World Champs trips. Want to participate in a ski marathon or two together? The Marcialonga & King Ludwig, France-Transju, Seefeld & Engadin, Norway-Birken and Iceland-Fossavatn trips still have space available, but are filling up quickly. Reach out by Father’s Day (Sunday, June 16) to reserve your spot and save $300 / person!

Happy Mother’s Day to all the Moms out there,

Garrott

garrott@lumiexperiences.com

Is it possible that the best movie ever made about cross-country skiing doesn’t have a single scene which was filmed on snow? The answer is a decided yes. Because that movie is “A to B Roller Ski,” and it shatters the ceiling for what a movie about cross-country skiing can be.

Moving, inspiring, authentic, pure, poetic, and beautiful, ‘A to B Roller Ski’ tells the story of Latvian born biathlete Raimonds Dombrovskis who in 1988 decided that after his Olympic biathlon dreams had ended due to a life threatening illness, it would be a good adventure to roller ski from Inuvik, Canada— near the Arctic Circle— to Baja, Mexico— a journey of 4,200 miles which took 90 days. Why? Well, “because everyone goes across the continent” he says in the movie. This incredible and crazy true story is a cinematic marvel which like a well-aged fine wine could only have been accomplished with decades of commitment. The movie has been out for years for viewing at film festivals. But now, it’s available for streaming on Amazon.

The concept behind the movie’s narrative is pure folly. Who in any sane mental state would even consider such a journey? From the baseball-size stone filled roads of the Alaska Highway, to the Rocky Mountains, to the deserts of Arizona, Dombrovskis and his faithful canine companion, Bucis, soldiered on and completed a journey that not only seemed impossible, but also seemed likely to end up with a dead protagonist. Remember, this original journey occurred in the late 1980s, on roller skis which were nothing like the ones we have today. There were no heel brakes or speed reducers. Shafts were either aluminum or wood. I had the exact pair of the skis, boots, and bindings that Dombrovskis used for a large part of his trip, and I can tell you from first hand experience that, even on the paved trail at my local park, they were nerve racking. Going down mountain passes on these is unimaginable.

The photography is remarkable. There is old footage of the journey from 1988, which given the technology of the time, a handheld VHS camera; and the limited budget—almost none— is beautifully crafted and technically well executed. The photography is perfectly mated with an evocative sound track, and the combination works wonders. There are contemporary interviews seamlessly interwoven into the original footage, which is also nicely crafted. Both the old and new photography help move the story along, and in a 1:38 minute movie, there is never a dull spot.

The vintage videos of biathletes racing in the Classic technique are enough to make one hope that the IBU (International Biathlon Union) mandates a couple of Classic races a year; just for aesthetics alone.

The movie is told against the backdrop of Dombrovskis’ emigration from Latvia to America, the end of his Olympic dreams, and the folly of trying to do something so outrageous that you would think it was surely a joke.

One of the more striking things about the journey is Dombrovskis’ obvious interest in the people he met along the way. Many of them may have been skeptical of him at first, but he’s the kind of guy who makes friends easily, which unquestionably helped him complete this odyssey.

The original 1988 epic odyssey would be enough for a full feature film. But the story only gets better and deeper when Dombrovskis decides in 2014 to recreate a scaled down version of his journey 26 years later. Dombrovskis looks like he’s still fit enough to make the national Biathlon team when he retraces his steps from 1988, tracking down people he met along the way two and a half decades earlier, which leads to heartwarming reunion scenes.

‘A to B’ is a testament to one man’s belief that nothing is impossible and that the price of not following your dreams is far greater than the cost of pursuing them.

I’m not certain if non-skiers will gush about it as much as skiers will, but it’s more likely than not that even people with no interest in skiing will find the movie to be at the very least a compelling tale.

So, whatever you’re doing tonight, change your plans, and rent ‘A to B.’ (Depending upon your Amazon setup, if you search for it in Amazon’s catalog you may not find it listed under ‘A to B Roller Ski.’ If you can’t find it, enter “roller ski” in the search bar and the movie will pop up as an option.)

Fortunately, you won’t need one of these to watch the 1988 footage of Dombrovskis’ original journey. (Photo: Wiki Commons)If you don’t want to risk your $2.99 movie rental money on this review’s recommendation, then take a look at IMDB’s (Independent Movie Data Base) reviews. It gets rated 8.6/10. By comparison, ‘The Godfather,’ often judged to be the best movie ever made, is rated 9.2/10. That’s some pretty lofty company. Here’s a link to the IMDB site where you can watch the trailer.

It is rare when a movie conveys a naïve purity which is historically accurate and inspiring. The amazing thing about this film is that if someone had created the script from ideas they made up, viewers would have immediately dismissed it as nice, but ludicrous. What makes ‘A to B’ so special is that when outlandish truth mixes just right with awe and splendor, and it’s captured on film, amazing things happen.

If there’s ever a place for a cross-country skier to put on their bucket list, Mt. Bachelor in central Oregon is it. With a ski season that typically lasts into late May and can even extend to June—with natural snow some 6,400 feet above sea level—the Mt. Bachelor Nordic Center is spring skiers’ paradise.

According to Nordic Manager Sydney Powell, Mt. Bachelor (about 22 miles west of Bend, OR) has been inundated since January with snowstorms that brought powder conditions throughout the winter and a 10-foot snowpack (120-inch base depth) as of early March.

“The grooming team has worked long hours to keep up with it all, but we are really grateful to have this challenge given the lack of snow in some places [of the country],” Powell stated. “May 26 is our planned season-end date, so there are nearly [two] months of skiing yet to go!”

As of late March, the Nordic Center, situated on the side of North America’s sixth-largest ski resort, had all 56 kilometers of groomed terrain open for classic and skate skiing.

On April 6, it will host the Cascade Crest, the last race of the Mt. Bachelor Cup Series organized by the Mt. Bachelor Ski Education Foundation (MBSEF). Powell described the 25 k course that winds throughout much of the trail system as “hilly but very scenic.” The 25 k skate race is the most popular, and the 50 k marathon tour entails two laps of that course. There’s also a 12.5 k distance and a 5 k kids’ race. All races are freestyle discipline.

To close out the official season, the Nordic Center also has a variety of fun spring activities planned, including an Easter egg hunt on March 31, “Treats on the Trails” on April 12 and May 12 (Mother’s Day), and a spring deck concert/closing weekend celebration on May 25. While not entirely nordic, the Pole Pedal Paddle, MBSEF’s signature event, is slated for May 18. The multi-sport relay includes an alpine leg, 8 k cross-country ski, 22-mile road bike, 5-mile run, 1.5-mile canoe/kayak/SUP paddle, and 0.4-mile sprint.

A dormant volcano in the Cascade Range, Mt. Bachelor tops out at 9,068 feet and regularly experiences high winds and extreme storms. This keeps the ski season extending from November through May most years and into June for teams who pay to use the trails.

“We hope to host the US Ski Team, Biathlon Team, and Para Team again this May,” Powell explained. “We offer contract grooming in June for club teams and typically get a pretty good turnout from club ski teams from the western states. We’ll offer June grooming again this season for interested teams if snow conditions allow it.”

Powell was confident most of the trail network would remain open into May. In late March, temperatures were still in the mid-20s and low-30s Fahrenheit. She expected the Nordic Center to have at least 15-20 kilometers still open at the end of the season and said they hoped to offer skiing on the remaining snow into mid-June.

That’s typically when ski teams from around the country, from club to national level, visit Mt. Bachelor to start training for next winter, even if only on a few kilometers of snow. Cross-country skiing in June is as much a novelty as it is a rarity in the U.S.

According to U.S. Ski Team Head Coach Matt Whitcomb, the 25-minute drive down to Bend, where the ski team stays during their visit, at an elevation of roughly 3,300 feet, makes for a key training and recovery combo.

“We can also go rollerskiing in the afternoon, we can go mountain biking, we can run in shorts and T-shirts,” he told FasterSkier during the team’s Mt. Bachelor training camp in May 2022. “It’s like you’re experiencing the summer and the winter on the same day for two weeks in a row.”

Mt. Bachelor is a similar distance from Sunriver, a small resort town to the south. It’s marketed as the Pacific Northwest’s largest resort playground, with everything from cross-country and downhill skiing to snowshoeing and dog sledding in the winter, plus mountain biking, cycling, trail running, paddling, concerts, and more in the summer.

“Central Oregon is an awesome spring destination,” Powell explained.

For those who have visited before, Powell said not much has changed in the last ten years since she’s worked there—which is a good thing.

“We have a nordic lodge and offer lessons for all levels every day of the week,” she said. “We also have a cafe on-site and a retail shop with rentals. We have nordic ski patrol and day grooming, so a pretty full-service nordic offering.”

For Whitcomb, it’s the trees and world-class trail system that get him.

“You’re skiing through Douglas fir—just these massive, old trees—on creative, windy, hard trails…,” he said. “It’s just such a wonderful environment. The way these cascade forests smell this time of the year when the new growth is coming up—you step out of the car when you first arrive, and it’s like, ahh. I could be blindfolded and tell you exactly where I was.”

Diggins, along with teammate Julia Kern, and coach Jason Cork, made the trip “down under” for three weeks of snow skiing at the Falls Creek cross-country center. This August, the U.S. Ski Team has been operating with a bit of a divide-and-conquer strategy, as coaches Matt Whitcomb, Greta Anderson and Kristen Bourne took six athletes to Scandinavia, Kern and Diggins found skiing elsewhere. As Whitcomb explained, “We weren’t able to fit it into the budget to have a bunch of people go down to New Zealand or Australia,” thus the separate trips. 

Historically, the U.S. Ski Team has spent time on snow at the Snow Farm, in New Zealand, staying at a lodge just feet from the ski trails. But, as Diggins explained, the lodge shut down during COVID and has yet to reopen. “[That] makes it less desirable because it was going to be a long drive up,” Diggins said, “So we thought, we’ve never tried Australia and we’ve heard Falls Creek has amazing skiing… so we thought this would be a good year to try something new and I’m really glad we did. It’s really cool because it’s hard to get the feel for a place unless you get to actually go to a camp there. So this has been really neat.” 

In Australia, the crew is staying in the town of Bogong, about a 30 minute drive from the Falls Creek trails. “I want to say a huge thank you to the Australian National Team and Finn (described as the Chris Grover of Australia), between him and Cork, they found us a really nice cabin situation,” said Diggins. 

With something like 300 turns on the road between Bogong and Falls Creek, Diggins and Kern have been using the Birkebeiner Ski Club clubhouse to hang out in, between two-a-day ski sessions. “[They’ve] been super kind and gracious letting us hang out in the clubhouse,” said Diggins, “So we have a warm place to just chill for a couple hours.” 

For both Diggins and Kern, this is their first time visiting Australia and the Falls Creek trail system. “There’s a lot of corners, and I think they say about 60 k of skiing or so,” said Kern, “There’s a lot of terrain out there and in general, pretty gradual and rolling. There are some big loops- there’s like a 12 or 14 k loop that we skied this morning, then there’s some more steeper hills near the beginning. So we’ve been able to find terrain for just about everything.” 

The travlers have also experienced the full gamut of weather conditions. “We’ve had every bit of weather from sunshine to snow, to sleet, to wind gusts, and everything in between,” said Kern. “We’ve really gotten to experience about every condition to train in and do some intervals.” 

Diggins added to that, saying, “I think it’s really nice because you don’t want to get used to just one condition right? Like if you’re coming down to get some time on snow, it’s really nice to be able to touch on every different kind, so I think that’s really, really valuable.” 

Besides the general goal of spending time on-snow, both athletes had a specific focus for the camp. For Kern, it was an emphasis on classic skiing. “Roller skiing is great training,” she said, “But it’s not the equivalent of trying to kick a ski in a variety of conditions, and we’ve actually got a lot of zeros conditions here, so it’s been a really great time to practice skiing in zeros conditions.”

Additionally, Kern has been testing skis and getting a feel for them, having switched to Atomic this season. “So it’s been testing skis, classic skiing, and then just speed work and intervals,” she said. “Skiing is not the same as roller skiing, you can do all that but having the feel for snow and variable terrain and punchy or firm conditions, for me, I think it’s easier to commit to going all out in a speed when you know you can just fall on snow instead of pavement, so we’re working on that.” 

Diggins chimed in, saying, “As someone who has fallen on her face roller skiing, for me, it’s really nice to be able to, like today we’re practicing sprint finish lunges, and on roller skis you really just can’t do that.” 

Diggins has been prioritizing practicing the things that don’t work as well on roller skis, like start speeds, lunges and herringbone. “When you’re here for three weeks, you feel like, if I have a bad day, or I’m tired, I can afford to just be really smart and relaxed about it and still know that I’m going to get all the time I need to make these changes on snow,” she said. 

The first week was spent getting used to being on snow again, then in the second week the athletes can move on to making some changes and in the third week, “[We] try to make them stick,” said Diggins. 

