American Birkebeiner Coverage

February 22, 2025

In another low-snow winter, the ABSF crew pulled off an amazing feat running the American Birkebeiner full course: Cable to downtown Hayward on Saturday. Cold weather of the week gave way to warming temps as the thermometer reached near freezing by the afternoon. The men's race was remarkably unremarkable as France Gerard Agnellet broke away around the mid-point and captured his second title in four appearances. David Norris was the best of the US, taking second place nearly 1:30 back, with Michael Earnhart in third. The women's finish was far more exciting as a pack of six hit the streets of Hayward. Sydney Palmer-Leger started the sprint early and held off Jessica Yeaton and Lauren Jortberg for the victory. Two veteran multi-time champions had the top Midwest top results with Caitlin Gregg scoring an impressive 4th (just three seconds off the podium) and Matt Liebsch coming in 6th. In the classic marathon, Czech Fabian Stocek dominated the competition winning by over 15 minutes, youngster Paavo Rova second and Andrew Tilman third. Lily Hubanks was the women's champion with Hannah Olson second and high school skier Della Bettendorf third. Results linked in, along with some photos from Jackie Schneider.

Kortelopet Results

February 21, 2025

The Kortelopet races on Friday proved big drama on Main Street as the men's skate race came down to a sprint finish with Eli Andre just holding off the late charge by James Kyes for the victory, Bridger Nelson coming in just a few seconds later in third. Kristen Monahan used some veteran skills to breakaway from Helen Townley to solo in for the women's title, as Anna Peikert scored third. In the classic race, Anna Gilmer pulled ahead of Claire Swanson for the women's crown, Annelise Baird rounding out the podium in third. And on the men's striding side, perennial Korte champ Murray Carter claimed another title with Hayward's own Neel Dums second and Peter Hackney in third.

Team Birkie at the World Championships

February 20, 2025

The FIS Nordic Ski World Championships in Trondheim, Norway, kicks off on next Wednesday, Feb 26th, and Team Birkie is well represented with five athletes officially been named to World Championship teams. Check out the schedule and support these skiers on their journey!

MCSA Midwest Collegiate Cup: Regional Championships Update

February 19, 2025

Heading into the homestretch of their season, the Midwestern Collegiate Ski Association (MCSA) held its Regional Championships in Rhinelander, WI this past weekend. Serving as the penultimate stop for the Midwest Collegiate Cup, and also as a qualifier for USCSA Nationals, their was plenty on the line over the two days of competitions, but no team was more up to the task than St. Olaf who swept the men's and women's individual and team titles. Find out how the rest of the field fared, and what to expect heading into the last leg of the Midwest Collegiate Cup, in the latest report from Luke Dykowski.

Price Hike: Pepsi Challenge

February 19, 2025

The popular Pepsi Challenge set of races at Giants Ridge are coming up next weekend, Mar 1st. With their next price jump coming Saturday, Feb 22, save some money by registering by Friday night!

Plenty of Snow for the Great Bear Chase March 8th

February 18, 2025

Organizers report plenty of snow and expect to run all their races: 20km and 50km skiathlons, and separate classic and freestyle races of 10km, 25km, and 50km, on March 8th. Registration is still open for some events.

Weekend Racing

February 18, 2025

The mighty Birkie weekend is here -- and going full course!
Feb 21 Kortelopet - Starting at Hwy OO and skiing right into Hayward.
Feb 22 American Birkebeiner - The big one, from Cable to downtown Hayward - classic or skate.
Any updates we have are posted in the Racing Outlook.

US Ski Team: World Championships Team Announced

February 17, 2025

With Period III of the World Cup circuit officially a wrap, the US Ski Team announced their lineup on Monday of who will be making the trip to Trondheim for the World Ski Championships in a week's time. Included on the roster were four Midwesterners to keep any eye out for when the kicks off next week: Jessie Diggins, Alayna Sonnesyn, Kevin Bolger, and Zak Ketterson.

Coleraine JNQ Classic Interval Start Results

February 16, 2025

Junior National Qualifying wrapped up Sunday with interval start classic races in some crisp temperatures at Mt. Itasca, in Coleraine, MN. In the 10K U20/U18 Men's race, Anders Westanmo (Loppet Nordic Racing, U20) won by over 30 seconds, followed by Eddie Snider (Minneapolis Ski Club, U20) in second and Peter Hackney (Loppet Nordic Racing, U18) in third. For the 10K U20/U18 Women's race, Chloe Angerman (Loppet Nordic Racing, U20) took first place, followed by U18 finishers Elsa Lindfors (Endurance United) and Avery Rich (Loppet Nordic Racing). Aksel Skustad (Ely Nordic) and Evie Malec (Loppet Nordic Racing) won the U16 5K races.

World Cup Falun: Freestyle Distance; Diggins and Schumacher Share the Spotlight Again

February 16, 2025

Just over a year after they shared the spotlight in Minneapolis, Jessie Diggins and Gus Schumacher made a triumphant return to the podium on Sunday going 1-2 in the day's mass-start 20K freestyle event. Skiing strategically, Schumacher kept it close in the men's race, sticking with the leaders throughout and making a move when it mattered to go neck and neck to the line with Norway's Paal Goldberg. Goldberg would ultimately edge him out, but Schumacher earned a historic second place finish for his efforts, a best ever result for the US men at that distance. Diggins also left it late in the women's race, but managed to create enough separation from the rest of the field heading into the homestretch that she could comfortably collapse after finishing first. The impressive showing by the US didn't end there though as Julia Kern crossed the line shortly afterwards, finishing a career-best 6th. Completing the podium in the women's race were Heidi Weng of Norway and Ebba Anderson of Sweden, while Harald Oestberg Amundsen claimed the final spot on the men's podium. A thrilling conclusion to Period III of the circuit, World Championships medals will be on the line when the World Cup next convenes less than two weeks out in Trondheim, Norway.

Coleraine JNQ Classic Mass Start Results

February 15, 2025

The final Midwest JNQ competition started off Saturday at Mt. Itasca with exciting mass start classic races. In the 7.5KM U20/U18/U16 Girls race, Lila Golomb (Minneapolis Ski Club, U18) dominated, winning by over a minute. Evie Malec (Loppet Nordic Racing, U16) was second with Annelise Baird (North XC/DXC, U18) in third. Top U20 skier was Anna-Britta Helmer (North XC/DXC) in 5th. In the Boys race, Reid Thompson (Big Thunder Nordic, U16) took first just nine seconds ahead of Eddie Snider (Minneapolis Ski Club, U20) with Eli Andre (Loppet Nordic Racing, U18) only six seconds behind in third. Owen Kalmes (Minneapolis Ski Club) was the top U20 in 6th.

Biathlon: Wright Claims Historic Silver at World Championships

February 15, 2025

A huge day for the US Biathlon team, Campbell Wright skied to silver on Saturday at the IBU World Championships in Lenzerheide, Switzerland after shooting a perfect 10 for 10 in the men's 10K sprint. His second place finish marked the first time the US men have ever taken home a World Championships medal in a sprint event, and the first individual World Championships medal for the US since Lowell Bailey won gold in 2017.

World Cup Falun: Classic Distance

February 15, 2025

After Friday's sprints in Falun, Saturday saw athletes shift to distance racing with an interval-start 10K classic race. Fan favorite Ebba Anderson of Sweden was the fastest in the women's race, winning by a healthy margin over Norway's Heidi Weng, with Victoria Carl of Germany edging out the United States' top finisher, Jessie Diggins, for third. Iivo Niskanen of Finland also finished with time to spare, beating the best sprinter from yesterday, Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo of Norway, as well as yesterday's second place finisher, Erik Valnes (also of Norway), who finished third. Returning to the circuit after some time at home, Gus Schumacher put in a solid shift to earn the top US men's result in 17th. There's more distance racing to come tomorrow with a mass-start 20K freestyle race closing out the competitions in Sweden.

World Cup Falun: Classic Sprints

February 14, 2025

After a two week break, World Cup racing resumed on Friday with the final competitions of Period III in Falun, Sweden. Heading into the World Ski Championships less than two weeks out, Friday featured the final sprints before the big event, classic sprints, and there was a sense that some athletes still had something to prove as the races got underway. Nowhere was this more apparent than with Linn Svahn of Sweden who breezed though her heats, easily winning the women's final and besting second place Nadine Faehndrich of Switzerland and third place Kristen Stavaas Skistad of Norway to the delight of the home crowd. Barely breaking a sweat as well was Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo of Norway who once again walked away with another win in the men's final, his 102nd individual victory. Finishing second and third to him were two of his teammates, Erik Valnes and Oskar Opstad Vike, with the latter picking up his first career podium. Just missing the cut for final, Jessie Diggins and Julia Kern topped the results for the US women with 7th and 8th place finishes, while Kevin Bolger led the US men with a 19th place finish. Classic racing continues into Saturday with an interval-start 10K competition for all athletes tomorrow.

Minnesota State Meet Pursuit Coverage

February 13, 2025

Another crisp start to the racing on Thursday but bright sunshine had it feeling much warmer. Living up to their top billing, Mounds Views Linnea Ousdigian and Hopkins Logan Drevlow, both repeated as champions. Ousdigian put 27 seconds in the field in the freestyle leg, with Proctor/Hermantown's Della Bettendorf eating into that lead during the classic pursuit by 12 seconds as she finished second. Wayzata's Lila Golomb posted the fastest classic time to move onto the podium in third. Drevlow used a similar formula, dominating the boys freestyle field by 40 seconds and extending it by almost another 10 in classic. Anders Westanmo, Bloomington Jefferson/Kennedy, held off a hard charging Eddie Snider, MPA - who had the fastest classic time - as they finished second and third, 6/10 of second separating them. The Washburn girls stringed together the numbers to take the team title, Minnetonka second, St. Paul Highland Park. The Wayzata boys captured the team title by over 11 points, Ely second and MPA third. Results linked in, big photosets posted, along with video recaps.

World Cup Racing: Falun Schedule

February 12, 2025

The final World Cup weekend of Period III is upon us with the circuit moving to Falun, Sweden in preparation for the World Ski Championships in neighboring Norway. FIS competitions in Falun will begin on Friday with classic sprints as athletes set out to qualify for the heats starting at 2:00 AM CST, and potentially participate in the elimination round starting at 4:30 AM CST. Saturday's ski races then include an interval-start 10K classic event which will feature the women's field racing first at 4:45 AM CST, and the men's field racing afterward at 6:45 AM CST. Finally, a mass-start 20K freestyle event on Sunday concludes the competitions in Falun with the men's field on course first at 4:00 AM CST, and women's field skiing subsequently at 7:00 AM CST.

Minnesota State Meet Team Sprints Coverage

February 12, 2025

While delayed slightly due to cold temperatures, the Minnesota High School Nordic Skiing Championships got underway on Wednesday with the team sprint competition. The boys final proved to be a real thriller as St. Paul Central and Ely took the race right to the line with Central's pairing of Edward Brandt and William Poppleton taking first in a photo finish, Ely settling for second, and Orono/Delano third. In the girls final, the SPA pairing of Maren Overgaard and Inga Wing broke away half way through the race and never looked back, winning by nearly 30 seconds. Proctor/Hermantown came in second, St. Paul Highland Park third. Results linked in, video recaps coming tonihgt.

MCSA Midwest Collegiate Cup: Vasaloppet USA Update

February 11, 2025

On to their second scoring event of their season, the Midwestern Collegiate Ski Association's (MCSA) Midwest Collegiate Cup travelled to central Minnesota over the weekend for the annual Mora Vasaloppet. Nearly 100 collegiate athletes competed in the 48K Vasa and 36K Dala events, and fared well too with the St. Olaf women's team going so far as to sweep the 36K podium. You can read on about their remarkable result, and more, in Luke Dykowski's latest report.

Biathlon: World Championships Preview by US Biathlon

February 11, 2025

It's that time of year—the 2025 IBU World Championships are here! The competition officially starts on Wednesday with a mixed team relay, but you can get ahead of the action by checking out US Biathlon's preview, linked in. And while you're watching, be sure to keep an eye out for Deedra Irwin, Margie Freed, Luci Anderson, Jake Brown, and Paul Schommer who will all be proudly representing the Midwest alongside the red, white, and blue.

Minnesota State Meet Preview

February 10, 2025

The Minnesota High School Nordic Skiing Championships are this Wednesday and Thursday at Giants Ridge, in Biwabik. We've posted a quick summary of the schedule, favorites, and resources.

Birkie Returns to Main Street Finish

February 10, 2025

The American Birkebeiner is back with a downtown Hayward finish! Recent snow and thick lake ice allow the race to proceed on its traditional course, despite thin snow cover, especially in the final 10k. Organizers are working to improve conditions for the race, set to begin February 19th.

Birkie Q&A Monday Night

February 10, 2025

The Birkie staff will host their second of three planned live updates on the Birkie week events and the omnipresent state of the Birkie trail this Monday, Feb 10rd at 7 pm.

Minnesota High School State Meet Schedule Update

February 10, 2025

With cold weather in the forecast for Biwabik this week, organizers have revised the schedule for Wednesday sprints and Thursday individual competitions to allow for warmer temperatures.

