Midwest MTB Report
September 27, 2016
Jay Richards's latest Midwest MTB report covers the grueling Marji Gesick race, features an awesome endurance ride around Lake Tahoe, some new trail celebrations, and the usual look at upcoming events.

Osseo Coach Brad Rosch Passes Away
September 27, 2016
Breaking news Tuesday evening, long-time Osseo high school Nordic coach Brad Rosch suffered a heart attack on Saturday and passed away Tuesday afternoon. Rosch lead a number of squads to the State Meet and helped develop many great skiers including Matt Liebsch and Sarah Bezdicek. No details yet on services.
Related:
Osseo's Sarah Bezdicek Ends High School Career on Top
Matt Liebsch Profile

Web Roundup
September 26, 2016
In-transit - Annie Hart covers her recent September activities in photos and outlines her coming weeks (and fires up a new food blog). 
NZ Farewell - Jessie Diggins jets out of New Zealand, sharing a photo journal of some of her favorite moments and catches up with family back home.
Tech Diet - A recent study brings into question the benefit of fitness tracker devices like Fitbit.
Farmers - The Old Farmer's Almanac has published their winter outlook, forecasting above normal snow and below normal temps for much of the Midwest.
Silverton - Ski patrollers in Colorado carved some of the seasons first downhill tracks at Silverton Mountain last Saturday.

CXC Fall Junior Open Camp Series
September 26, 2016
CXC is continuing their series of fall/winter open training camps for juniors with the next event planned for Oct 14-16 in Madison, WI. The focus of the camp will include fitness assessment, skill and fitness preparation for the racing season, health and wellness, and developing performance techniques.

NNF: We Believe
September 24, 2016
The Drive for 25 is coming this fall, and right now they are looking for supporters to help communicate their love of Nordic skiing via their "I Believe" campaign.

Trail Loppet Coverage
September 24, 2016
Recent rains and cloudy skies made for a damp and sometimes muddy Trail Loppet Saturday at Theodore Wirth. Ben Cogger broke away from the mens half marathon field early and won by over four minutes. Josie Nelson topped the womens field. In the 13.1K event, the duo of Brian and Caitlin Gregg scored the titles.
Related:
Photoset: Half Marathon Start - 69 photos, Half Marathon Mile 2.75 - 55 photos, Half Marathon Mile 3.5 - 55 photos, Half Marathon Mile 8.5 - 58 photos, 13.1K Mile 2.5 - 30 photos, 13.1K Mile 4.5 - 90 photos
Photoset: Top Picks (high res)
Results: Trail Loppet

Yellowstone Trail Passes on Sale
September 22, 2016
Discount trail passes are now on sale for the big November Yellowstone Ski Festival. The Yellowstone Ski Festival brings in skiers from across the country for early season skiing on the Rendezvous trail system, Nov 22-26.

Saturday Morning Dryland Workouts at Battle Creek
September 22, 2016
Bruce Fiedler will once again be leading the Dryland Workouts on Saturday Mornings at the Battle Creek Winthrop Site. The workouts will run every Saturday from Sep 24th thru Dec 10th, or until we have skiable snow. Bring hiking poles!

Ramsey County Deer Hunts
September 22, 2016
Ramsey County Parks & Recreation will host controlled archery deer hunts this October throughout the county parks system. Review the schedule of park closures.
Related:
Wisconsin State Park Deer Hunts
Three Rivers Park District Deer Hunts
Minnesota State Park Deer Hunts

Midwest MTB Report
September 20, 2016
In his MTB report this week, Jay Richards scoops an interview with Chequamegon 40 rookie (and 4th place finisher!) Samuel Elson, finds time to score his own win at Keppel's Challenge, and has a number of interesting tidbits from around the web.

Minnesota State HS Coaches Association Fall Meeting and Proposals
September 20, 2016
The Minnesota State High School Nordic Coaches Association has scheduled their annual Fall Meeting for Oct 29th, at the Vasaloppet Center in Mora. Ahead of the meeting, they have released details on the new State Meet format (with Team Sprints), and are hoping to hold a roundtable meeting in mid-October to discuss the State of MN HS Skiing. Check out the proposal details and fall meeting agenda for more details.
Related:
Oct 21-23 CXC/Wayne Fish Coaches Certification and Conference

Web Roundup
September 19, 2016
Rock Bottom - Rosie Frankowski shares her struggles with summer training, expectations, and refocusing her workouts.
Pave the Way - Paul Schommer updates on recent adventures, and reflects on the history of the 4 minute mile.
Sadie - Sadie Bjornsen was featured by USSA in their 'What Makes A Champ' series.
Smart Sports - How the Internet of Things is impacting sports with a look at some new products.
Beer and Candy - NYTimes article on how ultra runner Karl Meltzer fueled a new Appalachian Trail record.