An added bonus to the trip came in the form of the Kangaroo Hoppet Worldloppet race on August 27th. “It’s really cool to finally get to do another Worldloppet on a different continent that we otherwise don’t get to ski in very much,” said Diggins, “I also think it’s really a chance to practice fueling for long races because we don’t get an opportunity to do long races very often, and now we’re going to have a few more on the World Cup circuit.” 

After a two-year COVID hiatus, Saturday’s race was the 30th edition of the Kangaroo Hoppet. Diggins took gold, ahead of Kern, and Australian skier, Casey Wright finished third. It turned out to be a double victory for the U.S., as Peter Wolter of Sun Valley topped the men’s podium. Campbell Wright (NZ) took second place and Lars Young Vik (AUS) came in third. 

Following the conclusion of their three week camp, Diggins and Kern will be heading in separate directions. Kern plans to stay an extra week in the country, renting a campervan and exploring Australia. “I want to see a little bit, and traveling forces me to make sure I recover and don’t jump right into training right away,” she explained. After that trip, she will head back to Vermont for two weeks before traveling to Utah for the U.S. Ski Team Park City Camp in October. 

Diggins will head straight back to Stratton for a few weeks before flying to San Francisco for the Salomon Women Trail Half-Marathon at the end of September. “And then I come back, and then I go to Las Vegas with Toyota for a show, and then I go right from there to Park City Camp,” she explained, “So it’s a lot of travel this fall, but for some cool events that I’m excited about.” 

Summarizing their experience in Australia thus far, both Diggins and Kern emphasized how welcoming the community has been. “People are just friendly to a default,” said Kern. 

“Everyone has been so welcoming and super kind and helpful,” said Diggins, “It’s such a nice ski community here, it seems like everyone’s really close knit and looks out for each other and there’s all these kids out skiing, and it just seems like a really cool thing they’ve got going on here.” 

Aware that this is a cross-country skiing publication, I should point out that this famous bike race is not totally without connection to our sport of focus here at FasterSkier. The event that ski fans might refer to as “the Tour” (the Tour de Ski) is the result of an idea allegedly generated in a Norwegian sauna by then International Ski Federation (FIS) cross-country race director, Jürg Capol and ski legend, Vegard Ulvang. Following the germination of this idea, Capol visited the Tour de France in 2006 before the first edition of the Tour de Ski. According to an FIS press release, “the goal of the trip was to gain valuable insight into the logistics, marketing implementation, television and internet production and accreditation services that are part of the organization of any world-class sports event consisting of multiple stages.” 

After his visit Capol remarked, “the logistical accomplishments of the local organizing committees at the Tour de France are truly remarkable… I am convinced that the organizers of the FIS World Cup Cross-Country could all learn a lot by reaching out to other sports and events in the future.” 

The logistics are just one of the many impressive things about the Tour de France, which saw its 109th edition start in Copenhagen on the first of the month. The spectators are another. Without having witnessed either race in person, I imagine the atmosphere at the Tour de France being somewhat akin to the Holmenkollen World Cup, only lasting three weeks as opposed to two days. 

To gain some insight on the roadside spectating experience, I reached out to a few people who made it there in person. 

Anna Gibson grew up watching the Tour de France annually with her family from their home in Wyoming. Gibson said, “even on TV, I could tell how physically and emotionally intense the Tour was. It has always impressed me. But getting to watch the Tour in person made me realize that the race is even more athletically impressive than I ever thought.” 

Consisting of 21 stages stretched over three weeks, bikers race a total distance of 3,328 kilometers (2,068 miles) with just two rest days. Though each stage varies in distance and elevation gain, even the ‘easiest’ of days look challenging on paper.

Sophie Stuber was on her own multi-day bike adventure with a friend, and planned a route overlap with the Tour in a few places. “It definitely gives you such an appreciation for what they do because our tour days were basically half or a third of the length of a stage and the [pros] climb up 11% grades literally twice as fast. And our days felt hard,” she added. 

Aside from appreciating the overwhelming physical performances of the riders and the obvious excitement of watching the athletes ride by, spectating at the Tour is a fully immersive experience. As Gibson explained, “What you don’t see on TV is everything that happens before and after the riders pass through… The entire day is a party for everyone involved, whether they watch in town, or camp on the side of the mountain the previous night and picnic all day beforehand, or ride up the climb earlier in the day to find a spot to spectate.”

Gibson chose the latter option for Stage 11 (which turned out to be a pivotal race day as two-time Tour winner Tadej Pogačar from Slovenia lost nearly three minutes to his rival Jonas Vingegaard of Denmark who currently wears the yellow jersey). The portion of the stage that Gibson rode included 30 miles and 7,700 feet of climbing from Saint Jean de Marienne to the summit of the Col du Galibier. Gibson said, “although this segment was just the middle section of the stage for the pros, this was amongst the most challenging rides of my life, and unquestionably the most fun.” 

The racers aren’t the only ones getting encouragement from the crowds, Gibson said, “I even got small tastes of what it must be like to be in competition, as some of the crowd hollered ‘allez’ or ‘femme’ or ‘bravo’ as I laboriously pedaled onward. People waved flags for me and made tunnels. The energy was infectious, and by the time I reached the top and gently laid my bike down on the rocks, exhausted and exhilarated, I was doing the same for the other random people reaching the summit.” 

Waiting for the riders to arrive, Gibson talked to fellow fans from all over the world. With no cell service available, anticipation was high to see how the race was unfolding. Gibson said, “It turned out to be a very exciting stage, with small groups of riders separated by several minutes. People (including me) went absolutely berserk watching the race unfold before their eyes. A few of my idols rode through, crusted in salt from the afternoon heat. Seeing them do their thing in person was legendary!”

With the racers through, the crowds also had to make their descent, which Gibson described as “epic.” She said, “I assumed a position in what was essentially a civilian peloton, ripping down turn after turn. Returning to Valloire at the base of the climb, I came across a big screen broadcasting the end of the stage in the cobbled center plaza. The pace was packed and the party went on.” 

Though she only watched three of the twenty-one stages, Gibson said, “I can imagine the party goes on in this same manner for the whole three weeks of the Tour. It is a production. And seriously one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen.” 

After such a testimony, I’m ready to add in-person Tour de France viewing to my bucket list. For the time being however, the screen experience will have to suffice. 

With 76 hours, 33 minutes and 57 seconds on the cumulative race clock for leader Jonas Vingegaard, only one stage remains before the 2022 Tour de France comes to an end- on the Champs Élysées in Paris on Sunday. Lucky for me, the race watching opportunities don’t end there as the first edition of the Tour de France Femmes kicks off the same day.

Believe it or not, it is mid-May. For those following a traditional cross-country calendar, this means the start of a new training year, building toward the 2022/2023 competition season. And, for many of the top American athletes, this means it’s time to make an annual pilgrimage to Bend, Oregon for the on-snow camp of the season at the Mt. Bachelor Nordic Center.

The weather gods were kind to the camp attendees, with nearly a foot of fresh snow falling on Mt. Bachelor last weekend, restoring it to mid-Winter conditions. April was also a fruitful month for snowfall, setting up for a base-depth of 92” currently reported on the trails – not bad for May!

To learn more about the camp and what has made Bend and Mt. Bachelor a staple of the U.S. Ski Team’s early season training, FasterSkier connected with head coach Matt Whitcomb, who shared that he has been coming to Bend almost-annually for the last 26 years. 

He first experienced the trails at Mt. Bachelor during the 1996 U.S. National Championships. 

“I was rooming with Justin Beckwith (current NENSA Competitive Program Director),” Whitcomb recalled fondly. “Amy Caldwell took us out and then Sverre [Caldwell] joined us, and we had our first experience racing Nationals. And it really jumped out as this town that had skiing at its center, not only alpine but cross country.” 

The following summer, Whitcomb, Beckwith, and a couple additional training partners hopped into a car and drove to Oregon to spend the summer of ‘97 in Bend. 

“But we weren’t, by any means, the first people to do this – we were following in the footsteps of Justin Wadsworth and Pat Weaver and a whole bunch of other people. And by our senior year [at Middlebury College], we had twenty-something people driving out from the east just to experience what Bend has in late May and June, and we’d be there through August until we had to go back to college.” 

What Bend has in late May and June, he said, is a vast array of diverse training opportunities, which most importantly includes snow. 

“That’s probably the first thing that really drew us in, particularly as people from the East.”

He shared that the snow report they had received from Mt. Bachelor Nordic Center manager Sue Foster was measuring the accumulation from April storms in feet, not inches. 

But it’s not just the access to snow on its own that makes Mt. Bachelor worth the trip.

“The trail system is world class. You’re skiing through Douglas fir — just these massive, old old trees on creative, windy, hard trails, and on a good year they’ll have close to 30 or 40 kilometers groomed for us still in May.” 

In addition to its geographical location and an accumulation of over 300” of snow annually, the elevation of the Nordic Center preserves the snowpack for late season skiing. The parking lot sits at roughly 6,000’ above sea level, while trails range from 5,750 to 6,400’. 

This puts Mt. Bachelor in a similar altitude zone to Soldier Hollow, UT, offering athletes both an early season bump in red blood cells and the opportunity to fine tune their altitude skiing strategies, “which is something that we really value. Because skiing at altitude is not just something for the aerobically gifted; it’s also something for people that develop the skill of how to actually ski at altitude. So that’s been great.”

Whitcomb also lauded the convenience of Mt. Bachelor relative to their lodging down in Bend, roughly a 25 minute drive down the mountain at a significantly lower elevation of roughly 3,300’. In addition to easy access to the trails, this gives the team the opportunity to train high and sleep low, as well as to enjoy non-ski training modalities in a totally different climate. 

“So recovery is complete. We can also go roller skiing in the afternoon, we can go mountain biking, we can run in shorts and tee shirts. It’s like you’re experiencing the summer and the winter on the same day for two weeks in a row.”

 Overall, Bend and Mt. Bachelor have become a special place for Whitcomb, and for the many athletes who have made their way there over the years. 

“It’s just such a wonderful environment. The way these cascade forests smell this time of the year when the new growth is coming up — you step out of the car when you first arrive and it’s like, ahh. I could be blindfolded and tell you exactly where I was.”

While Mt. Bachelor offers high quality grooming all season, Whitcomb also spoke to the relationships the US Ski Team have developed with the trail operations team, and their willingness to adapt their usual grooming patterns to best serve the visiting skiers. This year, Whitcomb is looking to replicate the track format of a World Cup stadium so the team can practice “switching lanes in the finish and figuring out how to develop more speed — a bit of a twist to our [usual] speed training.”

At the helm, and helping US Ski Team coaches interface with the grooming team, is the aforementioned Nordic Center Manager, Sue Foster, who Whitcomb says has been an invaluable resource over the years. 

“She meets us in the lodge every day, she helps us prepare the TV and the chairs so that we can do a little visualization before every session. And she’s just a delightful, inviting person that makes you want to come back and see [her.] It’s rare that every athlete on the team knows the names of the people working the lodge, but Mt. Bachelor is one of those places.”

Off the ski trails, Whitcomb shared that a highlight for many athletes is the lower elevation terrain in Bend, where the unique volcanic geology of Mt. Bachelor sets up for miles of tacky “hero dirt” for afternoon rides. 

“The mountain biking is some of the best in the US, particularly in May, before it’s gotten dusty.”

During the late spring, many trails along the Deschutes River are also beginning to open up, and often the team will be dropped off an hour and a half up-river to enjoy a point-to-point run  back to their cluster of rental houses. 

This year, the team is spread between three large rental homes in close proximity, with the staff house centrally located to host nightly team dinners catered by USOPC chef Megan Chacosky. To reduce COVID risks among the team and staff, masks are still worn during team meetings, allowing them to safely happen in-person. Though mask mandates and COVID safety precautions are largely being dropped, Whitcomb expressed the importance of keeping athletes and staff healthy, setting everyone up for success during the high-volume summer months of training. 

“I think the world has made a major shift to decide that the pandemic is over, but we’re pretty well aware that the COVID is not done yet.”

Finally, Whitcomb cited the greater ski community in Bend as a reason the camp has been such a valuable component of the annual training cycle. 

“As far back as I can remember, it didn’t matter whether we are registered with a local club or not, we were always being invited by [coach/director] John Downing to the XC Oregon sessions. He’s still a good friend of the team, and we have so many locals in town that are helping us out and welcome us every year to town.”

Acknowledging that he was only giving the short-list of names from the Bend skiing community who have supported and welcomed the team each year, he also noted former physiologist at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs Tim Gibbons, who builds excitement for the camp by giving Whitcomb snow reports all winter, indicating how the trails are shaping up for spring skiing. And lastly, he thanked the members of the Mt. Bachelor Ski Education Foundation (MBSEF), including nordic director Dylan Watts. 

This community support allows the team to maximize their time training in Bend, while also creating opportunities for outreach via programs like Fast and Female or hosting workouts for the MBSEF junior athletes. This partnership helps the team feel connected, and also stoke the enthusiasm of the next generation of cross country skiers. 