MNHSNSCA: Final High School Rankings

February 9, 2025

The Minnesota High School Nordic Ski Coaches Association (MNHSNSCA) has released their final round rankings for the Minnesota High School Nordic ski season. Last season champs Linnea Ousdigian and Logan Drevlow remain number one, with St. Paul Highland girls and Brainerd boys staying in first.

Vasaloppet USA Classic Results

February 9, 2025

Vasaloppet USA went old school on Sunday with classic races on their snowmaking course in Mora. In the 45K classic marathon, Renae Anderson flipped the tables from Saturday, taking the womens victory in dominating fashion over Chelsey Youngberg. Elspeth Ronnander was third. Willson Moore also earned some retribution after finishing second on Saturday, taking the men's classic victory on Sunday over Brian Gregg, with David Joda third -- all three finishing within three seconds. Louis Sirota and Paige Larson collected the 21K victories.

WNSL State Distance Championships Coverage

February 9, 2025

The Wisconsin Nordic Ski League State Distance Championships (aka. Wisconsin State Meet) were held this weekend at the Birkie trailhead in Cable. Saturday was the first half: freestyle races. Bay Nordic's Connor Reckinger posted the top time (and only sub-19) with Hayward's own Neel Dums second and CVN's Jack Dahlby third. On the girls side, Rochester guest skier Anna Peikert had the fastest time with Peak Nordic's Krin Blegen and Riley Grossklaus finishing second and third. Sunday's classic pursuit provided maximum excitement as both races had their lead changes. In the girls, Blegen erased Peikert's lead and kept on going, taking the pursuit title. Bay Nordic Onika Colassacco moved up from fifth to finish 11 seconds back in second. Grossklaus held her placing to round out the podium in third. For the boys, it was Dums catching Reckinger with the pair skiing together into the second lap before Dums pulled ahead to win by just four seconds. Dahlby maintained his position to finish third. Top classic times on the day when to Blegen and ANST's Ben Buchmann (4th in pursuit). Peak Nordic girls has the top team result, while Bay Nordic was best for the boys. Results linked in, plus photos and video recaps from the pursuit races.

Vasaloppet USA Freestyle Coverage

February 8, 2025

Battling a winter storm that dropped more than 5 inches of fresh snow overnight, the Vasaloppet crew packed their 12K course just in time to provide a good deck for the freestyle races on Saturday. In the premiere four lap, 48K freestyle race, a pack of four eventually reduced to two composed of Willson Moore and Matt Liebsch. In the end, it was Matt Liebsch breaking away in the final kilometers to add another title to his deep collection at the Vasaloppet. Moore solo'ed in for second, followed later by Sam Holt. On the women's side, Chelsey Youngberg continued her strong season, taking the womens title with Renae Anderson second and Sarah Widder in third. Perennial favorite Nathan Porath added to his own set of 36K titles in pulling ahead of teammate Craig Cardinal in the final 500 meters, with Paavo Rova outsprinting the chase pack to take third. St. Olaf swept the women's 36K podium, as Amaeli Kam-Magruder and Lily Hubanks nearly tied for first, Lily Ward taking third. The 12K champions were James Schwinghamer and Maev Storbakken. Results linked in, big photosets from the 48K and 36K races are posted.

Minnesota Finlandia Cancelled

February 7, 2025

Another victim to the poor snow winter, Bemidji's legendary Minnesota Finlandia has regretfully decided to cancel their races, scheduled for next Saturday, Feb 15th.

Wisconsin State High School Distance Championship Predictions

February 6, 2025

Ken Schoville shakes his crystal ball and reveals the picks for the Wisconsin high school Nordic skiing Distance Championship contenders! The titles will be handed out this Saturday and Sunday at the Birkie Trailhead in Cable.

Minnesota Section 2 Championship Coverage

February 6, 2025

Racing on Theodore Wirth's snowmaking trails Thursday, Minnesota High School Section 2 Championship titles were decided. Chloe Angerman helped lead the Minneapolis Washburn girls to the team title, taking first in the girls pursuit. Evie Malec, Minnetonka, was second, with Zoe Wagner, Washburn, third. Minnetonka girls were the second place team, just four points back. Anders Westanmo, Bloomington Jefferson, had the only sub-13 minute classic and sub-12 minute skate to take the boys pursuit victory, Jace Haerter, Edina, took second with Peter Hackney, Minnetonka, third. Washburn boys competed the sweep of the team titles with Edina in second. Team sprint titles when to the Washburn boys and Minnetonka girls, with Eden Prairie boys and Minneapolis Southwest girls, punching their ticket to State as well. Results linked in, photos from the freestyle pursuit races coming later tonight.

Minnesota Section 4 Championship Coverage

February 6, 2025

Minnesota High School Section 4 Championship was held on Thursday under a bright sky and some very gusty winds at Battle Creek. Returning State champion Linnea Ousdigian, Mounds View, showcased her dominating form in winning the girls pursuit title by nearly two and half minutes. Stillwater's Stella Powell topped the rest of the field, taking second with Norah Hushagen, Forest Lake, third. On the boys side, Mounds Park Academy (MPA) snared the top two places with Eddie Snider and Eli Andre, as Stillwater's George Nelson came in third. Team sprint victories were earned by Irondale boys and Stillwater girls, with Forest Lake girls also advanced their sprint team to State. MPA boys won the team title by a single point over Stillwater, while the Stillwater girls team took first with Mounds View in second. Full results linked in, photos from the classic races posted.

MCSA Midwest Collegiate Cup: Mt. Ashwabay Summit Skiathlon Update

February 6, 2025

After a slower start to the season snow-wise, the Midwestern Collegiate Ski Association's (MCSA) Midwest Collegiate Cup had its first scoring event of the season last weekend, the Mt. Ashwabay Summit Skiathlon. Check out Luke Dykowski's report to find out how teams are shaping up with plenty of ski season remaining, and who to watch out for in the weeks ahead.

Weekend Racing

February 5, 2025

Feb 8-9 Vasaloppet USA - Two days of top notch racing on the big snowmaking trails north of Mora.  Freestyle Saturday, classic on Sunday.
Feb 9 North End Classic - Based out of the North End ski trails in Cable, 12.5K and 24K classic races on natural snow!
Feb 8-9 Wisconsin State Meet - Wisconsin wraps up their championships with distance titles at the Birkie Trailhead - freestyle Saturday, classic pursuit on Sunday.
Feb 8-9 North America Vasa - For those near the LP, conditions look good for the two days of racing in Traverse City.
Check out Racing Outlook for any event updates we receive.

Minnesota Section 7 Championship Coverage

February 5, 2025

Home to the Minnesota State Meet, Section 7 skiers once again got a chance to preview the courses as they battled for Section 7 Championship titles on Wednesday at Giants Ridge. Perennial rivals Ely and Duluth East had a great showdown for the boys with Ely winning it all: team title, team sprint title, and two skiers in the top three pursuit (4 in the top 7), for a four point margin over Duluth East. Dylan Durkin won the pursuit with Duluth East's August Capps second by two seconds over Aksel Skustad. There was an even tighter battle between Duluth East and Proctor/Hermantown as Proctor/Hermantown's sprint team took the three point margin of victory over Duluth East to give them the team title by a single point. Della Bettendorf lead the way for Proctor/Hermantown, taking the girls pursuit title as Marshall's Naida Huchinson was second and Duluth East's Carolina Arvold third (Duluth East posted 5 in the top 8!). Mora team sprinters, both boys and girls, earned their place at State as the best non-advancing teams. Results linked in, plus some contributed photos by Jake Richards and Amy Broadmore.

Minnesota Section 5 Championship Coverage

February 5, 2025

Minnesota High School Section 5 Championships raced across the firmly packed snowmaking trails at Theodore Wirth on Wednesday. Elk River/Zimmerman girls had a strong performance, taking the team title and dominating the individual pursuit with three skiers in the top 5 including champion Claire Swanson and second place Mary Peterson. Rogers Cara Back held on for third. Coon Rapids Lachlan Demmer crushed the skate field by over 50 seconds enroute to the boys pursuit title, Kenton Prudhomme, Maple Grove, earning second and Osseo/PC/TG's Quinlan Rundquist striding into third. Blaine boys won the team title with Coon Rapids boys second, and Maple Grove girls team also advancing. Team Sprint champions were the Blaine boys and Coon Rapids girls, with the Coon Rapids boys pairing also heading to State. Full results linked in, plus photos from the freestyle races.

Biathlon: Schommer Skis to Sensational Third in Ridnaun

February 5, 2025

Earning his first international podium since the 2019-2020 season, Paul Schommer of Appleton, WI shot a near-perfect nine for ten on Wednesday to finish third in the men's 10K sprint in Ridnaun, Italy. Finishing just five seconds back from the leader, the third place finish sets Schommer up well to compete in Friday's 12.5K pursuit race. After a long break from international competition, Schommer had just returned to the scene in January.

Biathlon: Roster Named for 2025 World Championships

February 5, 2025

With the 2025 IBU World Championships on the horizon, the United States Biathlon Association announced on Saturday their roster of athletes to compete in the event which is taking place in Lenzerheide, Switzerland next week. The roster names a multitude of Midwest athletes including Deedra Irwin, Margie Freed, and Luci Anderson on the women's team, and Jake Brown and Paul Schommer on the men's team.

Minnesota Section 8 Championship Coverage

February 4, 2025

Jay Richards reports: A frosty morning greeted skiers and spectators alike with temperature well below 0 at Maplelag for the Section 8 Championships. But it wasn't cold weather that delayed the start -- instead, a bus getting stuck at the end of the driveway held back traffic for over 30 minutes. Dominating performances highlighted the day by both boys and girls individuals and team in the boys. Annelise Baird, Brainerd, three peated as Section champion taking a convincing win over Jackie Johnson of Moorhead and Kasey Soderholm, Alexandria. Andrew Berndt, Sartell/Cathedral, opened the boys racing with a convincing skate win by nearly 40 seconds. He held off two members of the strong Brainerd team in the classic pursuit, Gabe Hallgren and Owen Robertson. Team titles went to Brainerd for the boys and Alexandria for the girls, edging out Fergus Falls in a tie breaker. Moorhead boys took second to earn their first ever trip to state as a team. Sprint victories went to Sartell/Cathedral for girls and Brainerd for the boys; runners up were the Bemidji boys and Fergus Falls girls. Results linked in along with some photos from Jay Richards.

Minnesota Section 1 Championship Coverage

February 4, 2025

A chilly second day of racing for Minnesota's High School Sectional week, Hyland Lake played host to another Championship on Tuesday with Section 1 taking to the course in Bloomington. On the team sprint side of the competition the Winona coop team of Winona/Cotter/Hope Lutheran secured both the boy's and girl's titles. In the individual competition Anna Gilmer, also of the Winona coop team, skied away with the girl's title after a dominant morning classic leg allowed her to finish the afternoon's freestyle race over a minute up on the rest of the field. Finishing second in that race was Faye Braun of Lakeville Nordic, the coop team of Lakeville North/Lakevile South, while Gilmer's teammate Calla Pike finished third. The boy's title went to Eric Anderson of Lake City who finished the pursuit race with 17 seconds to spare, while second and third went to a pair of Winona coop skiers, Tanner Benson and Kellen Groth. Both the boy's and girl's team titles went to the Winona coop team, sending both teams to State, while the RAVE coop team of Eastview/Rosemount secured second in the boys standings, Prior Lake second in the girls, earning State berths for both runner up teams as well. RAVE's girl's sprint team and Lakeville Coop's boy's sprint team also advanced to State as the fastest sprint teams not associated with either of the advancing teams. Results are linked in, with photos from the afternoon freestyle races.

Minnesota Section 3 Championship Coverage

February 4, 2025

A cold day of racing Tuesday as temps struggled to climb past the single digits for Minnesota Section 3 racing at Battle Creek. Blake's Jack Rudolph (9th grade) used a strong classic leg to take the boys pursuit title with St. Paul Central's Peter Schulz moving up to second place and South Tigers Dylan West in third. Hanna Koch, St. Paul Highland Park, collected the girls title as Elsa Lindfors finished second and Eleanor Mody, St. Paul Academy came in third. St. Paul Academy girls edged out top ranked Highland Park for the team title by a single point, with St. Paul Central boys posting a 15 point victory for the boys title, Highland Park the runners up. Team Sprint titles went to St. Paul Central boys and SPA girls, with SPA boys and St. Paul Central girls earning a team sprint spot at State as well. Results posted, plus photos from the classic races.

Minnesota Section 6 Championship Coverage

February 3, 2025

Minnesota's High School Sectional competition kicked off Monday with Section 6 Championships at Hyland Lake, utilizing their full 5K snowmaking loop with a fresh coating of snow on top. Wayzata's Lila Golomb led the way to the team title as she dominated classic and freestyle races, winning the pursuit crown by nearly two minutes. Golomb's teammate Claire Britton secured second place with Daphne Grobstein, Hopkins, taking third. Reigning State Champion Logan Drevlow, Hopkins, used a strong classic performance and posted the only sub-12 minute skate time to win the boys pursuit. Hudson McMillan, Wayzata, was second, and a tie breaking finish for third between Hopkin's Bridger Nelson and Wayzata's Charlie Gundale. Wayzata boys competed the team sweep for the titles, with Hopkins sweeping as the runner up team and earning a place at State. Team Sprint titles went to Wayzata boys and Hopkins girls, plus Orono/Delano boys and St. Louis Park girls will be headed to State. Results linked in, along with photos from the morning classic races.

