Nordic Nation

Taking a day or two adjusting to the time warp of flying to South Korea, we decided to give former U.S. Ski Team Head Coach Pete Vordenberg a ring to get some vital details on a climate-activism project he’s devised for the cross-country ski community.

Former U.S. Ski Team Head Coach and current dad, husband and photographer: Pete Vordenberg. (Courtesy photo)

But first things first, if you don’t know Pete, go back and listen to an older episode of Nordic Nation — here’s the link to Part 1, and Part 2.

Back to the more critical task at hand: getting the details regarding Pete’s letter-writing campaign to curb climate change. Here’s the cool thing, so don’t tune out just yet, this is a bipartisan project. Pete’s cross-country climate challenge in this instance jives with building consensus.

So yes, Nordic Nation is delving into the political realm. As Vordenberg would say, we cannot be cross-country skiers without snow.

Below is Pete’s appeal to the cross-country ski community. It’s also a ripe time for this challenge. You’ll note Pete mentions the U.S. Ski Team’s success is in large part due to a nationwide “community focused effort”. That effort just might result in an Olympic medal in the next two weeks. Putting that in perspective, we should have no problem with Pete’s challenge.

Dear Cross Country Skier,

The cross country community is a highly motivated, educated, and energetic group of people connected both literally and figuratively through our sport. Sixteen years ago we seldom reached the top 30 on the international result sheet. Today we have won World Cup and World Championship medals, and even won the overall World Cup. This progress is a result of our nationwide, community-focused effort. It is time for us to apply our cross country power to make our planet and our sport sustainable.

Climate change is a global threat that is directly affecting our sport, our way of life, and life on earth. It is time for us to add our collective voice to a climate change solution that is already underway. Through the Citizens’ Climate Lobby, a swelling of voices and non-partisan action is already leading to a solution to global climate change.

Here is a two-minute video of the problem, the solution, and the overall plan.

This is a video made by our own XC Olympians: Olympian Climate video

Now you and your ski team can put muscle behind the solution.

Join the XC Climate Challenge (#xcclimatechallenge). Here’s how:

*First, you and your team members will write and sign the Constituent Comment Letter (link and attached).  Please make it positive and solution-oriented.  The goal of these letters is to lead our leaders by showing them that the people in their districts demand strong climate action. Letter comments can be general or, preferably, specific.  We are asking our representatives to join the bipartisan Climate Solutions Caucus, which at this time has 68 members—half Republicans, half Democrats. And also to support CCL’S carbon-fee and dividend proposal.

*Second, send your letters to me, Pete Vordenberg. The Citizens’ Climate Lobby (CCL) and I will count them and the CCL will hand deliver them to your congressional representatives. These letters are the key element of this project. This strategy has been proven effective!

*Third, nominate youth skiers from your team to take the lead in this effort. Representatives will be selected from all participating teams to represent the cross country community at a Citizen Climate Lobby National Conference in June. Prizes from ski-industry businesses will also be given to teams based on the number of letters they get signed, taking team size into consideration.

That is the challenge.

When: Now. This contest begins now and will end April 30th. Please do not delay! Start now and keep going.

A good team strategy to get as many letters as possible:  

How to sign up for a showing of “Saving our Snow”.  Click here.

Does your team already have a climate or climate activism project?  Let us know what it is and we can share it with our community!

Contact Pete Vordenberg with questions, ideas and to register your team.

[email protected]

(To subscribe to the Nordic Nation podcast channel...

In this episode, we’ve got 34-year-old Andy Newell for you. He’s a longtime staple of the U.S. Ski Team and another proud Vermonter. A few weeks ago we released our interview with climate-justice activist and Vermont resident Bill McKibben. After the interview, we received a few comments that spoke to the perceived large carbon footprint of World Cup skiing and possible changes that might be implemented to curb that environmental impact. With that in mind, we called up Andy Newell, who himself is a climate activist to address some of the questions. We spoke to Newell on Jan. 4 while he was in Seefeld, Austria, prepping for last weekend’s World Cups.

American Andy Newell (l) follows Norway’s Johannes Høsflot Klæbo (r) and Finland’s Iivo Niskanen (c) during their classic-sprint quarterfinal at the World Cup on Jan. 20 in Planica, Slovenia. Klæbo went on to win that heat, ahead of Niskanen in second and Newell in fourth. (Photo: Fischer/NordicFocus)

Newell will soon be in PyeongChang, South Korea, for his fourth Olympics. After traveling the globe for 14 years as a member of the U.S. Ski Team, Newell has had time to think about energy use and change on the World Cup.

(To subscribe to the Nordic Nation podcast channel, download the iTunes app. If you have iTunes, subscribe to Nordic Nation here.)