“It just really feels like a family that we’re coming back to every year. So thanks to everybody that has always been welcoming. We try to be great ambassadors for the sport, and we need partners like this [to continue to move forward as a nation].

The Mt. Bachelor Nordic Center is known for it’s world class spring cross-country skiing. You can find more information about spring conditions at mtbachelor.com.

Disclaimer: The author skied both days and was one member of the large S2S organizing committee. This may seem like a conflict of interest, but also allows a more detailed look behind the curtain at how a new event was built.

Click here to learn more about the origins of the Sovereign2Silverstar Ski Marathon, and to take a look at the successful first year of the event.

***

The motto for S2S was ‘finishing is winning’, a phrase that also served as the touchstone for the bigger decisions.

The members of the Organizing Committee (OC) had a lot of experience hosting ski races, from local loppets to Canada Cup/SuperTour weekends to World Cups, and even a combined Nationals plus SuperTour Finals that got cancelled by a pandemic in 2020. A destination event is a different beast, however. High-level events under the FIS umbrella don’t need marketing: athletes follow the events calendar. Local loppets are advertised with a few posters at the neighbouring ski areas. FIS events have required distances, homologated courses, and rules for everything.

A destination event, by definition, has to entice skiers to travel. In the midst of a pandemic, this is not as easy as it once was, even to a destination with quality late-season snowpack and a mountain backdrop. The question then becomes, ‘What can be done to make the event attractive?’ Immediately followed by ‘how can we keep the participants, volunteers, and local community safe?’

Year 1 went well, with lots of smiles generated.

Which skiers?  

The club already hosts high level events in nordic and biathlon, which led the OC to a focus on inclusion for the new event.

To get a larger number of skiers, it is necessary to look outside the group of committed competitors and attract recreational skiers. Thus, the motto ‘Finishing is Winning’ was chosen to both appeal to non-racers but also give the OC a vision to follow.

The motto led to a list of goals: Inclusive. No time limit. Small waves. No technically difficult course features. A minimum of climbing, but enough to discourage classic racers from double poling on skate skis.

When?

One of the original goals was to show the trail system at its best, which means late March and early April. March is most often the big snowfall month and has been the choice for the annual 30km for two decades. The elite skiers always visit in early December or late November for Continental Cup races. As a result, generations of racers have visited just before the skiing gets really good. 

The OC wanted to add to the season calendar instead of competing with existing events. Choosing the same weekend as the American Birkie, for example, would limit future growth.

The early 2021/2022 international calendar had no events for April 2nd and 3rd.

Using historical data, there is a 70% chance of blue hard wax skiing on the first weekend of April. Unfortunately, history doesn’t account for climate change and the increasing risk of extreme weather. In 2021, the Vernon area set new records for lowest precipitation in March, April, and May, based on data going back to 1904. In June, heat records were broken all over BC and Washington state. Then, an atmospheric river in November washed away all four highways to Vancouver and dramatically thinned the snowpack.

With the extreme 2021 weather as a backdrop, there was some nervousness about hosting in April. Club members are usually committed to cycling and paddling by mid-March. An entire web page was devoted to showing what April skiing looks like.

The final choice also became an effort to change perceptions. In a year where many people were limiting travel and pandemic rules changed monthly, success would depend on persuading local skiers to keep skiing into April. Early data suggests there were more skier visits in late March and early April than previous years.

Shortly after the OC committed to the dates, the Fossavatn moved to the same weekend and in December the Alex Harvey Classic was announced. The worldwide calendar is crowded, and there really aren’t any ’empty’ weekends.

Course Design

At this venue, a long flat double pole route is simply not an option. Sovereign Lake is a small pond and the flat trail around it is less than 1km long. Spectacular mountain views like Canmore or Toblach require nearby mountains and the twin ski areas are just part of the Interior Plateau that was eroded less after the glaciers receded. What the OC does have is twisting, rolling trails through a coniferous forest, tonnes of snow, and a few beautiful viewpoints.

Many of the OC had skied in events with fast downhills, wild corners, road crossings, and chaotic starts. To be inclusive to newer skiers, the course would avoid tight switchbacks, avoid steep climbs, and be relatively flat.

Starting in the Sovereign Lake stadium and finishing on Main Street in SilverStar village were the main selling points. With that decided, the Alder Point loop was essential, with views of the Monashee mountains on one side and views of many alpine runs busy with skiers on the other. That decided, it was a matter of building a route with no repeats, no technical sections, a moderate amount of climbing, and exactly 42km long.

There were many candidate routes that met the requirements, but there was also a 40km route that was more fun to ski.

After some debate, the OC decided that the fun 40km course fit the ‘Finishing is Winning’ motto best. The first 10km is a flat warmup before the climbing starts. There are three ‘long climb’ sections with about 70m gained over 3km. The finish is a gentle 3km downhill leading into a ‘feature’ finish onto Main Street.

Exact distances can be important. While every long-time skier has done events that are very different than advertised, some participants want precision. And precision usually means that their watch or phone records the exact advertised numbers.

There are two common causes of GPS accuracy errors: mountains and trees. As the venue is well equipped with both, the OC quickly learned that only the homologated loops had accurate mapped distances. A sub-team was recruited to get more accurate map data using LIDAR data.

Scanning through Strava on April 3rd, most of the 40km skiers posted distances between 38km and 41km. The measured elevation gains varied even more. 

The 21km course splits from the long course at the 5km point, heading directly to SilverStar while the 40km skiers ski a 17km loop to arrive at the same intersection from another direction. The 21km course also skips the final climbing section up Howie’s loop and on the Bergstrasse alpine run.

Making the 21km a subset of the 40km course and using the same course both days resulted in a huge reduction in volunteer effort.

Small Waves

Many of the OC had skied in major events where there were queues at the first pinch point. To be inclusive to non-racers who aren’t used to skiing in a pack, the decision was made to spread the skiers out so they could watch the scenery instead of the butt of the skier in front. The final choice was a series of waves, spaced three minutes apart.

The largest wave had 42 skiers and it spread out quickly. The telephoto and steep hill combine to compress the B wave group above, which is actually spread out over about 100m of the short climb.

The first pinch point on the 40km course is at 21km, where the packed trail is only 6m wide and there is just enough room to skate two abreast. The lead pack on classic day was three skiers here, mostly because the short climbs in the Zumas tend to explode packs. 

A few skiers didn’t like the small waves while most participants loved the space to ski at their own pace. The elite skiers were indifferent to wave size, possibly because they would immediately ski away from any size of group.

Working Together 

SilverStar Mountain Resort is a commercial alpine ski area answering to shareholders, with trails for nordic, snowshoeing, and fat biking. Sovereign Lake Nordic Club is a 3,200 member ski club set in a provincial park, answerable to the nordic skiing members and BC Parks. Twin nordic areas to be sure, but fraternal not identical.  

The differences between the areas can sometimes make it challenging to reach win/win consensus, but the desire to work together gets there in the end. 

The local community has dreamed of a joint nordic event for years. In 2021, three people came up with a vision that both areas could say yes to, resulting in the birth of the 50/50 event committee. That name was abandoned, as it was quickly apparent that any 50km course would be more epic than inclusive (see an example course profile here).

The local snowmobile club loaned us 500m of one of their trails for five days, allowing the removal of two tricky hairpins and giving locals a new experience.

Learning From Others

The US Birkie and the Gatineau OC’s provided example budgets, registration advice, examples of what can go wrong. And then each event provided a top OC volunteer to spend an hour answering questions from the S2S OC. The nordic skiers on the OC thought this level of assistance was extremely helpful, but not unexpected. The alpine skiers on the OC were surprised that major events would actively help their ‘competition’. 

Cortina-Dobbiaco is a good example of a fun event: point to point, one day for each technique, and a big effort to create an experience beyond the race.

The Vasaloppet is an example of how to grow big, but also an example of crowd management. 

Other events the OC took ideas from include the Birkenbeiner, Engadin, Hoppet, Merino Muster, Moonlight Classic, and Ski To The Sun.

The decision to join the Visma Ski Classics challenger series was a surprise. One of the Cortina-Dobbiaco OC had explained the economics of the ProTour series, which put that idea on the year six or later list. Then it was discovered that the chief of volunteers knows every skier in every country, which led to a Norwegian friend of his making a pitch for the Ski Classics Challengers series and a cost-effective way to connect with a worldwide group of skiers who like to build vacations around ski events.

The Region

Vernon is an unusual place. The three lakes are just under 400m above sea level. The mountain bike trails at Kalamalka lake sprawl up the east ridge to 1,400m. Some years, the lower mtb trails are good all winter. Other years, the snow level is lower and bikers are waiting for April for the trails to dry. The nordic trails are higher, ranging from 1,500m to 1,915m. Skiing starts in October, with grooming beginning in early November. In April, the grooming stops when the supply of skiers runs out. In non-pandemic years, the Spring Fling snow camp in May provides an opportunity to start the new training year on groomed snow. SLNC and SilverStar have a combined 105km of nordic trails, groomed daily.

Vernon is a ‘small town’ of 40,000 people with strong sports communities and a high proportion of retirees. Silverstar village has a smaller population and an even larger sense of community. Some of the volunteers that committed hours as course marshals on the alpine run crossings are alpine skiers who have never tried nordic skiing.

Charitable Partner

Our target audience of adults who travel to ski events could be called privileged. With so many skiers who appreciate what sport has given them, the OC wanted to find a charity that could give sport to others. KidSport is an organization that helps financially disadvantaged youth participate in organized sport and the local chapter was a good fit for our goals.

The first year of any event is financially challenging and breaking even can be difficult. With an unknown event during a pandemic that wasn’t ending as quickly as hoped, there was uncertainty around raising a significant amount of money for the cause. Thanks to strong support from sponsors, volunteers, and skiers, the event raised $8,000, about 20% of the local division’s annual budget.

It turns out that partnering with a charity makes it easier to attract sponsors and volunteers, an unexpected but welcome benefit.

Promotion

There is a popular quote: ‘if you build it, they will come.’ A more useful version would be ‘if you invite people, they will come.’

Partnering with an alpine ski area comes with some significant advantages here. SilverStar has a marketing team with skills far above what is common in the North American nordic community. A stunning logo, word mark (that ‘text’ brand image), event colour scheme (based on both areas’ existing colours), and a branding document allowed the OC to present a consistent and attractive package to skiers, volunteers, and sponsors.

While ‘branding’ has always been an essential element in creating a successful business, it is equally valuable in building a new event. Many of the participants commented on how much this first event felt ‘organized’ and ‘polished’. A big part of that comes from providing a good athlete experience, but the polish is a direct result of that branding document.

Volunteers

Last on the page, but not last in importance. Over 250 volunteers worked tirelessly to bring energy and enthusiasm to the event day experience. Dozens of skiers made the effort to find someone wearing an ‘OC’ bib to talk about the atmosphere generated by the volunteers.

How much did the OC value the volunteers? When the financial team had to make hard choices to be ready for a last minute cancellation by any of three levels of government, one of the expenses eliminated was a toque for each participant. Because if you spend all the entry fee money in advance, how will you provide refunds?

The Volunteer team worked with one of the sponsors to give every volunteer a toque (a toque is a ski hat to Americans, a beanie to Brits). Thanks to supply chain constraints we all are living with, the sponsor had to pay the expense months in advance. Another sponsor provided food and drink for a volunteer party on Sunday afternoon. Many of the elite skiers and past Olympians known to FasterSkier readers made the effort to connect with the volunteers at the party.

In the end, the volunteers are what brought smiles to the participants faces. The event will need those people next year, which means showing volunteers the love is one of the biggest steps towards a successful second year.

Cross-country skiers heading to Europe are spoilt for choice. The continent is packed with top-class destinations for all sorts of snow-related sports. For Nordic skiing, you might naturally assume that Norway should be top of your list but that all depends on want you want from your holiday.

If your priority is having access to the maximum number of kilometers possible, then Norway ticks that box. The resort of Geilo alone has around 550km of trails set in some of the continent’s most spectacular scenery. You ski across plateaus, down into valleys, through forests and alongside lakes in a true winter wonderland. If you are looking for a cross-country ski holiday that offers fantastic terrain and a little more away from the snow, there might be better options.

It may surprise you that the Norwegian Nordic ski team do most of their training in Davos, Switzerland. Teams from Russia, Sweden and Switzerland also use the area as their training camp. In fact, it has become epicenter of cross-country skiing in Europe. There, you’ll be mixing it with the professionals but also find plenty to do in your downtime.

The season kicks off in October, one of the earliest in Europe, and reveals over 100km of routes for skiers of all levels. The resort has a perfect mix of peaks and valleys offering everything from relaxed trails for newcomers in the Sertig and Dischmatal valleys, to the toughest routes for elite competitors in the Flulatal Valley.