Racing Outlook

February 3, 2025

Getting an early jump on the upcoming weekend races: Pre-Birkie has been cancelled, Vasaloppet and North End are on. Plus MYSL Wed Night race shift to Battle Creek this week.

St. Scholastica CCSA Invite Results

February 3, 2025

Serving as the final CCSA competition before Conference Championships two weeks out, St. scholastica hosted an Invitational over the weekend on the trails at Spirit Mountain in Duluth. Saturday's interval-start 7.5K classic races saw a pair of Norwegians from Northern Michigan University post the top times, with Henriette Nilssen winning the women's race, and Kristoffer Alm Karsrud winning the men's race. The mass-start 20K freestyle races on Sunday then featured a bit of a shakeup as Colin Freed of Michigan Tech University would win the men's race after a sprint finish with his teammate Tryg Solberg, but the women's race would go to another Northern Michigan University skier and Norwegian, Victoria Klevan Dybwad, who left nothing to chance, besting the rest of the field by nearly a full two minutes.

Wisconsin State Sprint Championships Results

February 2, 2025

The Wisconsin Nordic Ski League held their sprint championships this weekend at the Ariens Nordic Center. On Saturday, teams paired up skiers for classic team sprints. The ANST team of Ben Buchmann and Jacob Shobe won the boys title, while Peak Nordic's pairing of Krin Blegen and Sydney Loehrl won the girls. Sunday was the individual freestyle sprints. Jack Dahlby, Chippewa Valley Nordic, took first place in the boys final, followed by Connor Reckinger and Franklin Richard, both from Bay Nordic, in second and third respectively. Krin Blegen, Peak Nordic, won the girls final, followed by Stella Meza, Lakeland, second and Elsa Oestreich, Wausau Nordic United, third.

Birkie Q&A Monday Night

February 2, 2025

The Birkie staff will host their first of three planned live updates on the Birkie week events and the omnipresent state of the Birkie trail this Monday, Feb 3rd at 7 pm.

City of Lakes Loppet Freestyle Coverage

February 2, 2025

The second day of racing action for the City of Lakes Loppet featured freestyle races, using the snowmaking course at Theodore Wirth. In the men's marathon, the lead pack eventually broke down to a three way battle with yesterday's champ, Conor McGovern taking the sprint finish ahead of Henry Snider and Xavier Mansfield coming in third. On the women's side, Caitlin Gregg separated from Chelsey Youngberg early on and then held her off for the title, Youngberg second, and Gabrielle Vandendries taking third. The shorter Puoli race saw Andrew Wallin and Diane Hankee post the top times. Results linked in, plus photos and video recap from the marathon race posted.

World Cup Cogne: Freestyle Distance; Diggins Dispels Doubts in Win

February 2, 2025

Jessie Diggins dispelled any doubts about her fitness on Sunday, winning the interval-start 10K freestyle race in Conge, Italy by over 5 seconds and beating two of her primary competitors all season long, Astrid Oeyre Slind of Norway and Kerttu Niskanen of Finland. With her foot fitness in question for the past few weeks, Sunday's result helped to ease any concerns heading into the World Ski Championships at the end of the month. Her win was also appeared to lift up American athletes around her, with newcomers Kate Oldham and Kendall Kramer having standout results, finishing 16th and 18th respectively. Another podium sweep by Norway in the men's race meant the status quo remained unchanged from yesterday with Harald Oestberg Amundsen, Iver Tildheim Andersen, and Martin Loewstroem Nyenget going 1-2-3, but one welcome change was a return to top-10 by Gus Schumacher of the US men. One more race weekend remains before a break for the World Ski Championships, with Falun, Sweden setting the stage for the conclusion of Period III of the World Cup circuit.

Wolf Tracks Rendezvous Results

February 1, 2025

Minocqua Winter Park hosted their annual Wolf Tracks Rendezvous on Saturday, using a roughly 10K loop of their best conditions. Andrew Nadler claimed victory in the men’s 31.5K skate race followed closely by Danny Sonnentag and Zeke Fashingbauer. On the women’s side, Gwen Reese led the field, with Stephanie Gurgel and Laura Anderson rounding out the top three. Jeremy Todd and Olympia Todd finished 1-2 in the 20K skate. In the classic races, 31.5K champions were Murray Dunsirn and Delaney FitzPatrick; 20K titles to Aaron Jacobson and Alina Jesien. Full results linked in.

Mt. Ashwabay Summit Results

February 1, 2025

Louis Sirota won the men’s 30K classic at the 2025 Mt. Ashwabay Summit Ski Race in 1:30:03, narrowly edging out Mitchell Campbell and Josh Albrecht. Julia Lavanger took the women’s title in 1:54:14, with Katrin O'Grady and Annie Bunio Thompson in second and third. Mark Parman and Kathryn Pintar posted the top 15K classic times. Nick Ross secured victory in the men's 30K skate with a time of 1:15:11, followed by Mark Lalonde and Shane Steele. In the women's category, Hanna Torvi finished first in 1:29:15, with Mary Beth Tuttle and Carolyn Warren completing the podium. Dennis Kotcon and Joan Rundman were the top 15K skaters. Full results linked in.

City of Lakes Loppet Classic Coverage

February 1, 2025

The City of Lakes Loppet Festival opened on Saturday with classic races on the snowmaking course at Theodore Wirth. Canadian Conor McGovern took a narrow victory in the men's marathon beating Xavier Mansfield by two seconds with David Joda finishing third. In the women's race, Chelsey Youngberg took first place, with Helen Townley and Vivian Johnson rounding out the podium. Puoli champions were Anatoly Rosenflanz and Grace Wermerskirchen. Full results linked in, photos by Shannon Brault posted.

World Cup Cogne: Classic Sprints

February 1, 2025

The second day of sprinting in Cogne, Italy, Saturday brought a return to a focus on individual competitions with classic sprints following yesterday's team event. Looking to punch their ticket to the World Ski Championships there were plenty of new faces in attendance, but experience still won out on the day. In the women's final the Swedish veteran Maja Dahlqvist proved that point by racing tactically to taking home the top honors, while Switzerland's Nadine Faehndrich strategically stuck with her to take second. Earning her first individual World Cup podium after nearly 150 starts, Laura Gimmler of Germany gleefully rounded out the podium in third. Also a recognizable sprint veteran, Norway's Erik Valnes set himself up smartly to win the men's final, overcoming his own teammates Ansgar Evensen and Even Northug to stand atop the all-Norwegian podium. With a 9th place finish in the semifinals, JC Schoonmaker led efforts of the American men, while Jessie Diggins posted the best result by the US women with a 10th place finish after staying away from striding for much of the last month. Athlete's time in Cogne will come to a close on Sunday with one last event: an interval-start 10K freestyle race.

Minnesota High School Sections Preview

February 1, 2025

Minnesota sections run Monday thru Thursday this week as skiers compete to earn their place at the State Meet later this month. Twin Cities skiers take note of the snowmaking venue schedules and plan your outings accordingly.

World Cup Cogne: Team Sprints

January 31, 2025

Another weekend of World Cup races kicked off on Friday with the second team sprint event of the season, and the first in the classic technique. Cogne, Italy was the host for the occasion, and in true sprint fashion both the men's and women's final came down to close finishes. Winning the women's final by the largest margin across both competitions was the Finland I team which crossed the line nearly a second in front of a four-way fight for second. The shakeout of that second place group would see Sweden I secure second, with Germany I taking third. In the men's final a free-for-all finish would see Norway I win out over France I by less than a half second, while Sweden I claimed the final spot on the podium in third. Another tough relay day for Americans, the top men's team finished 10th, while the top women's team finished 14th. Returning to an individual focus, more classic sprints are on the menu for tomorrow.

World Cup Racing: Cogne Schedule

January 29, 2025

Less than a month out from the World Ski Championships the competition looms large, but luckily there are still two more weekends of World Cup racing for athletes to prepare for the big occasion. The first is this weekend in Cogne, Italy, which gets underway on Friday with a round of team sprints. Taking place in the classic technique, those sprints are slated for 4:20 AM CST and 6:20 AM CST for the qualifiers and finals respectively. The following day, Saturday, will see athletes compete in more classic sprints, this time individually, with that event similarly taking place at 3:30 AM CST and 6:00 AM CST for the qualifiers and finals. Wrapping it all up on Sunday, athletes will continue to compete individually for an interval-start 10K freestyle race which will have the men's field racing first at 3:00 AM CST, and likewise for the women's field a few hours later at 6:00 AM CST.

Weekend Racing

January 29, 2025

One of the busiest weekends on the calendar so far...
Feb 1-2 City of Lakes Loppet - Utilizing a full 5K loop at Wirth, classic races Saturday, freestyle on Sunday.
Feb 1 Moraloppet - Preview the Vasaloppet course on their large snowmaking trail with 10K and 20K events.
Feb 1 Mt Ashwabay Summit Race - Full course on natural snow, 15K or 30K events, with a slice of pie to boot!
Feb 1 Wolf Tracks Rendezvous - Minocqua has figured out a 10K loop course for the events.
Feb 2 Valley Spur Classic - Plenty of snow in Munising on their famous trails for 5K and 10K classic races.
Review our Racing Outlook for the latest updates we've received.

Price Hike: Fat Bike Birkie

January 29, 2025

Set for March 8th, the Fat Bike Birkie provides the one-day unique experience of racing Fat Bikes on the famous American Birkebeiner trail. The next price hike is Thursday night, Jan 30th!

Racing Outlook

January 27, 2025

Updates on the weekend races, including courses for City of Lakes Loppet and Wolf Tracks Rendezvous, and an update on the Birkie.

Minneapolis JNQ Freestyle Coverage

January 26, 2025

The Minneapolis JNQ races wrapped up Sunday with mass start freestyle races at Theodore Wirth. The Greggs completed another family sweep as Caitlin won the women's 10K in dominating fashion while Brian had a more cagey race, marking moves in the lead pack and then pulling ahead in the final 250 meters for the victory. Chloe Angerman finished second overall in the women's race and was the top U20 finisher with Inga Wing third and top U18 while in the men's race, two Canadians rounded out the podium with Kendyn Mashinter and Adam Heale while Logan Drevlow was the top U18 in 5th and Eddie Snider U20 in 6th. In the 5K U16 races, Jack Rudolph and Linnea Ousdigian collected the titles. Results linked in, plus video recaps of the 10K races.

World Cup Engadin: Freestyle Distance

January 26, 2025

After a sudden snowfall that left organizers scrambling to set the course, this weekend's World Cup action in Engadin, Switzerland drew to a close on Sunday with a mass-start 20K freestyle event. It was apparent early on in the men's race that Norway had adapted to the course conditions the best with nearly all of their athletes in contention as the field strung out, and it became increasingly clear that the nation would sweep the podium before the finish line was even in sight. Asserting himself over the rest of his countrymen, Johannes would take the victory, while Iver Tildheim Andersen finished second, with Didrik Toenseth third. Likewise, the women's race saw Astrid Oeyre Slind, also of Norway, get off to an early lead that would only ever really be contested by her teammate, Nora Sanness, but in the end Slind would not be denied her fourth World Cup win. A sprint finish from four would decide third with Jonna Sundling of Sweden taking the last spot on the podium, while Jessie Diggins would finish just a few seconds back in that group for 5th, the top result by an American. Zak Ketterson claimed the top finish by an American man in 30th. Another weekend in the books, the circuit heads south to Italy for the final races in Europe before heading back to Scandinavia with the World Ski Championships looming on the horizon.

Founders Classic Results

January 25, 2025

The Mora Ski Club put on their annual Founders Classic races Saturday at the Vasaloppet Nordic Center. Three distance races were on the line: 24K titles went to Zach Nelson (photo finish ahead of Brock Lundberg) and Elspeth Ronnander, 12K to Bennett Lundberg and Kate Foley, 6K to Torsten Stenberg and Audrey Urbanowicz.

Minneapolis JNQ Freestyle Sprints Results

January 25, 2025

A big turnout on Saturday for a long day of freestyle sprint racing at Theodore Wirth as skiers competed for Junior National Qualifying points. Minnesota high school state champions reigned in their respective divisions as Logan Drevlow won the U20/18 boys final and Linnea Ousdigian took the U16 girls final. Hanna Koch dominated the girls U20/U18 final and Jack Rudolph won the U16 boys final. Sunday will feature mass start freestyle races.

World Cup Engadin: Freestyle Sprints

January 25, 2025

Freestyle sprints were the focus for World Cup athletes on Saturday as they attempted to advanced to the heats and beyond on a winding, lakeside course. The US team had a noticably better day in Engadin as eight made the cut from the qualifiers, including Jessie Diggins who lead that group with another sprint final appearance. Unfortunately, the race would get away from her early after a fall and a broken pole took her out of contention, but she would still earn a 6th place finish for her efforts. Winning that final was Sweden's Jonna Sundling who celebrated a hard fought victory over her rival, Kristen Stavaas Skistad of Norway, while Sundling's teammate Maja Dahlqvist held off an impressive Sonjaa Schmidt of Canada for third. To no one's surprise the men's final was won by the one and only Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo of Norway who has yet to lose a sprint this season. Sweden's Edvin Anger joined him on the podium in second, while France's Lucas Chanavat would be promoted to third after Italy's Frederico Pellegrino was relegated to last for obstruction. Making it as far as the semifinals, Ben Ogden led the US men in 12th, while Julia Kern also matched that result in the women's semifinals. A mass-start 20K freestyle race awaits all athletes tomorrow as the final featured event in Switzerland.

