16Apr 2020 by DS News Team
Russia Announces Its Squad Selection 2020/21

Russia Announces Its Squad Selection 2020/21

Leaders, Newsfeed
The Russians have just announced their national team selection for 2020/21. -It's one skier smaller in total numbers compared to the last season yet remains by far the world's largest: 39 athletes in total. Wow! [caption id="attachment_15599" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Yuri Borodavko & Oleg Perevozchikov[/caption] -The unique structure of independently operating inner groups remain: those under Yuri Borodavko (10 skiers ) and Markus Cramer (9) have both men and women, the one under Oleg Perevozchikov is men-only. Egor Sorin's group is considered equal in status, but is composed primarily of U23 skiers of both sexes with two exceptions. [caption id="attachment_15595" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Sedova, Nepryaeva and Belorukova[/caption] Get used to two new names: Yulia Stupak and Anastasia Kuleshova. Those are Yulia Belorukova and Anastasia Sedova who both are back to the squad…
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04Mar 2020 by DS News Team
Justyna Kowalczyk About Izabela Marcisz And Rest Of Her SuperSquad

Justyna Kowalczyk About Izabela Marcisz And Rest Of Her SuperSquad

Leaders, Newsfeed
This is Part 2 of our conversation with Justyna Kowalczyk. Part 1 is to be found here Regarding that "Super Squad" moniker we keep on attaching to Ms. Kowalczyk's team: It's invented by us. After watching the young Polish skiers under the tutelage of Alexander Wierietielny and Justyna Kowalczyk train & compete in several locations throughout the year, the name "Super Squad" sprung to mind - and we feel it's highly appropriate. As far as we know, nobody ever tried that: selecting a few very promising skiers in their mid-teenage years and working on turning them into a world-class athletes, year after year, race after race, camp after camp. We are not privy to details but are certain that it takes Kowalczyk' status with sporting authorities and sponsors to pull…
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30Jan 2020 by DS News Team
Sustainability, ISPO and XCSkiing

Sustainability, ISPO and XCSkiing

Gear News, Newsfeed
The world of cross country skiing is insular. No more is it evident as in place where it has a rare chance to come into contact with "other universes" under one roof. What's ISPO? [caption id="attachment_14573" align="alignnone" width="1920"] it's a gigantic exhibition roughly half of which is taken by the stands of various, mostly Chinese, enterprises advertising their ability and willingness to produce anything for you in any quantity & about three times as fast anyone else ( the key word - advertising)[/caption] [caption id="attachment_14572" align="alignnone" width="1920"] The other half is entirely different. It's taken by huge, glitzy pavilions of leading alpine and outdoor clothing and accessories manufacturers one look at which tells you where the money are in winter sports.[/caption] Cross country skiing firms exhibit on the fringes of…
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29Dec 2019 by DS News Team
Splendeurs & Miseres De Tour De Ski

Splendeurs & Miseres De Tour De Ski

Leaders, Newsfeed
... With her finish lunge Anamarija Lampič has brought victory for herself - and Slovenia. Thus proving beyond any doubt that in even in 2019 skiers from a country of just two million people could still compete and win. Johaug and Klaebo won what they were widely expected to win and Ustigov has proven that he's back in the game & roaring. ...From a purely sporting point, the fourteen edition of Tour de Ski is a full package, anything & everything that even an occasional fan of skiing might want. The problem is, the competition itself is hurting. ….According to a legend, Jürg Capol, then FIS xcski race director, had suggested the idea of Tour de Ski to Vegard Ulvang while in sauna. The same legend says that the idea…
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25Dec 2019 by DS News Team
Did You Know: First Soviet Cosmonauts Were Avid Skiers. Two Of Them Had To Use Skiing Skills In Dire Emergency

Did You Know: First Soviet Cosmonauts Were Avid Skiers. Two Of Them Had To Use Skiing Skills In Dire Emergency

Newsfeed, Trivia
... The first Soviet cosmonauts were men of iron health, selected among hundreds upon hundreds of young airforce pilots. And, as a part of their space launch training,  they had to ski. A lot. In part because the guy in charge of their training, the guy who was ultimately deciding who gets to go into space and who stays on Earth, general Nikolai Kamanin, was the most avid skier himself. [caption id="attachment_14103" align="alignnone" width="786"] Lt.-General Nikolai Kamanin and his most famous " employee", Earth's first spaceman Yuri Gagarin. Gagarin was very decent skier on his own right - although he preferred water skiing [/caption]  Kamanin was a famed Arctic aviator in his youth - that's where he developed affection for cross country skiing.  That interest in the snow sport/recreation remained…
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