Away from the slopes, Davos has plenty to offer. There’s a casino right in the middle of the resort with a striking glass exterior. The venue has that sophisticated feeling associated with high-end European establishments, but there is no pressure to dress too smartly if you don’t want to. You can enjoy all the games that you might expect, including roulette, blackjack, and poker. There’s also a huge number of slot machines with titles that will be familiar to those who play online at any of the sites featured in this new casinos article. It’s the kind of place that keeps buzzing with activity well into the small hours.

Those interested in art and culture are also well-catered to. Since 1870, Davos has been a destination for art and literary figures, including Arthur Conan Doyle, Robert Louis Stevenson and Albert Einstein. They were drawn to the resort by the health benefits that became associated with its mountain air during the 19th century. German artist Ernst Ludwig Kirchner made Davos his home and there is now a museum and gallery named after him.

The resort is also a haven for food lovers with everything from high-class takeaways to fine dining, with options to suit all budgets and tastes. Some popular eateries include Montana Stube, Dorfbeiz, Cafe Weber Backerei Konditorei Bar, and the Golden Dragon, a local Chinese restaurant featured in the Michelin guide. And there are at least half a dozen Italian restaurants worthy of a visit, including the highly-rated Alpenhof Davos, which also offers great vegetarian and vegan options.

If you are a Nordic skiing fan planning a trip to Europe and want plenty to do around the clock, you should definitely have Davos on your shortlist.

As a cross country skier, you have likely heard of Canmore and it’s fabulous nordic center. Whether it be because of the 1988 Winter Olympics, the FIS World Cup in 2005, 2008, 2010, 2012 and 2016, the annual Frozen Thunder race hosted in early November, or simply the 60+ kilometers of beautiful trails, the Canmore Nordic Centre Provincial Park is well known in North America. 

In March 2022, Canmore  will be host to the annual Masters World Cup of Cross Country Skiing. Skiers from around the world will meet in Canmore for ten days of fun racing and camaraderie. But Canmore and the greater Kananaskis area has much more to offer than just great ski trails. For those looking to fully experience Canmore, the opportunities are numerous and varying in physicality. With a mix of culture and outdoor adventure, there is something for everyone. 

For off-ski outdoor recreation that keeps the energy output to a minimum, a dog-sledding adventure is one way to experience more of the area through a unique form of transport. Snowy Owl Sled Dog Tours was started in 1983 by Connie and Charles Arsenault with one team of ten dogs. The operation has since grown into a thriving business with sixteen teams of sled dogs. They offer a range of outings and experiences that are sure to give you a taste for both the community and scenery in the Canmore area. 

A caving tour or evening ice walk could also be a great way to pass time spent away from the ski trails. Canmore Cave Tours offers tours to Rat’s Nest cave under Grotto Mountain. These excursions are more pleasant than the cave name suggests and feature 7,000-year-old animal bones and pictographs in a cave that is completely untouched by development. Similarly, an evening walk down Grotto Canyon will take you away from town and towards the amazing ice formations of the canyon’s frozen waterfalls. 

When you’ve had your fill of the outdoors for the day, downtown is ready to welcome you because, as Sinclair says, “Canmore is home to a little bit of everything.” With five breweries and distilleries in town, taking a trip through town with the Canmore Brewery and Distillery Tours would be a great way to learn more about the local craft beverage scene. The guides from this locally-owned business are professional, experienced, and well-versed in just about everything in the area has to offer, plus they will transport you to and from stops while keeping you entertained with stories. 

For morning, midday, or anytime pick-me-up beverages, the award-winning Eclipse Coffee Roasters is a sure bet. Not only do they have a diverse selection of over ten freshly roasted bean varieties available, but they are also well-stocked with delectable baked goods to fuel you out on the ski trails. 

After a fortifying cup of coffee, you’ll be ready to dive into the arts and culture scene that flourishes in Canmore. Home to world renowned sculptures, painters, and photographers, Canmore has a multitude of art galleries that are worth visiting. Stroll down main street and enjoy the beautiful collections on display. Then, if you find yourself inspired and in a creative mood, head to Crock A Doodle where you can paint your own pottery.  

After a hard day out on the ski trails, visiting one of Canmore’s spa or wellness centers would be the perfect place to recover. Back At It Sports & Wellness caters specifically to sports, therapeutic massage, and acupuncture. Maybe you’re too sore to even leave the hotel room? Not a problem because Mobile Massage Canmore will come to you. They offer in-home and hotel massage therapy and will bring their table, lotion, music and highly skilled RMTs directly to your doorstep. 

Speaking of hotels, it is worth stopping by the Paintbox Lodge, even if you don’t end up staying there. Owned and operated by Olympic silver-medalist, Sara Renner and her husband, former World Cup Champion in alpine skiing, Thomas Grandi, the Paintbox Lodge is an award-winning boutique hotel located downtown. They offer five unique and comfortable suites and rooms with complimentary breakfast featuring a legendary sourdough bread. Additionally, you and your party can sign up for a kitchen party, harvest table dinner or tapas party at “the BOX.”

Whether you’re there to race at World Masters, on a ski vacation, or simply to enjoy the mountains in winter, there are plenty of activity options in Canmore and the greater Kananaskis area to keep you interested and engaged during your stay. For assistance with planning your trip or any other questions about Canmore, the staff at the Visitor Information Centre are ready and eager to help. The Centre is staffed daily and can respond to emails sent to: canmore.vic@gmail.com.

Nordic festival are two words most North American ski fans can only dream about. Skinny skiers here are unlikely to experience the reality of such an event for themselves unless they make a trip across the Atlantic. For residents of France, the opportunity to participate in the second edition of the Martin Fourcade Nordic Festival presented itself this weekend and there were many eager attendees. This lucky expat was among the masses.

For those unfamiliar with the name, Fourcade retired from biathlon competition in March 2020 after a very successful career, including five Olympic gold medals and thirteen World Championships titles. He is the most successful French Olympian of all time and is celebrated as a beloved hero in his home country. Anywhere he went this weekend, he was accompanied by cheers and a train of fans hoping for autographs, handshakes, or photos. 

The festival stretched over three days, beginning Friday, September 3rd and wrapping up on Sunday the 5th. Located in Annecy, in the Haut-Savoie department of France, the stadium sat facing the electric blue water of Lac d’Annecy, rimmed by limestone bluffs.

It’s difficult to imagine a better setting for drawing crowds than the park Le Pâquier, which is right downtown and runs along the popular bike path that circumnavigates the lake. Indeed, the place was bustling with spectators all weekend long, both paying customers and those stopping by, drawn along the fence by all the commotion.

Tickets cost €33 (about $40), and were sold out before the event began. As evidence, several posts were made in the days leading up to the festival on the French nordic Craiglist-esque site, searching for available tickets. 

In addition to tickets, to enter the venue one needed to present their pass sanitaire, essentially a health passport in the form of a QR code which proves either you’ve been vaccinated, had a negative COVID test in the last 72hrs or, recovered from COVID in the last 11 days to 6 months. Furthermore, masks were required, even though the event was taking place outdoors where typically masks are not required in France. 

The festivities kicked off in earnest Friday night, beginning with a presentation of the athletes on stage. While 30 international athletes had been recruited to the event, not all were able to make the journey. Many French national team members were present, both biathletes and cross-country racers, including: Richard Jouve, Renaud Jay, Delphine Claudel, Julia Simon, Anais Chevalier-Bouchet, Antonin Guigonnat, and Quentin Fillon-Maillet.

As for the international contingent, some notable names in attendance were: Tiril Eckoff (NOR), Johannes Dale (NOR), Sturla Laegrid (NOR), Oskar Svensson (SWE), Jovian Hediger (SUI), Nadine Faendrich (SUI), Laurien van der Graaff (SUI), and Emma Ribom (SWE). 

Following the presentation of athletes, a concert featuring Gaëtan Roussel, a well-known French musician drew quite a crowd and provided the festival with quite a lively start, setting the tune for the rest of the weekend. 

Saturday started with the exposition village opening, a circle of vendor tents featuring nearly 60 brands, food and drink options, and shops. Attractions included, virtual biathlon, ski-erg competitions, and athlete appearances.

Lines at both the Fischer and Salomon tents stretched for quite a distance as athletes patiently sat for hours, signing autographs and taking photos with fans. Not only were famous nordic athletes present, but recent competitors in the Ultra Trail du Mont-Blanc mountain running series, such as Camille Bruyas who took second place in the storied 170 km full tour around Mont-Blanc, and Thiabuat Beronian who finished 3rd in the 100 km “CCC”. These events both end in Chamonix.

Gradually, the crowd began to shift focus towards the stadium, as athletes started warming up for the afternoon show races. Over 3,000 attendees filed into the stands, giving Martin Fourcade a cheer that lasted for minutes as he gave an introduction.

Explaining his motivation for organizing this event, Fourcade said, “When I think of a Nordic festival, I want an event that grows the sport, that shares the sport, and that promotes the sport.” He thanked the crowds for their support and provided a schedule for the afternoon events, starting with women’s biathlon. 

Eight elite biathlete women toed the start line, headed by Eckoff of Norway. They completed four laps of the flat course, with two prone and two standing rounds of shooting. Eckoff lead to start, followed by Chevalier-Bouchet (FRA) who cleaned the standing shoot quickly and gained the lead for the penultimate lap, to the joy of the crowd.

She maintained her lead and entered the final shooting round with a bit of a lead to Eckoff (NOR), cleaning again in rapid time. Franziska Preuss of Germany was second out of the range, followed by Eckoff.

Out on the course, which at times was flanked directly by the lake where boaters had pulled close to cheer, Eckoff passed Preuss (GER) to find second place. Chevalier-Bouchet (FRA) finished first, Eckoff second (+14) and Preuss third (+29.2).

The spectators were thrilled to begin the competitions with a French victory and showed their appreciation in the form of overwhelming applause.

“Yeah it’s amazing,” said Chevalier-Bouchet after her victory, “Thanks everyone. I can’t hear anything because of the noise!”

Tiril Eckoff similarly enjoyed the support of the crowd and said, “It was very fun to be in such a good atmosphere again. It’s the first time in two and a half years to be in front of crowds so it’s really fun.” 

Up next was the men’s biathlon. Guigonnat (FRA) was the first to clean and left the first round of shooting in the lead, while Fillon-Maillet (FRA), a fan favorite, struggled and exited well behind the pack. Through the second time, Doll of Germany was first to clean with Fak (SLO) right behind. Into the standing round, Laegrid (NOR) was the first to clean, Fak in second but with a penalty and Khalili (RUS) in third.

For the final time, Laegrid entered without anyone else in sight, shot 5/6 and left the range still in the lead. Khalili (RUS) was next out with Fak in third, followed closely by Fillon-Maillet who had made up ground and had a fast final round of shooting.

Laegrid skied the last lap with a healthy gap and high-fived fans as he headed for the finish with a big lead, ending in 25:02.4. The Russian, Khalili held on for second place and Doll (GER) took third having passed Fillon-Maillet (FRA) and Fak (SLO).

“I’m a very lucky man today so thank you Annecy!” said Laegrid after the race, “It was really fun and it was so nice to say hi to all my fans. Merci beaucoup!” 

With the biathlon races concluded, the crowd lost some it’s density before the cross-country rounds, biathlon being more popular. Nevertheless, there were still plenty of spectators who stuck around as the women lined up for their event. Not a true sprint event, the cross-country skiers completed six laps in succession with the final skier across the lap line being eliminated each round.

The pack stayed tight for the first five laps, gradually losing skiers off the back. With a tight course, passing was quite difficult so the leaders did not change much. French skier Flora Dolci had the lead into the final lap, with the top seven athletes all within 1.4 seconds.

Faendrich (SUI) dropped off as they passed along the lake, and then there were six. Ribom (SWE) made a pass to the front, shadowed by Van der Graaff (SUI). Rounding the final corner Van der Graaff launched an attack but Ribom held her off, keeping the advantage heading into the finish.

Behind them, Dolci (FRA) outsprinted Claudel (FRA) to take third place, +4.5 back. “I felt really strong out there so it was a fun race,” said Ribom, “My plan was to have a good position the whole race so I tried to stay in the front and keep on pushing to the finish line.”

Post race interview with Emma Ribom: 

Van der Graaff, who speaks a bit of French, said, “I am very happy with the competition but not to do an interview in French! I tried really hard to get a second win here, but Emma was really strong.” 

The final race of the day was the men’s cross-country. With such tight pack racing there was sure to be some broken equipment out there and sure enough, nearly every lap saw someone with a broken pole. Hugo Lapalus (FRA) was the first to be eliminated, Hediger (SUI) broke a pole near the end of the second lap and was next to stop.

Svensson (SWE) dropped off the pace during the third lap and was stopped, followed by Valentine Chauvin (FRA) on the next lap. Jouve (FRA), a race favorite, broke a pole in lap three but managed to hang with the group, only to be eliminated with two laps to go. Heading into the final lap, Adrien Backscheider (FRA) had the lead, with Marcus Grate (SWE) the last to be eliminated.

