Northug’s Personalized Bib Being Auctioned Off. Check Out Lucky Number

Northug’s Personalized Bib Being Auctioned Off. Check Out Lucky Number

Newsfeed, Trivia
Trust Petter Northug to give media an excuse to write about himself – even the smallest thing presents an opportunity that we can't pass. Case in point: Northug's memento from  the Ugra ski marathon in Russia which the King of Skis had honored by his presence earlier this year. In Siberia Petter sang Happy Birthday to Sergey Ustiugov ( also present), was flogged with "banny venik" or birch tree broom in a Russian "banya" or steam sauna... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TdythgLMFeQ And, last but not the least, have made a request for a personalized race bib number. Number 69. Petter Northug Jr. Now the race organizers are holding an online raffle for that personalized bib ( with a word “personalized” stressed – naturally) Either because of his fiery performances on track, or because…
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Vasaloppet Week Attracts 66K Participants, Brings Record Amount of Money to Local Communities

Vasaloppet Week Attracts 66K Participants, Brings Record Amount of Money to Local Communities

Money & Finance, Newsfeed
... A couple of weeks ago we talked about financial success of the Engadin ski marathon , opining that the Swiss marathon's money making capacity is second only to the Mother of all ski marathons, Vasaloppet. Sure enough, the organizers of the Swedish multi-event did the math for 2017 and have announced that the Vasaloppet-2017 generated a turnover of SEK 234.6 million. ( EUR 24 million/USD 28 million) for the three municipalities involved in hosting a 90km race - an increase of almost 10% since 2015 when the last study was conducted ( to be clear, the Swiss report an even higher turnover - but they look at the broader economic effect, countrywide - while Swedish data considers only an impact on local communities) Vasaloppet had long branched out into…
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Ski Marathons – What to Choose, How to Choose

Ski Marathons – What to Choose, How to Choose

Newsfeed, Travel & Mass Sport
It's a month of June – which means different things for different people, but for the skiers it means the ski marathon schedule for next year is unveiled & published. There is no need to convince those who ever done one to come back. But for those who didn't and reading this: you ought to give that gift to yourself - there's simply nothing out there that compares to taking part in mass skiing event! We will not insult your intelligence by providing exact location details and "how to get there" info – it's all just a click away on Internet. Instead we'll effort to fill the gap in available information and - hopefully - help you choose your first ever marathon. November – December 2017. One of the biggest…
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Our Test: EPB,  Device You ( Really) Want to Have

Our Test: EPB, Device You ( Really) Want to Have

Gear News, Newsfeed
What it is: an emergency pole back-holder, to be used primarily for ski marathons where the chance of breaking the pole at the start is, sadly, pretty high. Short resume: A brilliant, timely idea; the device works as-is, but needs some fine-tuning. Get it when it becomes available on the market. That's the short version of it; read the longer version for details and pictures. The Swedish company StaffanStaven is known primarily for their shock-absorbing ski pole inserts that are steadily gaining in popularity - especially with the rollerskiing crowd. Staffan Larsson and Gunnar Winroth, two people behind the StaffanStaven, are obviosly thinking of expanding their offerings. Last week they kindly sent us a pre-production version of the Emergency Pole Backholder (EPB) that they have developed. ...We love ski marathons,…
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