World Cup Engadin: Mixed Team Relay

January 24, 2025

An opportunity for athletes to come together as a team, Friday was reserved for a mixed relay as the weekend's races in Engadin, Switzerland got underway. From the start there was separation as the field became stretched, and by the second lap the lead pack was just two, a team from Sweden and a team from Finland. The third lap saw that number reduced to one as the team from Sweden went it alone, ultimately remaining uncontested for the remainder of the race. Second was a different story however as the competition heated up in the closing K, and when the dust had settled it was a team from a Norway and a team from Switzerland who had made the cut for the final two podium positions. A disappointing day for the US squad, a 14th place finish and a 16th place finish by the two fielded teams meant the best North American results on the day went to our neighbors to the north who's first team finished just outside the top-5 in 6th. World Cup competitions continue tomorrow with freestyle sprints in Engadin.

Price Hike: Vasaloppet USA

January 23, 2025

The Vasaloppet crew has been hard at work forming a man-made snow loop for the Vasaloppet weekend races. The big Vasaloppet weekend features freestyle races on Saturday, classic events on Sunday. The next price hike is Saturday, Jan 25th, so register by Friday night to avoid the price increase.

World Cup Racing: Engadin Schedule

January 23, 2025

With the Swiss Alps as a backdrop, the World Cup relocates to Engadin this weekend for three days of racing in Switzerland. The action commences on Friday with the first relay of the season, a 4x5K mixed technique event that will have teams alternating tags between men and women with the start slated for 9:00 AM CST. It's on to freestyle sprints the following day with the qualifiers for that event taking place at 3:45 AM CST, and the finals scheduled for a few hours later at 6:15 AM CST. Sunday brings the competitions to a close with another mass-start 20K race as the final weekend event, this time in the freestyle technique with the men's field going first at 5:30 AM CST, and the women's field following suit at 8:00 AM CST.

MNHSNSCA: Round 3 High School Rankings

January 19, 2025

The Minnesota High School Nordic Ski Coaches Association (MNHSNSCA) has released their third round rankings for the Minnesota High School Nordic ski season. Returning champs Linnea Ousdigian and Logan Drevlow continue at top of the rankings, with St. Paul Highland girls overtaking Washburn while Brainerd boys remaining first.

Ariens Nordic JNQ Freestyle Results

January 19, 2025

Ariens Nordic hosted 5K freestyle JNQ races on a crisp Sunday in Brillion. The day's fastest times came from U18 skier Anders Giese (Norge Ski Club) with 12:33.8 in the men's field and U18 skier Krin Blegen (Peak Nordic) with 14:22.8 in the women's field. Division winners included: Connor Reckinger and Onika Colassacco (both Bay Nordic) in U16, and Sawyer Hansen and Ashley Derenne (both Bay Nordic) in U14. Bay Nordic showed impressive depth, claiming four division victories on the day.

World Cup Les Rousses: Classic Distance

January 19, 2025

A mass-start 20K classic event wrapped up World Cup racing in Les Rousses on Sunday with athletes competing on a challenging, climbing-centric course. It was ladies first for the day, and from the start Sweden's Frida Karlsson was eager to lead the charge as she set the pace and strung out the field. Her efforts would net her nearly a minute and a half lead by the time she crossed the line, with her teammate Ebba Anderson the next skier in in second, and a content Teresa Stadlober of Austria finishing just behind her in third. Similar tactics were at play in the men's event, but a later push led to a closer finish with the race being decided in a three-way sprint between William Poromaa of Sweden, Iivo Niskanen of Finland, and Simen Hegstad Krueger of Norway. They would finish in that order, with Poromaa collecting his first career World Cup victory. Top finishes for American athletes came from Ben Ogden in 12th, and Sophia Laukli in 16th. Hopping the border, next weekend's races will take place a few hours to the east in Engadin, Switzerland.

ABC Relays Coverage

January 18, 2025

St. Paul Central claimed a nail-biting boys' team victory at the 2025 ABC Relays in Mora, edging Winona by just one second (35:47 to 35:48), while Minneapolis Washburn took the girls' team title in 39:53. In individual racing, Tanner Benson (Winona) won the boys' freestyle in 8:13 and Anders Decker (Armstrong) claimed the classic title in 8:38; Chloe Angerman (Minneapolis Washburn) dominated the girls' freestyle in 9:07 while Anna Gilmer (Winona) took the classic race in 9:58. The event featured 33 teams across boys and girls divisions, with each team fielding four skiers for the 3.2km relay segments. Results posted, along with photos by our photographer Shannon Brault.

Lapham Loppet Results

January 18, 2025

Danny Sonnentag of Cambridge, WI captured the overall men's freestyle title at the 2025 Lapham Loppet Saturday morning with a time of 26:03, followed closely by Conner Nilsen just one second behind, while Madison's Alice House claimed the women's freestyle crown in 30:53. Gus Roche from Peak Nordic secured the men's classic division victory at the 10.5K event. The race drew 130 registrants with 108 finishers across multiple age groups and disciplines to Lapham Peak.

Ariens Nordic JNQ/CCSA Classic Results

January 18, 2025

Northern Michigan University's Victoria Dybwad Klevan and College of St. Scholastica's Leevi Tarjanne captured the overall victories Saturday at the Ariens Nordic JNQ/CCSA Invite, with times of 37:16.0 and 32:20.6 respectively. Dybwad Klevan led a strong NMU women's performance, while Tarjanne edged out NMU's Luke Fricker by just 6.4 seconds in the men's race. The U20 and U18 categories saw impressive performances from emerging talents, with UW-Green Bay's Lillian Franzen and Zaine Braaten taking top honors in their respective U20 divisions, while Lakeland Nordic's Stella Meza and Hayward Nordic's Neel Dums claimed the U18 titles.

She de Ski Results

January 18, 2025

Over 200 women competed Saturday morning in the She de Ski races on the snowmaking trails at the Birkie Trailhead in Cable. Margie Nelson captured the women's 20K classic title while Chelsey Youngberg won the 30K freestyle.

World Cup Les Rousses: Classic Sprints

January 18, 2025

After the fast conditions yesterday in Les Rousses, France, World Cup athletes were geared up for another round of rapid racing with classic sprints on deck for Saturday. In the women's competition it was a star-studded show with almost all of the favorites making the final, but chief among them was Sweden's Jonna Sundling and Norway's Kristine Stavaas Skistad who's rivalry had them neck and neck to the finish. Ultimately it was Skistad who would be victorious on the day, with a surprise surge from another Swede, Maja Dahlqvist, relegating Sundling to third. The men's final finished in a similar style, albiet with less history and the nations reversed as Edvin Anger of Sweden took home his first World Cup victory over two Norwegians, Ansgar Evensen and Erik Valnes. A slight deviation from the norm, the standout for the States was on the men's team with JC Schoonmaker also making the men's final where he finished 5th, while Ben Ogden just missed the cut, finishing 9th. Rosie Brennan led the women's team with a 26th place finish. Sunday wraps up racing in Les Rousses with a mass-start 20K classic race as the final event.

World Cup Les Rousses: Freestyle Distance; Diggins and Ogden Go 1-3

January 17, 2025

Period III of the World Cup circuit got under way in Les Rousses on Friday, but desipte the weekend's competitions taking place in France, it was a day to celebrate for Les Red, White, et Blues. Taking part in an interval-start 10K freestyle event, Jessie Diggins showed her mettle, fighting through foot pain to take the win over some of the season's strongest so far: Astrid Oeyre Slind of Norway and Victoria Carl of Germany. She would credit her performance to the impressive Ben Ogden on the men's team, who just a few hours earlier put in an incredible solo effort to secure a third place finish in the men's race, his second World Cup podium and first ever in a distance event. His finish would put him under 10 seconds back from the men's race winner, Iver Tildheim Andersen of Norway, and less than 5 seconds out from second, Paal Goldberg, also of Norway. American fans had at least one more name to celebrate on the day however, Sophia Laukli, who also bounced back from injury to an 8th place finish. Looking to tomorrow, classic sprints will be the subject for Saturday.

Noquemanon Ski Marathon Cancelled Due to Low Snow

January 16, 2025

The 2025 Noquemanon Ski Marathon in Marquette, Michigan has been cancelled due to insufficient snow and poor trail conditions. Organizers cited safety concerns for the 800 registered racers. The race plans to defer registrations to 2026. Skiers are encouraged to still visit the area and explore other trails like Big Bay, Saux Head, and Valley Spur.

World Cup Racing: Les Rousses Schedule

January 14, 2025

World Cup racing returns this weekend for Period III of the circuit, a prologue for World Championships which are just over a month out. A trip to Les Rousses, France will start off the cycle with competitions getting underway on Friday. First up is an interval-start 10K freestyle race which will be taking place at 6:30 AM CST for the men, and 8:45 AM CST for the women. Then classic sprints take center stage on Saturday, with qualifiers taking place at 5:15 AM CST, and the knockout rounds happening afterward at 7:45 AM CST. Finally, the weekend's activities come to a close on Sunday with a mass-start 20K classic race for both the women's and men's fields which will start at 4:20 AM CST and 8:45 AM CST respectively. In addition to Jessie Diggins and Alayna Sonnesyn who were present for Period II, the Tour de Ski, and will be returning for Period III, Midwest supporters should be on the lookout for Luci Anderson, Emma Albrecht, Erin Bianco, and Zak Ketterson who may all be making appearances in the coming weeks.

Racing Outlook

January 13, 2025

A lot of changes already on the weekend calendar as most, but not all, events have been rescheduled or cancelled. Still on events at Ariens Nordic, Eau Claire, Cable, and Lapham Peak!

Low-pet Law-pet Challenge Coverage

January 12, 2025

A couple of inches of fresh snow overnight slowed the conditions just a little for the Low-pet Law-pet Challenge (aka Pre-Loppet) race on the snowmaking trails at Theodore Wirth Sunday morning. The men's 10K raced featured a fairly large pack before juniors Eli Andre, Dylan Little and Daniel Gladkov pulled ahead with Andre taking the photo finish over Little. The women's 10K race was a close battle for the two St. Olaf stars, Liesl Cope-Schaeffer and Lily Ward, vs. Laura Cattaneo, Cattaneo making her move in the final kilometer to take the victory, Cope-Schaeffer second, and Ward third. The 5K race was largely a junior race with Peter Schulz and Louisa Lindfors posting the top times. In the 15K fat bike race, Sean Cooley and Laura Bednarski were champions. Results linked in, photos from the 10K and 15K events posted.

Seeley Hills Classic Freestyle Results

January 12, 2025

For the first time in race history, the Seeley Hills Classic offered a freestyle race Sunday. And like Saturday, it was a family affair as Marit Ross-Sonnesyn and Nick Ross took the women's and men's titles out of a field of just over 150 skiers. Sarah Widder and Maggie Bowman rounded out the women's podium, with Sam Holt and Anders Sonnesyn second and third for the men. Results linked in.

Mesabi East Invite Results

January 11, 2025

Utilizing the same man-made snow course as the previous season, the Mesabi East Invite still drew well over 750 skiers to race on Saturday at Giants Ridge. Owen Kalmes, Mounds View, took the boys 5K classic win, just 5.5 seconds ahead of Wayzata's Hudson McMillan while Eddie Snider, MPA, dominated the boys 5K freestyle event. On the girls side, Della Bettendorf, Proctor Hermantown, finished just 4.7 seconds in front of St. Paul Highland Park's Hannah Koch for the classical title, as Elsa Lindfors, St. Paul Central won the freestyle race just over 6 seconds ahead of Washburn's Chloe Angerman. Team score champions were the Brainerd boys and Highland Park girls. Full results linked in.

Seeley Hills Classic Coverage

January 11, 2025

Day one of the Seeley Hills races, held at the Birkie trailhead this year, as skiers pounded out laps on the 5K snowmaking loop for 20K and 35K classic races. The premiere 35K race came down to a three way sprint for the podium positions with Brian Gregg besting Dave Joda and Matt Liebsch for the victory by just two seconds. Caitlin Gregg completed the family sweep in taking the women's title ahead of Chelsey Youngberg and Vivian Johnson. Champions of the 20K race were Drew Huotari and Charlotte Brown. Sunday will feature first time freestyle races for Seeley Hills. Results linked in along with photos from Jackie Schneider.