As they neared the finish, Jay (FRA) and Pål Aune (NOR) were duking it out, ultimately the win going to Jay. Arnaud Chautemps of France finished third.

“I’m really happy,” said Jay, “I wasn’t able to be here two years ago so this is really nice.” 

After the professionals raced on Saturday, it was the public’s turn to compete on Sunday. The “Biathlon Running” was open to all, involving teams of 4-6 in a relay style event. First up to compete were the kids, racing a 1km course with obstacles and shooting in between laps, followed by the adult teams.

There were three categories to sign up under (Mixed, female, and male) and the price was €200/team. The competitors were enthusiastic and lots of smiles were seen out on course, a fun way to wrap up a fun weekend. 

Things did not go as planned. 

While I struggled through making coffee orders in rusty French (Je voudrais un café au lait, s’il vous plait) and attempting to understand the exhaustive requirements of opening a French bank account, COVID cases in France and throughout Europe were climbing. Within a week of my arrival, there were rumors of a second lockdown. Ten days after I had landed the country entered its second confinement. President Emmanuel Macron announced the lockdown at 8 pm on Wednesday, October 27th, saying the restrictions would begin the following day at midnight. 

For me, the intervening 28 hours involved shedding tears, multiple frantic phone calls, a falling out with my Airbnb host, a four-hour train ride, and the lucky chance of finding an apartment in the village of Les Houches located in the Chamonix valley to endure the lockdown.

Thanks to some good friends and a fair bit of good fortune, I arrived in Les Houches on Thursday afternoon, immediately awed by the cracking glaciers visible from my doorway, the unlikely cable-car to the summit of Aiguille du Midi (12600 ft) and the formidable massif of Mt. Blanc. 

Growing up in the foothills of the North Cascades in Washington state, I feel most at home in the mountains. If I was to spend a month or more on my own in a foreign country during a global pandemic I wanted it to be somewhere I was comfortable and happy to be. As an outdoor enthusiast and a lover of great views (who doesn’t?), this proved to be an excellent opportunity. 

Les Houches is a small community located just 6 kilometers from Chamonix-center. Interestingly, it is “twinned” with the Russian villages of Sochi and Krasnaya-Polyana and thus was chosen to help with the organization of the 2014 Winter Olympics.

For the first month of lockdown, the restrictions were similar to those of the spring, though I heard from several locals that this time around things were much more relaxed. To go out required an attestation, either a physical piece of paper or a digital version with your name, address, and one of six or so selected reasons to leave, detailing your destination and time of departure. Exercise was limited to within a one-kilometer radius of your home and not to exceed one hour in duration. Upon initial exploration, I believed I could not have found a better one-kilometer bubble to be confined to. It seemed that any direction or turn I took led to some new trail or pathway that criss-crossed the hillside and provided ample views and exercise opportunities.

In little time, I felt quite comfortable in my little bubble and found it easy to stretch the rules here and there. However, I was stopped by the gendarmes to present my attestation towards the end of a run in mid-November which provided a bit of a wake-up call though thankfully I was not in violation of any rules at the time.

The month of restrictions proved effective at curbing the spread, and COVID cases declined, yet the threat of upcoming holidays coupled with increased travel proved daunting. As restrictions loosened, the government deicided that alpine ski areas would remain closed until January 2021. Naturally, there are numerous implications for resort towns such as Les Houches or Chamonix but not all of them may be negative. 

When one hears “Chamonix” thoughts initially jump to feats of alpinism, luxury hut tours, and over-priced hot chocolate. Generally, Nordic skiing is not top of the mind. For a nordic-lover such as myself, however, the news of closed lifts did not deter me and despite the official end of confinement on December 15th, I chose to remain in the valley through the end of the year. 

Ready to give my shins a break from the pounding of daily runs and always eager to glide on snow, I ventured to the Chamonix Nordic Center as soon as I judged there to be sufficient snow for grooming. With snow-making to augment an initial one-kilometer groomed loop and natural snow on the outer trails, I first skied on December 6th. I have since gone skiing as often as possible and each time more trails are groomed and I see more skiers out on the tracks.

Since I am solo, I enjoy people-watching while out and about. It seems that the composition of nordic participants here in Chamonix is not so different from what I might find on my home trails in the Methow Valley. I’ve spotted instructors giving lessons to young and old skiers alike. I’ve seen the Club de Ski Nordique de Chamonix out for afternoon practice. I’ve seen some shufflers on classic skis and some tippy skate skiers. I’ve seen some folks out for a quick round of exercise during lunch and others out for a long weekend tour. 

It is comforting to know that while I may be 8,324 k from home, I can still encounter familiar scenes out on the ski trails. For now, I plan to ski as much as possible before heading back to the city in January. But, as we have all learned this past year, nothing in the future is certain so who knows what might actually happen. If I end up being here longer, I won’t complain. 

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, most people skipped their summer vacations. We don’t know what will happen by the time ski season is open, but we hope for the best. Hopefully, we’ll be back to the old normal instead of adjusting to the “new normal.”

Cross-country skiing will be possible even in the new normal circumstances. Maybe we’ll skip the after-ski parties and get-togethers. Skiing is an individual sport, which allows you to maintain physical distancing.

So there’s nothing wrong in planning your winter getaway.

We can give you an idea! We’ll list the top 5 cross-country ski centers that are close to NYC.

Cross-Country Skiing: 5 Centers Close to NYC

1. High Point Cross Country Ski Center

This center is located in the High Point State Park in Sussex, New Jersey. Snow is practically guaranteed during winter. It’s a breathtaking scenery with 15 km of neatly-groomed trails.

This is a safe place for entire families. Since cross-country skiing is not the type of rebellious and high-adrenaline sport like freestyle skiing or snowboarding, it’s perfect for kids. The center is dog-friendly, so feel free to spend some time bonding with your best friend, too.

The High Point Cross Country Ski Center is peaceful, so students often use it as a place where they can combine their winter vacation with studying or research work. Let’s be honest: most of them will decide to pay for essay and relax because Edubirdie will do it. But if you have to devote part of your vacation to studying or work, this place will help you achieve the perfect balance.

2. Olympic Sports Complex – Mt. Van Hoevenberg

Mt. Van Hoevenberg is located just outside of Lake Placid, NY. It has the longest cross-country skiing trail in the region (50 km of marked trails). The site is regularly maintained, and the security patrols will make you feel safe.

This option works great for both beginner and intermediate skiers. The trails are rated, so you’ll know what works for you. You don’t have to worry about traffic while you’re exploring the sites, since there are bridges that serve for cross-country skiers.

The center offers programs and lessons that can help you polish up your skiing skills.  Best of all, a transformational restoration is nearly complete and by November 1, 2020 you will be able to enjoy the facilities which will rival any ski center in the world.

3. Frost Valley

Frost Valley is a dedicated cross-country skiing center in the Catskills Mountains. You’ll have an opportunity to explore over 25 km of well-maintained trails.

The site is perfect for family retreats, but it’s even better for student programs. College and youth groups regularly choose it for their winter and summer vacations. In winter, they can learn how to ski with certified instructors. They can be part of an organized morning routine, so they will bond with the group while obtaining a new skill.

The accommodation is lovely, and it’s available in a few versions: cabins, home-style and hotel-style suites, dorm-style lodges, modern lodges, and more.

4. Mohonk Mountain House

Are you more of a resort type of person? You want to indulge in comfort and a healthy dose of luxury? You’ll love the Mohonk Mountain House, located in the Hudson Valley. It’s a Victorian castle resort that’s been founded in 1869 and is still operated by the Smiley family.

Yes; this is a luxury destination. However, it’s not a pretentious and rigid place. On the contrary; it offers great recreation opportunities. There’s a vast area with perfect cross-country skiing trails around the castle. The resort offers various programs that help you to reconnect with your body, mind, and spirit. The food is absolutely amazing, given the fact that it’s prepared by award-winning chefs.

5. Fahnestock Winter Park

Beginner skiers enjoy Fahnestock Winter Park, but it has trails for experienced ones as well. It’s located in the Hudson Valley, and it offers 18 km of mapped and maintained trails. This park is especially suitable for families, who find the terrain easily accessible.

The cottages are perfect for those who prefer a rustic, homey vibe. You can bring your own food and pay only for the accommodation. That’s a very affordable way to spend a nice winter vacation. The cottages may be humble, but there are modern log cabin options as well.

Cross-Country Skiing Is Awesome!

This is the perfect winter sport to practice during the times of “new normal.” There’s no waiting in lines. You’ll just put your skis on and head off to explore the tracks. It’s a peaceful way to explore nature and reconnect with yourself. This might be the most meditative winter sport of all.

BIO: Jeremy Raynolds has been enjoying snowboarding a bit too much during his youth. After a few injuries, he decided to shift towards cross-country skiing. Who knew that this peaceful sport would be so adventurous? Jeremy loves exploring new centers and recommending them to his readers.   

This article was brought to you with the support of CustomEssayMeister.com

Wolfeboro XC Ski

The Nordic Skier is the local shop in Wolfeboro where you can get ski tickets, find trail maps, rent gear, and purchase nutrition for your ski.

The shop is located at:

47 North Main St.

Wolfeboro, NH 03894

Trail system hours of operation: No set hours, ski when you are able to but make sure you stop in when the shop is open to pay for a ticket. The Nordic Skier is open Monday-Saturday 9-5:30, Sunday 9-5.

Also check out the trail conditions website which updates regularly with trail conditions, grooming, and during questionable weather indicates if staying off the trails might help with later grooming.

Ticket Rates for a day pass:

• Adults $12
• Teens $10
• 12 years and under Free
• 75 years and up Free

If you frequent New Hampshire cross-country ski locations then a Wolfeboro XC season pass might be one way to save money. Included in the purchase of a Wolfeboro XC season pass ($69 individual, $170 family of 4) is a 50 percent off the day rate — with no blackout dates — at the following NH locations: Bretton Woods Nordic Center, Eastman XC, Dartmouth XC, Great Glen Trails, Jackson Ski Touring, Mountain Washington Valley Ski Touring, Waterville Valley Adventure Center, Purity Spring/King Pine XC and Snowshoe Center. 

Amenities:

• Rental Equipment (for skiing, snowshoeing, and ice skates)
• Group and private lessons for all ability levels
• Trails that allow fat biking (check the trail conditions site to see if fat biking is open on the day you want to go, only allowed on the Abenaki side of the trail network see map below)
• Trails for snowshoeing 
• Bathrooms at the two main trailheads
• Warming huts at the two main trailheads
• Two different trail networks, one offering easier skiing, the other suited for those looking for a challenge
• A youth nordic ski program

The history of Wolfeboro XC: 

Wolfeboro XC began in 1972 with the vision of the Flagg family. Verna and Cal Flagg wanted to provide ski trails for the community and since that time, along with their son Steve Flagg, they have realized that vision. In 1972 they opened their ski shop and began to groom, mark, and maintain trails. When the Nordic Skier Shop and Wolfeboro XC began, the outfit  was one of only a few places in New England where you could ski on a trail system and buy XC gear. Although beginning with a modest amount of kilometers, the ski area has grown into a 30 k system of trails. Cal and Verna have since retired and now live trail side. 

Steve has followed in his parent’s footsteps. He is quick to speak of the community that sustains Wolfeboro XC. Without the support of the community through season passes, use of the land by private landowners, and annual volunteer trail work days, Wolfeboro XC would not have thrived.

Wolfeboro XC Ski Association is the overarching group that runs Wolfeboro XC. The association does not receive financial support from the town and the town is not maintain the trails.  

The grooming is top notch. In speaking with Steve, his knowledge of grooming (when to groom, when not to groom, how to sustain snow for the longest period of time) is clear. His ability to groom impeccable trails is even more clear when you are out skiing on them. In 2017, Steve was awarded the Al Merrill Award by Ski NH for his outstanding contributions to New Hampshire nordic skiing. 

Here’s the bottom line: if you are looking for high quality skiing and have a family to get outdoors, Wolfboro XC’s season pass (remember that’s $170), this is a score.  

Photo: Looking up one of the hills on the Holy Chute trail February 2020

The Trails:

Once you’ve picked up your trail passes at the Nordic Skier shop in downtown Wolfeboro and decided which side of the trails to start on it’s time to head out for a ski.  (See parking information below.) 

Wolfeboro XC is made up of two connected trail networks. The Abenaki Trail Network and the Sewall Woods Trail Network with a combined total of 30 k. Each trail network offers great skiing with its own unique trail ebbs and flows. The Abenaki side offers “More Difficult” and “Most Difficult” trails with challenging and fun terrain. Trails climb, descend, twist, and turn providing the perfect terrain if you are looking to get in a hard workout or a stay-on-your-toes challenge.

