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NewWorld Cup Falun: Classic Sprints
February 14, 2025After 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.
NewBirkie Waxing Service
February 13, 2025A lot of options out there for getting your race skis ready for the big Birkie and Korte events...
- Ski Hut
- New Moon
- Gear West
- Pioneer Midwest
- Finn Sisu
- Out There
Note: Most of these stores have a cut-off for dropping off your skis by early Birkie week, so don't delay!
NewWeekend Skiing and Trail Reports
February 13, 2025A lot of good skiing being reported, and more trails are being groomed up! New reports from Lapham Peak2, Andes Tower Hill, Movil Maze2, Peninsula SP, Silvermine, Fort Hill, Treehaven, Tower Ridge, Vasaloppet, Hiram, Central Gunflint, Rainbow2, Navarino Wildlife, Maplelag, Gamehaven, Elver, Hoffman Hills, Superior MF, Theodore Wirth North, Highland 9-hole GC, Battle Creek West, Reid GC, Ariens, Potawatomi SP, Brown Deer, Hilly Haven GC, Phalen GC, Halls Creek, Lake Emily, CLCF2, Mecca, Magney-Snively, Nine Mile Forest3, Montreal, Blue Mound SP, Uller, Cassian Two-Way2, Mother Bear, Erkki Harju, Levis/Trow Mound, Coulee Experimental SF, Hickory Ridge, UW-Parkside, Big Aspen, Alder Pond, Plover River, ABR, CXC Outdoor, Minocqua Winter, Flathorn-Gegoka, Whitefish Dunes SP and recent reports from Pioneer Creek2, Minocqua Winter3, McCarthy, Craftsbury Outdoor2, Ge-Che, Iola Winter Sports2, Sheboygan Jaycee, Northland Arb, Rapid River, Nordic, Birkie2, Zillmer, Greenbush2, McKeever Hills, Forest Springs Camp, Elm Creek2, Three Eagle, Brown Deer2, Moccasin, Hyland Lake3, Mt. Ashwabay, Reid GC, Tower Ridge2, Gamehaven, George Washington Pines, Hayward Forest, Reforestation Camp, Como GC, Upper Gunflint2, Barkhausen, Sturgeon River, Battle Creek West, Snowflake2, Lapham Peak2, Raven, Norpine, Nordmarka, Lake Carlos SP, Lake Elmo, Stoney Ridge, Birch Lake Plantation, Blue Hills, Standing Rocks2, Nine Mile Forest, Hartley2, Nose Lake, French, Wild River SP, Spirit Mtn, Gooseberry Falls SP, Potawatomi SP, Theodore Wirth North, Mecca, Jones Spring, Red Cedar River, Chomonix GC, Chain of Lakes, Holy Cross, Flathorn-Gegoka, Wolverine, McComb, Ed's Lake National, Univ of Minnesota Cloquet Forestry, Mahtomedi HS.
NewMinnesota State Meet Pursuit Coverage
February 13, 2025Another 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, video recaps on Friday.
Weekend Racing
February 12, 2025A lot of action on tap this weekend...
Feb 15 Book Across the Bay - They're expecting a big field for this popular evening sprint across Chequamegon bay!
Feb 15 RASC Loopy Loppet - Rochester hosts 5K and 10K races on their snowmaking loop at Gamehaven.
Feb 15 Carey Lake Challenge - Classic and freestyle races on the Carey Lake ski trails near Hibbing.
Feb 15 Ely Nordic Loppet - A full day of activities at Hidden Valley including 5K, 10K and 20K races.
Feb 16 Pincushion Mountain Winterfest - Part of their Winter Carnival weekend, freestyle and classic races on the Pincushion trails.
Feb 16 Iola Norseman Challenge - One of the longer running ski races in Wisconsin, conditions are shaping up for the 10K classic and 20K freestyle events.
Plus Coleraine JNQ and CCSA Championships/JNQ as well! Check the Racing Outlook for any late updates.
NewWorld Cup Racing: Falun Schedule
February 12, 2025The 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.
NewMinnesota State Meet Team Sprints Coverage
February 12, 2025While 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, 2025On 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.

Maplelag Announces Return of the Lotvola Cup Race
February 11, 2025Maplelag is celebrating a great snow year for their trails with the return of the famous Lotvola Cup classic race, March 2nd. Day pass (fat bike pass for youth) for registration, and lunch is included!
Biathlon: World Championships Preview by US Biathlon
February 11, 2025It'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, 2025The 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, 2025The 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, 2025The 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, 2025With 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, 2025The 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, 2025Vasaloppet 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, 2025The 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, 2025Battling 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.

Fischer: Introducing the New Speedmax Family
February 7, 2025The new generation of Fischer's Speedmax system introduces ultralight racing skis weighing just 950 grams, featuring innovative Cold Base Bonding technology and liquid-waxable Gliding Sidewalls for optimal performance. The lineup includes new boots with a two-zone BOA system that enables individual adjustment in the heel and forefoot areas, providing improved power transfer and higher speeds.
Minnesota Finlandia Cancelled
February 7, 2025Another victim to the poor snow winter, Bemidji's legendary Minnesota Finlandia has regretfully decided to cancel their races, scheduled for next Saturday, Feb 15th.