Last May, FasterSkier wrote about the retirement of University of New Hampshire’s (UNH) legendary ski coach Cory Schwartz, who had been with the University for 42 years. This summer, UNH named Shane MacDowell— the team’s former assistant coach— as Schwartz’s replacement. Following in the footsteps of a person whose career stretches back to the Reagan administration is a daunting task. Doing so at a university which has a dedicated and passionate alumni base is even more of a challenge. Shane MacDowell was generous enough to take time to speak with FasterSkier about taking on the challenge of following the career of a legend, and the difficulties involved in coaching a high profile ski program.

This interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.

FasterSkier: First off, congratulations are still in order. You’re still kind of in the early honeymoon phases?

Shane MacDowell: Thanks. Yeah, summer was kind of the perfect time for this to happen. So, it’s kind of easing into it before the chaos begins.

FasterSkier: Shane, where do you call home?

Shane MacDowell: The past three years my family and I’ve been back and forth between Lake Placid, NY and New Hampshire. But now we’re going to be living in Somersworth, New Hampshire.

FasterSkier: Let’s start with one of the harder questions right off the bat. You’re obviously following in the footsteps of Cory Schwartz, who was at UNH for over four decades, and that has to be a challenge— following in the footsteps of a person who has become pretty much an institution. So how are you approaching that aspect of it, if you’re even considering that aspect of it?

Shane MacDowell: Yes, I’m considering that aspect of it. I’m definitely trying to be my own person, and my own coach, with that thought, I feel as though I’ve had an incredible experience running up to this point. Right out of college I worked for Boulder Nordic Sport with Roger Knight and that set me up on the waxing side of things. From there I worked at Green Mountain Valley School and then at Northern Michigan University (NMU) which gave me some really unique perspectives on coaching and leading a program, especially with Northern Michigan under Sten Fjeldheim. I got to really see what a top tier program is like, and then obviously working with Cory (Schwartz). Like you said, he’s an institution, and I had the pleasure and ability to ski for him when I was in college and then to come back and to be able to work with him and see how things work on the other side from being an athlete. I think that helped. It really set me up to be in this position because at UNH it’s not just about being a coach. We do a significant amount of fundraising, and our alumni outreach and alumni engagement are a huge part, which is great. I think what makes the entire ski program unique is because all the alumni are so engaged with the current team and how the program is doing. They want to give back and they want to still be a part of the program. Following in Cory’s footsteps is my goal, and not disrupting the foundation that he has laid, but also adding my own layer to it or my own character to it by doing things just a little bit differently. I think if somebody would come into this program after everything Cory has done to make it what it is — saving it on several occasions—and then to change everything about it, would be making a massive mistake.

FasterSkier: Whenever there’s a coaching change in any collegiate sport program after a long term coach has left, there are inevitable comparisons which get made and you’re going to face that as well. Is that something you’re prepared for?

Shane MacDowell: I think I’m prepared for it, and I think it makes it a little bit easier in that transition because it’s not like I’m coming from the outside as a new hire. This will be my 4th year coaching with UNH. I wouldn’t say it’s as stark as like, a Division One football program coach coming in from a whole different program and those comparisons being made … I’ve been part of the program.

FasterSkier: So you think having been an assistant coach at UNH for the last three years, is going to make the transition easier for you?

Shane MacDowell:  I think that makes it a little bit easier. There’s obviously a lot more things that I need to take on, with being a program director as well, that it’s going to take me a little while to get up to speed on. Cory did an amazing job of that alumni outreach that I spoke of before. And, getting up to speed on that and keeping that engagement going is definitely going to be one of the biggest … I hesitate to say hurdles to overcome, but it’s a big step to add on to, trying to run the Nordic program and oversee Alpine as well. So yes, on some of it, it is going to make it easier to transition, but there’s definitely going to be challenges along the way as well.

FasterSkier: Let me follow up with that. Your official title is director of Skiing and Head Nordic coach, which is the same title that Cory had. That includes directing and supervising downhill as well. Do you feel that position holds or creates any tension between the downhill and cross- country programs, especially when you have the head coach whose background predominantly is cross country?

Shane MacDowell: I don’t think it creates tension. There are a couple of other programs around the country that do it the same way and in certain cases, the Alpine coach is the director of the Nordic program. When Cory was in the position, or when I’m in the position, it’s not like we’re telling the Alpine program what they can or can’t do or how they should be training or anything like that. We’re one team that is headed by the director of the program. We’re not looked at as Alpine and Nordic. So to have one person, whether it be the Alpine head coach, or the Nordic head coach be the lead on that, I think it’s beneficial. Because I think when you separate the two, we would start competing for fundraising dollars within our alumni base and this way, when it’s looked at as one program, we’re doing it all as one unit.

FasterSkier:  In your position, will you actually be involved in coaching the Alpine athletes at all or working with them in any capacity?

Shane MacDowell: Coaching No. I won’t be on the hill coaching them, going through gates, that’s what Brian Blank and Parker Costa are doing. Interacting, yes. I said we’re one team, so we certainly interact as a team. Our Alpine and Nordic are very close with one another. Sometimes we’ll have training sessions together for dry-land, usually like our more explosive workouts, doing plyometrics, or sometimes we’ll get a speedball game going. I’m not sure if you know what speedball is?

FasterSkier: I don’t.

Shane MacDowell: It’s kind of a combination of two hand touch football and soccer. But you know we have those engagements where we get the two teams together and it keeps the team close and reminds them that we are in this together. It’s not just one team or the other. So, in that regard, I hesitate to call it coaching, but definitely coordinating to get together and keep that initiative going that we are one team working towards the same goal.

FasterSkier: In your remarks at your introductory press conference, you mentioned the time you spent at NMU (Northern Michigan University) under Sten Fjeldheim— who I think it’s fair to say is another legendary coach. You’re in a unique position where you’ve worked under both of these legends. Can you expound a little bit on what coaching lessons you learned from Sten and maybe if you can make a comparison of Sten’s methods versus Cory’s?

Shane MacDowell: I strongly believe that when I went and worked with Sten at Northern Michigan, I very much went to school with him on training methods, and technique. Sten is a technician when it comes to all of that, and I had the opportunity to work with him, who I think was probably one of the most successful coaches that the U.S. has ever had— so many national champions and some pretty incredible teams. Let me go on with Cory before I kind of compare the two. With Cory I had the background of the training and being able to write plans and have confidence in it and evaluate technique when I came to UNH. But with Cory I think I learned— and this isn’t to say I wasn’t learning it under Sten either—I learned how to find my coaching style a little bit more, work on the coach-athlete interaction, a little bit more patient scenarios and how to approach certain situations. And then also the other aspect of the program too is with fundraising, and I keep coming back to that which for our program is just huge. They have two pretty distinctly different styles, but I think it’s by necessity of the program. With UNH, fundraising and alumni engagement is huge for us because it has to be. Fundraising and alumni engagement was present at Northern Michigan, but it wasn’t as much of a must, so you could certainly focus a lot more time on the training aspect of things.

FasterSkier: I think it might be fair to say that NMU might have a little higher name recognition when it comes to attracting international athletes? Is that something that played into how the coaches handled athletes or affected the coaching at all?

Shane MacDowell: It’s actually kind of funny because it surprised me when I was working for Sten that his first international athlete wasn’t until when I was actually skiing in school in 2005, 2006. Up until then, he had only had Americans. And even when I was working with him, we had a couple of foreign athletes, but I would say the majority of the team was all Americans. My first year there, we had the best men’s team in the country at the NCAAs and they’re all from the Midwest which is pretty unique. You can’t take anything away from Sten and Northern on how successful they were. But to compare the Northern program to the UNH program or any program that has an Alpine team as well is like comparing apples and oranges. Because when you have an Alpine team as well, all of a sudden, your scholarships get cut in half for both programs. You’re allowed to have X number of scholarships, but then that gets split between Alpine and Nordic. With Northern they’re allowed the same number of scholarships, but it’s only for Nordic, so the power of having that many more scholarships just on the Nordic side, might play into being able to entice that foreign talent a little bit more.

FasterSkier:  NMU has an Alpine program but it’s a separate entity, right?

Shane MacDowell: Yeah, it’s a club team, so they don’t even compete in the same league.

FasterSkier: Working with Sten, can you put your finger on one or two major takeaway coaching lessons that you learned from him?

Shane MacDowell: The biggest takeaway from him was writing a training plan; writing one that can help the athletes be successful and improve throughout their time on the team. He was just incredible at knowing what an athlete needed and prescribing the right training and holding them to it and making them accountable. So, I would say, a combination of knowing training, but then also having that ability to get the respect from the athletes because they know that you know what you’re talking about and holding them accountable to get that work in to reach their best potential. And then the second is probably his ability to analyze technique and really hone in on where an athlete’s deficiencies are and being able to relay that in a way that the athlete understands is probably another big take away.

FasterSkier: Moving back to something else that you were talking about earlier regarding the importance of alumni outreach. UNH’s Nordic fan base is different than it is at a lot of other schools—it’s more involved. The importance of fundraising is high on the list of things that you have to do. As the head coach having to be involved with the fundraising, the training of athletes, and the administration of the program … it’s a lot for one person. What’s your strategy for tackling all that, because it seems like it’s just so much?

Shane MacDowell: It’s not really just all on one person. For the Nordic program we just hired a new assistant coach to replace myself with Brandon Herhusky, who was the assistant at UVM the past few years. So, it’s not all just falling on me. As mentioned before, we’re working as one team so we’re not engaging just the Nordic program, we’re engaging all of our alumni. Having our Alpine staff there to assist with that and help our program to have even greater outreach is great because then all of that responsibility isn’t necessarily just falling on one person’s shoulders.

FasterSkier: When you were an assistant at UNH, were you able to kind of sit back and watch how Cory processed and worked with the alumni and alumni relationships and saw how he managed it?

Shane MacDowell: Yes, and I think that’s been one of the biggest advantages of stepping into this role. I’ve had that experience of being able to see how Cory engaged with the alumni not only through email and social media, but to try to have at least one alumni event a year. During the Carnival season this past year we had it at the Dartmouth Carnival. So, we had as many alumni that wanted to come and had sort of a little banquet style dinner with everybody, and they actually got to come and watch the races as well. So just having that sort of engagement with them, keeping alumni involved as much as possible and up to date with who’s on the team, what the team’s doing— their successes both on the ski trails and in the classroom goes a long way. Our alumni obviously look at the team and their time on the team as being very special and still want to be involved with that and give back in in any way that they can.

FasterSkier: You don’t see it as quite the same daunting task as an outsider does looking in terms of managing all these different aspects of the program. It seems that there is an infrastructure in place, with people, to help manage all that?

Shane MacDowell: There’s definitely the infrastructure in place and like I mentioned earlier, Cory did an amazing job of laying that foundation. I would be sorely mistaken, if I were to say I’m not going to screw this up a little bit at one point or another. There’s going to be growing pains for me because it is new, but there are those other aspects to the program that help you tackle all the tasks that we do have.

Please revisit FasterSkier for part II of our interview with Shane MacDowell.

FasterSkier: Your backstory is interesting. You’re a mechanical engineer and have a master’s in economics. You wrote your thesis about the price theory of ski lift ticket pricing. Can you summarize your thesis about ski lift pricing?

Andy Gerlach: My thesis analyzed why you still pay for a day of skiing rather than per ride. In a perfectly competitive industry, the economic models say you should be paying per ride. I argued the reason you pay for a one day lift ticket, is that they’re monopolistic. I showed that the skier who pays the most is a local, the person who pays the least is a tourist who has competition and can ski anywhere, so the areas package their lift tickets and give discounts to the far off skiers, so the locals pays the most. So, there is no competition at the local level. It’s more monopolistic the closer you are to the ski area. Lift area pricing is unique and only an economist would care about it.

FasterSkier: So, given your background, do you have conversations with cross-country ski trail operators about their pricing?

Andy Gerlach: No. But the one thing I’m hearing over and over is we want to be selling skiing, not groomed trails … trying to sell skiing as a lifestyle, maybe selling memberships instead of trail passes. Cross-country skiing is a complicated sport. It’s very scary to get into because of the amount of gear involved, from the consumer perspective. We don’t do enough to make it simple. We need to package it in a better manner so we’re selling the sport and the lifestyle rather than individual products.

FasterSkier: Does that argue for an all in one venue where you ski, buy equipment, and stay in one place?

Andy Gerlach: Areas like that are fabulous, but many of our skiers don’t need them. If you live in Minneapolis, you stay at your home, but they still need to be able to happen across cross-country ski equipment. We make it difficult for a person to get into the sport. In the 1970s there were sporting goods stores that sold cross-country ski equipment everywhere. You could buy ski equipment even at Dayton’s (a former department store). Now you have to know about the shops. Compare it to snowshoeing, which sells a limited proposition … you look at it (the snowshoe) and it says it will work for you and fit you. You can impulse buy snowshoeing. It’s difficult in America to impulse buy cross-country skiing.

FasterSkier: How do you get that to happen?

Andy Gerlach. My next goal is to simplify cross-country ski purchasing to find ways to make it more readily accessible to the masses.

FasterSkier: Do you have ideas on how to implement that?

Andy Gerlach: Yes, but I can’t go sharing them (laughing). Everyone asks if the sport is growing or shrinking? Covid helped grow the sport, it was a boom sport, and has now receded. This past winter was terrible because of the lack of snow. I’d like to find ways to make everything about selling the sport, rather than selling the equipment. We want to sell solutions. Remember those pocket guides?

FasterSkier: Yes, I still have them.

Andy Gerlach: I plan to relaunch those and am relaunching the Factory Team.

FasterSkier: What is the need to bring back the Factory team?

Andy Gerlach: Since we closed the Factory Team, most every Loppet in America has coincidentally shrunk in size, in the last 15 years, other than the Birkebeiner. I’m not saying that caused it. But bringing it back can help. I’m also bringing it back because too much in American ski racing has been about “how did you do; rather than how do you do?”  We want the Factory Team to be about “how do you do?” our athletes meeting other skiers, and about skiing rather than what place did you get.

FasterSkier: Personally, I’ve grown frustrated with the how did you do mentality, and the injury reports everyone seems to give you when you say hello?

Andy Gerlach: Of course they do! Because if all we can discuss is how did you do, then you have to make your explanations of why you didn’t do it. But if you can sell the sport for the joy of gliding across snow, and the winter landscape, then we’re selling the spirit that most of us are really in it for. I felt some of it at the Birkie this past year. People didn’t think there was going to be a Birkebeiner, and when there was one with barely any timing— everyone was so overjoyed— they were thankful to be able to ski with their buddies, get together, and have their goal they could still accomplish with even less pressure. They weren’t really being timed so they could just go ski it for their joy. Like skiing was way back when.

Annika Landis— who was our first athlete on the Factory Team relaunch— came on board with the proposition of racing with skiers instead of against skiers. We also want skiers to realize that there are great races and tours all over America. You can see this joy of cross-country skiing rather than this “how did you do?” Last year we relaunched the team with one skier, Annika Landis. This year there will be two, with Simon Zink joining her. It will be called EnjoyWinter-NTS Factory Team. The NTS is Nordic training solutions run by Andy Newell. His company is the co-title sponsor. NTS is the training technique expert. We hope to keep doubling the size, but you have to start by putting one foot in front of the other. Back in the day I had 14 athletes on the Factory Team. The goal of the athletes is allowing them to chase their athletic dreams but with the passion of skiing with skiers rather than against them.

FasterSkier: You see it as more than just a brand building mechanism, but more of a way to change the mindset of participants?

Andy Gerlach: It’s to be more engaged with the community of skiers, dealers, and clubs, and sharing expertise and passion. Racing gets the attention, but there are more people who don’t race than do race. Also, look at the Ski Classic racing in Europe, there are the top teams whose names you know, but there are like 60 teams! What I’d love to do, is to do American Ski Classics. The exciting thing isn’t the top team, but the 60^th, team like Sven’s Welding shop (I just made that up). They’re not trying to compete with the winners, they’re just people who love ski racing, and employees can join our team. Wouldn’t it be great if at the Birkie, or Tour of Anchorage, had five businesses where the owners love skiing, or want to market to skiers could say hey this is our business and we’re sponsoring this race team run by our employees?