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The Sadie System, as in the Sadie Bjornsen system, is the topic in this episode of Nordic Nation. That system involves a basic understanding of how hard and long to train and how to recover effectively, a question many athletes struggle to answer. But Bjornsen, a U.S. Ski Team all-arounder, has overcome chronic foot injuries and arrived on the World Cup scene this year poised for podiums. She has three World Cup podiums so far in the 2017/2018 season and she’ll be competing at her second Olympics this February. And she does have some bronze bling from last year’s World Championship team sprint with Jessie Diggins.  

When asked about interesting media exposure she’s had during the run up to the Olympics, Bjornsen mentioned a Twitter exchange the U.S. Ski Team’s women had with Paula Poundstone of NPR’s Wait Wait. Rule of thumb: it’s a bad idea to dis World Championship medalist.

U.S. Ski Team member Sadie Bjornsen (4) racing to fifth in the women’s 10 k freestyle pursuit at Stage 3 of the 2018 Tour de Ski in Lenzerheide, Switzerland. She went on to finish ninth overall in the Tour. (Photo: Fischer/NordicFocus)

We caught up with the 28-year-old Bjornsen on the phone on Jan. 18, a few days before last weekend’s World Cup races in Planica, Slovenia. The skier originally from Washington’s Methow Valley, who trains with Alaska Pacific University (APU) in Anchorage, Alaska, is a model of perseverance, goal setting and getting things done.

Sadie Bjornsen (l) catches her teammate Jessie Diggins after they placed third in the women’s classic team sprint on Feb. 26 at 2017 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in Lahti, Finland. (Photo: John Lazenby/Lazenbyphoto.com)

(To subscribe to the Nordic Nation podcast channel, download the iTunes app. If you have iTunes, subscribe to Nordic Nation here.)

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In this episode of Nordic Nation, we discuss the recent U.S. Nordic Combined Olympic Trials, which were held Dec. 30 in Park City, Utah, with U.S. NoCo’s leading man, Bryan Fletcher. Nerves, pressure, the flying and skiing — those all played a role on Fletcher’s day at Olympic trials. After the jumping portion of the competition, things weren’t so certain for the eventual winner, as Fletcher began the 10-kilometer ski race nearly a minute and a half behind the first starter, Ben Loomis. We connected with Fletcher, a 31-year-old dad, from his home in Heber, Utah, last week on Jan. 3 as he reflected on sealing the Olympic deal.

https://twitter.com/usskiteam/status/947229892751499265

Fletcher also discusses the prospects of U.S. Nordic Combined fielding a team of four skiers at the upcoming Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea. For now, the U.S. is guaranteed two spots. And as Fletcher explains, hope remains for two more athlete spots to open up.

Trials results: Jumping | Final results

Note: Since Fletcher’s interview, he and his brother Taylor competed at the first Nordic Combined World Cup of the new year, which took place on Friday, Jan. 12 in Val di Fiemme, Italy. There, Bryan finished 32nd (up from 39th in the jump) and Taylor placed 43rd (up from 49th). Full results here

(To subscribe to the Nordic Nation podcast channel, download the iTunes app. If you have iTunes, subscribe to Nordic Nation here.)

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Bill McKibben — author, educator, environmentalist as stated on his personal website. He is one of us, too: an individual dedicated to the sport and culture of human-powered skiing. Back when he was 37, McKibben penned a great book titled “Long Distance: Testing the Limits of Body and Spirit in a Year of Living Strenuously“. If you’ve ever wondered what it would be like to train like an Olympian in the body of a burgeoning masters skier, it’s a great read. It’s also the real deal type of book from a writer who actually left a job at the New Yorker — not many people give up that gig — for the greener pastures and colder ski tracks of Vermont.

Bill McKibben: Climate activist, educator, and lover of all things xc skiing. (Photo: BillMcKibben.com)

Twenty years after he wrote that book, McKibben, who just turned 57, is a Middlebury College professor and perhaps the foremost political organizer when it comes to the issue of climate change. He helped start the climate justice organization 350.org.

The author of many books, McKibben released his first novel this fall titled “Radio Free Vermont“. Let’s just say it has all the hallmarks of a good tale with some cross-country skiing and biathlon thrown in for good measure.

Nordic Nation connected with McKibben back about a month ago on Dec. 4, 2017. It’s pretty much an all-inclusive interview: climate change, World Cup, Simi Hamilton as an undergrad skier, and some discussion of “Radio Free Vermont“.

Enjoy the interview before we get sucked into the Olympic vortex here on Nordic Nation.

(To subscribe to the Nordic Nation podcast channel, download the iTunes app. If you have iTunes, subscribe to Nordic Nation here.)