US Nationals: Freestyle Sprints Results

January 7, 2025

Tuesday was the fourth and final day of competitions in Anchorage, Alaska for the 2025 US Cross-Country Ski Championships, and despite temperatures well above freezing the show would go on for the day's planned freestyle sprints. Although a national title was not up for grabs in the final event of the Championships, that did not deter athletes from competing like it was which was especially evident in the senior women's final. With just 4 hundredths of a second separating the two, Team Birkie's Mariel Merlii Pulles would take the win over Erica Laven of Sweden, while just a couple seconds back from them was the third place finisher, Kate Oldham, who was the first American. Oldham was joined on the all-American podium by Luci Anderson, another Team Birkie athlete and a Midwesterner, and Samantha Smith. A slightly more decisive race, the senior men's final finished with Michael Earnhart crossing the line first, followed by Walker Hall a half second back from him, and Carl Rune, another Swede, hot on Hall's heels. Earnhart and Hall would take the top two steps on the all-American podium, while Reid Goble, also a Midwesterner, would be promoted to the third and final step after finishing 4th overall. To note: two more athletes with Midwest ties made it at least as far as the semifinals—Kristoffer Alm Karsrud of Northern Michigan University in 8th, and Erin Bianco in 9th. Wrapping it all up, top junior times went to Mia Stiassny and Justin Lucas who both won with almost exactly 2 seconds to spare.

Racing Outlook

January 6, 2025

Weekly evening race series are starting up at Lapham Peak and Theodore Wirth. Seeley Hills offering freestyle races, plus events for high school and middle school skiers. Plus updates on the Mesabi East races.

Battle Creek Fifty K Coverage

January 5, 2025

Nearly 90 skiers turned up Sunday morning to start in darkness and subzero temps, skiing 50K and accumulating 4000 ft of climbing, for the Battle Creek Fifty K race. Spencer Davis prevailed over the men's field in a surprisingly close finish as Isaac Wieber was just 59 seconds back with Ryan Rogers taking third. Callie Knapp was the women's champion, again in a tight contest with Kitty Earl-Tornianen only 59 seconds behind. Nicole Nueno took third. Results posted along with photos.

US Nationals: Classic Distance Results

January 5, 2025

The third of four days of racing at the 2025 US Cross-Country Ski Championships in Anchorage, Alaska took place on Sunday, with the focus of the day being a mass-start classic race. Senior skiers were subjected to a 20K course which largely led to close finishes across both the men's and women's competitions. Junior skiers on the other hand, had half that distance to handle. Andreas Kirkeng of Norway was once again the fastest of the senior men's field, winning out by just under 10 seconds over the top American and second place finisher, John Steel Hagenbuch, with Luke Jager finishing just behind him in third as the second fastest American. Finishing 5th, Will Koch completed the all-American podium, while Team Birkie's Christopher Kalev was the top Midwesterner in 12th. An even closer contest, the seniors women's race was decided by less than 3 seconds with Kendall Kramer crossing the line just ahead of Erica Laven of Sweden. A little over 30 seconds back from those two were Lauren Jortberg and Kate Oldham who, along with Kramer, made up the all-American podium. Narrowly missing the podium in a sprint finish with Jortberg and Oldham, Erin Bianco was the top Midwest woman in 5th, while Renae Anderson and Emma Albrecht also had strong showings in 7th and 14th respectively. Junior titles on the day went to Jack Leveque and Lena Ponduska. Another rest day will take place tomorrow before the final event of the 2025 US Cross-Country Ski Championships on Tuesday: freestyle sprints.

Tour de Ski: Stage 7 Freestyle Distance; Diggins Finishes Third in Tour

January 5, 2025

Seven stages later the Tour de Ski drew to a close on Sunday with one final climb up Alpe Cermis in Val di Fiemme, Italy. Covering a total of 10K, the race only really got underway once athletes reached the bottom of the downhill area, but that did not make the competition a sprint by any means. By the time they reached the summit, most were out of breath and on the ground, but not Norway's Therese Johaug, the women's winner both on the day and in the overall standings. Her all out blitz to the summit would leave her teammate Astrid Oeyre Slind behind to fight for second, which she did successfully, securing second in the overall standings as well. The third and final spot on the stage podium went to Heidi Weng, completing a sweep by Norway. Norway did not sweep the overall standings however, with that last podium position going to Jessie Diggins who dug deep to fend off the rest of the competition, finishing 6th and earning herself a piece of hardware. Taking home the overall title of the men's field was another Norwegian, Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo, who was not the first to the top of the climb, but did enough to hold onto his lead. That honor of fastest man on the day went to Simen Hegstad Krueger who brought with him Mika Vermeulen of Austria and Friedrech Moch of Germany, rounding out the men's stage podium, with Vermeulen also being rewarded with a second place finish in the overall standings for his efforts. Just missing the stage podium in 4th, France's Hugo Laplas would instead make the men's overall podium, finishing third. Crossing the line in rapid succession, Zanden McMullen and Ben Ogden led the way for the US men in 19th and 20th respectively. Athletes now will have a chance to get some well earned R&R before gearing up for Period III of the World Cup which kicks off Jan 17th in France.

Seeley Hills Classic Expands, Adding Freestyle Races

January 5, 2025

With the cancellation of the Sisu Ski Fest, Seeley Hills Classic has expanded their offerings, adding high school and middle school classic races, plus a 20K freestyle race and shorter junior freestyles races on Sunday morning.

First Chance Results

January 4, 2025

Mora hosted the First Chance races on a brisk Saturday morning at the Vasaloppet Center, utilizing their snowmaking trails to provide a roughly 3K loop course. In the 10K race, Mitch Campbell won the sprint finish over Paul Olson with Louis Sirota in third. Lisa Garretson pulled ahead of her female competitors for the womens victory with Erica Kazin second and Emma Jamison third. Cece Jamison won the 5K race with Weston Pirki posting the top men's time. Full results linked in.

US Nationals: Classic Sprints Results

January 4, 2025

Day 2 of the 2025 US Cross-Country Ski Championships afforded athletes an opportunity to flex their fast twitch muscles with classic sprints on the menu in Anchorage, Alaska. Erica Laven of Sweden was the top finisher of the senior women, winning the women's final by nearly 5 seconds over Mariel Merlii Pulles of Estonia, with Samantha Smith finishing third as the top American and national champion. The Midwest's own Erin Bianco joined Smith on the all-American podium in second, finishing 5th in the final, while Nina Seeman stood a step down in third after finishing 6th. Again represented well in the women's field, the Midwest had an additional seven skiers who made the heats which included Emma Albrecht and Renae Anderson who both made the semifinals, finishing 8th and 11th respectively. The senior men's final was a much closer contest with Andreas Kirkeng of Norway just edging out Luke Jager for the win, although Jager would still earn the title of national champion as the top American. Finishing third was Michael Earnhart who was also the second American, and the third and final spot on the all-American podium went to Murphy Kimball who finished 5th. Kristoffer Alm Karsrud of Northern Michigan University led the way for the Midwest men in 10th. Both of the junior competitions came down to tight finishes, with Dane Karch and Neve Gerard ultimately emerging victorious in their respective men's and women's finals. Looking ahead to the third day of racing at the 2025 US Cross-Country Ski Championships, Sunday will feature a mass-start 20K classic race for the senior skiers, and half that distance for the juniors.

Tour de Ski: Stage 6 Skiathlon

January 4, 2025

As a grueling prelude to the final stage up the side of Alpe Cermis, Saturday held athlete's attention to a 10K classic, 10K freestyle skiathlon, the last opportunity to increase their standings before tomorrow's big climb. The men's race took place first and stayed competitive until the very end when, on the final uphill heading into the stadium in Val di Fiemme, Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo of Norway rocketed to the front of the field and shattered the group. No one would catch him on his was to yet another World Cup victory, although Italy's Frederico Pellegrino and another Norwegian, Jan Thomas Jenssen, gave it the old college try, finishing second and third respectively. In the women's race Therese Johaug, also of Norway, decided to act earlier, putting the hammer down at the start of the final lap and leaving nothing to chance on her way to victory. Her win propelled to her to the top of the Tour de Ski standings, with Teresa Stadlober of Austria finishing second, and one of Johaug's direct competitors and teammates, Astrid Oeyre Slind, finishing third. Suffering from a bout of plantar fascitis, Jessie Diggins dug deep to deliver a 5th place finish and keep her hopes of a Tour de Ski podium alive, moving up to third in the overall standings. Equally impressive on the day was Julia Kern who put forth her best distance result to date, finishing 7th. Zanden McMullen led the US men in 17th. The Tour de Ski comes to its dramatic conclusion tomorrow with the climb up Alpe Cermis the final act of Period II of the World Cup.

Sisu Ski Fest Canceled Due to Low Snow

January 3, 2025

The Sisu Ski Fest in Ironwood, Michigan, has been canceled due to insufficient snowfall. The lack of snow makes it impossible to hold a safe race. Registered skiers can ski free at ABR on race day and pick up race packets. The Depot Dash for kids will still take place on Friday.

Tour de Ski: Stage 5 Classic Sprints

January 3, 2025

Much was still at stake on Friday as the Tour de Ski entered the final three stages of the competition in Val di Fiemme, Italy. Stage 5 was dedicated to classic sprints, and some crucial seconds were up for grabs in the pursuit of the overall men's and women's titles. When the dust had settled the women's title race had only grown closer, with the top 5 athletes in the overall standings all qualifying for the heats, but only one advanced to the final, Norway's Heidi Weng, where she secured an important third place finish. Winning that final was a defiant Nadine Faehndrich of Switzerland who took the lead early in the women's final and was rewarded for it, while Linn Svahn of Sweden slotted in behind her for her first podium of the season. As one of those top 5 athletes, Jessie Diggins' important 14th place finish led the way for the US women and kept her within striking distance of the title. With yet another sprint final victory, Norway's Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo widened the gap in the race for the men's title, largely leaving it a race for second. Second on the day in the men's sprint final went to Even Northug of Norway, while third went to Marcus Grate of Sweden, his first career podium. The US men's top finisher was Ben Ogden who finished 17th. Two stages remain in the Tour de Ski, with the first taking place tomorrow in the form of a 20K skiathlon.

US Nationals: Freestyle Distance Results

January 2, 2025

The new year presented new opportunities for national champions to be crowned as Thursday marked the start of the 2025 US Cross-Country Ski Championships. An individual-start freestyle event covering 10K on the trails at Kincaid Park opened the competition in Anchorage, Alaska, and John Steel Hagenbuch would be the first to take home a title, winning out by less than a second over Andreas Kirking of Norway in the men's race. Joining the pair on the overall podium was Walker Hall in third who was the second American, while Luke Jager rounded out the all-American podium in third as the fourth overall finisher. The women's race shook out much more decisively, with Kate Oldham taking home a title with over 10 seconds to spare. Kendall Kramer would join her on the overall podium as the second overall finisher and second American, while Erica Laven of Sweden also claimed a spot on the overall podium in third. Finishing 4th overall as the top Midwest athlete on the day, Luci Anderson would complete the all-American podium in third, topping off a host of impressive finishes by Midwest women which included Erin Bianco in 11th, Emma Albrecht in 14th, Margie Freed in 17th, and Michaela Keller-Miller in 19th. Reid Goble posted the fastest time of the Midwest men, finishing 9th overall. Of the juniors, Lucas Wilmont was the fastest man in 26th, while Samantha Smith was the fastest woman in 12th. After a day off tomorrow the competition continues on Saturday with classic sprints.

World Cup Racing: Tour de Ski Stages 5, 6, and 7 Schedule

January 1, 2025

The final three stages of the Tour de Ski are upon us with some of the most exciting races of the competition ahead. Shifting southeast just a few hours from the site of the first four stages, the final leg of the Tour will get started in Val di Fiemme, Italy on Friday with classic sprints. Qualifiers for those sprints will take place at 5:15 AM CST, while the sprint finals will take place a short while later at 7:45 AM CST. A 20K skiathlon is then the focus of Saturday where the men's field will be competing at 4:00 AM CST, and the women's field at 8:30 AM CST. Caping off the competition is the infamous climb up Alpe Cermis which will take place on Sunday as a mass-start 10K freestyle race and will see the men's field head up the hill first at 7:15 AM CST, followed shortly after by the women's field at 8:30 AM CST.

Hiihto Relays Coverage

January 1, 2025

Finn Sisu hosted the Hiihto Relays, a two person tag team event with racers each skiing a pair of 2.5K loops for a total of 10K, on the snowmaking loop at Battle Creek on Wednesday. On the men's side, the combo of Dave Joda and Jay Woodbeck edged out Mitch Campbell and Ryan Rogers for first place. Sisters Emma and Lillian had the best women's time. And the pairing of Alex and Julia Reich posted the fastest mixed time. Nearly 50 teams participated. Full results linked in, video recap posted.

Racing Outlook

January 1, 2025

Weekend races are still on; Mesabi East will revert to snowmaking course (two laps of 2.5K).

Tour de Ski: Stage 4 Classic Distance

January 1, 2025

World Cup racing in Toblach wrapped up on Wednesday with Stage 4 of the Tour de Ski, a 15K classic race in the pursuit format. Picking up where they left off the day before, Norway's Astrid Oeyre Slind and Harald Oestberg Amundsen were the first out, and also happened to be the first in, both picking up important victories that elevated the former to the top of the Tour standings, and the latter to a potential podium position in those same standings. Joining Slind on the day's pursuit podium was another Norwegian, Therese Johaug, and a Finn, Kerttu Niskanen, replicating the women's results from yesterday, while the men's results offered a little more variety with Edvin Anger of Sweden and Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo of Norway joining Oestberg on the men's podium. Of the US skiers, Jessie Diggins took back her title as the top North American finisher, crossing the line in 6th, while Gus Schumacher led the American men in 17th, a result equaled by Sophia Laukli on the women's side. After a travel day World Cup racing will pick up again on Friday in Val di Fiemme for the final three races of the Tour.