FasterSkier: There’s a little bit of a chicken and the egg problem here though, right?

Andy Gerlach: Yes. One of my goals is to launch with a few marathons this coming winter and a few businesses; a way where a business can say we’re supporting our athletes and we’re going to start a team. Clubs are great for junior racing, but there should be ways where master skiers can feel enthused and training for a purpose. If you say you’re skiing the Birkie, you’re a hero at your local shop, at your work place for just doing the Birkie. People just say, “I’m skiing the Birkie, it’s like doing an Ironman— if you put the sticker on your car, you’re a hero. Skiing in America needs to have some accomplishment of doing a skiing adventure without having the pressure of how did you do? As soon as our Factory Team athletes start affecting the local Loppet community, then our competitors; they’ll start investing more again into their trade teams, and suddenly there will be a bit more energy and enthusiasm for Loppet racing. This ties in with a longer goal. How can you make cross-country skiing an impulse buy again, where someone could be in Costco and instead of grabbing a sled, they could instead again grab a pair of skis for themselves and their kids?

FasterSkier: If you can sell cross-country skiing equipment at Costco that would be amazing!

Andy Gerlach: That’s been a goal of mine for a long time. I’ve proposed it to every ski brand that I’ve worked with and there were always many reasons for why it can’t be done, rather than finding ways to do it. Our goal is to provide these simple solutions to selling skiing instead of selling skis. If we can do that, then larger merchants can sell skiing, rather the skis, we can make skiing more accessible.

FasterSkier: Isn’t some of that moving away from the model of very specific weight correlations for skis? If you’re selling at Costco, you need small, medium, and large sizes only, right?

Andy Gerlach: Yes, and we have that. You go to Europe and it’s much easier than it is here. Americans have been taught that every one kilogram on a ski matters, and in Europe they don’t. Skis are much more versatile than Americans are led to believe. For the majority of skiers, the fitting process isn’t as delicate as we’ve been told. We need to provide solutions that work at the basic level more, rather than what is necessary for a World Cup skier to make up two seconds in a 10-k. When it’s that complicated, you’re too scared to buy anything. We’re trying to get someone to walk into a store with their family during a big storm, and then you can go home and glide across snow in your backyard. We want them to think about skiing as a lifestyle rather than a piece of equipment.

FasterSkier: Anything else you want to talk about?

Andy Gerlach: If I read the tagline from the original Factory Team; I’m still using the same one today; “without ski equipment snow is something you shovel. With ski equipment snow is something you glide on. Wouldn’t you rather glide than shovel.”

FasterSkier: That’s a great tagline.

Andy Gerlach: For the skier we have the hard goods. But just selling equipment and not sharing the expertise and the joy doesn’t do much good. So, we have Ski Post, our email newsletter—which we’ve had for 30 years—that exists to share, and it’s not just about our new products, but how people are using the products. There’s a lot I want to accomplish, we are getting a little bit done, day by day, for the sport.

FasterSkier thanks Andy Gerlach for taking time to speak with us about EnjoyWinter and his goal to change the ski world.

We live in an era where product lines are often dominated by several large companies. More and more, small companies are bought up by large corporations as soon as the small company shows an innovation or growth pattern which its lumbering competitor can’t duplicate. Consolidation, just shy of monopoly, is standard practice for many industries.  Fortunately for skiers, this pattern hasn’t held true for cross-country ski wax. There are the big two—which is really the big one—but there are lots of small “mom and pop” wax companies putting out shockingly good products which are every bit as good, and sometimes better than their major competitors.

FasterSkier has previously taken an up close look at family run wax companies, when we profiled Rex, Fast Wax, and Rode. We now turn our eyes toward another family run operation, STAR Ski Wax. STAR is the definition of a family run business.  STAR was founded in 1978 in the Italian town of Asiago by Roberto Mosele while he was employed in an Astrophysics laboratory where he was responsible for the design and implementation of a new digital orientation system for the observatories’ telescope. His occupation at the time as an observatory employee is how the company’s name was derived. Like many great ideas, STAR wax was the result of a dare taken on by Roberto Mosele over 45 years ago.

If there is something vaguely familiar about this story it’s probably because you might remember that Rode ski wax was also founded and manufactured in Asiago (population approximately 6,500). Whatever murky forces are at work in Asiago leading to the confluence of wax manufacturing is a mystery; perhaps it’s the cheese? But as wax consumers, it’s probably best to leave that puzzle to the ages and focus on the great products coming out of this small Italian town.

Davide Mosele the product manager of Star was kind enough to answer FasterSkier’s questions about the family wax business. Davide, 48 years old, is Roberto’s son, and is now responsible for the day to day operation of the business. His mother—Roberto’s wife— also works in the company along with Davide’s wife Cristina. With a grand total of six employees, it’s truly a family affair.

This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.

FasterSkier: How was the company started and what was it like in the early days?

Davide Mosele: Star was founded in 1978 by Roberto (Davide’s father). Roberto was out cross-country skiing with friends, gliding through the snow-covered landscape. As they paused to wax their skis, one friend exclaimed, “Wow, it must be really difficult to make these products.” With a spark of determination in his eyes, Roberto declared, “I can do it!” What started as a lighthearted challenge among friends soon became a journey of passion and perseverance.

Over the next two years, Roberto poured his heart and soul into the project. It was far from easy, with countless trials and errors, but his unwavering dedication paid off. He eventually crafted an almost complete line of high-performing ski waxes. It was then that he began to dream of turning his new found expertise into a business.

At that time, Roberto was working for the Astrophysics Observatory of the University of Padova in Asiago. This connection to the stars inspired the name STAR for his burgeoning company.

Like many legendary startups, STAR began in the most humble of settings: a garage. As a child, I vividly remember his first laboratory being none other than  my mother Donna’s kitchen. It was a whimsical sight, finding spaghetti pasta and ski wax sharing the same stove.

In those days, ski wax was often seen as a mystical product, but Roberto approached it with scientific rigor. What began as a garage project has now grown into two thriving buildings, and the playful bet with friends has evolved into a globally recognized company.

Today, STAR stands as a testament to Roberto’s vision and determination, a shining example of how a simple challenge can spark the creation of something extraordinary.

FasterSkier: As product manager, what is your role?

Davide Mosele: I deal with “products” at 360 degrees, from developing to testing them on snow. I follow races, talk with wax technicians, skiers, and share information. At the same time, I am present in the production area when we are “ cooking/ melting” product lots.

In a small family company we all know about all the things that are happening. Our coffee break in the morning is what  a big company would call a “ general meeting” where many people, probably even located in different countries,  have to make decisions and share information.

Roberto is still following production and new product development as well, and can share a lot of experience.

FasterSkier: Are there other family members involved?

Davide Mosele: Donna (Davide’s mother, and Roberto’s wife) has been working in the company in the sales and accounting department for 40 years. I have been working in the company since I was 18. I graduated in  Engineering at Padova University in 2003 (which is the site of the observatory). My wife Cristina is managing the accounting office and sales for 15 years. My best friend Riccardo is also an important part of the company, taking care of all the mechanical department and running production machines.

FasterSkier: Do you see yourselves as underdogs battling the big two wax companies?

Davide Mosele: I believe that the size of a company is not always the key to success. In many industries, we often see large companies acquiring small start-ups that are able to innovate much faster.

STAR has carved out its space in the market thanks to the quality of our products and our ability to innovate and react quickly to market changes. While I respect the big companies as well as all other competitors, I do not feel like an underdog!

FasterSkier: What does your Research and Development (R & D) look like in terms of the skills and background of the people who work there and the size?

Davide Mosele: Research and Development (R&D) is the heart of our company; everything evolves around it. With over 40 years of experience, we approach each day with a curiosity that drives us to improve our products continually. We seek out anything that can help make skis faster.

Many of our products originate from specific customer requests—sometimes seemingly crazy ideas that turn into the perfect inspiration for a successful product.

I closely follow World Cup races, Ski Classics, and junior races. I am in contact with numerous professional ski technicians, and I gather all their insights to enhance our products. As a serviceman at these races, I know exactly which ingredients are used in our products. This firsthand knowledge helps me understand the effects of different ingredients on snow and enables us to respond quickly to any requests.

FasterSkier: What kind of seemingly crazy ideas do you get which lead to success?

Davide Mosele: Often, technicians find that a product works even in conditions for which it was not designed, or that when applied in a different way, the result seems better. Based on this information, I work on the formulation to optimize it for the new conditions of use. In other cases, the requirements are very specific. For example, last year we received many requests from Ski Classics teams. They needed a product that could last for their “long distances”… even 70-100 km. From this particular request, the “Durable” powder product was born, which was very successful. Later, they also asked us to develop the same product in liquid form! Durable Liquid proved to be very effective in extremely cold, abrasive, and dry snow conditions.

FasterSkier: Do you look to other industries to see what new compounds are available, or are you trying to invent new compounds?

Davide Mosele: As a product manager, I am always on the lookout for new material and innovative ideas. My curiosity, combined with my academic background, helps me understand the scientific advancements in materials.

I don’t just focus on new ingredients; I also explore how to achieve the best performance through different application methods. The same ingredients can perform differently when applied in various ways. For example, our fast-drying Next liquid, applied with a wool roller, has become a market benchmark. It’s not just about the chemistry but also about the application technique.

At STAR, we help our customers find simple yet highly effective methods to apply ski wax, ensuring optimal performance on the slopes.

FasterSkier: From the point of view of the wax industry, is the move away from fluoros a good thing? Has it been harder for small companies to adapt to this change?

Davide Mosele: When a new regulation comes into effect, it’s pointless to argue whether it is right or wrong; you just need to react and find a new solution. For those following the EU/EPA regulations, it was clear that fluorocarbons would have a short lifespan.

In 2019, I stopped considering fluorocarbons as an ingredient for ski wax and immediately began developing products using other material. It has been hard work, but also fascinating. This challenge opened up a new universe of opportunities, and I enjoy it!

FasterSkier: Are we close to having ski waxes without fluoros which are as good as fluorinated waxes in warm wet conditions?

Davide Mosele: Unfortunately, the chemical and physical characteristics—primarily the hydrophobicity and affinity to the ski base—of fluorocarbon waxes were exceptional, making them the “perfect” material.

This doesn’t mean we can’t have good working ski wax, but for now, it seems quite challenging to achieve the same performance offered by fluorinated ski waxes particularly in these specific conditions.

FasterSkier: What’s harder to develop, a really good kick wax or a really good glide wax?

Davide Mosele: Creating a good kick wax requires extensive experience and knowledge of raw materials. Achieving the best kick with the best speed is not easy; it’s a compromise. Since fluorocarbons are no longer available, developing a good glide wax has also become more challenging. We are exploring a large number of new ingredients/application methods, which consumes a lot of time and energy.

FasterSkier: Wax products seem to come and go and sometimes it seems like change just for change sake. But, it looks like smaller companies stick with proven products longer than larger manufactures. Is that perception accurate?

Davide Mosele: Changes are necessary whenever better solutions are found. Changing the packaging to make customers believe the product is new is not a good strategy. We aim to introduce new products to the market only when we are confident that they are better than their predecessors. Big companies can invest much more in marketing, in our company we believe that the best way to promote our  products is to have satisfied customers,  meaning we must have the “best” product and then the word will spread.

FasterSkier: Are we close to the point where people can throw away their wax irons for glide waxing?  Do you think we’ll see a day soon when ski bases evolve to the point of never needing to be treated with glide wax?

Davide Mosele: We conduct extensive research on application methods. I believe the use of a waxing iron is essential for treating ski bases.  Some liquid products deliver excellent results, and the use of wool rollers is becoming popular even for applying blocks. However, these products are a complement and do not replace the use of a waxing iron at a professional level.

For customers who do not compete, the use of liquid products and wool rollers is an excellent solution. Skis still need to be periodically waxed with an iron. Often, these customers turn to workshops or friends for hot waxing and use liquid products every time they go skiing, enjoying all the benefits of easy application while still achieving very fast skis.

FasterSkier: What’s the favorite product your company makes?

Davide Mosele: We love all our products and believe each one has special qualities that makes it unique. The fast-drying liquid products are very versatile and high-performing. Blocks applied with wool are widely used even in World Cup races and allow for easy layering of different products. The powders are perhaps the ones we cherish the most for sentimental value. In 1985, STAR introduced the first complete line of micronized powders to the market, long before fluorinated waxes. At that time, only blocks were used to wax skis. The easier and faster application with low waste was already a revolutionary idea. Of course during the years, raw materials have  changed a lot … but still the powder aspect is our favorite.

We also have excellent kick waxes in our catalog that, especially in recent years, have won over many ski technicians.  Many of these products were conceived together with a  valuable collaboration in the United States. Ten years ago, we introduced 70mm rotary brushes to the market, which are becoming a standard not only for their size but also for the absolute quality of the materials used.

FasterSkier: You mention the pride of introducing micronized powders. Was that your father’s invention?

Davide Mosele: Yes, STAR was the first company to introduce a complete line of micronized powder products (emphasis added). The idea was to simplify the application process. Until then, ski waxes were based on very soft paraffins, and the waxing irons were not as efficient as they are now. Using harder products made it necessary to simplify the application… the micronized powder form was a good solution to these problems. Nothing is easy, but Roberto’s persistence made it possible for a small lab like his to create that formulation of waxes and additives in powder form.

FasterSkier: What is the hardest part about being in the ski wax business?

Davide Mosele: I love my job, so there is no hardest part. I feel lucky to do what I like!

FasterSkier: What’s the wildest idea your research department ever came up with that never got the go ahead?

Davide Mosele: Over the years, we have developed products that have never reached  the public. Fortunately, as a company, we have decided never to release a product to the market before thoroughly testing it. We have a  trial program where we are supplying  product ideas to “professional people” who help in testing, knowing that some of these products may not turn into a valid ski wax proposal. The important thing is to never get discouraged and to learn from our mistakes.

FasterSkier: Are there any other products, other than wax, which you make which would surprise people?

David Mosele: Maybe people do not know that STAR waxing irons are produced in our factory in Asiago. It is 100 percent our project, and we are proud that it is highly appreciated in the market.

If you check our website, www.starwax.com, you will discover that we also produce a complete line of bike care products! This helps to keep us busy during the summer. We started producing bike care products 30 years ago, and our products are well known throughout Europe.

FasterSkier: Why did STAR get into bicycle maintenance equipment? Is there a lot of similarity between ski wax and bike products?

David Mosele: The idea is that skiers often cycle to train, so the brand remains in use even during the summer. Often, bicycle workshops become ski workshops in the winter. The chemistry used is not the same, but it is very similar.

FasterSkier: You are located in Asiago, Italy, which is also the home of Rode ski wax.
How did it come to be that Asiago is the home to two great wax companies?
Is there a big rivalry between the two companies?

David Mosele: Our relationship with Rode is the same as with all other companies in our industry. There is obviously rivalry, but at the same time, respect. I believe that all of us “small” ski wax producers share the same passion: making skis faster and helping athletes achieve their goals.

One funny thing is that whenever a team comes to Asiago to visit STAR, they end up visiting Rode as well—and vice versa. If you come to Asiago, you will certainly leave with the best ski waxes on the market!

FasterSkier thanks Davide Mosele for taking the time to share his family’s story and give us a glimpse into the life of a family run ski wax company.

The man’s name is Andy Gerlach, and he’s the owner of EnjoyWinter. You may know them from their ubiquitous “EnjoyWinter” e-mail newsletters, which have information ranging from new products to travel ideas. But Gerlach has a larger mission than just selling gear. For those who have been in the sport for a while, you may remember the Factory Team. The team was run by Gerlach with athletes who were sponsored and travelled around the country competing in races. The team broke up in the late 2000s, but Gerlach is resurrecting it one skier at a time. His revival of the Factory Team isn’t necessarily about winning races, rather it’s about being ambassadors to local skiers, not for a particular brand, but for the sport. Gerlach has noticed—along with many people who have been in the sport for a while—an unsettling trend which can best be summarized like this: How many times have you walked up to someone at the ski trailhead, asked them how they are doing, and the response is an immediate recitation of their most recent training schedule, injury report, and race results? It seems to happen a lot. Gerlach thinks it’s because the sport has developed a mindset which needs a reset. He believes people are asking themselves the wrong question.  Instead of asking yourself—or others— “how did you do,” he wants to change the framing to thinking about “how do you do?” It’s a small one word change of verbiage, but gets to a big change of mind set. Instead of thinking always about performance and results, think more about the experience. That’s what the  guy who is selling ski stuff is trying to do; change American’s mindset about skiing, one cool product at a time.