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In this episode of Nordic Nation, we review November and December racing on the World Cup with Justin Wadsworth.  

A former U.S. Olympian and coach as well as Canadian head coach, Wadsworth will be doing on-air commentary during the 2018 Olympics for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC).

This season, there’s much to discuss with Wadsworth.

Ten races into the World Cup, the racing so far has seen an unsettled women’s side and a lopsided men’s field. Charlotte Kalla has renewed the premise that Sweden can produce a formidable nordic-ski powerhouse as she leads the overall World Cup standings by 98 points over a quartet of Norwegians — specifically, Ingvild Flugstad Østberg, Heidi Weng, Marit Bjørgen and Ragnhild Haga, respectively. Americans Jessie Diggins and Sadie Bjornsen follow in sixth and eighth.

Former Canadian national team head coach Justin Wadsworth (Photo: FIS/NordicFocus)

Kalla remains a beacon of blue-and-yellow Swedish hope as she won the Ruka Triple, the Lillehammer skiathlon, and the 10-kilometer freestyle individual start in Toblach.

On the men’s side, Johannes Høsflot Klæbo is the story. The upstart Norwegian has entered eight races and won seven — a record number of races won by a male World Cup skier before Jan. 1. Early on, it appears to be Klæbo’s Crystal Globe to lose in a season where it might just be in with the new and out with the old.

Yup, the Tour de Ski is about to begin on Saturday, Dec. 30, time to brush up on what went down during World Cup Period 1.

(To subscribe to the Nordic Nation podcast channel, download the iTunes app. If you have iTunes, subscribe to Nordic Nation here.)

Have a podcast idea? Please email [email protected].

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On Wednesday, Nordic Nation reached Biathlon Canada President Murray Wylie to discuss an open letter he signed on behalf of his organization and sent to the leaders of the International Biathlon Union.

We encourage you to read this more in-depth article on the open letter for some detailed context before listening to this podcast episode.

Here’s some of the key info from that piece:

On Dec. 10, the Executive Board of the International Biathlon Union (IBU) announced that the Russian Biathlon Union (RBU) had been relegated to “provisional membership” for the 2017/2018 competition season.

The IBU’s decision comes on the heels of the International Olympic Committee’s recent actions on Russia’s participation at the 2018 Winter Games.

Despite the RBU’s less-than-full IBU member status, Russia is still scheduled to host the final IBU World Cup races of the season from March 20-25 in Tyumen and IBU Cup 7 & 8 in Uvat and Khanty-Mansiysk.

In an open letter sent to IBU President Anders Besseberg and IBU Secretary General Nicole Resch dated Dec. 8, 2017, Wylie stated Biathlon Canada will not be sending athletes to the IBU-sanctioned events in Russia in March.

In the letter, Wylie included the following reasons for this declaration:

Listen for more from Wylie, as told to FasterSkier on Dec. 13:

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Not exactly planned, and on a whim, it’s the wax-truck road trip — otherwise known as the Bon Voyage episode.

A full crew cab in the USST wax truck. Presumably on the way from Kuusamo, Finland, to Lillehammer, Norway. (Photo: Tim Baucom)

Nordic Nation dialed up intrepid wax-truck driver and navigator … and U.S. Ski Team Wax Tech Tim Baucom to check in on the new wax truck’s first big Euro-trip. We caught up with Baucom on Day 1 of a three-day trip a few hours after the duo left Lillehammer, Norway, where last weekend’s World Cup races were held. The two techs were headed to Davos, Switzerland, site of this weekend’s World Cup.

Waxing World Cup fast skis and backed up with a CDL is not their only gig: Tim Baucom (right) and Andrew Morehouse (left) play the Newell-Flowers wedding outside Bozeman, Montana. (Photo: Jeremiah and Rachel Photography)

Baucom and Morehouse were responsible for $600,000 dollars of precious wax truck (that amount includes the taxes on the truck), as well as something like 600 pairs of skis.

That’s a lot of XC schwag. And a lot of eventual ski cleaning. (See below.)

USST wax techs go beyond the call of duty. Tim Baucom is responsible for Simi Hamilton’s and Ida Sargent’s skis throughout the season. Here, Sargent leaves a note for Baucom (with graphics) detailing the cleanup. (Photo: Tim Baucom)

And just to be safe, we also dialed up Baucom on Day 2 of their three-day journey to Davos. It’s always a good idea to check back in — new pricey truck, irreplaceable skis and two of the finest wax techs on the circuit — who doesn’t want the whole package to be safe?

Putting the CDL to good use: truckin’ along in the USST wax truck with the big rigs in Europe. (Photo: Tim Baucom)

For the record, Baucom and Morehouse are safe, legit and well trained. Don’t believe Nordic Nation? Here’s online proof of their CDL’s.

