Ustiugov Might Run All Six Races in  PyeongChang, Says Vyalbe

Ustiugov Might Run All Six Races in PyeongChang, Says Vyalbe

Leaders, Newsfeed
Yelena Vyalbe, president of the Russian Cross Country Ski Federation has unveiled qualification criteria for making it to the Russian team for the Winter Olympic Games of 2018 [caption id="attachment_3632" align="alignnone" width="854" class="center"] Courtesy of Russian Ski Federation[/caption] There are some 60 ( sixty!) candidates with a realistic chance of going to Pyeongchang, according to Vyalbe, quoted by the TASS news agency, – possibly, the biggest pool of aspirants outside the Norwegian team The final list, however, would include only 10 women and 10 men. The Russian selection is complicated by the suspension of five leading skiers ( there are six – but one since retired). The Olympic champion of Sochi Alexander Legkov, world champion of Falun-2015 Maxim Vylegzhanin, as well as Evgeny Belov, Alexei Petukhov and Evgnenia Shapovalova are…
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Rollerskis Of Tomorrow? Well, We’ll See

Rollerskis Of Tomorrow? Well, We’ll See

Gear News, Newsfeed
Here, test your knowledge of rollerskis: Who makes these? Perhaps a wider shot would help? It's actually called Snowwing, and is produced by Weihai Snowwing Outdoor Equipment Co., ltd., which was "established in 2010 and located in a beautiful seashore city - Weihai, Shandong Province, People's Republic of China." ( that's a quote from their website) They are just one example of the many Chinese companies that have lately been trying to expand into the cross country skiing market – aggressively. Quality? Well, we don't know – there's not exactly a Snowwing dealer in our neighbourhood that can give it for a test. And our efforts to reach Weihai Snowwing Outdoor directly were less than successful due to a bit of a language barrier. But the price – wait for…
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Yes, You Could Ski in October. Thanks To Snowfarming, That Is

Yes, You Could Ski in October. Thanks To Snowfarming, That Is

Newsfeed, Training & Outfitting, Travel & Mass Sport
..It's the month of October, and the area outside of Lapland Hotel Olos is the site of a veritable ski pilgrimage. A dozen tongues are spoken simultaneously as platoon after platoon of sportsmen and women clip their skis on and disappear into the forest. There's hardly a snowflake on the ground, but the skiing trail looks picture-perfect. Welcome to Muonio, mid-Autumn capital of cross-country skiing. An estimated 20+ locations around the world are now farming snow for the next season; Beitostølen and Trysil in Norway, Lahti and Ruka in Finland, Davos and La Clusaz in the Alps, and Canmore in Canada to name but a few. Still, many national cross-country ski teams keep on returning to relatively remote Muonio where trails are the longest – and, some say the best…
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Ski-Perfect Stomach, Spring Edition

Ski-Perfect Stomach, Spring Edition

Newsfeed, Trivia
It's springtime, officially, which means the world skiing elites are wrapping up their holidays and returning to the tracks. Mostly, snow tracks, wherever they can be found mid-May. Some, like A Norwegian Lahti golden medalist in relay, Niklas Dyrhaug, however, appear to be combining work and pleasure, by improving their balance and upper core muscles. There's a visible abundance of the latter in this photo: https://www.instagram.com/p/BT5-oU9htOZ Team Sweden's Sofia Henriksson expects the viewers to comment on both her V1 and V2 skating technique. A well deserved Instagram Like from us, Sofia! https://www.instagram.com/p/BUFe_nFB1Fi Meanwhile, a fellow Swede and a member of all-female Team Ski Pro Am, Hedda Bangman, firmly believes that the bikini is the most weather-appropriate training outfit for the May snow in Åre. https://www.instagram.com/p/BUEfVefFQR1 Lovise Heimdal, Norway U23 team…
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Video of Therese Johaug Training in Sjusjøen Appears Online

Video of Therese Johaug Training in Sjusjøen Appears Online

Leaders, Newsfeed
Therese Johaug wants everybody to know that she is training very, very hard for her comeback next season. Johaug's trainer, Pål Gunnar Mikkelsplass, told the Norwegian newspaper Dagbladet this week that Therese has become physically much stronger, both in upper body core and leg muscles. At 1.62 m and 46 kg, the Norwegian was indomitable throughout her skiing career on hilly terrain, while losing to competition on flat stretches of the trail. No more, it seems: https://www.instagram.com/p/BTqdoTmhMlO Before beating the competition in Pyeongchang, however, the 28 year old will have to convince the Court of Arbitration for Sport to allow her to participate in the Olympics. Johaug sat out the last season, being banned for using clostebol, a steroid, unintentionally. TOP PHOTO Courtesy of Theres Johauge Instagram johaugtherese
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