Andy Gerlach was generous enough to devote several hours to a discussion with FasterSkier about his interesting personal history, importing ski goods into the U.S., and how he’s determined to change the way people think about skiing and buy skis. Gerlach has a unique perspective with a degree in engineering and a master’s degree in economics.

This interview has been edited and condensed from a two hour conversation with Andy Gerlach.

FasterSkier: Let’s talk a little about your history and how you started in the business.

Andy Gerlach: I started out in 1996, I was in Bozeman having skied for Montana State University. I took over what had been the Fischer Marathon Team, which I managed, and I created what was known for 14 years as the Factory Team. At the time it was the biggest professional team in the world, with the goal to promote brands through ski racing. We closed it down in 2008 during the auto crisis when we had just signed Saab as our title sponsor. Then I worked for Salomon in race service and athlete management. In the Vancouver Olympics I saw athletes wearing Bliz so I reached out to them and in 2011 started importing Bliz.

FasterSkier: Did you move away from engineering and economics because of your love for skiing?

Andy Gerlach: Yes. When I graduated with my engineering degree I tried getting jobs in a ski factory, but I didn’t end up getting the job, and engineering didn’t seem to be my passion. I was involved in ski racing, and got a job as an investment banker, but Fischer kept pulling me back in to help with race service. Then I was able to turn the program into the Factory Team and it just took off.

FasterSkier: What’s the name of your business now?

Andy Gerlach: EnjoyWinter.

FasterSkier: What does EnjoyWinter do?

Andy Gerlach: EnjoyWinter is America’s largest independent importer and distributor of cross-country ski equipment. We distribute over 20 brands that each specialize in one product category for cross-country skiing. For example, Bliz is our sunglass brand, and they specialize in sunglasses. Peltonen is our ski brand, and they make skis. 4KAAD is our pole brand and they specialize in poles. Rottefella is our binding supplier, and they only make bindings— which is the only product where we’re not the exclusive distributor. We sell through 200 cross-country ski dealers throughout the country, which is our primary distribution network, and we also sell through our showroom and Enjoywinter.com. Many of the brands we compete with are category generalists, and they’re selling their brands. They are great companies, but they are in the business of selling their brand. Our brands specialize in one product category. That’s what differentiates us.

FasterSkier: Does that make your brands better?

Andy Gerlach: All the brands in cross-country skiing love cross-country skiing. The people driving their brands are passionate about it and make great stuff. But our brands really specialize in one specific thing. I don’t want to come across as saying any of these brands don’t care about the sport. The good thing about cross-country skiing is that it’s so specialized that any company involved in it has to be making good stuff. But, for example, Peltonen only makes cross-country skis, and they make every one of their skis in one factory in Finland. So, their $180 kid’s ski is on the same production line as their top end World Loppet skis. The other major brands can’t say that.

We are providing cross-country skiing solutions. When a dealer comes to us and says I have “x” problem … they come to EnjoyWinter and we can solve their needs. We’re the only place a dealer can come to and get everything from one supplier, and the expertise from us and from the brands. We’re selling the sport of cross-country skiing and skiing solutions rather than a brand. What also makes us different is if we don’t have a solution, we try and make one. When we need something different in a product, our brands make it. Peltonen just launched some touring skis, which they haven’t needed in Finland, so we now have American styled touring skis.

FasterSkier: I used to love Peltonen skis, and I miss them.

Andy Gerlach: Your story is common. We’ve only been distributing it for a year. But the number one story has been everyone coming up to us and saying, “I used to ski on Peltonen, it used to be my favorite.” There’s a big affinity for Peltonen. The rest of the brands we carry were unknown when I launched them.

FasterSkier: One of the solutions you sell is Anti-freeze face tape. Did EnjoyWinter create that?

Andy Gerlach: That’s my own brand and my own creation, my son’s face is the logo.

FasterSkier: Are there lots of knockoffs?

Andy Gerlach: What you’re seeing across the U.S.— if it’s pre-cut and cut well for the nose and cheeks, it’s my stuff; Anti-freeze face tape. Ours holds up to the moisture that can come from snow and is pre-cut for the face and cheeks.

FasterSkier: Were you your own guinea pigs for that?

Andy Gerlach: Oh yeah! Back in the day we even used duct tape, but that can make things even worse. You can even use face tape on your fingers if you have old frostbite spots. Our tape has been on the faces of Olympic champions and happy kids across the world. It’s just about trying to find solutions that Nordic skiers need, and making it ourselves if it’s not already made.

FasterSkier: Let’s talk about another product. You carry Ogasaka skis from Japan. What’s their story?

Andy Gerlach: Those are perhaps the most beautiful hand crafted skis in the world. During Covid when we couldn’t get enough skis in the U.S. I was searching for a ski brand to add to our quiver. I reached out to them and got the skis and was blown away by the precision and how exact every ski was; and the base finish was the nicest I had ever seen. Every 192, for instance comes out of the mold exactly the same as designed, there’s no variation in flexes due to manufacturing. Every ski comes out as designed or it’s not accepted. They use Japanese carbon fiber with the most precise manufacturing. And the bases are the softest, freshest most wax absorbent I’ve ever seen in production skis. Everyone who’s gotten them has loved them. They’re not inexpensive. I wish I could do it more service and sell it more, but right now our focus is on Peltonen with a wider and more affordable solution. All these fluctuations in flexes in skis aren’t design variations, they are inconsistencies in the manufacturing. Most manufacturers don’t know what a ski is going to flex at until after it’s made. Ogasaka knows before it’s made, what the skis are going to flex at. This is part of EnjoyWinter existing to sell cross-country solutions rather than to sell a brand. We love the sport for the sport’s sake and not for the equipment’s sake. We have a great dealer—Start Line Inn—right at the Birkie start, is one of the places to demo them.

FasterSkier: How bad were supply disruptions during Covid and how have recent big price increases in shipping containers affected you?

Andy Gerlach: I’m moving stuff constantly; we have small shipments coming all the time. We’re more flexible than the big guys. It hasn’t dramatically changed the way I do business. But shipping costs are the biggest driver of inflation in the industry. And the logistics of having orders coming in from over 20 brands is an ongoing process every day. But, my biggest risk is dealers going out of business due to the boom and bust of Covid and the lack of snow last winter. My biggest threat is getting dealers to pay us on time when we’re delivering them small brands. We have no way of collecting.

Please return to FasterSkier when we go in depth with Andy Gerlach and talk about his plans to sell skiing to the masses and changing skiers’ mind set.

This coverage is made possible through the generous support of Marty and Kathy Hall and A Hall Mark of Excellence Award. To learn more about A Hall Mark of Excellence Award, or to learn how you can support FasterSkier’s coverage, please contact info@fasterskier.com.

All of us need to take a break from our jobs every now and then and do something a little bit—out there— which challenges us. For many, that’s going for a long ski, or some other outdoor activity like a hard bike ride or a tough hike. The physical break provides a nice and often essential mental refresh.

But what do you do if your profession already involves physical challenges, say like being a professional skier? What happens when the world’s reigning cross-country skiing champion needs a refresh? For Jessie Diggins, that refresh comes in the form of an annual event which she has dubbed, “the big stupid.” Basically, it’s an extremely hard physical challenge involving a sport other than skiing.

For Diggins, her “big stupid” this year was racing the 46 kilometer category Broken Arrow Skyrace (Diggins ran 69 kilometers *), which is a mountain run held June 22^nd. The race, which takes place in Palisades Tahoe— near Lake Tahoe— has seriously steep sections with slopes hitting 30 percent, huge elevation gains, and hits almost 9,000 feet in altitude. It’s a major challenge for even serious runners. What would motivate the current Crystal Globe Overall Champion to decide to throw down an effort at such a difficult event in an area outside her specialty?

Jessie Diggins was kind enough to answer this and other questions about the “big stupid” events she does every year. (This interview has been lightly edited for clarity and brevity).

FasterSkier: You began doing these “big stupid” events several years ago. Why do you still keep doing them?

Jessie Diggins: I still keep doing these because it does have more meaning than just one big epic day. Although I love running for the sake of running … the reason I love these big adventures is it fills up my soul in a different way. It challenges me and really forces me to push deep and see how I confront challenges when they come up. You’re going to have low points when you’re running for ten hours (*the race was two laps, but Diggins opted to do an extra third lap giving her 69 k total and an overall time of 9:53:09, which even including her ‘bonus’ lap put her 48^th in her age group out of 70 participants and 391^st overall. An indicator of the race’s difficulty was that there were 13 DNFs in her age group. The age group winner’s time was 4:52:34 (for two laps)). I want to see what I say to myself in these moments, how do I get through them, and use what I learn in ski racing. I learn so much about myself and really grow my mind when I do these events.

FasterSkier: What are the qualities an event needs to be worthy of obtaining the “big stupid” label?

Jessie Diggins: It’s just something I feel will challenge me. So, some years it was a 100 kilometer roller ski, one year it was the Presidential Traverse (an 18.5 mile hike in the White Mountains of New Hampshire). They tend to keep getting bigger and stupider as I get older and have more training under my belt. But I do want to say that they have stepped up gradually, and I’ve always done them in a way where I feel like I’m going to be safe. While I want to challenge myself, I don’t want to actually risk my ski career.

FasterSkier: How challenging was this year’s? Was it the hardest “big stupid” ever?

Jessie Diggins: Gosh. I think it was the hardest. It was the furthest I’ve ever run because it ended up being 59 kilometers. It was 14,000 feet of climbing, which for sure was more than I’ve ever done. I have run for ten hours before … but this was probably the hardest one that I’ve ever done.

FasterSkier: Is it important for you to have a sense of accomplishment in a physical challenge which doesn’t involve skiing?

Jessie Diggins: Yes. I think what’s really nice about this, when I’m skiing it’s all about needing to go really fast … there are a lot of eyes on me, and there’s a lot of pressure and expectations, and it’s all about how fast can you do this? It’s never a question of can I finish this 10 k race. With my “big stupid” the goal is just to finish. Because doing it is challenging in itself. I really like that. I love that it’s challenging me in a mode that’s not “my sport.” I find that really satisfying.

FasterSkier: The day after the event you worked at a pancake breakfast and did a book signing. Any regrets about being on your feet that much after a ten hour run through the mountains? How sore were you after the race?

Jessie Diggins: I don’t have any regrets. Serving pancakes to kids was incredibly fun. It was a really good way to get my day started. The book signing was so cool. I met so many amazing people. I was pretty sore. I think walking around the vendor village helped me out with a little bit of active recovery. If I had just laid in bed all day, I probably would have felt worse.

FasterSkier: The race hit 8,900 feet altitude. Was it tough to deal with the altitude? Was that the highest you’ve ever raced.

Jessie Diggins: That was for sure the highest. I purposely didn’t even try to acclimate to the altitude. I just rolled in two nights before and then raced, because I know if I do something hard on the second or third day, I usually feel ok. But day four through seven feel pretty bad for me. I knew I wasn’t going to have time to acclimate … so that strategy worked pretty well for me.

FasterSkier: Do you set any goals for yourself for doing these events, or is it just to participate, finish, and have fun?

Jessie Diggins: It’s just participating, finishing, and having fun. This is the first time I’ve done my big stupid in a race format, but I figured with this challenge, with the altitude, the dryness and heat … having aid stations and support … was amazing. It allowed me to pick something that was so much more physically demanding than I’ve ever done before.

FasterSkier: Did you have any goals for time, distance, or place?

Jessie Diggins: Nope. Anything except the cutoff time … I made it by two minutes! So, I was looking at the clock, but that was the only kind of race that was happening for me.

FasterSkier: You posted about doing a 32 mile trail run to train for the event. Did you do any other specific training for this event? 

Jessie Diggins: Normally I don’t specifically train for my “big stupid.” But for this, I knew it was going to be so much climbing, 14,000 feet … so I did a lot of runs just to make sure that I was getting my legs used to being on for that long. The weekend before I went for my O.D. (over distance). Instead of roller skiing, I went up and down Stratton for 4 ½ hours. So that helped as well. The other thing I did was I got some collapsible poles from Swix so I practiced going up and down Stratton with the poles, so I could offload some of my weight onto my arms, and save my knees a little bit more.

FasterSkier: At some point, do you say to yourself that “yeah this really is a big stupid idea?”

Jessie Diggins: Yes! There were several points where I was, “wow, I’m really dumb for loving this.” But I did honestly love it. There were only a couple of low points. It was something I’ve been looking forward to for so long. I decided last October that I wanted to do this. When you look forward to something for so long, even though it’s hard, there’s a sense of “wow I finally get to be here and get to challenge myself with this.”

FasterSkier: Any other big epic training days this summer?

Jessie Diggins: No. From here on out it’s kind of normal training. We are going to go down to New Zealand, with Julia (Kern) and Jason Cork … for a training camp on snow for three weeks like we have done in years past. So, I hope we get good conditions for crust cruising. We like to end the camp with a big long ski. I’m hoping that comes around for us. For now, it’s just normal training in Stratton which I love.

FasterSkier thanks Jessie Diggins for taking the time to speak to us about her “big stupid.”

This coverage is made possible through the generous support of Marty and Kathy Hall and A Hall Mark of Excellence Award. To learn more about A Hall Mark of Excellence Award, or to learn how you can support FasterSkier’s coverage, please contact info@fasterskier.com.

In part I of our interview with Julia Kern we talked about her summer training changes, and what was a very challenging winter of racing. Please continue reading for Part II of our interview.

Race Strategy

Kern has had a lot of success, but she’s still searching for regular World Cup podiums. What will it take to get to the podium more? “What’s really exciting is women’s Sprinting is at an incredibly high level,” says Kern. “There are so many contenders on a given day for a podium. There are lots of ways to go about doing it (improving). There’s more fitness, more end speed— tactical, and a lot of it is how do you approach heats and heat selection and what’s your strategy there. You can play the safe game and go lucky loser and just try to get into the semi-finals and maybe that reduces your chance of a podium at the end of the day. Do you decide to play more of the game and go with earlier heats that are harder to move on, but then you have more energy to move on? That aspect comes down to confidence and what your skill set is. A lot of it comes down to confidence. Being able to be fit enough to then be relaxed in the early heats so you can save energy for later. For me, if I’m more fit at a base level, then I can accelerate on top of that and make the moves when I need to.”  Last year’s illness affected this strategic calculation for Kern. “Last year I was missing my pep in my step. My top end just wasn’t there. Normally if I’m rested, that is there, then I can have more strategies in my toolbox.”

Heat selection is unique to Sprinting and it becomes a significant factor in outcomes. But does going in the first or last heat of a round really make that much difference? “It depends on the course. At altitude it matters a lot more. It also depends on the round. Semi-final two to the finals is a really hard turnaround. Quarter-final five to semi-final two is not so bad. It’s also a little personal. I’ve gone quarter-final one to semi-final two, and that’s too much time. You have to cool down and warm back up. So, you expend more energy. It depends a little on the type of athlete you are.”

And not everything is always within one’s control. “Jonna (Sundling) and Skistad always go in quarter-final one so it kind of takes that out of the cards. If you go there then it’s going to be really hard. So, there’s a little bit of seeing what other people are doing. But coming from semi-finals to finals, it matters for sure, especially if you feel like you’re already skiing at your limit in the semi-finals. The more you’re able to reserve in the early rounds, the better because if you’re burning a lot of your matches in semifinal two it’s really hard to bounce back up for the finals, and that’s where semi-final one definitely helps. But semi-final one tends to be really competitive and really hard to move on from. It’s a gamble. But the more you develop all those tools in your toolbox the more likely you are to move on. That’s why you see the fastest sprinters are consistently making the final no matter what path they take, and consistently on the podium. Ultimately, that’s the goal.”