Listen to Baucom unbound.

USST wax tech Tim Baucom testing wax and skis in the early a.m. in Lillehammer, Norway. (Photo: Zach Caldwell)

(To subscribe to the Nordic Nation podcast channel, download the iTunes app. If you have iTunes, subscribe to Nordic Nation here.)

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In more than a decade with the U.S. Ski Team, women’s coach Matt Whitcomb has picked up a few lessons about how to connect with athletes and how to nudge them in the direction of their best possible performance on race day. In this episode of Nordic Nation, we connected with Whitcomb while in western Massachusetts on Nov. 10. Whitcomb has now jumped the pond and is in Europe, prepping his team for the first World Cup on Friday in Kuusamo, Finland.

U.S. Ski Team Women’s Coach Matt Whitcomb (r) reviews video with Sadie Bjornsen on some climbing technique Wednesday at a training camp in Bend, Ore. (Video: FasterSkier Vimeo)

Whitcomb, 39, began his career with the U.S. Ski Team back in 2006. Along the way, he appears to have developed a reputation as a team builder — one who can be inclusive when it comes to embracing the many types of personalities the sport attracts. You’ll hear Whitcomb discuss how he’s learned to build team unity and how he deals with the stresses of the World Cup.

Whitcomb also dives headfirst into the realm of anti-doping stances with a passionate statement of how the sport should move forward before the PyeongChang Olympics in February 2018.

Standing between Chelsea Marshall and Matt Whitcomb, Liz Stephens waves as she is introduced to the crowd at Fenway Park. In the background, her smile is seen on the bigscreen.

On a lighter note, those who follow the sport know Whitcomb rocks a Red Sox cap whenever possible. Unabashedly, as we learn in the short audio clip below that did not make the final podcast edit farther down the page, the Red Sox hat has become one of Whitcomb’s hallmark cultural exports — having to do with his “disgust” with Yankees hats all over Europe. If you see a Swedish coach sporting a Red Sox hat at the World Cup, you’ll know who is responsible.

Whitcomb and his anti-Yankees crusade:

(Note: Although the podcast host grew up on the Massachusetts border, he is not a Red Sox fan, and in fact, cheered loudly with his dad in the Shea Stadium stands during Game 6 when the baseball dribbled under Buckner. Acknowledged are the Red Sox recent World Series rings.)

(To subscribe to the Nordic Nation podcast channel, download the iTunes app. If you have iTunes, subscribe to Nordic Nation here.)

Have a podcast idea? Please email [email protected].

Full podcast:

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It’s been eight long months, but finally, the International Ski Federation (FIS) Cross Country World Cup season is upon us and with it, the Noah Fantasy Hoffman Fantasy Cross Country League. Both the real-world and online competitions kick off this Friday with the Ruka Triple World Cup, three days of racing in Kuusamo, Finland.

If you’re playing, you need to pick your team by Thursday at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. Even if you’re in a post-Thanksgiving tryptophan-haze … it’s time.

Noah Hoffman, a U.S. nordic racer and founder of Noah Hoffman Fantasy Cross Country, which is entering its fourth season, after finishing 25th in last weekend’s 15 k freestyle FIS race in Beitostølen, Norway. He’ll be starting his season in earnest on Friday, Nov. 24, at the Ruka Triple World Cup in Finland. (Photo: Aleks Tangen)

In this episode we get a quick rundown from Noah Hoffman on how he got involved with FasterSkier and Adam Mahar, the coding brawn behind the world’s premier XC fantasy league, briefs us on the new rules. We connected with Noah Hoffman while he was training in Sjusjøen, Norway, and Adam Mahar, the Minneapolis-based website administrator and head programmer for Noah Hoffman Fantasy Cross Country. 

To start the conversation off, you’ll get a bit of insight into what drives Hoffman and why he’s so productive when it comes to creating ski related projects. He’s got a blog, a great podcast, and the eponymous fantasy league.

Last year at this time, we did a full-blown analysis of Hoffman’s ski league, exploring the origins of the league, hearing how Adam got involved and then falling into a serious wormhole learning how some fantasy league experts pick their teams. Here’s a link to that episode. 

Strategize, log in and pick you team. For this long weekend of racing, you have to have your team registered before midnight (EST) on Thursday. Choose wisely: the races are classic sprints (Friday), 10/15-kilometer classic individual starts (Saturday) and 10/15 k freestyle pursuits (Sunday). And if you need some pointers or at least some direction, listen closely to this episode.

(To subscribe to the Nordic Nation podcast channel, download the iTunes app. If you have iTunes, subscribe to Nordic Nation here.)

Have a podcast idea? Please email [email protected].

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