The Sewall Woods side offers mainly “Easiest” and “More Difficult” trails with two “Most Difficult” trails. The trails on this side may be easier but they are no less fun. The Sewall Woods side includes the “Super Loop.” This loop (marked by red diamonds on the map) has been designed to drain efficiently, hold snow, and is able to be skied in low snow conditions.

If you want to connect these two sides during your ski you will want to follow the Internet Trail. The Internet Trail is a “Most Difficult” trail approximately one mile long and is made up of steep ups and downs with three road crossings. It is well worth the journey to check out both sides of the trail network.    

Trail Recommendations:

Steve’s favorite trail is Holy Chute, part of the Abenaki Trail Network and a “Most Difficult” trail.  He fondly recalls cutting and creating the trail approximately 12 years ago with help from the owner of the land, Jim Bean. He remembers standing in the woods talking about where the trail should go. His thought was a straight cut through at the point they were standing, Jim on the other hand said “watch me” and took off running through the woods. Jim ran up and down, turning and twisting through the trees, showing him a place to put the trail that Steve had not seen. It is a trail with multiple steep and turny descents in a row which brought Steve to exclaim “holy S&%$” while skiing it and the clever name Holy Chute came to be.  

My favorite trails on the Abenaki side were Home Run and Lower Bog Hill Run. They roll and flow which made for a relaxing ski. But, you still should be ready for the occasional quick turn. On the Sewall Woods side I enjoy skiing the outer trails (keep taking right turns except for the right onto the Internet Trail!) which makes for a mix of “Easiest,” “More Difficult,” and the two “Most Difficult” trails. The best part about this side of the trail network is that you can shorten or lengthen your ski as you choose — at almost every trail intersection there are several trails to choose from.

Parking options:   

There is a parking area to access either part of the trail network. On the Abenaki side you can park at the Abenaki downhill area, 390 Pine Hill Rd, Wolfeboro, NH 03894, and access the Abenaki trails.  This access point is 2.8 miles from the ski shop. On the Sewall Woods side you can park on Clow Rd. to access the trails. This access point is .3 miles from the ski shop.  Both of the trailheads offer bathrooms and a warming hut. There is a third trailhead located on the Abenaki side which offers another option for parking in case the other Abenaki area is full. There are no bathrooms at this trailhead. It is located off of Filter Bed Rd.

Food in Wolfeboro:

Seven Suns Creperie in downtown Wolfeboro is a great spot for a bite to eat or a hot beverage post-ski. They offer a variety of crepes, savory and sweet. They also offer breakfast sandwiches, bagels, fresh juice, smoothies, coffee and tea drinks. A crepe with smoked salmon, tomato, and avocado is my go to. The town of Wolfeboro offers a variety of spots for breakfast, lunch, or dinner, a few offer great views of Lake Winnipesaukee. The view of the lake is gorgeous and only steps from Main St.

Once the kid who crushed from the secluded Methow Valley, Erik Bjornsen (28) has evolved into an all-arounder on the World Cup for the U.S. Ski Team and man with a plan. The plan is part travel business start-up co-mingled with a take it year by year approach when it comes to his elite level racing status.

America’s World Cup skiers commonly remain in Europe over the holidays and prep for either the Tour de Ski or the ever-lasting don’t stop until spring run of post-holiday racing. Bjornsen began racing this season in Norway’s national opening races in Beitostølen on November 22. He raced the Ruka triple — the World Cup’s opening weekend in Finland — and then a skiathlon and 4 x 7.5 k relay in Lillehammer. He then pulled the plug. Not so much a get me the hell back home plug pulling, but a much needed reset. For the record, Bjornsen had proved he’s top-30 in Ruka: he placed 25th overall in the three day event. 

It is not a championship year. It’s still two full winters until the 2022 Olympics. If there were a time mid-season to refocus and reset, this would be it. 

“I think people forget that I have spent five years maybe six years in Europe from the start to finish on the World Cup and not come home to the U.S. once,” said Bjornsen during our late December call. “That is nothing compared to Kikkan Randall or Andy Newell, but I definitely feel like it has been a good portion of my life.”  

In an all consuming 11-month a year sport, five or six seasons abroad is literally epic. Bjornsen is married now to Marine Dusser, the Head Coach at the University of Alaska Anchorage. Coming home to Anchorage means coming back to a place where he shares a life and can be supported by his APU ski team. Bjornsen has been effectively grinding on the World Cup since December 2012. The World Cup and it’s living-out-of-a-suitcase-life for North American skiers is no fairy-tale.  

“When I was young, I had, and still have, high goals — to win World Cups and be on the World Cup podium,” Bjornsen said amidst describing his ski-life journey. “I figured about the time I was like 26, I would probably be wrapping up with my career with a bunch of medals and success. But in reality, I have not really reached the goals that I had set for myself. 

“It has been an amazing experience to go to the Olympics twice. I have had some top-10s on the World Cup. I am proud of what I have been able to accomplish. I also feel like I have gotten to know the level over there in Europe, and seeing it for so many years, it’s been quite the learning experience. I still have some goals on the World Cup that I would like to chase. But, this year, I knew I wanted to race less. I wanted to focus more on a few races and put all my effort into races with the most opportunities for success.”

So home for the holidays in December it was for Bjornsen. During our conversation, I asked how he would be training while home in Anchorage — I made the assumption he’d forego the 2020 U.S. Nationals in Houghton, MI. Bjornsen corrected me and explained that Senior Nationals was a prime opportunity to stay race fit and support his wife as she managed the UAA skiers. I noted that he’d be the marked skier for the upstart generation of U.S. male skiers. I could sense Bjornsen nodding at the truth of it. 

Here’s his U.S. Nationals snapshot: 8th in the skate sprint, 3rd in the 15 k skate, 1st in the 30 k classic mass start, and eighth, after an untimely fall, in the classic sprint. Followers of the domestic scene know this is a transitional year. The emerging junior skiers have risen and are challenging. This was not a scenario where it’s a year or two out when an eighteen-year-old could challenge Bjornsen. It happened in Houghton. That’s, in fact, a good sign. A sign of the drive of those younger skiers. And it’s a normal sign for a senior athlete like Bjornsen; careers have an arch.

In our post-race coverage at Nationals, Bjornsen seemed genuinely happy for his speedier peers. And it was also a statement of his character that he arrived in Houghton to race rather than eschew a domestic race series. The results prove less about Bjornsen and more about a nexus in U.S. cross-country skiing.

During some research before I emailed Bjornsen about this story, I had a mental lapse — was it a “c” or a “k”: Eric or Erik? I honestly had probably typed his name 1000 times. Google to the rescue. 

On my wide and tall desktop screen, the results were clear: “k”. I also noted as I scrolled down, a site titled Bjorn To Adventure. Catchy name. I took the bait. 

Bjornsen and Dusser have started a travel company focused on nordic sport. In short, they are organizing training camps for juniors and luxury oriented camps for masters athletes (don’t worry masters, they are separate camps) and a race trip to Iceland’s Fossavatn Marathon. 

“My wife has been coaching for several years and the idea was born about a year ago now,” Bjornsen said of the company’s genesis. “Especially when we were in Iceland and we saw a lot of travel companies doing things there. We were actually thinking about all the other interesting places we have been and how it is surprising that people have not really taken advantage of Alaska in terms of cross-country travel. We also have been fortunate to have both grown up in two very cool locations, Marine’s in France and mine in Washington, in the Methow.”

While in Iceland, Dusser and Bjornsen were motivated enough to investigate potential housing and trip itineraries. “I would say it was like, in that month, after our Iceland trip, we were settled on coming up with the company.”

Bjornsen is not the first to mix a business idea with an elite level sporting career. Andy Newell is but one example of a cross-country skier blending an active race and training schedule with running a business. Bjorn to Adventure’s planned trips include the Iceland trip in April, a single camp at the end of June, and then a packed calendar for the end of July and August. 

The word retirement did not cross Bjornsen’s lips. This question, however, did come up: how does a World Cup athlete manage training and juggle clients on a full service training trip? The logistics are dizzying. Bjornsen appeared to be unfazed. He’s been the primary author of his training plan for the past three or four years. 

“I have learned over the years as a professional athlete, something like 12 years or whatever it has been, I know what it takes for me personally to reach my highest potential,” said Bjornsen. 

“And I think for me, being happy and having excitement, and good training as well, those are the most important things for me. With this project, it will give me a good balance for sure. I think it is something my coaches are pretty excited about, seeing me do something outside of training as well as me giving back to a community that has helped support me so much.”

Bjornsen and Dusser own a home in Anchorage they have wisely remodeled: a portion of the house is rented out to tenants. A young couple able to offset mortgage with rental income is prudent. It also speaks to their ability to take on risk and the sometimes solvable problems that arise with those responsibilities.    

On the day we spoke, it was a frigid Anchorage day. Bjornsen had been busy dealing with thawing frozen pipes in his home.  

“For me, entrepreneur style, kind of like the house that we have here, and fixing those pipes, we have always been working on fun side projects,” said Bjornsen. “We actually have thrown out ideas for other businesses and come up with clever ways to keep our minds busy and be excited about. Bjorn To Adventure just happened to be one that was really exciting and we both would love to do. We have to chase this.” 

FasterSkier will be profiling a number of ski areas this winter.

Bretton Woods Nordic Center

210 Mount Washington Hotel Road, Bretton Woods, NH 03575

Trail system hours of operation: 8:30-4pm

Ticket rates: 21$ adult day, 19$ teen (13-17), 14$ Junior (5-12) and Senior (65+), Free for Seniors 80+ and kids under 4 with an adult

*Rates are cheaper for resort guests as well as multi-day deals, special offers and a military rate

Bretton Woods Nordic Center offers all the amenities you could need for a day of skiing and more!  Just a sample of what they offer:

• Rental equipment (for skiing and snowshoeing)
• Group and Private lessons for skiers of all skill levels
•  A ski shop offering apparel, wax, and ski gear (including a large enticing selection of Skida hats, headbands, and buffs!)
• A bar offering coffee, snacks, and on the weekend’s sandwiches and soup! 
• Tables as well as couches and comfy chairs surrounding a double-sided fireplace.  
• Cubbies to store your backpack or extra clothes while skiing.
• A waxing area 
• Lockers rooms which not only offer bathrooms but a changing area and showers which can be key if you have a longer drive ahead of you after skiing
• Dog friendly trails (~8km) accessible right from the Nordic Center
• A safety check-in if you are skiing solo

*The safety check-in is for anyone skiing alone. Prior to heading out on a solo ski they have a book for you to sign into with your name, cell phone number, car make, model, and state along with what time you are heading out skiing and what time you plan to be back. Then when you return from skiing you sign out, so they know you have returned. Speaking from personal experience when it turns to 4pm and your car is still in the parking lot they will call your cell phone and make sure you are okay.  It was reassuring to know they were aware of who was out on the trails by themselves, a nice safety precaution. 

The Trails:

Now to the best part! THE TRAILS! The skiing at Bretton Woods is never-ending in the best possible way.  There are 100 kilometers of trails, many of them in the White Mountain National Forest and you can easily ski for several hours barely having skied on the same trail twice.  The trails run along rivers, are framed by snow-covered trees, meander around glittering fields of snow, and show you beautiful views of the Presidential Mountain Range. I have been to Bretton Woods many times and skied many hours and have yet to ski all the trails offered.  A ski center with that many kilometers of trails is sure to keep even the hardiest skier entertained.

One of the best parts of the Bretton Woods trail system is the variety, there are trails ranging from “Easiest” to “More Difficult” to “Most Difficult.” The trails immediately surrounding the Nordic center are trails in the Easiest category making it an ideal area if you are new to skiing or looking to head out for a more relaxing ski. (Link to large PDF trail map.)

Trail recommendations:

Perimeter to Bridle Path to B&M (Easiest, More Difficult, Easiest) Approximately 4-5km loop or do an out and back! If you are looking to get swept up in all that Bretton Woods has to offer, beautiful trails, scenery, relaxing and rolling skiing this is a great option. Heading out of the Nordic Center, go across the small bridge and take a left on to Perimeter. Continue to follow Perimeter around the outside of the open field and then into the woods.  Stay to the left when you come to the intersection with Bridle Path, take the Bridle Path trail and enjoy a trek along a winding river. Follow Bridle Path until it meets up with the B&M trail and take a right to follow B&M back to the Nordic center.  This entire loop will be approximately 4-5km. If you are looking for a longer loop you could turn left on B&M and check out the map for several longer options that way! 

Sebosis (More Difficult) (connecting to Sebosis from Porcupine Lane) A long and fun downhill (just be careful of skiers coming up!) if you connect to it from the trail Porcupine Lane (Easiest).

Dark Forest (More Difficult)– a long uphill if you start from the end closer to the Nordic center- especially good if you are looking for a place to practice uphill technique or for uphill intervals. 

Jump in a race at Bretton Woods

The Nordic Center offers some great racing options if you are looking to experience the trails in a more competitive fashion.  The races are well run on fun picturesque courses. The races are for any skill level, whether you are looking to race competitively or just jump into a race for fun!  