Experience Matters

Kern is now at the point in her career where her experience and tactical knowledge have become a valuable asset. “On World Cup we generally watch footage from previous years during the week leading up to it, and people share their experiences. Then when we go out and do race prep, our coaches are filming too, and in a pack we might try out different positions in a group. Can you slingshot, can you pass? We talk about all of that. The way I approach sprints after that is to have main takeaways. Like this is the only passing opportunity or these are my opportunities to make a move from the back, or ideally at this point on the course I’m in second. But you don’t have full control. The best sprinters are aware and see different options. Then sometimes you get tangled up and your plan goes out the window. There are a lot of different strategies.”

Unintended Consequence of Fluoro Ban

Strategy has also been affected by the fluoro ban. Because of ski inspection, the amount of warmup time before races has changed, and glide wax can’t be adjusted in between heats. “It definitely changed our warmup time. Now we’re out there an hour and forty minutes before the race testing (skis). If the day before the testing is accurate, we’ll do a lot of testing ahead of time. Each athlete has their own method, but we definitely changed our own testing routine. Sometimes my tech will have two similar skis prepared with two different wax jobs. I might have those two different wax jobs on my warmup skis and ultimately decide right before the race which ones to go on because you can check in two different pairs of skis. The other thing to note is you take a freshly groomed course, you test it when the track opens, then you have an hour of people zooming around on the same sprint course and everything completely changes. It can go from bullet proof ice to sugar. So, a lot of times you’re really not testing what’s representative of the race, so our techs are having to predict that. It complicates things a little bit more.” Not being able to have skis freshened between heats also made a difference. “You really noticed it. The extra juices were definitely nice, but it wasn’t something I was thinking about on race day, everyone was in the same boat and that’s just the way it is. Things definitely slow down by the final.”

Kern is known mostly as a sprinter, but she does have longer distance chops. “Some of my best distance races have been 30k. I haven’t been consistently good in distance, but I’ve raced entire World Cup seasons the last few years both distance and sprint. I’ve had some strong distance races, but for distance to go well, everything needs to be pretty dialed in, whereas in sprint … even if you’re not in peak form, you can use other aspects to do well. It’s a tough balance. If you put a 50k two days before Drammen (City Sprints), it only makes sense (to do the 50k) if you’re fighting for the Overall. I definitely would love to develop on the distance side.”

Balancing a World Cup Schedule

This is a World Championship year which leads to long term strategic planning. “The sprint obviously is the event I’m targeting. The Team Sprint and the relay are also really big goals. Our team has been searching for that Championship medal in the relay for a really long time. That’s a big team goal of ours. The rest depends upon how the season’s going. The thing our team really has some goals for is the Nation’s Cup. Last year we were in a battle for third (team USA ultimately lost the podium spot to Finland on the last day of competition). We’ve come from tenth to fourth in the world. I feel like that’s a great reflection of a full team effort. That was really fun this winter. It keeps us hungry to get even better together.”

The World Championships demand attention, but there’s also the entire rest of the race season including the Tour de Ski. Some observers and athletes feel like it’s too much. Kern has a unique perspective on this as she is one of the athlete representatives to FIS (International Ski Federation). “I don’t think it’s too much. I think it’s a personal decision ultimately. It depends upon what your goals are and how you respond to racing. For me, I have historically peaked after Tours and a lot of racing. That’s been an important part of my peaking plan. My physiology responds well to a lot of consecutive racing and then rest. For me, I’m stoked that it’s a Championship year. I tend to race my way into shape, but for some people it can tank their season. It’s a really personal thing. It’s also one of the most watched pieces of our sport (the Tour de Ski) … so I think that’s important to continue to grow the sport. As an athlete representative I work closely with the FIS team on the calendar. I think the content will change over the years, but ultimately the athletes always have a choice to race or not to race. We’ve worked really hard on making the calendar better. You’ll now see more of these three day weekends, but then bigger blocks of breaks. There are more breaks built in, and that’s the model the athletes wanted. It is a lot of racing. Racing a full season is really really challenging. But generally, people were happy with the race calendar this last year.”

The tight schedule has also been a point of discussion regarding racing in North America. With Lake Placid anticipated to be a host venue for 2026 it has brought the issue more sharply into focus. “We had an all athlete meeting, discussing this topic and surveyed the athletes. It was over 90 percent who said they wanted to go (to North America). Everyone’s favorite World Cup was Minneapolis, and everyone was so impressed, that they want to go back to the U.S. The challenge is financial for the Europeans who are not used to traveling across the ocean to add a weekend. But it’s important. We saw the impact that Minneapolis had. It’s been really cool being an athlete representative, connecting with the FIS team and the athletes and understanding how the system works, trying to make it as smooth as possible. If something doesn’t make sense (on the schedule), there’s probably a reason why.”

The pressure is on for Lake Placid and Kern sees it as another great chance for North American venues to shine. “It’s not Minneapolis, it’s Lake Placid, and there’s a lot of Olympic history there and incredibly cool new courses. I think there’s going to be a lot of opportunity. People will see that there is excitement in the U.S. (about cross-country skiing), and they are excited to continue to grow the sport here. People are seeing the value of coming to North America.”

Thanks to Julia Kern for taking the time to speak with FasterSkier.

This coverage is made possible through the generous support of Marty and Kathy Hall and A Hall Mark of Excellence Award. To learn more about A Hall Mark of Excellence Award, or to learn how you can support 

Julia Kern is firmly established as a veteran member of the U.S. Ski team. She is uniquely sandwiched between the venerable veterans Jessie Diggins and Rosie Brennan, and the up and coming squad of youngsters in their early 20s. Her first World Cup start in Quebec City is almost seven years behind her, and she is now a mainstay of the U.S. team, mostly known to race fans for her Sprint performances. During her time representing the United States she has won a World Championship bronze medal in the Team Sprint, been to the Olympics, raced for the USA in the Junior World Championships, and stood on the podium in a World Cup Sprint in 2019.

FasterSkier caught up with Kern while she was in Vermont to talk to her about training, race plans, behind the scenes Sprint strategy, and what it will take for her to regularly find the podium in Individual World Cup Sprints.

Training for a New Season

Kern has been busy traveling and training since the race season ended. After the ski season concluded she spent two weeks in California, then four weeks in Vermont which serves as her home base. Then it was off to the team training camp in Bend, Oregon, and ending up back in Vermont, where she is now settling in to train for the rest of the summer while she creates a new home base in Burlington.

But real training began with Bend camp. “Bend camp is always a fun way to start the training year,” said Kern. “It’s amazing kicking off the training season on snow, and really good skiing conditions. That makes it easy to get back into the swing of things.” Bend Camp wasn’t just the official start of the new training season, but an opportunity to make some course corrections. “Coming off a challenging season, my goal at Bend Camp was to ease back into the training year and enjoy being on snow and being with the team. Bend camp is about getting back into the routine of training and working on technique while we have all of the amazing coach and staff support. We have such a big coaching staff now that one day you will work with one coach and another day a different one. I enjoy working with different coaches and taking their input and feedback and making my own decisions.” Kern spends a lot of time working with U.S. team coach Kristen Bourne who is collaborating with Kern in writing her training plan. Kern likes to receive input not just from the coaches, but from her fellow skiers as well. “A lot of it is learning from each other. We had Emma Ribom from Sweden there, we went on a lot of skis and talked about training and exchanged ideas. There are so many people you can learn from and lean on. In the end it’s trying to use all of that.”

New Home Base and Training Changes

Kern is tweaking her regular summer training and is establishing Burlington, Vermont as her home base to operate out of. She’ll go to Stratton to train with her team and do more on her own than in years’ past. “I was looking to have things in my personal life that gave me balance. I spend seven months a year on the road…it’s important to feel that I have a life outside of skiing. I have good access to doctors and physical therapist. It’s a new thing I’m trying out. I’m looking forward to having a home base and building a life outside of skiing.”

Kern is coming off a difficult season where she faced illness which affected her performances and yielded results which were not a step up from last year. “I did a lot of reflecting this spring, it’s hard to pinpoint just one thing, and I don’t think it ever is just one thing. I fell into a bad health trap last season that took me a long time to climb out of. It’s like the ball rolling down the hill gaining momentum and you want to change direction, and sometimes you just need a reset. I had lung issues, a bad cough and cold, then I got the flu, and then I got a secondary infection. I ended up getting a chest infection after the flu and had so much stuff in my lungs, my chest hurt. When you’re modifying training for two or three months within the race season, it’s really hard to get your rhythm back. It was a really challenging year. It was a big learning year. Sometimes you have to have those years where you’re pushing a little more in training and overshooting, and realize, that was too much, and pull it back the next year. I feel like I learned a lot last season. Not every year is going to be a linear jump upwards.”

Overcoming illness wasn’t necessarily a new thing for Kern, though last winter was extremely challenging. “I’ve historically dealt with my fair share of injury and illness and had a lot of setbacks. Despite that, I’ve always been able to pull it together and make it happen at some point in the season. Last year (training) generally went smoothly. In the past, I’ve always been forced to have this extra rest because of injury and illness, as a result (of not having that rest), I didn’t recover as well. I also think as you get closer to the top, those margins get so much smaller, so once you’re up there, a little change is so much more visible than in prior years when you’re developing and getting better.” Recovering from illness during the race season presents its own challenge apart from training and racing. “You’re trying to race, and if you get something like that during the middle of the season it’s hard to come back, especially if you’re not able to come home and recover and instead you’re stuck in Europe. Do I just keep skipping weekends, or do I try to race?”

Kern attributes only some of her difficulties last season to her illnesses. “I ended up being in a lot of lucky loser heats this year. So that meant that it was fast and hard, and I was expending a lot of energy to move on. I felt like that extra pep was missing. I feel like through sheer willpower, and tactical abilities and just grinding it out, I was able to make the semi-finals even when I wasn’t feeling at my best. It was head down and put everything in mentality. When your body isn’t feeling 100 percent, you can go hard for one round, but not sustain it for as many rounds. That’s what I was feeling last year. But I’ve gotten to the level now where I could move on to the quarters even not feeling 100 percent. But I had to put a lot into it, and I was not recovering as quickly as previous years.”

Kern is making some other tweaks to her training plan. “This year I’m trying to ease into the training year a little bit more, so lower hours, especially in June. I always have nagging injuries, so I’m trying to get foundationally really solid before I’m pushing the training. I’m also making sure that in those recovery weeks I’m getting mental recovery too. I’ve always done well when I’m happy. I’m a very social being and having stuff outside of skiing feeding my soul and happiness is really important. You need to have the mental bandwidth for a full winter of racing. Giving 100 percent to skiing might actually look like me turning off my skiing brain every once in a while. I’m being more intentional about each workout and mindful of where I’m putting in volume and how I’m doing it and being okay with changing my training plan if I’m tired. More or harder isn’t always better. That’s what a lot of injury has taught me. The most important thing is that you’re rested and ready.”

Kern is taking a mindfulness and self-awareness approach. “Sometimes I’ll feel really good at the end of a training block, and I’ll want to keep pushing it, but then I go from feeling really good one day to really bad the next so, my body doesn’t have this slow down warning sign. I need to be mindful about where I’m at. You don’t want to be the most fit in September, you want to be the most fit in the winter.” She also has taken more ownership of her training. “I’m writing more of my plan. Kristen and I work together. It’s not a coach telling me what to do, it’s a collaboration.”

One of Kern’s other passions is her design work with Skida, a company which makes performance neck and headwear for athletes. She makes a new design every year which appears on the neck gaiters and hats. She is currently working on the upcoming winter’s design. You have to move fast to keep up with Julia Kern, on and off the snow.

Please return to FasterSkier for part two of our interview with Julia Kern where we dive into the nitty gritty of Sprint tactics and what it takes to reach the podium, and thanks to Julia Kern for taking the time to speak with FasterSkier.

This coverage is made possible through the generous support of Marty and Kathy Hall and A Hall Mark of Excellence Award. To learn more about A Hall Mark of Excellence Award, or to learn how you can support FasterSkier’s coverage, please contact info@fasterskier.com.

In Part I of FasterSkier’s article about the Lake Placid organizing committee’s work to be chosen as a venue for a World Cup, we spoke with Kris Seymour, Nordic Program Coordinator for the Olympic Regional Development Authority (ORDA) to see what had to be done to bring Lake Placid into contention to be a World Cup venue. Our discussion with Seymour continues as we look at what it took to get Lake Placid a World Cup and what other challenges the host venue will face.

A Very Busy Month

If all goes according to plan, just before the FIS World Cup in Lake Placid, there will also be an International Biathlon Union (IBU) stop. The IBU Cup Lake Placid is hosting is one step down from the biathlon World Cup but is still a major international event. Seymour is confident in Lake Placid’s ability to handle the high volume of headline-grabbing events. “One of the things about ORDA is that it’s a fairly large company,” commented Seymour. “We have dedicated departments…and dedicated and trained people on the venues. In the last two years we’ve hosted major events simultaneously. For the last four seasons we’ve been pushing our schedule to be quite aggressive. This year we challenged ourselves. We had the New York State public high school championships, the Lake Placid Loppet, the USCSA (United States Collegiate Ski and Snowboard Association) national championships, and junior nationals all within a three week window. Our venue is being called on more and more to host events because of our capabilities. With every event we get more efficient, professional, and capable. We’re excited for the events.”

Lots of State Money

Footing the bill for all the upgrades to transform Lake Placid into a World Class level venue wasn’t cheap. “All of the Olympic facilities at Lake Placid are funded by the state of New York,” explained Seymour. “The state of New York invested $80,000,000 into the Lodge, the snowmaking, the construction of the new trails, the team areas, the broadcast infrastructure, and other public facing pieces, and some for bobsled and skeleton. This includes installation of a mountain coaster which simulates bobsled, and a 500 foot long push track for bobsled and skeleton. The state also invested in other ORDA facilities including Whiteface (downhill skiing and snowboarding venue), and the speed skating oval which were all brought up to international standards.”

In addition to the direct Lake Placid facilities upgrade, the State also went big investing in the surrounding communities. The $80,000,000 investment doesn’t include “$500 million the state invested into Lake Placid and surrounding communities to upgrade roads, downtowns, and facilities. That investment into the communities helped take a step up into modernizing everything from data, power, housing and accommodations. The number of beds and new hotels is increasing.”

An Experienced Host of Major Events

World Cup ski jumping drew 5,000-8,000 daily spectators at Lake Placid, so Seymour is confident in the region’s ability to house and transport perhaps double that amount for a cross-country World Cup. The recent World University Games was also an invaluable training ground for ORDA and other organizations to learn how to fine tune things such as housing and transporting such large numbers of people. “Our expectation…is to have 8,000 to 10,000 people,” said Seymour. “But, given the U.S. team’s fabulous seasons…we recognize we may have more than that. We’re looking at what we need to do to accommodate even more.”

Hosting other international events such as UCI’s Mountain bike World Cup races sharpens organizers’ skills and helps debug glitches in advance of other major events. Seymour describes the level of preparation that will have been achieved by the time the cross-country World Cup hits Lake Placid: “We will have had two World Cup cross-country mountain bike races. We’re expecting 8,000 spectators this year. I think that will give us a very good idea of what that impact is on the venue. Most spectators will be shuttled into the venue that will be the same for cross-country skiing.”

The area has a small full-time population, but having large international events isn’t perceived as a negative strain on the community. “Lake Placid has been the epicenter for sports and events since 1932,” said Seymour. “People recognize that those events bring people, fill hotels, and make for a vibrant downtown and business model. It’s a place that recognizes that these events present different opportunities for families and young people. Lake Placid has been very productive producing winter Olympians from a grass roots level. Lake Placid does well in sending people into the world to compete.”

Home Field Advantage

It hasn’t yet been decided which race formats will be utilized for the three days of racing in March, but Seymour is confident in Mt. Van Hoevenberg’s ability to accommodate any race configuration, and that racers will be challenged by a unique course. “When we were designing the trails, we reached out to the U.S. teams: Nordic Combined, biathlon, and cross-country, and took from them different characteristics of what they would like to see. There were stars of the current teams and coaching staff which had a large influence on what we did, particularly in the Sprint loop. It will be well suited to the skill set of American Sprinters.” That input included looking for a course with “multiple transitions either in topography or turns. So that means multiple changes in topography where you’re either ascending or descending, with quite a few turns. They also wanted a course that was a cardiovascular challenge on the final climb. Our final climb is quite wide and at a grade that benefits the skill set of many American Sprinters. The last 100 meters is about a two to three percent grade with a slight uphill to the finish. The feedback we’ve had…is that there’s not a World Cup course like this on the planet, it’s very technically and tactically challenging.”