Tour de Ski: Stage 3 Freestyle Distance

December 31, 2024

The Tour de Ski marched on on Tuesday for the last World Cup race of 2024. An interval-start 20K freestyle race was the featured event for the third stage of the seven stage Tour, and it was Norway's day to shine as they claimed two of the three available podium positions in both the men's and women's competitions. For the second time this season Astrid Oeyre Slind stood atop the women's podium, narrowly knocking off her teammate Therese Johaug, while Finland's Kerttu Niskanen prevented a Norwegian sweep by finishing third. In the men's race Harald Oestberg Amundsen got his third win of the season, putting a 20+ second gap on the rest of the field which included his teammate, Simen Hegstad Krueger, who finished second, and Great Britain's Andrew Musgrave, who finished third. A slew of top-20 finishes were the highlight of the American athletes, with the like of Jessie Diggins, Ben Ogden, Sophia Laukli, and Julia Kern finishing 6th, 9th, 10th, and 13th respectively. Also worth noting was an impressive performance by Katherine Stewart-Jones of Canada who had the top North American result on the day, finishing just off the women's podium in 4th. The fourth and final event of the Tour in Toblach, a pursuit-style 15K classic race, will take place tomorrow.

World Cup Racing: Tour de Ski Stages 3 and 4 Schedule

December 29, 2024

After an exciting two days in Toblach the Tour de Ski continues on Tuesday with another two days of racing at the same venue in Italy. First up is an interval-start 20k race in the freestyle technique where the men's field is slated to go first at 4:30 AM CST, with the women's field following suit at 7:45 AM CST. Then it's on to a pursuit-style 15K classic race the following day where athletes will be taking to the course in the same order: with the men's field racing at 3:30 AM CST, and the women's field racing at 5:30 AM CST.

Tour de Ski: Stage 2 Classic Distance; Diggins Does it Again

December 29, 2024

Over her decade long career of racing on the World Cup circuit Jessie Diggins has won freestyle sprints and distance races, but never a classic race. That all changed on Sunday when she crossed the line ahead of some of the best athletes in the world, winning a race she doubted she would ever win. On the way to her 26th World Cup victory she beat the likes of Kerttu Niskanen of Finland, who finished second and who's last name is synonymous with classic skiing, and Astrid Oeyre Slind of Norway, who had already had three podium finishes this season and picked up a fourth today. Diggins led a strong group of American athletes, with the likes of Gus Schumacher, Rosie Brennan, and Zanden McMullen all also finishing within the top-20 in 7th, 14th and 17th respectively. While Schumacher ended the day in 7th, he finished well within striking distance of the men's podium as the race came down to a mass-finish. Norway's Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo made no contest of that finish, crossing the line in first, and was followed by two more of his teammates, Erik Valnes and Haavard Moseby. Athletes will now get a one day reprieve from the racing action before the Tour de Ski resumes on Tuesday. (Photo: Leann Bentley)

Great Bear Chase Offers Improved Junior Bear Chase Experience

December 28, 2024

Junior skiers and their families will find improvements to this year's event: The Junior race has been moved to Saturday afternoon and fees are waived (via anonymous donor). Price hiking coming Jan 1st, so register for events before 2024 ends.

MNHSNSCA: Round 2 High School Rankings

December 28, 2024

The Minnesota High School Nordic Ski Coaches Association (MNHSNSCA) has published their second round rankings for the Minnesota High School Nordic ski season. Returning champs Linnea Ousdigian and Logan Drevlow hang one to the number one spot, with Washburn girls and Brainerd boys still the favorites.

Tour de Ski: Stage 1 Freestyle Sprints; Diggins off to a Winning Start

December 28, 2024

Stage one of the Tour de Ski saw the US Team get off to a spectacular start on Saturday with a total of eight athletes making the heats in the freestyle sprints. That group included the defending champion from last season's Tour de Ski, Jessie Diggins, who put her best foot forward by winning the women's sprint final in dramatic fashion over Jasmi Joensuu of Finland and Nadine Faehndrich of Switzerland. On the men's side another American made the final, Ben Ogden, but his attempt at a second career podium was cut short by a broken pole. Starting the Tour after a two year hiatus, Norway's Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo made the men's final a race for second yet again, cooly winning out over Lucas Chanavat of France and Janik Riebli of Switzerland. For the US squad, additional notables included Julia Kern and Gus Schumacher who both made it as far as the semifinals, and Alayna Sonnesyn who reached a new career high, finishing 19th on the day. Tomorrow athletes will be switching gears and techniques as they tackle a mass-start 15K classic race.

World Cup Racing: Tour de Ski Stages 1 and 2 Schedule

December 25, 2024

This weekend the World Cup circuit starts back up again for the annual Tour de Ski. Spanning seven stages and all of Period II, this year's Tour is entirely in Italy and will take place in Toblach for four stages, and Val di Fiemme for three. The first two stages are Saturday and Sunday, with freestyle sprints on the former and a mass-start 15K classic event on the latter. Qualifiers for the sprints will begin at 5:00 AM CST on Saturday, followed by the finals at 7:30 AM CST. Sunday's classic race is slated for a 5:30 AM CST start with the women's field out first, followed by the men's field at 7:45 AM CST. Due to its grueling nature, a smaller crowd will be competing at the Tour de Ski which will include Midwest representatives Jessie Diggins and Alayna Sonnesyn.

Coleraine JNQ: Individual Classic Results

December 22, 2024

Sunday was the second and final day of Midwest JNQ racing in Coleraine, MN where skiers were greeted with warmer temperatures than the day before. Logan Drevlow (U18) of Loppet Nordic Racing cruised to victory in the men's 7.5K race, winning the individual-start classic competition by 20 seconds over yesterday's sprint champion, Declan Hutchinson (U23) of Saint Michale's College, while Oliver Miatke (U20), also of Saint Michael's College, rounded out the men's podium in third. Opting to compete in the U18/U20/Sr division, Loppet Nordic Racing's Linnea Ousdigian (U16) proved she made the right decision, winning the women's race by just under 10 seconds over her teammate, Sydney Drevlow (U20), with a virtual tie splitting third between Zoe Devine (U20) of Saint Michael's College and Hanna Koch (U20) of Minneapolis Ski Club. The top U18 skier in the women's competition was Elsa Lindfors of Endurance United, and Reid Thompson of Big Thunder Nordic had the top time in the U16 boy's 5K race. Results are linked in.

Race Closing: American Birkebeiner

December 21, 2024

Thinking about participating in the Birkie on Feb 22nd? If so, you'd better act quickly -- the race is nearly full and organizers have announced registration will close on Monday night!

Coleraine JNQ: Freestyle Sprints Results

December 21, 2024

With temperatures in the teens the second batch of Midwest JNQ racing got underway on Saturday with a round freestyle sprints at Mount Itasca. Declan Hutchinson (U23) of Saint Michael's College was the fastest of the Men's field, besting Loppet Nordic Racing's Logan Drevlow by three seconds, who in turn bested his teammate Anders Westanmo (U20) by three seconds. Loppet Nordic Racing put two more on the podium in the women's competition, with Helen Townley (U18) taking the top spot over her teammate Sydney Drevlow (U20) by two seconds, and Elsa Lindfors (U18) of Endurance United joined them a second later in third. Winning the U16 girl's final in dominant fashion was Linnea Ousdigian, while Jack Rudolph came out on top after a tight finish in the U16 boy's final. Both represented Loppet Nordic Racing. Results are linked in.

Winter Warm-up Results

December 21, 2024

Crisp temperatures did little to slow down a very competitive field for the Winter Warm-up Saturday morning at Elm Creek. In the 10K race, Cooper Camp dethroned Matt Liebsch in a sprint finish with Jose Miguel Fresco Hanlon in third. Morgan Richter topped the women's field with Ingrid Thyr second and Ella Niznik third. The 5K champions were Matthew Jenneke and Grete Engels. Full results posted.

Weekend Racing

December 18, 2024

Some holiday races on tap...
Dec 21 Winter Warm-Up - Put in some race laps at Elm Creek with 10K and 5K events.
Dec 21 Santa Ski Race - Ariens Nordic hosts a festive races, complete with Santa hats!
Dec 21-22 Coleraine JNQ - Two days of JNQ racing on the trails at Mt. Itasca.
Any updates we receive will be posted in the Racing Outlook.

Price Hike: Seeley Hills Classic

December 17, 2024

The popular classic technique event, the Seeley Hills Classic is coming up on January 11th. Sign up by Thursday night to avoid the next price hike!

Holiday Relays Coverage

December 17, 2024

A seasonal staple, Holiday Relays was held at Battle Creek on Tuesday for its second year following its reboot. With well over 100 relay teams participating across all competitions, there was plenty of excitement in the air, but perhaps none more than for the crowd from St. Paul Central who took home the title in both the boy's and girl's races by sizable margins. Second was also decisively decided in both races with the Stillwater boy's and girl's teams securing their spot on the podium while also picking up a third place position in the girl's race via their second team. Coming from behind, Irondale would lay claim to the final spot on the boy's podium in third. Results are up and linked in, plus video recaps of both the boy's and girl's varsity races.

Cable JNQ: Classic Coverage

December 17, 2024

Nearly a week of racing at the American Birkebeiner trailhead wrapped up on Tuesday with 20K classic mass start races. In the men's event, APU's Luke Jager topped John Steel Hagenbuch, SVSEF, and Brian Bushey, UU, in a tight finish that saw 13 skiers finish within 36 seconds. Erica Laven, UU, continued a strong run with a victory in the womens event, just ahead of Tilde Baangman, Univ of Colorado, with Nina Seemann, BSF, taking third. Full results linked in, along with photos from the men's race by Jackie Schneider.

Cable JNQ: Freestyle Results

December 15, 2024

Sunday featured freestyle interval 10K races at the trails at the American Birkebeiner start area. John Steel Hagenbuch (Senior) of Sun Valley SEF took the overall victory with Will Koch, University of Colorado (U23) second, and Remi Drolet (Senior), SMS T2, third. Tabor Greenberg from the University of Vermont led the U20 competitors, finishing 13th in the total rankings. Among the youngest racers, Logan Drevlow of Loppet Nordic Racing was the top U18 athlete, crossing the finish line in 36th place overall. On the women's side, Erica Laven (U23) from the University of Utah dominated, finishing first overall, the only skier to finish in under 25 minutes. Tilde Baangman, University of Colorado, topped the Senior category, securing second place. Nina Seemann (U23), BSF Pro Team, was third. Nina Schamberger, University of Utah, led the U20 group, placing fourth overall. In the U18 division, Elsa Lindfors of Endurance United lead the way, finishing 31st overall. Connor Reckinger and Linnea Ousdigian had the top U16 times in the 5K event. Full results linked in.

World Cup Davos: Classic Distance

December 15, 2024

Sunday's interval-start 20K classic race was the final competition in Davos, Switzerland, and the final event of Period I of the World Cup circuit. While there were some absences from the lineup with a few athletes breaking early to prepare for the Tour de Ski, most of the big names were still there, including Therese Johaug of Norway who was a favorite to win the women's race. That honor would go to her teammate however, Astrid Oeyre Slind, who picked up her first World Cup victory at the age of 36, while Johaug would get bumped to third by Finland's classic superstar, Kerttu Niskanen. Equaling his sisters efforts, Finland's other classic superstar, Iivo Niskanen, would finish second in the men's race behind an impressive performance by Martin Loewstroem Nyenget of Norway, and ahead of an inspiring third place finish by France's Hugo Lapalus, his first 'real' World Cup podium. Results from the American crowd was mixed on the day, with Jessie Diggins and Rosie Brennan posting the highest finishes of the women's team in 7th and 8th, while Gus Schumacher led the men's team in 21st. A well deserved rest awaits athletes now, with Period II of the World Cup, the Tour de Ski, starting up a few days before year's end on Dec 28th.

Hoigaards Relays Coverage

December 14, 2024

Twin Cities racing picked up again Saturday morning with the annual Hoigaards Relays events at Elm Creek. The duo of Matt Liebsch/Jakob Ellingson topped the master field with Anders Sonnesyn/Luc Golin taking second and Jacob Dean/Joe Thuente in third. The pairing of Lillian and Emma Jamison had the best time in a sparse women's field. Caitlin Gregg and Andrew Brown teamed up to win the mixed field. The high school races featured teams ranging from two to four skiers for the 6 x 1.5K format. The Jamison gals hit the course again to take a second victory, with Cecilia and Madelynn joining Lillian and Emma. Erik Olsen/Finn Rodefeld combined for the best boys time. Full results posted, along with photos from Shannon Brault!

Cable JNQ: Classic Sprints Results

December 14, 2024

The Gitchi Gami Games classic sprints featured a large field as over 500 skiers participated in a full day of racing. Erica Laven and Graham Houtsma took the open division victories with Elsa Lindfors and Tabor Greenberg winning the junior sprint finals. In the U16 division, Minnesota high school champ Linnea Ousdigian and Canada's Reid Thompson were the winners. Results linked in.

