The Olympic Games have just begun, and hundreds of cross country skiers are converging in South Korea to compete for a world title. Here is a guide to the six events that will take place over the next couple weeks.

Skiathlon: Mass start event in which skiers complete half of the distance on classic skis before switching to skate skis for the second half. Women race 15km, and men race 30km. The winner of the Skiathlon is considered the best all-around athlete. 

Classic Sprint: Athletes start in waves of 6 on a 1-1.5 km course. The top two from each heat progress to the next round. There are five heats in the quarterfinal, two heats in the semifinal, and one heat for the final. The sprint events are the most fun to watch, because they are short and action packed. There are also typically a lot of crashes and broken poles as athletes jostle for position.

Header image is courtesy of: www.olympic.org

Do not let what you see outside your window deceive you!

Stephen Wright and I previewed the published Craftsbury Marathon Course today and found it to be exceptional!  The conditions were far better than anticipated in Craftsbury. 

As we made our way to the venue, we started to hit snow in Morrisville.  One thing to note is that North Wolcott Road is closed due to a washout, but there are plenty of alternative routes.  Plan accordingly.  When we arrived at Craftsbury, we found over an inch of new snow, and that the rain and warm-up did not have a devastating effect on the snowpack.  It still looks like mid-winter in Craftsbury, perhaps not to their standards, but relative to anywhere else there is a lot of snow.  It should be noted that they were not trucking snow, a measure of their confidence in the course.  My take is that they are letting things dry out a little before working the snow.  No questions here, they are the gold standard of snow expertise, and while what we saw was fantastic today, after a couple more days of Craftsbury Magic, we will be in awe of what we find Saturday morning and singing praises at a well-deserved lunch!

Toko Nordic Race Wax Clinic
Waxing for the Craftsbury Marathon

hosted by Skirack, 85 Main St Burlington, VT
Wednesday, Jan. 24, 2018 | 6-7 pm

Skirack welcomes Adam Terko, Mansfield Nordic Club 
Head Coach and Dave Boucher from Toko, for an evening of high performance race wax
tips and techniques.
Perfect for coaches and local racing clubs.

Hometown:Montreal, Canada

Years of Experience: I have been at Skirack for 20+ years and many more at various shops in Massachusetts, Montreal, and Vancouver as a binding tech and bike mechanic.

Certifications and Awards: Certified by every alpine binding manufacturer

Outside Interests and Hobbies: Cross country skiing, road cycling, video gaming, hiking, canoe/kayaking, boat building

In this video, Skirack's cross country ski expert Jake Hollenbach further explains the grind capabilities on the Wintersteiger Race NC Grinder.

Jake also explains how the grinds are organized, which is by the Swix wax temperature ranges they are designed for.

Ben Lustgarten stopped by Skirack to shoot a video series with Jake Hollenbach to show us what cross country products he uses when he races and trains.

In this episode, Ben discusses Alpina ESK Pro and ESK 2.0 Cross Country Skate Ski Boots.

Find out why Ben came back to Alpina cross country ski boots after trying a few other brands.

Ben Lustgarten stopped by Skirack to shoot a video series with Jake Hollenbach to show us what cross country products he uses when he races and trains.

In this episode, Ben discusses Alpina ECL Pro and ECL 2.0 Classic Boots

FiFind out why Ben came back to Alpina cross country ski boots after trying a few other brands.

Skirack-sponsored athlete and Olympic hopeful Ben Lustgarten dropped by Sleepy Hollow Inn, Ski & Bike Center to lead a nordic skate ski clinic for local high school athletes. "Read More" to watch the video.

"I really enjoyed coaching the skate clinic at Sleepy Hollow. I think that reaching out to young high school athletes is extremely important to grow the sport of nordic skiing and give a sense of what can be accomplished through hard work and dedication." - Ben Lustgarten

Cross country skiing is a sport that requires you to be strong. That much is simple! While endurance and fitness will always be primary factors in the sport, there have been massive developments in the way Nordic skiers get stronger.

This doesn’t apply simply to World Cup athletes who double pole long races and sprints alike...having a good foundation of strength helps any skier enjoy their time on the snow. With a strong core and upper body, a dynamic lower body, and good coordination you can ski with technique that’s smoother and more efficient.

Recently, there has been a lot of interest in what is frequently called “hip activation” or “hip engagement”. Gone are the days of long striding motions with an extensive reach of the arms and a curved back. Today, a neutral spine is what allows skiers to generate power and poling forces through their whole body.

Ben Lustgarten stopped by Skirack to shoot a video series with Jake Hollenbach to show us what cross country products he uses when he races and trains.

In this episode, Ben discusses Rossignol Turnamic Bindings.

Find out more about Turnamic Bindings and what Ben likes about them!