More fine tuning will take place when Lake Placid hosts the SuperTour finals this coming winter. Hosting the SuperTour will also present an opportunity for the American squad to add to the home field advantage. “Jessie and Rosie have never skied on snow at Mt. Van Hoevenberg on the new courses, so we wanted to have a window for them to compete before the World Cup.”

Volunteers

One notable hallmark of the Minneapolis World Cup was the quantity and quality of its volunteers. In Lake Placid, volunteers will also be relied upon as an essential component of the event. “Going into major events it’s easy to have concerns about the volunteer load needed,” said Seymour. “Recruitment and training are very important. But it’s a community that’s quite passionate about cross-country skiing…we’ve seen from larger events that we recruit people who are coming to the event, and locals. Our volunteer base comes from as far as northern Maine to New York City. Recruitment and training are a big focus. We have a full time chief of volunteers within ORDA. It’s a dedicated effort across the venue.”

Lingering Concerns

“We engage with a lot of federations and world class events; that’s familiar territory,” noted Seymour. “There are always nuances…between different federations. This is our first World Cup ski race since 1979, and just having that first World Cup event…we’re trying to do everything to understand the nuances. We try to communicate openly with USSS (United States Ski and Snowboard) with what they view as important, and Minneapolis about things they experienced that they didn’t anticipate. We try to bring in as many well experienced people as we can for things that might come our way. The ski race part of it—there’s a high level of expectation—but sometimes the actual race is the less complicated part.”

“We truly feel honored and privileged to be able to host this event. We are doing so with the hope that we get to share it with the Nordic community…and be part of the fascinating story that is being built in the United States with regard to cross-country skiing, and to continue the momentum of the success of the team, the national clubs, and Minneapolis’ spectacularly successful World Cup.”

Thanks to Kris Seymour for taking the time to speak with FasterSkier.

This coverage is made possible through the generous support of Marty and Kathy Hall and A Hall Mark of Excellence Award. To learn more about A Hall Mark of Excellence Award, or to learn how you can support FasterSkier’s coverage, please contact info@fasterskier.com.

The Minneapolis World Cup was a sensational success. Now, the announcement of the upcoming vote on Lake Placid as a host venue for a cross-country World Cup weekend has kindled hopes of another hugely enjoyable and exciting experience for North American fans. But it takes more than just hope and aspiration to be seriously considered to host a World Cup, and to actually land the big date takes even more. Earlier this month, FasterSkier looked at what it took to get the nod for Lake Placid from the United States Ski and Snowboard and FIS (International Ski Federation) perspective. But there’s another entire story from the venue’s perspective. Here’s a look at what folks in New York needed to do to get to the point where they are just one step away from being ratified as a World Cup site.

To start with, Lake Placid’s organization is structured very differently from that in Minneapolis. Lake Placid is already an international venue with facilities and government sponsored organizational structure in place to handle large events. Minneapolis was a much smaller venue organized mostly by volunteers and non-profits without an existing state agency to run the event.

To understand those differences—and what’s behind Lake Placid’s bid—FasterSkier spoke with Kris Seymour who is Nordic Program Coordinator overseeing recreation activities, sport development activity, and all of the endurance events that take place at Mt. Van Hoevenberg, Lake Placid.

Seymour works for the Olympic Regional Development Authority (ORDA), a state agency dedicated to the management of Lake Placid’s Olympic facilities. ORDA is a byproduct of the Lake Placid Olympics of 1980 and 1932. Its mission statement is: “To create economic and social benefit in the Adirondacks and Catskills by operating year-round venues that provide recreational and athletic development opportunities, achieved through a commitment to continuous improvement and emphasis on environmental stewardship, fiscal responsibility, and the delivery of world-class programs and experiences to persons of all ages and abilities.” That’s a pretty broad mandate, but it’s the part about delivery of world-class programs and experiences that lays the foundation for ORDA going after big international events like the FIS World Cup.

Bringing a World Cup to Mt. Van Hoevenberg has been a long time coming. The last time there was a cross-country World Cup event in Lake Placid was in 1979 before the Olympics. “A really important part of our mandate is to go after high level national and international events,” said Seymour. “It’s pretty unique.”  Mt. Van Hoevenberg has hosted national and international events in bobsled, skeleton, luge, and cross-country (skiing). This September, it will expand to include International Cycling Union (UCI) World Cup Mountain biking. “For us the 2026 finale— the proposed races would be the last weekend of the season— in cross-country skiing has been a long time goal…and has also been one of our major accomplishments.”

Lots of Upgrades

Forty-seven years between visits is a long time, but that doesn’t mean ORDA has been waiting around just hoping that FIS will revisit the Adirondacks. “The goal (of a World Cup) has been longstanding, going back to the early 2000s,” said Seymour. “We knew that Mt. Van Hoevenberg needed to go through a revitalization and re-homologation period.” Given the venue’s location, this presented some additional hurdles. “We’re on state land, so the level of revitalization which needed to happen had regulatory and other environmental milestones which needed to be met. Those took a number of years. About 6-7 years ago Lake Placid was coming into a new era. Our governor at the time—Andrew Cuomo— was very interested in the revitalization of all of the Olympic venues in Lake Placid. He wanted all of those venues to be to international standards.”

It was the confluence of many factors that ultimately resulted in the World Cup bid. But the spark that led to the hosting fire was the World University Games coming to Lake Placid in 2023. “That event became the piece where the state of New York invested money into Lake Placid as both a community and invested in the Olympic venues for revitalization,” said Seymour. “This led to the creation of one venue at Mt. Van Hoevenberg which could host World Cup biathlon and cross-country. 2018 was the start of master planning for the World University Games which led to a closer look at how ORDA could create a single site for cross-country and biathlon. That’s when the process for becoming a World Cup venue really began. It’s when the benchmarking for the courses to hold a World Cup occurred. The process involved having FIS appoint an homologation inspector and designer (homologation is a big word which simply refers to the process and standards of having a course approved to meet FIS World Cup standards).”

Having an approved course for biathlon, Nordic combined, and cross-country presented challenges since the homologation standards are different. “It is achievable, which we did at Mt. Van Hoevenberg. We held the University games for cross-country, biathlon, and Nordic combined at the same venue, which isn’t typical. It was a pretty significant accomplishment to do all these events over a two week period. Bringing the world in…gave us the chance— in a pretty condensed amount of time— to gain a lot of experience by working with both the athletes and the international organizations.”

The longest loop on the homologated course is a five-kilometer section with small loops built around it as required for biathlon and cross-country. “We have future plans for expansion, but that’s a few years away.”

With all of the changes, Mt. Van Hoevenberg brings a lot to the table in addition to simply having an international level ski trail. “The infrastructure development has become a differentiator,” Seymour explained. “We built a lodge that’s over 50,000 square feet, there are facilities specific to recreation, sport development, competition, and event management. Inside that space is all of the room we need for timing and scoring as well as broadcasting and jury rooms. We looked at what FIS and the IBU (International Biathlon Union) required and created those permanently within the lodge. Having this level of infrastructure in place is a game changer for governing organizations and host venues.”

This means that to host future events, ORDA doesn’t have to build or bring in temporary structures and also has the space for other uses. “Those spaces also serve other important needs…such as using those spaces for meetings or social activities. It’s been really positive for us.” Also created during the rehabilitation was the establishment of permanent team areas for waxing. These meet FIS standards for heating and ventilation and are adjacent to the stadium through a tunnel. “We use those for everything from a high school race to family spaces.”

Lake Placid also took visionary steps to make itself appealing for large international events by creating a plug-and-play technology footprint for broadcasting. “One of the biggest things we did—which isn’t done by a lot of our contemporaries—is we established a dedicated broadcast, I.T., and scoring system,” Seymour explained. “Throughout the trail network we have over 20 media pedestals. Each has power, data, and fiber. When T.V. comes to the event, Mt. Van Hoevenberg is literally a plug-and-play; they don’t have to lay miles of cable. This became a big differentiator (compared to other venues). If we didn’t have that, broadcast has to come in a week early. Instead, they can show up a couple of days before the event which saves everyone money.” This permanent infrastructure has eliminated the need for most cable runs. “All of the pedestals are linked to a server room, so everything is plug and play to make it easy for broadcasters. This technology support is viewed very favorably by international organizations. This infrastructure played a big role in Mt. Van Hoevenberg being approached by UCI to be a World Cup Mountain bike host.”

Additional infrastructure upgrades were also needed to deal with the always-present issues driven by climate change. Snowmaking is now an important consideration for venues; Lake Placid is no exception. Before revitalization projects began, Mt. Van Hoevenberg didn’t have snowmaking. It was an enormous undertaking to add snowmaking to the facility. “We created a reservoir site of just over 3,000,000 gallons, that’s within the trail network, we have a snowmaking pumphouse feeding the course. Every 60-80 feet is an air and water hydrant with high efficiency snow guns. In the stadium there are three fan guns. After completion it was recognized by FIS as one of the most capable and powerful systems on the planet. There are five kilometers of snow making, and all of the competition loops sit within those five kilometers. Additionally, there’s another kilometer of snowmaking in the warmup loop. Since adding snowmaking, despite the significant weather challenges, Lake Placid hasn’t had to cancel any races in the last four seasons.”

While snowmaking is becoming a baseline requirement for an international venue, Lake Placid may have a leg up on other venues for other reasons when it comes to ski conditions. “Looking at climate models, Lake Placid is fairly well poised for cold temperatures. We should still—through the middle of the century—have significant cold windows.”

Four years ago, ORDA began serious conversations with Stifel U.S. Ski Team Program Director, Chris Grover, and head coach, Matt Whitcomb, about hosting an event. The idea of timing a World Cup at Lake Placid to intersect with the career arc of current U.S. team stars was a natural consideration. “That became a conversation—of certain windows—with the season finale being an obvious window,” said Seymour. “We’re not assuming that anyone is retiring after the Olympics, but recognizing that for some athletes, that is a time…it was identified as a perfect window for the rising stars and the more experienced parts of the team—potentially on home soil—to be able to shine…in front of what’s expected to be a robust crowd.”

Please return to FasterSkier for Part II of our interview with Kris Seymour to learn more about what it took for Lake Placid to rise to the level of being a World Cup host venue.

This coverage is made possible through the generous support of Marty and Kathy Hall and A Hall Mark of Excellence Award. To learn more about A Hall Mark of Excellence Award, or to learn how you can support FasterSkier’s coverage, please contact info@fasterskier.com.

In part one of our interview with U.S. coach, Matt Whitcomb, about Bend spring training camp he told us about training regimens and the team building approach. In part II, Whitcomb talks more about training in Bend and wider ranging topics.

Aiming To Be The Best in the World

A big point of focus at training camp from the team perspective is the standings in the Nation’s Cup. “One of the things that’s sort of a rallying cry for us is the quest to finish in the top three in the Nation’s Cup scoring,” said Whitcomb. “There’s a lot of energy surrounding our Nation’s cup scoring when we talk about our team culture document: team goals that we can rally around. We’ve finished fourth for the last two years. (Losing to Finland in the last weekend for two consecutive years.) This is something that ten years ago we weren’t even discussing. The fact that we’re even in a discussion to be in the top three represents a massive change over the course of the last decade. That’s something we’re very proud of; to be competing on equal ground with the Scandinavian nations, often beating them. In a great year we used to be sixth. Now we know we are often in the top three, we just haven’t finished there by season’s end. That’s a big goal of ours. While we do have a way to go, in particular against the Norwegian men, and the Swedish women, we can see the pathway to becoming the best ski nation in the world. We have the numbers of athletes to accomplish this, we have the number of coaches and clubs. It’s all there. Each of us needs to take a couple of small steps forward, and we’ll be that much closer. But these are levels that we haven’t felt as being tangible targets; now they are. Now that we can see it, we can see the pathway to becoming the best cross-country skiing nation in the world. I think in the near term, on the scale of a decade…the changes that have happened over the last decade…if they happen again, we’ll be in contention for (best in the world). We feel that’s a place we can now actually go, and target.”

But to do well in the nation’s cup, team USA will have to strike a difficult balance of putting forth the best team while also resting athletes who need it. “There are times when we are not starting our best relay team because we are trying to preserve the long term goals of (individual) athletes. But all the athletes on the team respect any athlete’s need to sit out an event. They all know how hard it is.”

The Next Generation

Whitcomb has noticed a generational shift of sorts with new team members. “The athletes arriving now (for camp) on the development team, they are more professionally prepared, have better technique, and overall are better trained (than they used to be),” whitcomb explained. “The athletes on average are training 100 hours more (per year) than they were ten years ago. We have surveys that we have taken over the years, so we know the training volume has grown, along with that, the level of coaching has grown. We have so many great coaches peppered throughout the country that we didn’t always have.” Whitcomb sees the long term impact of this change. “It gives us more belief in the future of our program, and our ability to compete against the best in the world.”

With a new class of younger athletes coming in, there are new challenges and new expectations. “At this age change happens very quickly, it can happen over the course of a camp. A lot of the athletes are skiing better by week two.”

Along with the heightened abilities of new athletes is also the challenge of dealing with increasing team success. Last year was one of the best ever—if not the best­—for U.S. cross-country. Does it create a different level of pressure? “As we’ve improved as a nation, we’ve also improved under pressure,” Whitcomb said. “We’ve learned to utilize the pressure as an asset and resource, we see it as a privilege. On a race day when an athlete is dealing with nerves, you can reframe it and acknowledge to them that they have this privilege of doing something important; it’s not necessarily a negative source of energy. At this time of year pressure is fun and motivating.”

The Bend Chill

Bend is also unique because of its more relaxed atmosphere. “There’s a different tone in our October camps where we’re training at a higher level, we’re training big hours, we’re doing specific time trials,” said Whitcomb. “There’s a layer of stress that doesn’t exist at Bend. An example is we had an athlete get sick (in Bend). He stayed in his room to recover and protect everyone else’s health, but people weren’t really that stressed. That’s a different story on the World Cup where you try to avoid these germs at all costs.”

Ogden’s Status

For world-class endurance athletes, illness is often an issue around which accommodations must be made; Ben Ogden’s presence and performance at the camp was a relief to the team. Ogden is returning from a case of mononucleosis he contracted toward the end of last season that kept him out of the Minneapolis World Cup. Fans will be happy to hear that he is doing well. “Ben is training at a very high capacity,” said Whitcomb. “We are still being careful. We’re probably asking him how he’s feeling more than the other athletes. We want to make sure we’re not starting too early. He’s had a wonderful medical team around him since his diagnosis. I feel like he’s in the place where he’s training at nearly full capacity, and I say nearly just because it’s May, and I don’t know if anybody is training at full capacity just yet.”

World Cup Developments

Whitcomb is also looking forward to changes which will have to be addressed during the upcoming World Cup season. One of the big changes is FIS’s decision to raise the maximum altitude at which races can be held. Whitcomb doesn’t see that as much of a problem for the American team. “For Americans, I think that’s actually and advantage,” he said. “We tend to race pretty well at altitude because we naturally have more experience at altitude. All of our best athletes throughout the year will be training at an altitude event. That’s not the case for (other countries). I feel like this is something we excel at. I welcome it. We need to be able to access more venues (for snow); I think it’s a good change.”

Whitcomb also shared his thoughts on the potential of Lake Placid, New York, hosting a World Cup. “This is great news. Minneapolis is no longer a one-off amazing experience; it’s a legacy event. The Europeans had such a great experience in Minneapolis that I think we’ll draw a full compliment of World Cup athletes.”

This coverage is made possible through the generous support of Marty and Kathy Hall and A Hall Mark of Excellence Award. To learn more about A Hall Mark of Excellence Award, or to learn how you can support FasterSkier’s coverage, please contact info@fasterskier.com.

May 4^th through the 17th marked the return to the unofficial start of serious cross-country ski training for Team USA with their annual return to Bend, Oregon for their spring camp held at Mt. Bachelor. Over the years, Bend camp has become a rite of passage for Stifel U.S. Ski Team members who enjoy Mt. Bachelor’s unique ability to provide excellent snow conditions late into the spring on a reliable basis, and enjoy summer like weather while in the valley below. Skiing in shorts and t-shirts is a great way for the team to get back on snow while having a little bit of fun. It’s a low key atmosphere; a little more laid back than camps closer to race season.