Park Nicollet Ski Program
September 19, 2016
Park Nicollet has developed a new sports program specifically designed to treat injured cross country and downhill skiers. A team of physical therapists with extensive skiing experience and expertise created this rehabilitation program to help get skiers back to skiing, with better performance and less risk of reinjury.

Pioneer Midwest: Boat Sale
September 18, 2016
Pioneer Midwest is holding their Boat Sale, featuring Northstar canoes at 10% off, SUP 15% off and 20% off all paddle sport accessories.

SISU Ski Fest Registration Now Open
September 18, 2016
The SISU Ski Fest in Ironwood, Jan 6-8, has announced several changes for the 2017 event, including revamped courses. Registration is now open!

Gear West Women's XC Clinic
September 18, 2016
Gear West will be hosting their annual Women's XC Ski Clinic, December 10-11. on the Birkie Trail. The clinic provides women a positive, female friendly place to work on your technique and efficiency with Gear West owner Jan Guenther and Riverbrook Bike and Ski owner Cindy Swift. Food, friends, and falling snow...what more could you want?

Bangin the Brush Results
September 18, 2016
Over 70 participants came out Saturday morning for the annual Bangin the Brush 10K trail run at Korkki Nordic. Andre Watt topped the mens field with a time of 52:32, and Kim Holak was the first female, and fourth overall, finishing at 58:25.
Related:
Results: Bangin the Brush

NorthShore Inline Marathon Rollerski Results
September 18, 2016
A field of just under 25 competed in a damp rollerski race at the NorthShore Inline Marathon on Saturday morning. The mens race came down to a field of four, with Tamer Mische-Richter taking the victory by two seconds over Dan Rasmussen. Andrea Potyondy-Smith was the womens champion.

Chequamegon Coverage
September 17, 2016
A cool and misty morning for the annual Chequamegon Fat Tire Festival races Saturday in Hayward. The damp conditions, along with some course reroutes, lead to a tough 2016 edition of the Chequamegon 40. Corey Steljes, from Eau Claire, broke away from an elite mens field to solo in for the victory. Abby Krawczyk, St. Paul, pulled away for the womens title. Short and Fat victories went to Bjorn Larson and Rebecca Ireland.
Related:
Photoset: Start - 44 photos, Pirate Hill (Mile 20) - 237 photos, Early Finishers - 216 photos
Photoset: Top Picks (high res)
Results: Chequamegon Fat Tire Fesitval

CXC Seeking Applicants for Junior Nationals, U16 Championships Trips
September 16, 2016
The Midwest Coaches Committee is opening the application process for both the 2017 Junior National Championships in Lake Placid, NY as well as the U16 NENSA Trip in Farmington, ME. This application process is for Head Wax Coaches, Assistant Wax Coaches, Age Group Coaches, and Support Staff.

Dæhlie: Same Brand, New Identity
September 15, 2016
Formerly marketed as Bjørn Dæhlie, the organization is retooling its image, going with the DÆHLIE branding. The brand's identity has evolved from a purely technical ski brand to a performance training and active Nordic lifestyle brand. The company will continue to be the official supplier for the Norwegian Cross Country Ski Team.

West Yellowstone Fall Training Camp: Train With a Pro
September 15, 2016
The huge West Yellowstone Ski Festival is Nov 22-26 this season. Registration is now open for their XC ski training clinics featuring coaching staff is composed of an elite group of XC ski professionals which includes retired world class skiers, coaches and professional instructors.
Related:
Yellowstone Ski Festival

XC Skiing with Nikolai Anikin
September 15, 2016
Nikolaki Anikin will host training sessions this fall and winter in Duluth on Tuesday evenings.
Related:
Training Programs

Fall Sales and Ski Swaps
September 15, 2016
We've been updating our calendar on fall ski sales and swaps. Many of the big Twin Cities sales are this weekend, Sep 18-20, and then the majority of ski swaps are scheduled for October and November.

Out There: Fall Preparations
September 14, 2016
Out There ski shop in Rice Lake is feeling the change in seasons! Check out their latest update which highlights a new podcast, team updates, youth exchange, Winter bike jackets, upcoming events and team orders.

New Job Postings
September 14, 2016
New job postings include: Assistant ski coaches, ski instructors at Three Rivers, and Development Manager at the Loppet.

Birkie Trail Run Announces New Race Designation, Hydration Perk
September 14, 2016
In conjunction with the 15th anniversary Birkie Trail Run, organizers are pleased to announce a new USATF Marathon designation, exciting new steps toward a clean cup-free race, along with a robust new Birkie Vendor Fair. The big event is Oct 1st this year.