The Geschmossel is a 15K classical race on Monday, January 20, 2020.

The Mt. Washington Cup is a 10K skate race on Saturday March 7, 2020.

The Bretton Woods Nordic Marathon offers two classical race options, a 21 K and a 42K.

Looking for food on the way to or from Bretton Woods?

These are my personal recommendations and offer a couple of on the go coffee and food options off of the two main routes in New Hampshire.  Those are I-93 and route 16.   

Close to Bretton Woods, on route 3

The Wandering Moose Coffee shop is located in Carroll, NH only seven miles from the Nordic Center.  They offer coffee, smoothies, breakfast sandwiches, grab and go snacks, and sandwiches. An option if you are accessing Bretton Woods from I-93 and could also be an option if you are coming from the north or west of Bretton Woods since it is located so close to those routes.

Off I-93

If you are using I-93 to get to Bretton Woods and looking for a place to stop for coffee or food then check out Mad River Coffee House in Campton, NH.  Located approximately 45 minutes from Bretton Woods, they offer coffee, beer, breakfast and lunch sandwiches, soups, and baked goods!

Off Route 16

If you are like me and sometimes want to turn your day or weekend going skiing into a joint shopping, eating, and coffee drinking trip Route 16 offers all three of those activities.

Route 16 on the eastern side of NH is my favorite way to get to Bretton Woods.  This route brings you through North Conway, NH where there is a variety of food options and shopping.  Downtown North Conway is a great area to walk around and there are numerous restaurants, coffee shops, and stores.

For coffee, I recommend Frontside Coffee Roasters in North Conway, NH.  Specifically, their maple latte is delicious (Tip: ask for half the maple syrup if you don’t like it too sweet!) They also offer bagels and breakfast sandwiches.

If you’ve got the acclimation piece down, Crested Butte could very well be the most iconic of ski towns. Tucked into a dead end valley in winter, and with it’s downtown oozing rustic ski town charm, it’s worth a pilgrimage there for any aficionado of sliding on snow. Calling it the hyperdiverse mecca of snow sliding is not an understatement. There’s snowboarders, splitboarders, alpine racers, jibbers, tele-skiers, real-deal ski mountaineers, and the skinny ski clan. None of whom, it seems on past trips there, were mutually exclusive. 

It’s hard to get caught up in ski-turf tribalism when the Elk Mountain’s has you mesmerized.   

If you’re looking for a dose of what Crested Butte has to offer, from Thursday November 28th (Thanksgiving) until December 1, Crested Butte Nordic will host its annual Thanksgiving Camp. (You can link to a full camp schedule here.) They’ll have a gamut of clinics catering to first timers and those looking to eek out just a bit more speed.

The camp organizers sent along a “real time conditions” update on November 15, — and we’ll update this story as conditions change. 

“We have not received significant snow accumulation since October 29th. The snow events which occurred in late October laid down a skiable base at higher elevations, but have not been sufficient enough as of yet, for USFS to allow us to begin grooming operations at our high elevation venue – Lily Lake (5 miles outside Town, towards Kebler Pass)

“Warming temperatures the last two weeks has largely evaporated our base outside our Nordic Center in town, however our north facing homologated track (mowed – 5k) is still holding a base in the trees.

“We have a chance to receive new snow next week, with two small pulses of moisture in the forecast. Essentially, we need temperatures to drop and stay consistently cold, and get about 6″ new for our homologated track to come online for the  camp.”

With ample snow, the cross-country skiing in Crested Butte is an in-town affair. Yet the trail system flows across meadows, kicks up benches and descends down draws, and threads through forest to provide a big dose of skiing perfection in the high mountain West. It’s easy to find your inner and outer exercise tranquility. The reality is, you’re never too far away from a fine food-coma inducing meal back in town.

Ideally, the camp’s on-snow offerings will remain at the nordic center. However, there’s the flexibility to “adjust the camp formatting according to where snow conditions are best.” 

Despite the current bony conditions in town, the snow gods have a way of blessing the kowtowing disciples in Crested Butte. 

“While conditions are always a concern, we’ve been on snow for the last 30 years,” the camp organizers emailed. “We’ve got a devoted core following who has adapted with us when we need to, and we offer a variety of fun events beyond the on-snow training, including a wine & waxing clinic and a fun party.”

Sometimes off-season snow is an afterthought — access to trail running, mountain biking, and yes even rollerskiing is enough to satiate the training apatite. And sometimes it’s not. Warm temps prevent access to snow and maybe you simply need a break.

With that in mind, here are some resources for accessing snow in Ramsau am Dachstein: the famed high region in Austria where the Dachstein glacier awaits with groomed “off-season” cross-country tracks.

The basics to access snow are this: take toll road to gondola — gondola to the glacier — walk/hike a short distance to glacier skiing — ski. Reverse in order when descending to town.

Most tourist stay in or around Schladming, a small mountain town nestled in the valley with all the amenities you’d expect. Schladming is also at the base of the toll road.

Dates for Groomed Ski Tracks: Mid-May through the end of November. During the fall months, you are likely to see a smattering of World Cup skiers on locale testing skis and readying the fitness.

Costs for Cross-Country Passes: A single day will set you back € 40.00 for adults. A seven-day pass runs € 217.50.

Travel to the Gondola: It’s a bit more complicated than simply hopping on an express chairlift and zipping to snow right from town. So let’s back up a bit. The gondola is accessed by a toll road. According to online info, the toll road fee is waived for those presenting a validated pass for the Dachstein gondola. We assume you are there to ski, so you’ll have a lift pass and therefore will not be paying to use the toll road. Otherwise, that’s a € 14.00 toll road fee with no valid lift pass. Local buses also offer transport up the toll road.

Gondola Service to and from the Glacier: Round trip on the gondola for an adult is € 39.00. (This does not include a cross-country ski pass. It’s only for the lift ride up and down.) The first lift up rolls at 7:50 AM. Make note, if you are traveling to the Dachstein during the summer, you are required to make a gondola reservation. “DURING SUMMER A GONDOLA RESERVATION IS REQUIRED!” All caps and an exclamation point claims the website– they mean business. The website we have linked claims reservations are needed until the beginning of September. Evidently, non-ski tourist love the high altitude access too.

The Skiing: The groomed glacier skiing is high elevation: situated at 2700 meters, which is pushing 9,000 feet. You’ll want to check the weather and be prepared. To ensure the weather gods won’t be tossing thunder and lighting or spitting moisture — you can view the live cam.

The 18 kilometers of tracks are groomed for skate and classic. Depending on snow conditions, the available skiing may be less than 18 k.

Ben Lustgarten of the Craftsbury Green Racing Project (CGRP) has been in Ramsau am Dachstein with several teammates and had this advice:

The skiing this year is pretty good, but short. This is only my second time here but it is shorter than the previous time, and there are plenty of rocks and dirty snow/ice. I would recommend rock/training skis for sure. The temperature this time of year is around 25 Fahrenheit or when its sunny it can warm to 40 Fahrenheit. We aim to take the first gondola ride up that leaves the tram at 7:50 am so we ski at around 8:05 am for a few hours. Earlier is better because it only gets warmer and softer and skied in throughout the day.

So far we have been lucky and have had good weather. When it is sunny it is absolutely gorgeous. But it can be quite windy, foggy, cloudy, and rainy as well. I always pack a rain jacket, ski pants, ski jacket, buff, etc just in case because even if it is sunny at the bottom it can be totally different up there. Also remember sunscreen for your face and dark or photochromatic sunglasses. Even if it is cloudy, there’s a ton of UV reflection on the glacier. I would recommend boot covers that brands such as Alpina, Rossi, and Fischer have now because you have to walk down a steep rocky section that can very easily destroy carbon ski boots, or bring running shoes to use for that section. As always, plan to pack dry clothes and a snack for after, because if you miss the gondola down it is a 20 min wait then a 10min gondola ride down and you don’t want to mess up your recovery especially when you are training at 10,000 ft.

There is not a table and bench waxing set up at the glacier. For skate skiing I recommend waxing, scraping, and brushing your skis before you get to the gondola so you are ready to go when you get up there. For classic I think we were kicking on some universal klister. But if you want to ski for a while bring the tube with you because there are lots of icy corners and you will inevitably scrape off your kick within an hour or so.

We have been cooking all of our meals, so can’t comment on local food, but I am sure it is awesome! There is an extensive grocery store in Schladming as well.

Below are some visuals to help orient yourself with the splendors of the Dachstein. (Click images to enlarge.)

The Mountain Running:

The area also offers world-class dryland training. Much of it in the form of mountain running.

Caitlin Patterson of the U.S. Ski Team and the CGRP relayed that many of the local accommodations offer a complimentary “Summercard”. The card provides access to free bus service and discounted entry to several local attractions.

Patterson is also an accomplished mountain runner. Here’s her advice on using some phone apps to assist with determining the day’s running route.

Generally this year I’ve been cross-referencing several of these maps, studying my route, and then also programming it into my Suunto 9 watch using the Suunto App which is extremely handy for mileage estimations and on-the-fly navigation.

A few notes for people going for any of the serious mountain/trail runs:

1. Don’t calculate mileage based on your flat-running speed – the mid-to-high mountain trails are rocky and climb a lot. We pro skiers are finding that at a pretty good clip we cover about 4 miles per hour in these mountains, sometimes a little less. For example a 9.5 mile run/hike the other day took 2.5 hours.

2. All major trails are directed with yellow signs, which have trails labeled with their numbers, and the destinations and time estimate to those destinations. Related to the speed of travel note above, we find that we can run/hike in about 1/2 the time marked on the sign. Not like in the U.S. where you can divide a hiker time estimate by 4 or 5 – people hike fast here! Most of the trails also have painted markers on rocks guiding along the way.

3. If the weather is bad or foggy, consider staying down lower or at least don’t venture onto steep unknown trails if you can help it – there are quite a few via ferrata routes around here that are awesome but not to be taken lightly nor without gear. This is part of the reason to cross-reference several maps when planning a route, and pay attention to the ladder symbols or other mentions of via ferrata or klettersteig.

4. If visitors are into adventure and don’t mind heights, the via ferrata (German name kletterstieg) is really fun, a kind of hybrid of rock climbing and hiking with metal cables and pins. You can find guidebooks in the info center, and can rent or buy gear at local shops like Ski Willy.

5. Carry a few Euros so you can grab a snack at the huts, or sometimes you may also need to pay to refill water at the huts.

A few of my very favorite runs/hikes:

– hike up from Ramsau to the Guttenberghaus. Guttenberghaus up and down is about 7.5 miles, expect 2-3 hours. Can add on one of several peaks up above the hut.

– link a loop by ascending the Silberkaralm Gorge east of town, across the top/back of the ridge, and down the Guttenberghaus trail. Silberkaralm Gorge to Guttenberghaus and down, 10.8 mile loop so expect 3-4 hours.

– hike to top of Rettenstein, west of Ramsau. 6-10 mi depending on start and end point.

– from tram base station, make a loop to the west that goes through a pass between “Raucheck” and “Torstein”. We present you the gaming portal 1xbet live India, you will find interesting slots, a large number of sports events. This is 9 miles from base of tram, several miles longer if running from town. On the 3D map this loop is called “Torwanderug”

We’ve produced an interactive map organized by World Cup Period that details race location and race type. Here’s a link to the map if you’d rather explore it as a stand-alone webpage. As the season rolls out in late November, we’ll update the map with links to results.

Editor’s note: John Wood is a septuagenarian racer who lives in Eagle River, Alaska, outside of Anchorage. Four years ago he wrote a first-person Masters Mind piece for FasterSkier detailing his return from a full knee replacement to winning his age group at the American Birkebeiner classic race 18 months later. This article provides an update on what happened next, including competing at the 2019 Masters World Cup in Beitostølen, Norway, following a second knee replacement.

This article is part of FasterSkier’s Masters Minds collection, an occasional series of dispatches from skiers aged anywhere north of 30. Are you a masters skier who loves your club? Submit camp or training recaps, announcements, or stories to info@fasterskier.com with the subject line “Masters Minds.” Articles can be first-person accounts, or written from an observatory standpoint with comments from others.

* * *

By John Wood

I have skied three competitive cross-country relay races in my life.

The first was at the 1965 Junior Nationals in Bend, Oregon, where I represented the Alaska Region. The second was at the 1989 U.S. Masters National Championships in Telemark, Wisconsin, where I also represented Alaska. The third, when I was 71 years old, was this March at the 2019 World Masters Cross Country Championships in Beitostølen, Norway, where I represented the USA in the M9 age class for skiers aged 70–74. A fact unknown to my international competitors in Norway was that I was skiing on two recent total knee replacements, which is the rest of this story.

In April 2015, I wrote an article in FasterSkier explaining how my right knee wore out, was replaced in 2013, and how I recovered and won my age group in the 2015 American Birkebeiner. In early summer 2015 I was feeling really good about my recent Birkie and decided that I should “defend” my age group win. So I signed up for the 2016 Birkie and made my travel and housing arrangements.