World Cup Davos: Freestyle Sprints

December 14, 2024

For the second night in a row freestyle sprints were the main event in Davos for their World Cup weekend. Saturday's result were markedly better for US athletes with eight making the elimination round, and half of that group making it to the semifinals or further. That group included Jessie Diggins and Ben Ogden, who both fought hard to advance to the finals but met tough opposition there, each finishing 6th. One other notable standout of that group was Alayna Sonnesyn who reached a new career high on the World Cup circuit, finishing 22nd. Winning the respective men's and women's finals were the standouts from yesterday's races, Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo of Norway and Jonna Sundling of Sweden, who both crossed the line unchallenged. Joining either on the podium were France's Lucas Chanavat and Norway's Erik Valnes in the men's race, and two Norwegians, Mathilde Myhrvold and Julie Myhre, in the women's race. Tomorrow will feature an interval-start 20K classic race for the final day of World Cup racing in Switzerland.

World Cup Davos: Team Sprints

December 13, 2024

A rarity on the World Cup circuit, athletes got to try their hand at sprinting as a team for the opening night of races in Davos, Switzerland. Of the four teams fielded, three made the cut for Team USA, but success was hard to come by in a fairly competitive field. The best results from the group were a pair of 7th place finishes by the men's and women's teams, with a second men's team finishing immediately behind the first in 8th. Favorites by far, Norway and Sweden claimed victory in the men's and women's races respectively, bolstered by a pair of sprinters that have been on a hot streak: Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo and Jonna Sundling. Filling out the rest of either podium was an elated Swiss team and a team from Sweden on the men's side, and a Norwegian team and another excited team from Switzerland on the women's side. Athletes will now do it all again tomorrow with another round of sprinting on the books, this time competing individually.

World Cup Racing: Davos Schedule

December 11, 2024

Another World Cup weekend is upon us with athletes migrating south to Switzerland for three days of racing in Davos. Switching things up a bit, the opening event on Friday will be a team sprint in the freestyle technique which will take place at 11:00 AM CST. The sprinting action then continues into Saturday with a round of individual freestyle sprints where the qualifiers will take place at 7:45 AM CST, and the heats at 10:15 AM CST. To close it all out, an interval-start 20K classic race will take place on Sunday, with the men's field going first at 4:30 AM CST, followed by the women's field at 7:00 AM CST.

ABR Opener High School Race Coverage

December 9, 2024

Dale Fanney reports: About 100 high school skiers from the WNSL and the UP raced in the ABR Opener on Saturday. Snow and race conditions were excellent on the ABR 5k course. MadNorSki skiers Sasha Gusev and Kyra Vander Zanden placed First and 4th with Peak Nordic skiers Krin Blegen 2nd and Riley Grossklaus 3rd. In the boys race, Cole Mirek from Peak Nordic won a photo finish over Neils Stringer, MadNorSki, and Ben Dahlby, CVN. Results posted along with photos from Jonathon Rulseh.

World Cup Lillehammer: Skiathlon; Diggins Takes Third

December 8, 2024

World Cup racing in Lillehammer, Norway came to a close on Sunday with the first skiathlon of the season. Historically a strong event for Jessie Diggins, Sunday's 20K race was no different as she skied smart to finish third just behind a defiant Heidi Weng of Norway. Well out in front in the women's competition however was another Norwegian, Therese Johaug, who erased any doubts about her post-retirement fitness with a statement win. The men's competition was a much tighter affair with the race coming down to the wire in a three-way sprint between three Norwegians: Harald Oestberg Amundsen, Jan Thomas Jenssen, and Martin Loewstroem Nyenget. They would finish in that order, but not without an American hot on their heels, Gus Schumacher, who had a strong showing with a 5th place finish. Across the board the US team had markedly improved results on Sunday, with Sophia Laukli and Julia Kern also finding success with 11th and 20th place finishes respectively. It's on to Davos, Switzerland now for the third and final weekend of Period I of the World Cup, with the action getting underway on Friday with a team sprint event.

World Cup Lillehammer: Freestyle Sprints

December 7, 2024

Saturday was for freestyle sprints which marked the second day of World Cup competitions in Lillehammer, Norway. Compared to last Saturday it was a more productive outing for the US team with five making the heats, including the top men's qualifier, Ben Ogden. The team's success would be limited however, as Jessie Diggins was the only athlete to advance, making it as far as the semifinals where she finished 8th. In the women's final it was a race for second as Sweden's Jonna Sundling skied away with the win, leaving her teammate Johanna Hagstroem to duke it out against Norway's Julie Myhre, with the pair finishing in that order. The men's final was no different as Norway's finest, Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo, left the rest of the field in his dust, so it was up to his teammate Even Northug and Italy's Federico Pellegrino to fight over the remaining two spots on the podium, finishing second and third respectively. Turning their attention to Sunday, athletes will be facing a 20K skiathlon event for the final day of racing in Lillehammer.

Skadi's Chase Coverage

December 7, 2024

Great conditions - weather and snow - for the Skadi's Chase races at Elm Creek on Saturday morning, part of the Minnesota Nordic Opener. Matt Liebsch secured yet another title, pulling ahead of Sam Holt in the final stretch with David Joda rounding out the podium for the men. In the women's race, Gabby Vandendries took the victory over Cheresa Bouley with Nicole Eliasson in third. IN the 4K high school races, St. Paul Central's Elsa Lindfors and MPA's Eddie Snider topped the big fields. Results linked in, plus photosets from both races posted.

Biathlon: Campbell Wright Scores 4th Place in Kontiolahti

December 6, 2024

US Biathlon team member and New Zealand native Campbell Wright finished fourth in the men's 10km sprint in Kontiolahti, Finland, on Friday, his best World Cup result to date. Wright shot a perfect 10/10 and finished just seconds off the podium.

Price Hike: Vasaloppet USA

December 6, 2024

Snowmaking operations are well underway in Mora and the Vasaloppet USA has a price hike coming up on December 9th. Get your registrations in by Sunday night to save some cash!

World Cup Lillehammer: Freestyle Distance

December 6, 2024

The second World Cup weekend of the 2024-2025 season kicked off on Friday in the same way last weekend's competitions did: with a 10k interval-start race, this time in the freestyle technique. Taking place in Lillehammer, Norway, home field advantage was in full effect as the home team swept both the men's and women's podiums, with the most notable finish of the group going to Therese Johaug who picked up her first victory on the circuit since two years prior at the same venue. To either side of her on the women's podium where her teammates, Heidi Weng in second, and Astrid Oeyre Slind in third, while the men's podium, from the top down, was made up of Martin Loewstroem Nyenget, Simen Hegstad Krueger, and Haralad Oestberg Amundsen. After some sensational skiing last Sunday, the American results were more subdued, with Jessie Diggins leading the way for the team in 5th, while Sophia Laukli also posted a strong result in 15th. Tomorrow is a new day with new possibilities however as athletes will shift gears and warm up their fast twitch muscles for a round of freestyle sprints.

Mesabi East Invite Details Posted

December 5, 2024

The huge Mesabi East Invite meet is scheduled for January 11th! Registration is now open with a deadline of Jan 6th. Full details on the event in the press release.

Weekend Racing

December 4, 2024

The opening weekend of racing is here!
Dec 7 Skadi's Chase - Citizen race at Elm Creek as part of the Nordic Opener. And opening race of the Tour de Finn series!
Dec 7 Season Opener - Big snow in the UP and a fun, low key race to kick off the season.
Our Racing Outlook will have any event updates we've received.

Holiday Relays Set for Dec 17th

December 4, 2024

The high school Holiday Relays will be racing Tuesday, Dec 17th at Battle Creek West. True relay format, 4x2.5K with two classic and two freestyle legs. Up to 15 teams will be able to compete, register your high school team today!

World Cup Racing: Lillehammer Schedule

December 3, 2024

After a thrilling opening weekend the World Cup circuit moves on to Lillehammer, Norway for the second stop of the season. The competition kicks off on Friday with an interval-start 10K freestyle race for all athletes where the men's field will be heading out first at 3:30 AM CST, followed by the women's field at 5:45 AM CST. Then freestyle sprints are on deck for Saturday, with a qualification round taking place at 2:00 AM CST, and the ensuing heats taking place at 4:30 AM CST. Finally, a 20K skiathlon will close out the weekend on Sunday, with the men's field again getting to go first at 3:00 AM CST, and the women's field getting their turn afterwards at 5:15 AM CST.

World Cup Ruka: Freestyle Distance; Diggins Does it Again

December 1, 2024

Sunday was a big day for American athletes as four would finish within the top-10 in the day's 20K mass-start freestyle event in Ruka. Leading the group was Jessie Diggins who was a testament to "if there's a will there's a way," battling back to not only reel in a pair of Norwegian skiers that broke away late, but also pass them in the final few hundred meters for a fiery finish that earned her her first win of the season. She did so by out sprinting Jonna Sundling of Sweden, who had been hot on her heels for much of the race but had to settle for second, while Heidi Weng proved to be a better sprinter than her teammate Therese Johaug, finishing third. Not much further back was Sophia Laukli who finished an impressive 10th. Also impressive was the pair of Zanden McMullen and Gus Schumacher of the US men who finished 7th and 8th respectively, a career high for McMullen. There was a lot of red finishing in front of the two however, with five Norwegians in the top-6 which included the podium of Harald Oestberg Amundsen, Jan Thomas Jenssen, and Martin Loewstroem Nyenget. Next up: athletes will be making their way to the other side of Scandinavia for three days of racing in Lillehammer, Norway, starting with a 10K interval-start freestyle race on Friday.

World Cup Ruka: Classic Sprints

November 30, 2024

Classic sprints were the main event for the second day of World Cup racing in Ruka, a day that was filled with highs and lows. For the US team, it was a challenging day, with only two athletes qualifying for the heats, Jessie Diggins and Rosie Brennan, who both struggled to advance out of their quarterfinals. The heats were also rife with crashes, knocking out a few of the favorites, but also leaving opportunities for a few of the up-and-comers. That group included Sweden's Johanna Hagstroem, who got her first victory in the women's final, and the runner-up, Norway's Julie Myhre, who got her first podium. Joining the pair on the podium was Maja Dahlqvist, also of Sweden. The men's sprint final had a different narative, with Norway's Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo maintaining his sprint status quo with yet another win, with his teammate Erik Valnes at his side in second. To the delight of the home crowd, Lauri Vuorinen rounded out the men's podium in third. The opening weekend of World Cup racing will conclude tomorrow with a 20K mass-start freestyle for all athletes.

World Cup Ruka: Classic Distance

November 29, 2024

An exciting new World Cup season got underway on Friday at the Ruka ski resort in Finland, this time breaking the decades long norm with a 10K interval start classic race. Norwegian dominance was felt across the board as the nation secured four podium positions between the men's and women's races, but the top finish in both competitions went to a Finn and a Swede respectively—the hometown hero Iivo Niskanen, and Frida Karlsson. Therese Johaug, the returning retiree, and Astrid Oeyre Slind rounded out the women's podium in second and third, and Harald Oestberg Amundsen and Martin Loewstroem Nyenget did likewise for the men's podium. Like no time had passed at all, Jessie Diggins and Rosie Brennan led the way for the US team, both securing top-10 finishes in 7th and 9th respectively, while Gus Schumacher was the highlight of the men's squad, finishing just inside the top-20 in 18th. The second of three days of racing will bring a bout of sprinting action tomorrow, again in the classic technique.

Biathlon: Midwest Athletes Get Internationals Starts

November 25, 2024

U.S. Biathlon announced the 16 athletes who will represent the United States on the World Cup and IBU Cup circuits for trimester one. Several Upper Midwest athletes will compete in the Biathlon World Cup and IBU Cup events including Deedra Irwin, Margie Freed, Jake Brown, Lucinda Anderson, Michaela Keller-Miller, and Luke Brown.

World Cup Racing: Season Preview

November 22, 2024

With less than a week to go until the start of a new World Cup campaign we've put together everything you need to know to follow the action all winter long. It's going to be a high stakes season with the World Championships taking place in February, but there's plenty of reason to be exited for a US squad that's been firing on all cylinders the past few years. Dive into the coverage to find out where the team will be headed and who they'll be competing against when the season kicks off next Friday.

Wisconsin Nordic Ski League Matching Fundraising Effort

November 18, 2024

The Wisconsin Nordic Ski League organizes events for 5th-12th grade athletes, including a high school and middle school skiing championship with over 450 participants from 25+ teams. Help support the league as they have a matching fundraising offer for donations received by Jan 15th!

Price Hikes: Sisu Ski Fest, Seeley Hills Classic

November 12, 2024

Two price hikes coming this week:
Jan 11 Sisu Ski Fest - The big Midwest opener is filling fast!  Register by Friday night, Nov 15th, to avoid the fee jump.
Jan 11 Seeley Hills Classic - Kick and glide from the Korte start.  Register by Thursday night, Nov 14th, to avoid the fee jump.

