Highlights
NewWorld Cup Trondheim: Classic Sprints
December 5, 2025The second stop of the 2025/2026 season took the World Cup circuit to Trondheim, Norway for three days of racing. Classic sprints started things off on Friday where avoiding crashes became the chief competition for many athletes as the heats got underway. In the women's final, an early crash all but ensured that Sweden's Johanna Hagstroem would get her second World Cup win, while two of her teammates, Emma Ribom and Linn Svahn, rallied for second and third. Clear of crashes, the men's final was cleaner with Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo of Norway earning his 100th win on the World Cup in his hometown. However, that feat was almost eclipsed by a shock showing from 19-year-old Swede Alvar Mhyback who took third, nearly outstretching Norway's Vike Oskar Opstad for second on the way to his first World Cup podium. Of the US contingent, Ben Odgen made it the furthest, crashing out for a top-10 finish in the semifinals, while Jessie Diggins was the best of the women, finishing 14th. A shake-up for Saturday, tomorrow's skiathlon will see athletes compete in both classic and freestyle techniques.
NewTour de Finn: The Season Ahead
December 4, 2025After several snow-less seasons the tide has turned for the Tour de Finn as it starts its third season just over a week out at Skadi's Chase, part of the Minnesota Nordic Ski Opener. Tune-in to their latest blog post to find all the details on the schedule for the Series' latest season!
World Cup Racing: Trondheim Schedule
December 2, 2025World Cup racing rolls into Trondheim, Norway this weekend for week 2 on the circuit with three days of competitions planned. First up on Friday is a round of classic sprints, with the qualifiers scheduled for 2:45 AM CST, and the heats scheduled for 5:15 AM CST. Then a 20K skiathlon will take the spotlight on Saturday, with the men's field competing at 4:10 AM CST, and the women's field doing likewise at 6:00 AM CST. Finally, an interval-start 10K freestyle race ends the events on Sunday, with the women's field leading off at 2:30 AM CST, followed by the men's field at 4:55 AM CST.
World Cup Ruka: Freestyle Distance; Diggins Skis to Second
November 30, 2025Ending the weekend with another strong showing, the US Ski Team had two big results in Sunday's mass-start 20K freestyle event. The first was a sheer show of willpower by Jessie Diggins that saw her ski to second in the women's race after yo-yoing off the back of the lead pack on several occasions. Sweden's Jonna Sundling would take the win, while Heidi Weng of Norway would smartly secure third. Zak Ketterson earned the other big result, skiing to 9th in the men's race for his first top-10 finish, setting a new personal best only two days after the last. Norway's Harald Oestberg Amundsen took the top spot on the podium, while teammate Einar Hedegart took second for his first World Cup podium, and Edvin Anger of Sweden took third. Now it's four days off for World Cup athletes before the next bout of racing which will take place in Trondheim, Norway.
World Cup Ruka: Classic Sprints
November 29, 2025The first sprinting action of the World Cup season was on Saturday, a shift in distance from the day before, but not technique. Continuing their rivalry spanning several seasons, Norway and Sweden went toe-to-toe in the women's final, with Kristen Staavas Skistad claiming victory for the former, and Jonna Sundling and Maha Dahlqvist scooping up the the remaining two podium spots for the later. Norway was also victorious in the men's final, with Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo maintaining his undefeated sprinting streak that stretches back almost two years, and two more teammates joining him on the podium, Erik Valnes and Ansgar Evensen. Four Americans qualified for the heats, but only two advanced—Jessie Diggins and Ben Ogden—both making it as far as the semifinals where they finished 10th and 12th respectively. Sunday's mass-start 20K freestyle race marks the end of the opening World Cup weekend in Ruka.
World Cup Ruka: Classic Distance
November 28, 2025And just like that, the World Cup season has officially begun! Kicking things off in a very snowy Ruka, Finland, the opening event for the 2025/2026 season was an interval-start 10K classic race and was a big one for Minnesotans. Saving her best for last, Jessie Diggins skied to a personal-best finish at the venue, placing 5th in the first race of her final season. A packed podium, the top-3 for the women's race featured a pair of Swedish athletes, Frida Karlason in first and Moa Ilar in third, with one Norwegian, Heidi Weng, splitting the two in second. Local athlete Zak Ketterson also had a monumental day, finishing a career-best 14th to start his World Cup campaign. With just 5 seconds separating first from third, the men's race was won by Martin Loewstrom Nygent of Norway, with Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo, also of Norway, settling for second, and Mika Vermeulen, an Austrian, finishing third, a career-best in classic for him. The second day of racing in Ruka, taking place tomorrow, will feature classic sprints.