Bend’s reliable spring snow has made it the venue of choice for many North American teams. Not only is the U.S. cross-country team in attendance, but also in Bend this spring are the U.S Biathlon Team and Craftsbury Green Racing Project team. According to Mt. Bachelor cross-country director, Sydney Powell, those teams will be joined by members of the U.S. and Canadian Para Nordic teams, some members of the Canadian biathlon team, and several other North American Nordic teams.

FasterSkier had the opportunity to speak with Team USA coach, Matt Whitcomb, for updates on what was going on in Bend, and to get the inside scoop on early season training.

This spring, Bend has lived up to its reputation as a skiing paradise. “Conditions have been great,” Whitcomb said. “When we arrived, we had two days of winter, the first day was below freezing and the second day was right around zero (Celsius) and still snowing. Waxing was a challenge, which is what we hope to run into. We need work skiing, waxing, and training in these tricky conditions. Since then, it’s been bluebird conditions; freezing overnight then warming during the day; universal and red klister all day.” The waxing fine tuning is carried out by coaches since the team is unable to have their regular season waxing support. In addition to Whitcomb, the World Cup coaches present included Chris Grover, Kristen Bourne, and Jason Cork. Also present were Greta Anderson and Brian Fish. Rounding out the group is strength coach, Tschana Schiller. Schiller sets up strength training sessions known as “garage training.”

There was an excellent turnout; 22 of 27 Team USA members attended for all, or part, of the camp. And joining this year’s camp was Swedish star Emma Ribom (friend of JC Schoonmaker). Having prominent visitors from foreign teams has also become a tradition of Bend camp.

The Format

Each day at Bend camp provides unique opportunities. “Every day is different,” Whitcomb said. “But the general plan is we ski in the morning, load up the vans at 7:30, and we’re skiing by 8:15. This is after we’ve gotten together and watched a little World Cup video to set the tone, and do a little visualization. We ski for 2-3 hours, not an incredible amount of volume this time of year. This camp is particularly early this year, the way it fell on the calendar, so we’re being a little more conservative. Then in the afternoons we do dryland training, running, roller skiing, biking, or doing strength training. The goals are getting a jumpstart on our fitness and strength and motivation to kick us off into another training year. Also, every hour we can log on snow is a very valuable hour for us. We do emphasize individuality. If there’s a workout that doesn’t work for an athlete, we work with them, if someone misses an interval session because they’re tired, we’ll run a separate one for them later in the week. We’re very flexible.”

There are many ingredients that go into making a good training camp. “One of the goals is that we set the stage for what our new team looks like,” said Whitcomb. “We get together in a room several times a day to eat and train. Some athletes are brand new. Every year this team feels entirely different…even if you exchange just one athlete, the dynamic feels different. This camp is really about setting the tone for what the new team is going to represent.”

Building Team Culture

The American squad is now well known for its team approach, but it doesn’t come by accident. “One of my favorite meetings of the year that we have is what we call our team culture meeting,” said Whitcomb. “We ask ourselves three questions, talk about them and build a document we can reference the rest of the year to remember at the beginning of the season what we intended to build.

Whitcomb shared the secret sauce of the content of the three question approach. The first question is: “What are we proud of as members of the U.S. ski team, as ambassadors for U.S. skiing? So, it will be things like we’re proud of the community we’re part of, which was in our face in Minneapolis.”

“The second question is: “If we wanted to, how would we wreck our team culture? That’s a fun one. Rather than calling ourselves out on things we don’t do well, we can talk about things we know will destroy the fabric of the team, like being late, creating cliques, being lazy, not having each other’s backs.”

“The last question is: “What are our action items; what are we going to do as a team? An example of that is we want to do one community event per camp. Another example is we want to review this document several times through the year, to make sure we’re on track.”

This type of candor can present a challenge for new members. “We don’t ever say that we want everybody to participate…just because not everybody is comfortable speaking in a group that they’re adjusting to for the first time. But generally, everybody does participate with something spoken. But simply to be present is to participate.”

The message of what skiers take home is different for everyone. “The one baseline concept I hope they get is a new level of confidence knowing that they have this other team, the national team, that has their backs that they are a part of and connected to. Also, individually we have worked on technical and training concepts that they can bring home to apply to their training.”

The American Way

The U.S. team’s approach to camp is different than many other countries. Since the American system is decentralized, the athletes also work with their own clubs when not training with the national team. “It’s no problem for a lot of these athletes to accomplish all of the training that they need to be able to sustain a great season in Europe, or at World Juniors,” said Whitcomb. “But at the end of the day, in particular for World Cup athletes, you’re not going to be spending that time with your club program. You need two teams. We are proud to be a decentralized program that depends on its clubs as important partners. This is an additional resource. It’s really necessary for an American athlete to have two teams…to have a club program and national team. If we’re not a connected group, we won’t perform well in Europe. We’re on the road for too long in too tight of quarters not to have team cohesion be a critical focus.”

Please return to FasterSkier for part II of our interview with Matt Whitcomb for more insight into the Bend/Mt. Bachelor training camp when he will discuss the team’s goals, integrating a new generation into the team, trying to be the best in the world, World Cup issues, and an update on Ben Ogden.

This coverage is made possible through the generous support of Marty and Kathy Hall and A Hall Mark of Excellence Award. To learn more about A Hall Mark of Excellence Award, or to learn how you can support FasterSkier’s coverage, please contact info@fasterskier.com.

After the smash success of the Minneapolis World Cup, a question being asked by American cross-country fans was whether Minneapolis was a one trick pony, or would we see other World Cup events in the United States? That question was partially answered when it was announced that Lake Placid is on its way to being a host venue for a World Cup in 2026. While it’s not official yet, the groundwork has been laid; barring any last minute complications with FIS (International Ski Federation), we should see World Cup racing in Lake Placid, New York, toward the end of March 2026.

To get the details of what it took to get to this point from the perspective of FIS and United States Ski and Snowboard—and to get a clearer view of what remains to be done—FasterSkier spoke with United States cross-country Program Director, Chris Grover. It has been a long journey from the first seed of the idea of having a World Cup in Lake Placid to getting to the point where it’s almost a done deal.

To start with, it is not completely accurate to say that Lake Placid has been selected to host the FIS World Cup in 2026. It is correct to say that they are significantly past the initial stages—having been approved by the FIS cross-country committee—and close to the finish line. “In the last round of meetings, the cross-country committee (within FIS) has approved the rough calendar for 2025/26,” said Grover. “The general process is that about two years in advance we’re nailing down the venues.” But the tentative calendar still must be approved by the FIS council when they meet in early June. “We expect it to be approved, generally there isn’t much pushback on things like calendars. After it’s approved, it’s pretty much set for Lake Place for 2026. We are expecting and planning on going to Lake Placid in 2026.”

But the work to achieve FIS compliance doesn’t end with the vote. “With every new venue, the FIS staff will want to inspect the venue…they might come over as soon as this summer.”  According to Grover, FIS will not only inspect the course, but they will also consider things such as lodging, wax cabin locations, banner locations, and television planning. Grover doesn’t see problems arising, “Lake Placid is an experienced venue that is used to hosting big international events, and they’ve been doing World Cups in other disciplines like luge and ski jumping.” To prove that point, Mt. Van Hoevenberg—located within the Lake Placid complex—is hosting the UCI (Union Cycliste Internationale) cross-country cycling World Cup this fall, which will add to their experience.

The March 2026 World Cup program is anticipated to have three races. While the format won’t be finalized until next spring, Grover expects that there will be one day of Sprinting, and two days of Distance racing. He doesn’t think it is likely that there will be team events such as relays. So that means the race format will probably come down to a Sprint, a 10 k race, and a 20 k race.

Grover emphasized the momentum of building off Minneapolis’ success. This was demonstrated when an athlete survey was conducted by Julia Kern (USA) and Jimmy Clugnet (GBR)—the two FIS athlete representatives—where almost 100 athletes were surveyed as to what their favorite venue of the year had been. Minneapolis won by a landslide. Over 90 percent of athletes also voted yes when asked about coming back to the U.S. after the 2026 Olympics.

There was also wide spread international support for another North American World Cup from FIS officials. “It was almost unanimously supported in the sub-committee where the voting took place,” said Grover. “The vote was 17 to 1 to go to Lake Placid, so there’s huge support, in part due to the success of Minneapolis.”

That enthusiasm will surely be tested when the tentative schedule will make athletes decamp from the last weekend of racing in Europe, travel the next day on Monday, and race in Lake Place the following weekend, March 20-22nd. There will not be a week off like there was this last winter when the World Cup traveled to North America.

The impetus for having another U.S. World Cup came in part from U.S. Ski and Snowboard. “The idea of doing something in the spring of 2026 was something that our C.E.O., Sophie Goldschmidt, asked. We floated the idea to Lake Placid and asked if they would look at it. They really dug into it…and they came back this winter and said they figured out how they could do it.”

An often overlooked benefit of having a World Cup race on home soil is the increase in team size that comes with it. The benefit—the “host nation’s groups quota”—would mean additional starters for  the U.S. “We will have a full start field, 12 men and 12 woman that can start each race,” said Grover. “It gives the most opportunity to the most U.S. athletes. I expect we’ll have a team size there of probably 35-40 athletes, when you take Sprint, Distance, men, women into account.”

Unlike last winter when the World Cup visited Canada and the U.S., this time it will be strictly an American affair with no Canadian stop. Grover attributed this to the Scandinavian venues already on the calendar. “It’s pretty locked in that in the spring you’re going to be in Lahti, Oslo, and one Swedish venue, usually Falun. That block is traditional in the long term planning.”

Grover hopes that trips to North America will now be part of the regular schedule. “We’re already starting discussions with Canada about 2028. Whatever happens with the FIS games in 2028…could make that more difficult.” But scheduling difficulties go beyond potential conflicts with the nascent FIS games. “There are more places that want to have World Cups than we have weekends in the calendar.”

It wasn’t lost on Grover that the timing of the Lake Placid weekend could be historical. “It will be a celebration of what we hope will be a successful winter Olympic games a few weeks before,” he said. “It may end up being the last World Cup for some of our key athletes. Nothing is written in stone, but there is a possibility of it being the last World Cup for (long time athletes). If that happened on home soil…it would be incredible. We’ve had that on our radar screens for a while now.” The long term athletes he is referring to are Jessie Diggins and Rosie Brennan. Diggins has already stated her intent to ski at least through the 2026 Olympic season. Brennan has been a little more ambiguous and seems to be taking more of a year to year approach. No one knows for sure when either woman will take their final bow on the World Cup stage, and clearly there is a lot of speculation involved. But if it did turn out that 2026 was the end of the ski trail for two American icons, what a great sendoff it would be.

This coverage is made possible through the generous support of Marty and Kathy Hall and A Hall Mark of Excellence Award. To learn more about A Hall Mark of Excellence Award, or to learn how you can support FasterSkier’s coverage, please contact info@fasterskier.com.

Last week, the International Ski Federation (FIS) held its annual spring meeting. Among the topics were finalizing next year’s calendar and fine tuning of some of the sport’s rules. All actions taken at the meeting are still subject to ratification by the FIS Council; but failure to ratify is unlikely, and the proposed calendar and changes will likely be put into practice.

The upcoming race season will be broken up into four different Periods, plus the World Championships, which will be held in Trondheim, Norway.

Ruka, Finland, Lillehammer, Norway, and Davos, Switzerland, will host races for Period One. Some different race formats to watch for in Period One will be a 20-kilometer Skiathlon in Lillehammer—one of three Skiathlons next winter—and a Team Sprint in Davos.

Period Two is entirely the Tour de Ski; with an eye on making the Tour more sustainable, it will all be in Italy: Toblach and Val di Fiemme. FIS also promises to “re-evaluate” the Tour over the next several years but hasn’t given any specifics about what that means. So, anything from schedule tweaking to host venues to scoring could be on the table. This year there will be seven races over nine days, with some competition in Val Di Fiemme taking place on the new 2026 Olympic courses.

Of special note for this coming Tour is that the sixth day of competition will be another 20 k Skiathlon. The Skiathlon is a fan favorite but an organizers’ challenge with added complexity needed for a transition area and preparing Classic and Freestyle courses for the same race.

Period Three will begin 12 days after the Tour ends with stops in Les Rousses, France; Engadin, Switzerland; Nove Mesto, Czech Republic; and Falun, Sweden.

After Period three, attention shifts to the World Championships which start February 26^th, ten days after period three ends. The World Championships conclude March 8^th and 9^th with a 50-kilometer Mass Start men’s and women’s Freestyle on each date, with the women’s race held on the last day of competition. Excluding qualifiers, there will be six different races contested, which will include another Skiathlon. Many of the men’s and women’s races will be held on separate days to help the athletes rest. The U.S. women’s team will have its calendar circled for Friday, March 7^th, the day for the 4 x 7.5 -kilometer relay, as the U.S. team will try to solve the heretofore unbreakable code of finding the podium in a World Championship relay.

Period Four picks up on March 15^th—only six days after the World Championships end—with racing in Oslo, Norway; Tallinn, Estonia; and concluding in Lahti, Finland. The last day of the season will be March 23^rd when the 50 k Classic Mass Start will be held. Quite the way to end the season.

But the 800 pound gorilla on the schedule is what isn’t there. The weekend of March 15^th will be in Oslo, Norway for what most fans would expect to be the iconic Holmenkollen 50-kilometer. But the venerated 50-kilometer race is gone!  After much consternation surrounding this move, FIS did not see fit to change its mind and eliminated the most prestigious individual race in cross-country. It will be replaced with a 10 k Freestyle Interval Start and a 20 k Classic Mass Start race. FIS’s rationale for this decision is to avoid too heavy a physical toll on the athletes with two consecutive 50 kilometer races (Holmenkollen coming after the World Championships). Suffice to say that there is not universal approval of this decision.

Rule Fine Tuning

One of the more impactful rules adjustments was changing the maximum elevation at which races can be held. The maximum elevation threshold was increased to 2,000 meters (about 6,550 feet). This change reflects the new reality that, to ensure quality snow conditions, increases in elevation are necessary. This change will affect all future Olympics, World Cups, World Championships, and Junior World Championships. The previous maximum height had been 1,800 meters (about 5,905 feet). A 650 foot elevation increase is pretty significant at this level of competition and could affect racing outcomes.

Mark your calendars now so you don’t miss any part of another exciting season of racing.

Our discussions with Schwartz focused on the development of the UNH team culture, and how it evolved from his own experiences in trying to keep the ski program alive. “As I progressed through my early years of coaching, we were on the cutting block at least four times during my career,” Schwartz observed. “And that led us down the road of forming the team (concept) because we had to solve the problem together as a team. We just kept building on that; I could sense the experience made the team more positive and happier. That made them be better skiers because they wanted to perform together. It just went down that road, that this makes sense. That translated to even the practice part… that we’re better being whole and supportive instead of in these different disciplines of Alpine versus Nordic or men versus women.” That experience laid the foundation for the future. “I could sense that experience made the team more positive, happier, which made them better students and better skiers.”

The threat of the team being cut multiple times was always stressful. “It happened in a way that wasn’t always easy,” Schwartz remembered. “I once got a phone call at six in the morning saying I needed to come in; another time I heard about it on the radio. But each time, U.N.H. skiing got stronger. We learned what skiing meant to the State of New Hampshire, and the State rallied behind us, and they taught the University that skiing is the State sport. It made us develop a great foundation of alumni who support the team like no place else. Each time, even though it sucked, it made us better.”

Further proof of improvement through adversity and teambuilding is that the team now has grown to 40 members (Nordic and Alpine combined). But even a large team doesn’t mean that team building suffers. “We don’t do an A, B, or development team. What we do for our best skier and our slowest skier is the same. We support everyone the same. It’s a better experience for our skiers. We brought them (the skiers) here for an opportunity, to me that opportunity is let’s train, let’s be a team, and let’s race.”

