Adam Terko, coach of the Mansfield Nordic Club recently shared a video interview with pro cross country skier Ben Lustgarten. Ben is a former MNC member, cross country ski racer for the Craftsbury Green Racing Project, and an Olympic hopeful. He is also a Skirack sponsored athlete.

Ben Lustgarten stopped by Skirack from some Q & A to discuss nutrition, training, and the best pieces of information and knowledge he has gained from the experienced people in his life.

1. Feeding the beast - what do you eat and why, and what supplements do you take and why? I do not follow an incredibly specific diet or eating program. I do try and eat very healthy, and do all the basics that you are told - eating fruits and vegetables, avoiding highly processed foods and high fructose corn syrup and artificial additives, eating whole grains and lean meat. 

The recent lean snow years have had many effects on Nordic skiing in the northeast and other areas. Many have been pleasant unexpected surprises, others not so good for the sport. One of the challenges that many people face regardless of snow conditions is making time for skiing. It is something even gifted lovers of the sport struggle with. Lean snow compounds this, but there are easy ways to free up time and to be prepared for enjoyment of the activity.

Skiers need to reframe their perspective on the sport. In the younger years skiing is a team/club activity and is very structured. Skiers tend to have set practice times, a coach and someone to hold them accountable for training. As we grow we graduate from these programs and components of things we never thought about appear and become our own responsibility. This is a difficult transition that comes with progress, and perhaps the magnitude of the technical and structured elements of Nordic skiing come as a shock.

Not to worry, there are simple solutions. The purpose of this article is to help people make the transition by suggesting an easier way to ski on their own and to encourage joining a local team or club. Skiing can be as complicated as you like and the emphasis is often on doing just that, but if skiing is what you love it is just as fun to dial it back and enjoy the thrill of being on snow!

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.

Interested in Splitboarding? Here is a good snapshot of what we carry to help get you out there and having the best time you can. There is a lot of backcountry equipment available these days, here is our pick for the cream that has risen to the top.

Remember to come out for The Bolton Valley Split and surf fest to try out our demos and chat with our staff. See you out there!

Courtney Kutler, a USA Triathlon Level 1 Coach and a QT2 Systems certified run and triathlon coach originally wrote a blog post for The Edge regarding one thing most of us has experience failing at - resolutions. Below is a recap of her article:

Courtney Kutler never cared much for New Year’s “Resolutions” since it is such a contrived tradition that most people can’t keep past February.  She asks "why do people fail at keeping their resolutions year after year?"

Below is a recap of why people fail at keeping their resolutions according to Courtney Kulter.

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!

What better way to motivate you to run this winter - in the cold, dark, ice and snow - than with the right gear?

Since winter running is all about keeping your body temperature comfortable and staying safe - our experienced running staff has selected some great products that do just that!

Winter bike commuting is much easier than you think. And no, it's not too late to start! Just think - no more having to start and clean off your car, just get on your bike and go. You will also save money by not filling your gas tank as much and less wear and tear, including less contact with salt which speeds up rusting. Even short commutes can add up!

In Vermont, February and March are the snowiest months of the year (remember that Blizzard Stella was mid March last year?). Winter bike commuting is even more enjoyable when it snows! Even when the snow goes away, there are still a few more months of slush and mud. 

Several of the Skirack's staff members winter bike commute into work - and we have comprised a list of winter bike commuting items that will get you to spring. 

From nutrition to compression socks and foam rollers, athletes today are always looking for the next best thing to help them further their training. However, it is less common for athletes to consider how movement while exercising may impact performance. The Functional Movement Screen (FMS) assesses several different movements, each of which activate key muscles during exercise, and evaluates how athletes are moving and if any asymmetries are present that will hinder training.

We use the FMS at Timberlane Physical Therapy to identify weaknesses and imbalances to determine injury risk. The test consists of seven exercises and each exercise is scored on a scale from three to zero. An individual score of three concludes that the exercise is being performed perfectly and a score of zero is received if the exercises are not able to be performed or if pain is experienced while performing the exercise. A total score of 14 or lower considers the individual is at risk for injury and identifies a need to seek treatment from a physical therapist.