Team Birkie Launches Sponsorship Initiative

November 12, 2024

Team Birkie, with five Olympians and multiple Birkie victories, showcases the region's commitment to an active, outdoor lifestyle. Businesses can now partner with Team Birkie to connect with a health-conscious, upwardly-mobile population and support athletes inspiring the next generation in the upper Midwest.

Tour de Finn: 2024-2025 Updates

November 12, 2024

The Tour de Finn is gearing up for its second season and has announced its lineup for the 2024-2025 season. Building off of last season, they're implementing a selection of rule changes to make their schedule more accommodating and to better account for race cancelations (which we saw plenty of this past winter), plus they've added two more offerings: the Dirtbag Series, and the Skiwerx Series.

U of M's ESPI Releases Report on Survey of Midwest Nordic Coaches

November 11, 2024

The 2023-24 winter season in the Upper Midwest faced significant challenges due to warm temperatures and low snowfall. The Univ of Minnesota's Equitable Sport and Physical Activity Innovations (ESPI) Lab has published their survey of over 100 Midwest Nordic ski coaches. The survey revealed widespread disruptions to training, increased costs, and logistical challenges. Despite these difficulties, coaches remained resilient and adapted, though many expressed concerns about climate change's future impact. The report also contains number of suggestions.

MNHSNSCA: Preseason High School Rankings

November 11, 2024

The Minnesota High School Nordic Ski Coaches Association (MNHSNSCA) has published their preseason rankings for the Minnesota High School Nordic ski season. Returning champs Linnea Ousdigian and Logan Drevlow get the number one spot, with Washburn girls and Brainerd boys the early favorites.

Birkie: Inaugural Shred de She Fat Bike Event Announced

November 11, 2024

The American Birkebeiner Ski Foundation is hosting Shred de She, a new women's fat biking event Jan 3-5th in Cable. Modeled after the successful Ski de She series, the event aims to encourage female riders of all levels to explore winter fat biking, develop skills, and connect with a community of enthusiasts. The event will feature skill-building clinics, guided trail rides, and wellness workshops.

Loppet Foundation Welcomes New Executive Director Meghan Cosgrove

November 8, 2024

The Loppet Foundation has named Meghan Cosgrove as its new Executive Director. Cosgrove, with a track record of making the outdoors more inclusive, looks to build on the organization's success and continue its mission of growing the cross-country skiing community through experiences that foster diversity and equity.

NNF Launches Officials' Grant to Boost TD Pool

November 7, 2024

The National Nordic Foundation (NNF) has launched an Officials' Grant Program to support volunteers who officiate cross-country skiing competitions. The initiative aims to create a sustainable fundraising model and address the long-standing need for more FIS Technical Delegates (TD). The grant program seeks to reduce financial barriers for new officials, with a focus on recruiting recently retired athletes and others motivated to stay involved in the sport.

Midwest Racing Season Preview

November 7, 2024

After a warm start to fall, a chill has entered the air which can only mean one thing—winter is coming. Despite a subdued 2023/2024 season on the racing front, each new season brings a renewed sense of excitement to see the first flakes fly, and we're looking to bottle some of that excitement as we preview the Midwest racing scene for the 2024/2025 season.

Price Hike: Fat Bike Birkie

November 5, 2024

Set for March 8th, the Fat Bike Birkie provides the one-day unique experience of racing Fat Bikes on the famous American Birkebeiner trail. The event offers a wide range of categories and distance -- something for everyone. The next price hike is midnight Thursday, Nov 7th, so get your registration in by Thursday night!

Ariens to Host First U.S. Biathlon Masters Nationals

November 4, 2024

Ariens Nordic Center in Brillion, WI, will host the inaugural U.S. Biathlon Masters Nationals and NorAm Masters Championships on February 14-16th. The event offers midwest cross-country skiing and biathlon enthusiasts, including masters athletes from the region, a chance to compete at a world-class venue. Medals will be awarded in five age categories, plus an "Open" division for athletes under 30.

Price Hikes: Sisu Ski Fest, Birkie Week Events

October 29, 2024

Two notable price hikes coming Friday, so sign up by Thursday night to save:
- Jan 11 Sisu Ski Fest
- Feb 19-22 Birkie Week Events

Sisu Ski Fest: Races Over Half Full, Price Hike Coming Friday

October 28, 2024

Registration is now open for the 16th annual SISU Ski Fest. The ski races will take place Saturday, Jan 11th in Ironwood, MI. Sign up before Friday, Nov 1st and save on this quality early season race on natural snow in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.

CXC Rollerski Championships Coverage

October 27, 2024

The CXC Rollerski Championships were held over the weekend on the asphalt trails at the Birkie Trailhead in Cable. Team Birkie and World Cup athletes Alayna Sonnesyn and Zak Ketterson showcased top form on the weekend, with Ketterson taking the 10K skate and classic sprint titles and Sonnesyn also winning the 10K skate and coming in second in the sprint final. Full results linked in, along with classic sprint photos from Bryce Kryzer.

Coaching Positions

October 15, 2024

High school Nordic ski season starts in less than a month and there are still some coaching positions open. Also posted, Coach Development Coordinator with the Loppet Foundation.

Price Hike: Birkie Tour, Night Race

October 15, 2024

The Birkie Tour and Night Race weekend is scheduled for Saturday, January 25th. Save some on fees by registering by Thursday night.

MNHSNSCA Fall Meeting Minutes

October 15, 2024

The annual Minnesota High School Nordic Ski Coaches Association meeting was last weekend in Mora. Some highlights from the published meeting minutes: discussion on proposed changes to State Meet qualification, proposal update on season dates; update on State Meet venues; update on head gear rules.

USCSA: Collegiate Nordic Teams Guide

October 8, 2024

USCSA is promoting a new guide to help skiers get the most detailed information on collegiate skiing opportunities around the US. Produced by a student/athlete, the guide contents team descriptions from actual athletes and coaches, from all the divisions.

Biathlon: Sixteen Athletes Named to Final Pre-Season Camp in Vuokatti

October 7, 2024

U.S. Biathlon has announced the roster for the European pre-season camp to take place in Vuokatti, Finland, which includes a bevy of Midwest skiers. The final on-snow camp will later determine the trimester one IBU World Cup and IBU Cup rosters.

Team Birkie Announces 2024-2025 Development Team

October 3, 2024

Team Birkie's Regional Development Team adds six Minnesota athletes: Adrik Kraftson, Benon Brattebo, Colin Freed, Greta Hansen, Maggie Wagner, and Morgan Richter. All are NCAA skiers with strong local backgrounds, supporting Midwest talent development.

US Ski Team: 2024-2025 Cross-Country Team Announced

September 12, 2024

The U.S. Ski & Snowboard named 27 athletes to the 2024-25 Stifel U.S. Cross Country Ski Team. A big roster with a number of Midwest skiers selected: Jessie Diggins, A Team along with Kevin Bolger and Zak Ketterson, B Team. Plus coaches and support staff: Eli Brown, Chris Hecker and Paul Choudoir, World Cup Service; Kristen Bourne, D Team Coach.

Birkie Trail Run Film Festival

September 5, 2024

New this year, the Birkie is offering a Friday evening film festival at Mount Telemark Village. As part of the Trail Run weekend, Sep 27-28th, the event is open to all and your ticket includes Mt. Telemark Hike, complimentary beverage, fun and games, campfires and s'mores.

Out There: Citizen Race Service

September 5, 2024

Out There ski shop is offering race service for a number of local ski races this winter, including the Seeley Hills Classic, City of Lakes events, SISU Ski Fest and more. Sign up to get more details on the packages they'll be offering this winter.

NNF: Application for Trail to Gold Fellowship Open

August 27, 2024

The National Nordic Foundation (NNF) is excited to announce that the application period for Trail to Gold Coaching Grants is now open. The Trail to Gold Coaching Grant program provides American women coaches and technicians the opportunity to gain international-level experience through an immersive internship with the US Ski Team. Application deadline is Sept 9th.

Utah Will Host 2034 Winter Olympics

July 24, 2024

Salt Lake City, Utah has been selected to host the 2034 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, a decision made during the 142nd International Olympic Committee (IOC) Session in Paris, France. The historic decision marks the fifth time the Winter Olympic Games have been held in the USA and 32 years since Utah last hosted the world.

Shoreline Sprints Coverage

July 17, 2024

Out There's big two-day rollerski festival, the Shoreline Sprints, were held last weekend in Rice Lake. In the 15K classic race on Friday, Mariel Pulles and Zak Ketterson took the victories. Saturday's freestyle sprint titles went to Zak Ketterson in a tight finish over Julian Smith and Mariel Pulles again for the women. Check out a full recap, results, photos and video clips!

Out There: Shoreline Rollerski Races This Weekend

July 7, 2024

The Shoresline Sprints rollerski features two days of racing, including a classic distance race on Friday and then skate sprints on Saturday. Pro, senior and junior athletes from the US, Canada and Estonia are expected to compete. Races are this Friday and Saturday, July 12th and 13th -- spectators encouraged to come out and cheer!

CXC: Rollerski Cup Series

June 29, 2024

CXC Rollerski Cup is on again this summer, starting July 10th in Cable. Additional stops include Blue Mounds, Duluth and back in Cable.

Birkie's Ben Popp Elected as Worldloppet President

June 16, 2024

At the recent General Meeting for the Worldloppet, held this year in Sapporo, Japan, the American Birkebeiner's Executive Director Ben Popp was elected as the new Worldloppet International Skifederation President. The Birkie was the place of birth of the Worldloppet concept back in 1978.

Midwest MTB Report

May 31, 2024

May has come and gone, and despite a lot of rain throughout the Midwest the mountain bike scene has been going strong. June brings with it warmer temps and even longer days, so to give us some inspiration of what to do with those extra minutes Jay Richards has for us another installment of his Midwest MTB report.

Team Birkie Regional Team Announced

May 26, 2024

Emma Stertz, Dolcie Tanguay, Connor Roberts, and David Ronnevik join Team Birkie's Regional Team for post-collegiate ski racing development. The experienced athletes, including former biathletes and a state high school standout, aim to benefit the Midwest ski community. Aidan Ripp joins the Continental Team after a stellar USCSA career.

Midwest MTB Report

May 23, 2024

Bouncing back after a tough break with a wrist injury a month back, Jay Richards returns this week with a new Midwest MTB Report. Covering the start of the series season in both Minnesota and Wisconsin, this week's report includes highlights from race #1 in the Minnesota Mountain Bike Series and race #2 in the Wisconsin Off-Road Series, plus news and notes related to the trails at Telemark, racing at Split Rock, and World Cup at Mt. Van Hoevenberg.

World Cup Returns to the US - Lake Placid 2026

May 16, 2024

At the US and Snowboard Spring Congress earlier this week it was unveiled that Lake Placid will host the World Cup Finals in March 2026. Nordic Insights reports on the tentative agreement.

Team Birkie: Junior Development Education

May 10, 2024

Team Birkie offers Champions Corner to educate junior athletes through monthly Zoom sessions with ambassadors David Norris and Jessica Yeaton. The elite skiers share insights on training, nutrition, technique and race tactics. Designed to empower athletes of all levels, the interactive series also offers valuable life skills. Recordings are available.

Twin Cities Natives Bolster Team Birkie Marathon Squad

May 6, 2024

Team Birkie's Marathon Team gets a big boost with the addition of three former standout Loppet Nordic Racing junior skiers - Abigail Drach, Nicole Eliasson (Schneider), and Vivian Johnson (Hett). The Twin Cities natives bring impressive credentials from junior/collegiate national teams and NCAA All-American honors and will be led by Team Birkie High Performance Manager, Chad Salmela. Note: Team Birkie still has registration open for the College Summer Program.

Ariens Nordic Center to Host Inaugural Biathlon Masters Nationals in 2025

May 6, 2024

The Ariens Nordic Center in Wisconsin will host the inaugural U.S. Biathlon Masters Nationals and North American Masters Championships on Feb 14-16, 2025. In collaboration with Biathlon Canada, this first-ever event is expected to bring one of the largest gatherings of masters biathletes from across North America for sprint, mass start, and individual competitions across five age groups.

Snake River Canoe Race Results

May 4, 2024

With an early ice out this year, water sports have been off to a quick start which was no more evident than at this year's Snake River Canoe Race. Well over 200 participants took part in the 43rd running of the event, its largest turnout post-Covid. The top times in the Pro Boat division went to the teams of Dana Henry/David Nelson (male), Patricia Bohaty/Jessica Kozarek (female), and Kira Stolen/Jeremiah Menk (mixed); while the fastest finishers in the Open Racing division were the teams of Blake Ferree/Jake Hway (male), Kari Henry/Krista Matison (female), and Chris Broderson/Emily Broderson (mixed). A full breakdown of the results, including additional division winners, is linked in below.

2023-24 Season Highlights

May 1, 2024

Catch highlights plus full results and photos from the 2023-2024 collegiate racing season.

2023-24 Season Highlights

May 1, 2024

Catch highlights plus full results and photos from the 2023-2024 high school racing season.

Birkie Registration Now Open

May 1, 2024

Registration for the Slumberland American Birkebeiner, Kortelopet, Prince Haakon, Birkie Tour, and Open Track events opened on May 1st. Secure your wave placement and get in on early pricing by registering now!