World Cup Racing: Season Preview
November 26, 2025The World Cup season is upon us! With only days to go until an absolutely massive season arrives, we're breaking it all down into bite sized pieces: from changes to the events and schedule, to who to watch out for in the buildup to the big events, we've got it all, so join us as we celebrate the start of another World Cup season!
Biathlon: Rosters Announced for World Cup, IBU Cup
November 23, 2025With the World and IBU Cup seasons about to get underway, the United States Biathlon Association announced on Sunday their roster of the 16 athletes who will be competing in either competition. The Midwest was once again well represented among the athletes named, with Margie Freed, Deedra Irwin, Lucinda Anderson, and Paul Schommer making the World Cup team, and Jake Brown and Vaclav Cervenka making the IBU Cup squad.
Jessie Diggins to Retire Following 2025/2026 Season
November 19, 2025In a heartfelt message posted to Facebook and Instagram, Jessie Diggins, 34, the 3-time Olympic medalist and 3-time overall World Cup champion, announced that she will be retiring at the conclusion of the 2025/2026 season. She wrote: "It's been the honor of a lifetime to get to represent such amazing communities and ski fans on the world stage, and I'm so lucky to get to do this one last time. I'll be giving this season everything I've got, right to the last finish line in New York at the Stifel Lake Placid Finals."
Midwest Racing Season Preview
November 15, 2025With the first flakes already on the ground in parts of the Midwest, it's time to talk turkey and think snow. Winter is coming, and in some parts of the region you could argue it's already here, so we're looking ahead to what the 2025/2026 season has in store for us. Join us as we preview the racing season and get geared up for another winter in the Midwest.
Web Roundup
November 5, 2025Mic'd Up with Jessie - Join Jessie Diggins as she provides a play-by-play of her training during the US Ski Team's Soldier Hollow fall camp.
Anonymous in America - No stranger in Norway, superstar skier Johannes Klaebo has spent the past few summers undercover in Utah.
At Altitude - Zak Ketterson has been out the country overseas in Europe, and checks in from Livigno, Italy for some altitude training.
Sickness, Stress-Free - Getting sick can feel unavoidable, but it doesn't have to cause undue stress writes Kevin Bolger for Team Birkie.
Keeping the Cold In - One of Time's best inventions of 2025 is a blanket that keeps things cold and helps ski resorts store snow.
Lookin' Like La Niña - Cooler temps in the Pacific mean we're in store for cooler temps in the Midwest as a La Niña winter looks likely.
A Season for Snow - The season is shaping up to be a snowy one with wetter weather potentially producing a winter wonderland.
Birkie Hosting Wisconsin Nordic Winter Kickoff Livestream Nov 17th
November 2, 2025Whether you're a Wisconsinite or just another winter enthusiast, the Birkie will be hosting a WI Nordic Winter Kickoff Livestream two weeks from now on Nov 17th. Tune in to hear from a range of organizations, from teams to trail groomers, that help to make the most of each winter, and stick around afterward for a live Q&A and giveaways!
CXC Rollerski Championships Freestyle Coverage
October 25, 2025A beautiful fall day in Cable for freestyle events at the CXC Rollerski Championships, Saturday morning. Alayna Sonnesyn hammered out an impressive win in the womens field with Greta Scholz second, Amaeli Kam-Magruder third. The mens field was much closer as Henry Snider scored the victory with Matt Liebsch 17 seconds back in second, Roger Anderson just 4 seconds later this third. Results linked in, photos and video recap from the 10K races posted.
Croix Cross Coverage
October 18, 2025The Minnesota cyclocross action was in full swing Saturday, crossing the border to race in Hudson. Photographer Shannon Brault covered the morning races, providing highlights from the C race and Juniors race.