As the summer progressed and turned into fall my left knee, which I had relied upon for all of those years that my right knee was bad, now had to “keep up” with my new artificial right knee that could go like gangbusters while participating in such activities as hiking, rollerskiing, and snow skiing. My doctor had told me prior to my right knee replacement that my left knee was also pretty much worn out and would also need to be replaced at some point in the future, and he was right! Over about a month it began to swell, click, and generally make my life miserable. Doctor Eli Powell at Orthopedic Physicians Alaska in Anchorage confirmed my suspicions, and we scheduled surgery on the left knee for January 2016. My Birkie plans went out the window.

Dr. Powell’s total replacement of my left knee with a Stryker “Triathlon Total Knee System” on January 14, 2016, was uneventful from a medical point of view. I was discharged two days later, and my life on two artificial knees began. First order of business was surgery rehab.

Initially, the recovery path paralleled my right knee replacement 2 1/2 years earlier.  I quickly progressed from full-time crutches, to part time, to no crutches at all by day 23. An interruption came when I was jolted awake by a magnitude 7.1 earthquake in the middle of the night on day 11. As I tried to jump out of bed my wife literally pushed me back down, afraid I would stumble and fall in my medicated/disoriented state. Fortunately, the violent shaking duration was short and our house undamaged.

Physical therapy progressed smoothly, and I reached the gold standard of a 120-degree knee bend on day 30. Other milestones followed in succession: first 15-minute outside walk, first drive to town, suspension of pain meds, and, blessedly, a full night’s sleep. I did my first half-hour ski on level ground on day 67, and was discharged from physical therapy on day 68.

As the days went by, the soft tissue surrounding my left knee and atrophied leg began to strengthen. Some days felt better than others. My left hip began to protrude, the first visual lingering effect of a body imbalanced and overcompensated by long-term bad knees that had finally been corrected. I experienced lingering aches and soreness in the left knee area after exercise or just standing around. I began to resort to an over-the-counter knee brace. Over the course of the summer the puffiness in the knee gradually decreased, as did my knee brace use. At about 9 months post-surgery I was able to complete a 3 hour hike up and down Mt. Healy with my 10-year-old grandson.

When snow came in November and I returned to skiing, using a knee sleeve and compression tights, I experienced a knee “sting” that would dissipate in the evening. At my one-year post-op visit, the doctor said that my x-rays looked great, and I was discharged. I received the usual advice that I could participate in all the physical activities that I wanted, except for contact sports and running, and that pain and discomfort should be my limiting guide. I was further counseled that my residual pain should recede, and I should try to function with minimal knee support.

For the rest of the 2016/2017 winter I competed in a couple of my favorite local ski races, although fitness was an issue. Also, I experienced lapses in proprioception caused by my knee’s replacement – I would plant a pole on a ski and suddenly fall.  

In April 2017, about 15 months after the replacement, I begin to see Dr. Zuzana Rogers, P.T., to receive treatment for lingering body imbalances, proprioception issues, and muscle pains in my left knee area. Dr. Rogers skillfully diagnosed the root cause of most of my problems and devised specific physical therapy routines as treatment.  

During the period from summer 2017 till spring 2018, I continued to recover from the lingering effects of surgery and long-term body imbalances. My strength was slowly coming back, although much slower than with my previous right knee replacement. I discovered that my body’s immune system  was not as stellar as it was prior to the two knee replacements. I was now susceptible to all the garden variety colds and flus that I never used to get. Through trial and error I discovered that a good antidote was to stay more rested by taking one or two days per week off from systematic training. In other words, train smart!

In early April 2018, my wife Cathy strongly encouraged me to enter the 2019 World Masters Cross Country Ski Championships (“WMC”) to be held in Beitostølen, Norway. I decided if I am ever going to enter the WMC, I might as well go to the birthplace of cross-country skiing and compete with the world’s best!

I immediately contacted John (J.D.) Downing, American Cross Country Skiers (AXCS) national director, and signed up to be part of the United States contingent for Beitostølen. This enabled me to take advantage of all of the AXCS trip planning such as housing, meals, and all of the racing logistics. With the help of APU Masters coach Galen Johnston, I developed a training program based on about 450 training hours per year (I had loosely been doing about 350 hours per year prior to coping with knee replacements for the last five years), and integrated solo training alongside three formal group workouts a week with the APU Masters group.

Galen and I tried to design a program that worked within the challenges imposed by two artificial knees. With swelling and aching no longer a problem, we tried to place an emphasis on fitness and ski-specific strength. Sometimes my knees would feel cranky and tell me to take an extra day off or dial back on the intensity of my workouts. I needed to further balance my training hours with weather fluctuations, family commitments, and rest. This often involved walking a fine line!

My typical summer training week was one day of strength and four or five days of a combination of hiking with poles, modified ski bounding, rollerskiing, road biking, and mountain biking, including one intensity session per week. I attended a four-day APU Masters Eagle Glacier training camp in July. [Ed. note: Or, as it happened, a five-day training camp, after all the athletes were weathered in for an additional 24 hours due to high winds.]

On-snow training began on October 30, 2018, following the first substantial snowfall in southcentral Alaska. A typical on-snow training week consisted of one day of strength and four or five days of skiing, one of which was intensity. Overall, early-season snow conditions in the area were pretty good. Local racing started in December; I competed in six events ranging in distance from 5 to 30 kilometers, and the results were encouraging. My training continued to go well, and by March I was as fit as I was going to be!

During the middle of the winter Zuzana Rogers also helped with a final tune-up of my body imbalances and proprioception issues, which had improved substantially over the last year.  

As World Masters approached, the scope of the event took shape.  There would be about 1200 competitors from 28 nations in attendance and about 120 competitors in my M9 age group.  Two other “younger” skiers from my APU Masters group were also going, as well as about a dozen other Alaskans.

At the advice of APU head coach Erik Flora, I arrived in Norway a few days prior to the AXCS main 200-person contingent in an effort to get my body used to the 10-hour time change from Anchorage. Night was day and day was night!

The “resort” town of Beitostølen is in the foothills at about 3000 feet in elevation, and is at almost precisely the same latitude (61 degrees north) as Anchorage. The town’s official permanent population of 400 annually hosts World Cup or FIS-level competitions, and seemed to seamlessly accommodate the thousand-plus athletes of the WMC contingent that descended upon it in early March. It seemed like all 200 American skiers were staying at or near the Radisson Blu hotel in central Beitostølen and eating meals there, and it was fun to see and chat with my fellow American teammates every day.

February weather in Beitostølen had been quite warm, and the snow had settled to a hard, dirty snowpack. Fortunately, the weather changed literally as my bus drove into the Norwegian mountains out of Oslo and it began to snow. It continued to snow almost daily for my entire 18-day stay, creating great skiing and easy wax conditions.

My first competition was the 15-kilometer classic race. Because of my results in the 2015 American Birkebeiner classic, I had a few “seed” points that put me ahead of other first-time racers, so I was able to start in the front third of the M9 chevron.

As 56 competitors assembled prior to race start it was hard not to be intimidated by the number of fast-looking, spandex-covered skiers speaking foreign languages. Many were veterans of previous World Masters races and friends with each other, and I couldn’t understand a word of what they were saying! But, even though I was a World Masters rookie, I was excited because I was finally going to test my fitness level and new knees against the world’s best M9 skiers.

After the starter’s gun went off it was a mass sprint for the stadium end and start of the double-track racecourse. My APU Masters group had been working on race warmups and starts, so I felt well prepared to surge. I ended up in a good position at the end of the stadium, but was immediately engulfed by a wave of skiers heading onto the trail at an all-out race pace effort.

Our club has a loose motto of “no guts, no glory,” so I too headed off at a crazy fast-paced tempo trying to stay in the mix of front skiers. I soon realized I had to back off a bit and ski within myself, work my technique, and ski to my strengths. At every change in terrain I would mentally check my knees, then check the technique, and finally the effort. Did I need to back off, maintain, or crank it up?

The 15 k racecourse consisted of three separate 5 k loops and was covered with skiers from the M7 and M8 races, as well as some stragglers from the day’s first six races. Some skiers were faster and some slower, and in my maximum-effort tunnel vision it was impossible for me to tell how I stood in my age group wave. Near the end of the race there were some long, steep uphills, where I passed a number of skiers. I later learned that I had ultimately finished in eleventh place in the M9 race, one second out of tenth.

Wow! What an effort at a crazy fast pace, and the knees came through in fine shape! Those front guys sure could ski fast! I kept asking myself what was I doing wrong that I couldn’t keep up? [Ed. note: Wood was the top American in this race, by nearly five minutes. His finish in the 15 k classic was the single best percent-back performance by any of his APU Masters teammates in the entire race series.]

After coming off that emotional high it was time to rest – eat – rest some more, and mentally prepare for the next event. Everybody in the USA contingent had a race story to tell and it was fun to compare notes. We were all in awe of the high level of competition and the continuous all-out effort needed to be competitive. European guys and gals play for keeps!

Two days later I competed in the 10 k freestyle race. I have only been able to really skate ski since my second knee replacement, and had no illusions. My technique was sketchy but improving, and I figured that since I was at the WMC I should compete in a skate race. My goal was to have a clean run with maximum effort, regardless of finishing position.

As the race began, skis and poles were flying everywhere so I let the fast guys go by and settled into a sustainable rhythm. Nearing the end of the race, after successfully negotiating a sharp turn at the bottom of a screaming downhill, I felt I was doing pretty good and congratulated myself on a job well done. Time to transition from V2 to V1 and drop the hammer on the last uphill into the stadium. Out of the blue, proprioception struck. I planted my right ski pole on my right ski, and went down in a heap! I had been skiing at the head of a loose pack of five, and suddenly found myself in the middle and out of steam. Needless to say, I finished at the back of the group in 24th place. 

I had qualified with Team USA to ski either classic or skate in the relay midway through the race week, but quickly removed my name from consideration for the skate leg. Didn’t want to have more proprioception difficulties in the relay with three teammates counting on me!

JD chose me to ski the scramble leg, which was the first of two classic legs in the 4 x 5 k relay. At our team meeting prior to the race, my teammate and World Masters veteran Phil Mahoney confided to me that I should not feel bad if I couldn’t keep up with the pack since the world’s best M9 skiers were also skiing in the scramble leg. I was a bit intimidated, but this was why I came to World Masters, to compete with my age groups best, and I was determined to give it my all! Fifteen skiers representing fifteen teams (between M9 and M10 combined) were in my wave start, and when the gun sounded the adrenaline hit and off we went!

I was third at the end of the stadium and maintained fourth through most of the 5 k lung-burner. Approaching the stadium, in spite of JD’s vociferous cheering, I slipped a couple of places and tagged off to Phil 25 seconds out of third. I was so spent that I just about fell over. My knees did great; during the race, I never gave them a thought. Just all-out racing.

The next morning, I discovered that the light cold I had developed had turned into a nasty head cold that left my nose running like a spigot. My immune system apparently couldn’t take the stress of back-to-back top level competitions. I skipped that day’s 30 k classic race and hoped an extra day’s rest would help me feel better for the 55 k Norwegian Birkebeiner, three days later and a couple hundred kilometers away.

On the morning of the Birken, my cold symptoms seemed minimal and I felt better. As my 70-and-older wave started, I went out with the lead group up the initial 10 k sustained climb heading out of Rena. Big Mistake!! I ran out of gas after about seven kilometers, my nose started flooding again, and I was forced to ski at what seemed like a crawl until about 17 k to go, when I picked up after drinking a cup of Coke at a feed station. I skied conservatively on the long downhills approaching Lillehammer, since I was unfamiliar with the course and didn’t want to fall. Boy, was I happy to cross the finish line, and was really surprised when I learned that I had finished in the top third of my age group.

After a day of recovery in Lillehammer I returned to Anchorage, a 27.5-hour trip home. My World Masters adventure had concluded and my new knees came through with flying colors. I had met my goals of being first American and in or near the top half of my age group in all 4 races. As icing on the cake, in three out of the four races I was the first North American skier in my age class.

It’s now summer in Alaska, the snow is gone, and the skis are put away. It’s time for mowing the grass and paddleboarding in the lake. And it’s time for reflection. Having your knees wear out and being replaced doesn’t necessarily mean the end of a person’s lifestyle. It’s all about knowing and understanding the limits of your new knees and working within these limits. Do what you want to do. 

It would be fun to do the World Masters Championships again someday. I now know that my new knees are not my limitation. Maybe I could figure out a way to tweak my training to take my performance up a notch. Maybe my competitors would get old and slow down a bit. Maybe, maybe…

John is a 72-year-young master skier who has lived in Alaska since before statehood. He has competed in cross-country skiing intermittently since being introduced to the sport at age 16 while in high school by the legendary coach and skier Dick Mize.

Press Release

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