When the program was first on the chopping block, instead of just getting mad, Schwartz took action. He reached out to the community and alumni. “I also reached out to politicians in the State.” But Schwartz refuses to take credit for saving the program multiple times. “It’s more than me. Prior coaches got involved. One of the things we did was rally a group of our alumni who were successful business people and utilized their knowledge of how to create a better business plan to succeed as a team. I think that’s what probably saved us.”

The fight for survival led to a more robust program with greater reach and impact. Schwartz acknowledges that the fight to survive, “is the only reason we can do this. We now think about things like we’re running a company, we have to figure out how to fundraise and promote and involve our Friends group.”

Reaching out to stakeholders to stave off elimination resulted in another positive byproduct: it built relationships which increased fundraising and improved the team’s resources. “We fundraise about $270,000 every year (for the combined program),” Schwartz calculated. “We’re utilizing about $350,000 every year between fundraising and payouts from endowments.” Without the threat of elimination, the alumni network which allows for these contributions would not have been possible. The support for the program is wide and deep. An example; in 2022, U.N.H. skiing received a $2,000,000 gift from former ski team Captain, Tom Putnam.

When Schwartz began coaching, he was close in age to the members of his team. Now, he’s two generations removed, but the age difference doesn’t seem to matter. “Now I’m older than their parents,” he said. “But I don’t think it’s a struggle for me. It’s amazing how focused (today’s students) are, and the stress that they either put on themselves, or the stress that’s on them, just to ski.”

The presence of phones is often a battle. “That phone…and I’m just as bad, the phone has really changed communication, keeping focused, because they’re ‘snapping’ all the time. Many times, (students) are texting me, and I say this isn’t something we should text about, we should talk in person. On the other side, I think being involved in this new era of social media has helped me think young. But I talk to them (students) all the time, when you’re in the real world and you want to talk to your boss, you don’t do that over text, you need to get in front of him or her and speak well.”

Schwartz has been around long enough that he can now identify reoccurring coaching themes. “Every spring we have to recreate what we are,” he said. “We can’t expect it to be the same unless we make sure it’s the same, accepting the new students, communicating, setting the standards of what you want in practice. I wouldn’t call that a challenge. You just have to make sure it happens.”

However, aging as a coach does demand a price to be paid. “The struggles are more internal, going on 65, I can’t coach the way that I used to. You can work around it, but at some point, it’s tougher on me mentally because I can’t do what I used to do years ago, and that’s one of the reasons I’m retiring.”

The physical challenge is only one of the reasons Schwartz decided to retire. “I’ve been doing this for 42 years, and at some point, you decide that you need to do something for yourself, like being home for Thanksgiving. I’ve seen too many coaches stay too long…there was no way I wanted to leave under those circumstances. I wanted to leave with the team strong and I wanted to leave in the place where I had relationships with my team. I did that self-reflection; I’m always energized when I’m around the team, and right now I’m excited for the recruits we have coming in.”

After Schwartz departs, he doesn’t want to be a shadow looming over the program. “My goal is that U.N.H. ski team succeeds. Any involvement that I have (after retirement) would be based on that. If they want me to help in any way, all that have to do is ask. But the new director has to realize that the success or failure of the team falls on his or her shoulders.”

Schwartz attributes his longevity to liking what he does. “I enjoy working with the people that we get to come to the University of New Hampshire. It’s satisfying. Not every day is perfect. It’s also satisfying to figure out what you have to do to change. I think that’s what brought me back. We had practice this morning. I love seeing them work hard. I love seeing them smile and interact with each other. It’s that whole part of being a team that has brought me back for 42 years…with success. I’m very proud of our team performance and individual goals.”

Schwartz never seriously considered moving on from U.N.H. after he had established himself. “The whole package of raising a family in the sea coast, that U.N.H. was my alma mater, I did not think of ever looking at another school.”

His longevity has meant that he has developed an impressively broad coaching tree of disciples with him as the root system. Those providing comments for this article are a small subset of Schwartz’s legacy. People going on to coaching, “that meant to me that after their four or five years at U.N.H., they still loved the sport, and they still had that focus to continue being in it. I remember at one NCAA’s there were I think seven (U.N.H.) graduates that were coaching at different colleges.”

Beyond social media and money matters there have been other big changes that Schwartz has seen. Recruiting is now different. “Unfortunately, U.N.H. has always had to prove that you can be successful here because we’re recruiting against the Ivies and full scholarship teams out west. We learned right away that we had to get the student here to show them what U.N.H. is, we figured that out right away. I have gone to Scandinavia twice to see what that’s like. International students are always reaching out. Right now, we have a big Canadian contingent. Canadians are seeing that…these guys can succeed as a student athlete. Very much like what Ben Ogden did at U.V.M. Ten years ago, it wasn’t that way.”

Schwartz isn’t afraid of mixing in international students. “I see it as a positive thing. Bringing different experiences…they love the team atmosphere, because overseas it’s a little bit more individualized. They love being able to study and compete. At the same time, I don’t want to become an international team.”

There are a few moments over the last 42 years in particular that stand out to Schwartz. “I do have a few that really make me proud,” he remembered. “One is the first time the team won, Mike Hussey was my first all American, winning that first Carnival (a North Eastern term for tournament or meet) as a young coach of 23 meant something to me. Another moment was Anya Bean, (daughter of his teammate, Howie Bean). Her mom had passed away, and there was a lot of pressure on her, earning all American meant a lot to her and Howie. I’ll remember the look on Howie’s face after she finished her race.”

Schwartz’s message to coaches beginning their careers is simple. “The big one is communication is going to lead you to success, but don’t forget communication is also listening, it’s not talking.” Another thing he’d like to see more of is communication between coaches, and maybe going back in time a little for that. “In the 80s and 90s coaches got together a lot and interacted. Nowadays, we’re all in our wax trailers. I do miss meeting and creating those friendships with other coaches. We can go a whole weekend and not really see each other. As a young coach I learned so much just by observing and listening and talking (to older coaches), Terry Aldrich at Middlebury, John Morton at Dartmouth, Bud Fisher at Williams, Bob Axtell at St. Lawrence. You can gain so much by watching and listening.

The ski world would do well to heed Schwartz’s advice: a little conversation, a little listening, and some camaraderie can go a long way.

Schwartz didn’t have time to ski much while coaching and is looking forward to having the opportunity now in retirement. “I’m looking forward to being able to enjoy the sport that got me into coaching. That first year I’m going to stay local and go for a ski.”

Schwartz summed up his 42 years of coaching this way. “I feel honored to have been able to work at the University of New Hampshire and to work with the athletes that I did. I think their interactions with me made it feel like, while it’s a job, it’s not a job. I’m thanking them now for being able to coach them.” Quite a summation, and quite a legacy for a man who, early on, grasped the importance of team, and the importance of being happy doing what you do . . . for 42 memorable years.

Let’s jump into our FasterSkier time machine and go back to 1982. Ronald Reagan was President, the internet hadn’t been invented, and social media wasn’t even a concept. The Berlin wall would still be standing for another seven years, and therefore East Berlin and the Soviet Union were still a thing. Americans were looking back fondly at the 1980 winter Olympics in Lake Placid, New York, where the miracle on ice—the U.S. hockey team winning the gold medal—was still a fresh memory, Bill Koch had represented the U.S. in cross-country skiing and would go on to become the first American to win a medal in a world championship when he took home the bronze in the 30-kilometer race in 1982. No designation for Freestyle or Classic had yet been developed! Enough of the historical perspective, just accept it was a long time ago.

It was during this bygone era that a recent graduate from the University of New Hampshire (U.N.H.) accepted an assistant coaching position at his alma mater, becoming the head coach of the cross-country ski team soon thereafter. A mere 42 years later, that man, Cory Schwartz, has decided the time has come to retire after spending his entire career at U.N.H.

42 years is a long time to stay in one place in any profession. In coaching, it’s almost unheard of. The basketball world was recently agog during March madness when Oakland University’s coach of 40 years—Greg Kampe—won his first round tournament game. The legendary George Halas of the NFL lasted 40 years as a coach. Schwartz has them both beat. He’s tied for longevity with a fellow named Mike Krzyzewski who coached Duke basketball for a minute or two. There are a handful of people who have had coaching careers in one place longer than Schwartz, but you can literally count them on one hand—Connie Mack— who managed the Philadelphia Athletics for 50 seasons— probably holds the unofficial record, and he didn’t beat Schwartz by much.

Schwartz didn’t set out to become a coaching icon. Like so many major accomplishments, much of it was serendipitous. Schwartz’s career began when he started skiing for U.N.H. as a student in 1977. He ended up being asked to coach and rose to the rank of the head cross-country coach and ski coordinator—which includes Alpine— for the University. Along the way, his athletes notched 31 top ten NCAA finishes, including skiers who accounted for 64 All American team selections.

It was those early, rough-hewn days in the late 1970’s at U.N.H. that laid the foundation for Schwartz’s coaching philosophy—team building. The team was very small then, and they had to support and help each other to make it through a season. The necessity of that era led to Schwartz’s hallmark: creating a great team atmosphere. That was something for which Schwartz was always known throughout his career. He was a trailblazer in this philosophy long before it became so popular on national teams, and well before the U.S. national team became famous for it. You can trace the philosophy’s roots back to the early days of fighting for skiing survival in the late 1970’s.

Schwartz entered the coaching business when he was asked by his coach, Buzz Davis, to assist him. He was assistant Nordic coach during his fifth year in college in 1982, and a short two years after college he was the coach for the Nordic team.

The Coach

There was no guide book on how to do the job. “I learned by making mistakes and making some good decisions,” Schwartz told FasterSkier. I wasn’t much older than my team. I was 23. I observed a lot of other coaches at U.N.H. to see how they communicated.”

One might think that being just a few years older than his students might have created problems with respect and authority, but it didn’t. “I don’t think it was an issue, but it was a concern of mine,” said Schwartz. “You’re in charge and you want to make sure that nothing (bad) happens. I was their coach, but also felt I was a trusted friend.”

Fast forward 42 years and Schwartz’s official title is ‘Ski Coordinator/Head Coach Nordic’.’ His duties include not only coaching the cross-country team but managing administrative duties for the downhill team as well. “I oversee the whole program: Alpine and Nordic, men’s and women’s.” But true to his team first philosophy, he doesn’t really separate the two disciplines. “We’re trying to create a whole team here, not just a Nordic team and an Alpine team. We’re one team.”

It’s fair to say that life at U.N.H. has been the sun of Schwartz’s solar system. Not only did he ski there as an undergraduate and coach there his entire career, but he also met his wife, Julie, at U.N.H. when she was a freshman on the ski team, and Schwartz was still racing for the team. “46 of my years have been either as a student or coach here at U.N.H.”

During Schwartz’s first year of skiing, the team was almost cut. It was an issue that would repeat throughout Schwartz’s career. But the adversity of fighting for survival created a bond between the small team with collaboration becoming essential. This bonding created the template that Schwartz would rely on and expand throughout his entire coaching life.

When you speak with some of Schwartz’s many well-known alumni one of the first things they all mention is what a great team atmosphere he created. U.S. biathlon team member and Olympian Clare Egan raced at U.N.H. for one year and told FasterSkier that, “it played an outsized role in my athletic career.” She continued that, “what stands out most about my year at U.N.H. is the team environment Cory cultivated. Cory’s biggest strength, in my view, is his extraordinary ability to bring a team together.”

Patrick Weaver, coach for the University of Vermont’s cross-country ski team and two time Olympian also skied for Schwartz. “The team environment that Cory creates extends beyond skiing,” Weaver told FasterSkier. “He wants his skiers to be successful, but also has high expectations for their character and wants the athletes to feel a responsibility to something larger than themselves, and I think that is a major factor in the success of his program.”

Another branch of the Schwartz development tree is Williams College cross-country ski coach Steve Monsulick. He worked with Schwartz for 13 years at U.N.H. and credits him with having a large influence on his coaching approach. “I learned how to create a supportive, focused, and fun team environment,” said Monsulick. “I learned how to cultivate personal relationships with athletes. Cory is truly interested in them; he cares about them both inside and outside of the scope of skiing.” Monsulick observed that the relationships Schwartz builds last a lifetime. “He gets really excited to hear that former athletes got into grad school, got a new job, had a baby or got engaged. He has been to so many of his athletes’ weddings (Nordic and Alpine), which goes to show the type of role he plays in his skiers’ lives. He knows the right buttons to push to get you fired up, but he’s also there for you whenever you need him.”

Another one of Schwartz’s alumni is Matt Voisin, the owner of this publication. “Cory created an atmosphere that was fun to be around and made all of us connected immediately,” Voisin commented. “That was so much more than just sport. I never felt that I was there as an individual, but that I was there to represent U.N.H., and working together as a team for a common team goal.” Schwarz shared some potentially embarrassing anecdotes about Voisin’s days at U.N.H., but those will be kept locked in the FasterSkier vault…for now.

Schwartz’s easy recollection of Voisin’s antics a quarter century ago reveals one of the more remarkable things you notice when speaking with Schwartz: his keen ability to remember minute details. The flood of memories over four decades hasn’t dimmed his ability to talk about events from 40 years ago like they happened yesterday. He appears to have the ability to discuss a race from the middle of last season with the same detail and ease with which he can discuss one from the 1980s.

It was through adversity that the team dynamic really began to blossom. “There were only two or three of us on the men’s team (in the late 1970s), so we tried to work together to help each other.” Schwartz credits his team building approach to those early days of scraping by on a small team and fighting for the team’s survival. “I think it started there, without us knowing. It was something we all tried to do to support each other not knowing where it was going to end up.”

Return to FasterSkier for Part II of our interview with Cory Schwartz.

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.

This coverage is made possible through the generous support of Marty and Kathy Hall and A Hall Mark of Excellence Award. To learn more about A Hall Mark of Excellence Award, or to learn how you can support FasterSkier’s coverage, please contact info@fasterskier.com.

Sophia Laukli likes to keep busy. That is an understatement. Her non-stop, year round ski and running schedule keeps her trotting across the globe to pursue racing on dirt and snow. In part I of FasterSkier’s interview with Laukli, she spoke with us from Japan about her current injury, defending the trail running world title, and her commitment to skiing.

Laukli is coming off the best ski season in her career, but she doesn’t always see her results in such a positive light. “It’s easy to forget about the best races of the year,” she said. “Especially in the World Cup when you’re racing so much. The last few races of the year I was definitely bummed out and then I started to think back, even thinking of Minneapolis. I was 15^th there, I was not psyched, but then I realized last year if you were 15^th , you would have been over the moon. It’s funny how our expectations shift so quickly. I didn’t have a lot of time to reflect at the end of the season, but it was pretty cool to compare everything to one year before. That was pretty insane of a jump. Quite a bit of room for improvement, but that’s an exciting thing to end the year on and focus on for next year. In general, it was quite a jump, and that doesn’t always happen. It was very motivating.”

Training Changes: Keep Easy Workouts Easy

So, what accounted for Laukli’s performance leap? She gives much credit to joining team Aker Daehlie. “I think it’s (her improvement) a combination of a lot of things. Another year under the belt; but a lot it has to do with my move to Norway and working with a new coach. This was the first really strong coaching relationship I’ve had; it was very collaborative. Before that, it was bouncing around with various coaches and it’s hard to build a strong relationship which leads to improvement.”

There were, however, additional specific training changes which Laukli can point to which aided her improvement. “I changed quite a bit of my training in the summer, and I had a lot more fun. Because I had a base in Norway, I got to go home quite a bit (during the ski season) so I wasn’t so exhausted mentally which made the racing more enjoyable.” There were a couple of specific training changes which she employed, and one was an increase in her double poling training. “I had never done strict double pole training sessions before. It wasn’t so much for improving double poling itself, but how that improvement transitions to skating and ski strength. Also, a lot of technique work. Also, my intervals were the same thing each week. Having a standard interval set to compare to and improve on.”

Her summer training mirrors Aker Daehlie’s philosophy of polarized training: make easy days very easy and make hard days hard. “What I do is definitely zone one. A lot of very very easy training. I’ve noticed that when easy training is too hard is when you struggle the most. It’s been a funny realization in the running world. A lot of runners I run with are beyond confused with how slow I run in training. My training is successful when I’m specific about it, so on easy days it’s very very easy and I’m able to go much harder on intervals.”