US Ski Team: Announcing The 2025-2026 Cross-Country Team
October 14, 2025Heading into a season featuring the Winter Olympics in February and another bout of stateside World Cup racing in March, U.S. Ski & Snowboard on Tuesday named their roster of 21 athletes for the 2025-26 international racing season. Chief among those nominated was Jessie Diggins who has proudly represented the Midwest through three Olympics Games and 14 season on the World Cup circuit. A number of Midwesterners will also be assisting the team in coaching and service positions including Kristen Bourn, Eli Brown, Paul Choudoir, and Chris Hecker.
Vasaloppet Swedish Mile this Saturday, Oct 11th
October 6, 2025Enjoy an afternoon of family-friendly activities and help raise money for the Vasaloppet's snow-making operation at their annual Swedish Mile Trail Race, happening this Saturday. Fun for families and kids of all ages, come out and run or walk one of the 10K, 5K, or kids races, and explore the Vasaloppet trails in the colors of fall!
Twin Cities Marathon Coverage
October 5, 2025Between the TC 10 Mile and Twin Cities Marathon, over 15,000 runners endured unusually warm conditions for the big races on Sunday morning. The mens marathon came down to a battle of two with Will Norris pulling away from Tesfu Tewelde for the victory. Jane Bareikis took the women's title by nearly four minutes. Legendary ultradistance runner Courtney Dauwalter returned to her home state to finish 7th! TC 10 mile winners were Yemane Haileselassi and Mercy Chelangat. Shannon Brault shares some photos from the busy morning.
American Birkebeiner Ski Foundation: Introducing the Junior Development Community Match
October 2, 2025With the Junior Nationals Ski Championship arriving at Mt. Telemark Village this coming March, the American Birkebeiner Ski Foundation is kicking off a fundraising campaign to help fund the completion of permanent infrastructure that will support the event and future experiences.
Team Birkie: From Summer into Fall
September 24, 2025From racing overseas in Norway's largest rollerski race, to racing along the North Shore in the largest inline skating marathon in North America, Team Birkie has been busy this summer. Tune in to their lastest newsletter to get the full rundown on what the team has been up to over the past few months, and a reminder to all the golfers out there: the inaugural Team Birkie Golf Classic is this Sunday!
Bangin in the Brush Results
September 20, 2025The 2025 Bangin in the Brush 10K trail running race at Korkki Nordic was held Saturday. Andrew Hollatz claimed the overall victory in 48:42, finishing nearly a minute ahead of the next competitor. Sarah Nelson was the top female, crossing the line in 57:55 to secure her win.
Lake Placid World Cup Finals Tickets on Sale Now
September 19, 2025Two seasons after the World Cup circuit touched down stateside in the Twin Cities the competition will again be coming to the States, this time for World Cup Finals in Lake Placid, New York. Scheduled for March 20th through 22nd, secure your ticket today to see all the action live!
Spotlight: Wirth on Wednesday MTB Series
August 22, 2025Shannon Brault was out this week, catching the action at the Wirth on Wednesday MTB Series at the Trailhead. The weekly series features a number of races covering a wide range of abilities and ages.
Summer Cooldown Rollerski Results
August 17, 2025Pioneer Midwest hosted their Summer Cooldown 10K Rollerski race at Lake Rebecca on Sunday morning. Matt Liebsch came out on top of the men's field, a full two minutes ahead, with Brian Gregg and Anders Decker tied for second and third. Caitlin Gregg bested the women's field with Eleanor Mody and Meredith Gundale rounding out the podium. Full results posted.
NNF: Trail to Gold Applications Due Sept 1st
August 16, 2025With another World Cup season rapidly approaching, and an Olympic year to boot, applications are now being accepted for the National Nordic Foundation's Trail to Gold coaching grant. Open through September 1st, applicants are welcome from any level of US skiing, with nominees set to be announced in October.
Pioneer Midwest: Summer Cool Down Rollerski Race this Sunday
August 13, 2025Pioneer Midwest is hosting a 10K rollerski race at Lake Rebecca regional park this Sunday, August 17th. The event is freestyle technique, interval start with matched pair IDT rollerskis provided. Discount for high school and collegiate skiers.