Changes to Team Aker Daehlie and Looking Forward

Laukli’s team has undergone some recent changes with its leader Knut Nystad announcing his departure. But Laukli doesn’t think it will affect her. “I’ve had discussions about what that means, but it won’t change a whole lot (about how it affects me).

For the next ski season, Laukli hopes to continue to build upon her past improvement. “I always set the goal of having more consistent top results and moving up in Overall results instead of pinpointing races. Getting more top tens and having that be more of a norm is a super cool achievement. In the Tour de Ski, I’ll always be thinking about the hill climb.” But there’s work ahead for her to move up in the Tour de Ski standings. She has been candid that Sprinting just isn’t in the cards for her. “Improving a few seconds in Sprinting can help a lot in the Overall. If I put a little bit of focus on strength it would help with the Overall. I don’t think a top thirty in a Sprint is a realistic goal, but not having such a massive time back is a first step.”

Dealing With Adverse Press Coverage

Laukli is still a little disconcerted about some adverse press coverage which followed her last season after a statement she made on a podcast about enjoying having an active social life and enjoying the party scene. The European press quickly picked up on it, and there were headlines splashed across European papers about Laukli’s partying habits. When asked if she felt she was treated fairly Laukli responded that, “I was definitely a bit shocked with how what I said was twisted.” She continued that “it was quite the learning experience because I was trying to portray this message in a podcast that for me it’s important to have a social life and have a life outside of running and skiing. Because I’m competing 12 months a year, I need a place where I can totally distract and not have to think about sport, and for me, that’s having a normal social life. The way that message got taken and put into all these articles…I had a hard time reading them and eventually stopped, because this is not what I said. This is sometimes how the press works and I have to be careful. In a way, they didn’t take it out of nowhere, but the way it was twisted was pretty unfortunate, and for me I want to be seen as a respectable athlete, and that was my biggest fear and frustration. There were little snippets from here and there put together that made it sound worse, but it wasn’t all fabricated. I need something outside of training racing and sports, going out and being able to put skiing and racing aside temporarily; this is an outlet.” Laukli was disappointed that she was portrayed as partying to excess. “It’s hard to be off the rails and also be competing at this level. The only message I want to send is that training and racing doesn’t have to be everything. For me, it’s important to express that and have more to my life than just that.”

For Sophia Laukli she will continue what she sees as the symbiotic relationship between being a professional runner and professional skier. Though her path may be unconventional, so far, her results confirm her career choices. For Laukli, the longer the race the better, and the more career challenges; well, that’s just fine also.

FasterSkier thanks Sophia Laukli for taking the time from her busy schedule to talk to our reporter while she was traveling in Japan.

This coverage is made possible through the generous support of Marty and Kathy Hall and A Hall Mark of Excellence Award. To learn more about A Hall Mark of Excellence Award, or to learn how you can support FasterSkier’s coverage, please contact info@fasterskier.com.

Sophia Laukli likes to keep busy. The 23 year old Maine native is coming off her best season as a professional skier. After a grueling four month World Cup season which included a trip to North America, and back to Europe, she still hadn’t had enough skiing. A post World Cup 30-kilometer Freestyle race as part of the Norwegian National Championships was just too tempting a target to pass up. For Laukli, the longer the race, the better; and Freestyle better than Classic. So, a 30-kilometer Freestyle would be the bespoke frosting on her World Cup cake.

So, on March 23^rd Laukli lined up with the best skiers that Norway had to offer and showed them why when it comes to distance Freestyle, she’s always a serious threat. Laukli finished second, ahead of Norwegian stalwarts Astride Oeyre Slind, Heidi Weng, and Margrethe Bergane. The only woman to beat her: Therese Johaug. Yes, she’s back. Unfortunately for the rest of the field, she doesn’t appear to have lost a step. Johaug beat the best Norway could throw at her by almost three minutes. But Laukli was philosophical about finishing second and recognized the context of the race. “That race was definitely for fun,” she said. “And it was an Individual 30-k skate race; I don’t think there’s any race that is better for me than that. I was very excited with my results. Everyone was kind of expecting it (Johaug’s performance). It’s highly likely that she’ll be coming back, so I guess we’re just going to go back to this life (Johaug winning races by minutes). But I had to think about it a minute, because the last time I was racing her, I would have been 10 minutes back. It sucks to be three minutes back, but I guess I’ll take what I can get. We want to race the best, but it’s tough to go back to a ski circuit where one person is winning everything. I’m under the impression that the motivation for her comeback is the World Championships being in Trondheim, Norway.” But Johaug won’t have an open highway to World Cup distance gold. Laukli is also gunning for the World Championships next season where the distance race will be an Individual Start 50-kilometer Freestyle race on the last day of competition. A race tailor-made for her. “We’ll see if anyone can take her (Johaug) down. I’m excited for that race, for sure.”

It’s a long way off and a lot can happen between now and then, but a showdown between an American upstart and an imposing veteran who dominated distance racing unlike anyone ever has is an enticing teaser.

After her second place finish, Laukli’s competition season wasn’t over. Shortly after the Norwegian Championships, she packed her bags and began work—only three days later—at her second job that pays most of the bills: being a professional trail runner.

Last year, Laukli dominated the professional worldwide trail running circuit, handily winning the Golden Trail Race series. Laukli shocked the running world by using her world class endurance talent and innate running ability to pummel the best trail runners in the world. At the end of the season, she was crowned the new queen of dirt racing when she won the Overall title.

Running Stumbles—Change in Plans

The transition to running did not go smoothly for her this year, and Laukli may have to miss the two races she had planned on doing in Asia this month. Her original schedule had her racing in Japan April 20^th, and China on April 27^th. But things are not likely to go as planned. “I finished the last ski race (the Norwegian national championships), and three days later did a running camp with no preparation: not my greatest decision. I tried to implement more running during the whole ski season so (transitioning to running) wouldn’t be such a shock. I now realize that running on treadmills and roads doesn’t prepare me well for trail running. I have some tendonitis issues in my knee. It’s a lot of pain running. So doing a race is the last thing I need to do. The race is three days out (as of this writing on April 17^th ), and I can’t really walk correctly. Last year I managed it better because I wasn’t racing until June, but this year I wanted to do the two races in Asia. I might have had a little too much belief in myself. In order for this not to be a real injury I might need to skip these two races.” Laukli acknowledged that she had the same issue last year following a running camp after the ski season, but she had time to rest last year and everything recovered fine. This year the schedule she had set didn’t afford that opportunity.

Her overuse injury has forced her to tweak her schedule. “Now the next race for me is the end of May, Zegama-Aizkorri, in Spain (42-kilometers with over 2,700 meters elevation gain). So, I’ll go home after this, take 5-10 days of other training. Then in June there’s Marathan Du Mont Blanc (which Laukli won last year). Then I’ll do Sierre-Zinal (which Laukli also won last year). The tradeoff for not doing these races in Asia is that I’d have to go back to the U.S. (in the fall) and do those two races (Headlands 27K and Mammoth 26K), which I was hoping to not have to, because it’s nice to not have to race in the fall.

Still a Skier Who Runs

Despite this setback, Laukli is undaunted about continuing as a two sport professional athlete. “So far all it means is that I need to trial and error a bit more in how I need to prepare,” she said. “So, for next year I know what I need to focus on, and I’ve decided that I’m not going to try and race in April. I don’t see being a two sport athlete changing.”

But now that Laukli is the defending champion of the Golden Trail series, there’s a new challenge waiting for her. Last year she was a bit of an unknown—or at least a wildcard—but this year she’s the defending champion with a bullseye on her back. “I’m definitely a little bit more stressed. I definitely like being a nobody and having no pressure. In the running world in particular they are very vocal about ‘oh, you’re supposed to win.’ That’s how it works when you start to do well in this sport. But it’s a good problem to have.”

Despite being a professional two sport athlete, she still sees herself as primarily a skier. “Skiing is still the priority. It’s sometimes hard—I’m much more successful at running, maybe I should commit to that? But the way I’ve combined the two now, is honestly making me more successful in both, so I don’t see a motivation to change. In skiing, there’s a lot more ambition there (for her). I’ve been skiing forever, and constantly improving on the World Cup. I find more reward in that than in my running, even though I’m more successful on paper in running. But financially, it’s running that pays the bills. From a financial point, running is providing much more and, in a sense, it’s financing skiing. But that was an after-the-fact thing. I didn’t know running had all this money. It means I can now fully commit to being an athlete because running can now support my skiing. My ski training is supporting my running from the physical standpoint.”

Please return to FasterSkier for Part II of our conversation with Sophia Laukli.

For those of us suffering from the post-ski-season let down—or for those who simply can’t get enough ski-related content—an effective way to help address these issues will be to take 46 minutes to view “Kikkan,” a nicely produced short documentary about the life of Kikkan Randall. Presented (sponsored) by L.L. Bean and Providence Health Alaska, the film includes details of Randall’s childhood, ski career, cancer struggle, and personal life.

The movie is a candid chronological biopic of an athlete who has faced daunting challenges, and unlike many cinematic athletic biographies it does not quickly regress into a warm sepia toned homage to the subject. Instead, the film is a frank look at a life full of ecstatic highs, searing lows, and Randall’s continuing ability to deal with her life’s challenges.

Randall delves into chapters of her life which most viewers will be familiar with, but there is a lot more detail than the average viewer already knows; the details are quite interesting. Among those more interesting details are interviews with Sadie Bjornsen regarding Randall’s late-hour inclusion in—and Bjornsen’s subsequent exclusion from—the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympic Team Sprint. Bjornsen provides some context to a story that many are familiar with, but probably don’t know the details that she reveals. It’s another very candid portion of the film that helps viewers connect emotionally.

The movie is also packed full of familiar names and faces with Erike Flora, Sophie Hamilton, Holly Brooks, Liz Stephen, and Jessie Diggins also making appearances. Randall’s parents are also interviewed.

Randall discusses her early Olympic disappointments and her final Olympic highpoint of winning a gold medal with Jessie Diggins. She also addresses the challenges of having a family while being a professional athlete.

There is much time spent on Randall’s breast cancer diagnosis and treatment. It’s in this part of the movie where Randall really lets the viewers in, and where the emotional connection happens, mostly because Randall is more open and emotional about raw details of her life than she has ever publicly been. It’s a chapter of her life which for many people might have been the beginning of a slide into a long downward spiral, but like most things in her life, Randall rose up to meet things on her own terms. She also talks briefly about her 2021 divorce from Jeff Ellis, occurring shortly after her cancer treatment had ended and subsequently forcing her to go through the pandemic as a single mother.

There are also enough training and ski scenes to keep viewers entertained.

The short film is generally well produced with nice, but sometimes duplicated, footage of Randall skiing in Alaska. These shots are aided by sweeping overhead drone footage (the inclusion of high-quality aerial footage available through drones has been as much of a game-changer for lower-budget productions as the first fiberglass skis were for cross-country.) There is one distracting audio section that would never make it into a major theatrical film, but it’s over quickly and might add a homespun feel—or not. There are also some mildly annoying border framing effects and added scratching/graininess effects whenever old photos are shown. This kind of easy special effects unfortunately now happens regularly in modest budget films since such effects are so readily available to include and some think add a sense of higher production values. Regardless of these production choices, the movie is enjoyable to watch and informative.

“Kikkan” is well worth the 46 minutes to watch. It will make you feel a connection to one of North America’s cross-country skiing legends that you might not have had previously. It will also help you to transition from the ski trail to whatever else it is you do in the spring and summer. “Kikkan” is now available to view for free on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GiNCCHXzdRU

“We were kicking a lot of names around,” said Diller. “I think many people know that the von Trapp family settled in America after their escape from Austria. They opened a famous cross-country ski resort—the Trapp Family Lodge—that has been enjoyed by generations of cross-country skiing enthusiasts. We wanted someone who could convincingly carry the role of a leading man but was also believable in the role as an avid skier. We thought about Iivo Niskanen, Alexander Bolshunov, Petter Northug. They’ve all got the thick accent, the piercing eyes, the classic skiing chops . . . but none of those guys can sing!”

Diller continued that “I skied cross-country at Middlebury College and had hoped that I could someday meet Klaebo. I happen to have a condo in Park City, Utah and had a chance encounter with Klaebo through a mutual friend when Klaebo was training there. We met up for a cup of coffee and had a very enjoyable conversation about lots of things—skiing and non-skiing. I mentioned in passing that we were developing the sequel and asked him who he thought would be a good leading man. I already had in mind someone athletic, and a retired skier seemed like the perfect fit. I never in a million years expected what happened next. He told me that he was actually a very good singer, thought he could pull it off, and that he needed a good diversion from his training. At first, I thought he was joking, but right there in the coffee shop he knocked out a few bars of Edelweiss. I was blown away—almost moved to tears. I offered him the role on the spot. He’s got the physical presence, and the singing ability. I think the world will be shocked by how good he is going to be; he’s got a real shot at winning a Crystal Globe and Academy Award in the same year!”

“We’re going to keep the accurate history of Captain von Trapp as an Austrian and Klaebo certainly can pass for that. His accent may not be perfect, but he will certainly be more authentic than Christopher Plummer ever was. Not to knock Chris, he was a tremendous legendary actor and a singular talent, but they weren’t really too concerned about authenticity in the original. Our story is going to be truer to actual events: grittier, bolder. It’s important for us to have someone who is convincing physically.”

“Klaebo’s presence will allow us to pursue the storyline beyond the von Trapp’s time in Austria (that portrayed in The Sound of Music) into their challenges building a cross-country ski resort near Stowe, Vermont. It’s a part of the story I’m excited to share with people. And who better than Johannes Klaebo to depict cross-country skiing on the silver screen!”

Klaebo is already an entrepreneur, so expanding into the movies shouldn’t be that much of a reach. His hair care product company is already successful, and the Norwegian clearly has a long term plan for life after skiing.

Touchstone also has the details worked out for who will be put in the unenviable position of replacing Julie Andrews in the role of Maria von Trapp. Diller acknowledged that they are in final talks with Lady Gaga to play the key role. “She already proved herself as a real screen presence in A Star is Born. I think she would be a tremendous Maria. We have an agreement in principle and just have to work out details. I think the on-screen pairing of Klaebo with Lady Gaga will be an unimaginably great experience for audiences. I’m thinking Bogart-and-Bacall level of chemistry.”

The first draft of the script is already done, and filming is expected to begin next summer on location in Austria and Norway. It will be significantly modernized to address more realistic themes than the original ever could. “Lady Gaga will bring a smoldering sensuality to Maria that was never possible in the original. Klaebo and Gaga are both open to doing unclothed scenes, but we haven’t worked out the details on that yet. If you think about it, the physicality between Maria and Captain von Trapp was never explored in the original, so this is something we feel audiences will appreciate. It will bring emotional tension and a contemporary feel to the entire production.”

“I can share with you that there is a very different ending in store for Rolfe— the delivery boy who betrayed the von Trapps. He will meet a very spectacular and fitting demise. This is not going to be a G-rated film.  We’re guessing that it will be rated PG-13, maybe R, but we think the contemporary themes will be an upgrade that the story richly deserves.”

For those who are surprised by Klaebo’s singing abilities, they shouldn’t be. “I’ve been singing since I was a young boy,” said Klaebo. “I grew up with music in the house and had considered a career in music before my skiing career ever began. I used to sing at family gatherings all the time. In fact, at one point I was a strong candidate for the Eurovision contest, but I gave it up once I became serious about skiing. It’s not a big stretch for me, I often sing to myself on long training skis. There are a couple of other guys on the Norwegian team who are also musically talented. Amundsen plays a great stand-up bass, and Even Northug has an awesome countertenor like you wouldn’t believe. At one point we were thinking of putting together a group called the Klister Connection, or Klisterfools, but it just never came together. We were all too busy, I really regret that not happening.”

The idea of baring it all on the screen doesn’t faze Klaebo. “If it’s integral to the story line I’m ok with it. I’m really looking forward to this next step in my career and especially doing scenes with Lady Gaga; clothes on or not. She’s pretty awesome.”

Ski fans can’t wait to see how Klaebo turns out as Captain von Trapp; as usual, it’s never a good move to bet against him.

This article was written and published April 1, 2024. (Happy April Fool’s Day)