All About Ski Preparation

Garrott Kuzzy has 21 starts between World Cup, World Championships, and Olympic Games. He is a 2010 Olympian. His best individual World Cup finish was 9th place in a skate sprint. Garrott has finished on the podium 17 times in SuperTour races including 8 wins. Garrott retired from ski racing in 2011. He started Lumi Experiences in 2016 which is the world’s premiere Cross Country ski travel company...

Rick Kapala has been the program director and head Nordic ski coach for the Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation since 1987. He has been named the US Ski and Snowboard "Coach of the Year" 3 times. Rick has coached at both the senior and junior world championships levels. SVSEF has annually qualified 2 and sometimes even 4 athletes for the US Junior World Championship team. Despite this amazing succ...

Kikkan Randall is a 5 time Olympian, 17 time US National Champion, and is an Olympic Gold Medalist. She also won the overall Sprint World Cup 3 times and was World Champion. This is part 2 of a 2 part interview. If you haven’t seen part 1 yet, please watch that before watching this one. We talk about coming back from having her baby Breck and winning a World Championship Bronze medal, winning Olym...

Kikkan Randall has 262 starts in World Cup, World Championships, and Olympic games. Of these international starts, she has reached the podium in individual races 31 times including 13 victories. Kikkan has won the overall Sprint World Cup 3 times and was 3rd in the overall World Cup in 2013. In the 2018 Olympic Games Kikkan won the gold medal in the team sprint with Jessie Diggins. In addition to...

Jeff Courter is the Rossignol Nordic Category Manager for the US. We discuss a variety of topics including the development process of new ski models, the new EVO touring skis, the new Xium Premium skating skis, how to fit skating skis and the differences between the models, specific conditions where certain skis seem to perform exceptionally well (classic and skate), skin skis, getting the most ou...

Kaitlynn Miller is member of the 2018 US Olympic team. She has 33 World Cup starts, 5 US National Championship podiums, and one US National Championships win in the 2016 Classic Sprint. She retired in the spring of 2020 and is now working as the Youth and Introductory Program Direction for NENSA. Kaitlynn is 29. Kaitlynn talks about skiing for Craftsbury as a kid and then again as an elite skier,...

Kyle Bratrud had 17 starts between World Cups and World Championships. His best finish was 25th place at the Cogne, Italy World Cup in the 15k Classic. Kyle skied all 3 World Championship relays for US (2015, 2017, 2019) and was the 3rd best American on distance points for much of the time. Kyle has 7 US Nationals podiums including 4 wins (all 15k, 3 skate, 1 classic).  Kyle skied for Stratton T2...

Ben Lustgarten has represented the US 34 times in World Cup and World Championship events. He won the 2017 US National Championship in the 30k Classic Mass Start. He has 10 podiums and 4 wins on the Supertour. He retired from full time training and racing in the spring of 2020. Ben talks about the Tour de Ski, race experiences, strength training, and the need to move on after bad races. 

Sverre Caldwell coached the Stratton Junior Nordic Team from 1980 until he retired after the 2019 season. Sverre has been honored as USSA Coach of the Year 3 times, was a 1988 Olympic team coach, a World Junior Team coach 3 times, and was a US Ski Team regional coach. The Stratton Junior Nordic program has been very successful qualifying at least one junior athlete for World Juniors in each of the...

David Norris has 51 WC and WM starts including 10 top 30 finishes. 20th place 2019 WM 50k F MST and 24th Holmenkollen 50k C MST. 7 US National Podiums including a win in the 30k F MST 2019. 2016 American Birkebeiner Champion. Skis for APU in Alaska. Avid mountain runner and hunter. David is currently the top ranked US male distance skier. David talks candidly about specifically what he is working...

Caitlin has 72 World Cup, World Championship, and Olympic starts. She has 19 podiums at the US Nationals and has won the US National Championships 7 times. Despite seeming to be a pure distance skier, she has two US National sprint titles showing that she is a true all arounder (and in both classic and skate). Caitlin has 12 individual World Cup top 30 results and was 4th in Pyeonchang at the preo...

This is one of the most amazing and inspirational stories that I have ever heard. Antje Harvey grew up in former East Germany. As a 17 year old she finished 11th in the senior World Championships in Seefeld, Austria and won bronze in the relay after a very strong leg for the East German team. After the season, her coaches and their bosses cornered her and confronted her about her unwillingness to...

Akeo Maifeld-Carucci is the 2019 American Birkebeiner Champion. He has been on the podium in multiple SuperTour races. Akeo studied at and skied for Harvard University and graduated with a degree in mechanical engineering. He currently skis for the Green Racing Project where he can put his degree to work improving the efficiency of the heating systems on the Craftsbury campus. This interview discu...

Bill Koch is the overall Nordic Ski World Cup Champion from 1982. He won the Olympic silver medal in 1976. He also won the Bronze World Championship medal in 1982. He was 3rd overall in the 1983 World Cup. The Bill Koch Youth Ski League was named after him. He was the flagbearer for the US Olympic team in 1992. Bill is a legendary pioneer and icon for US Nordic ski racing.

Ben Saxton has finished on the podium 6 times at the US National Nordic Ski Championships including a win in 2019 in the US National Skate Sprint. He has 8 World Cup starts and 1 World Championship start. Ben skis for the Stratton Mountain T2 team. Ben is thoughtful and has a perspective beyond his years. Not only is he one of our country's fastest Nordic skiers but is also clearly a passionate fa...

Muffy was on the US Ski Team 1981-1984, has won the American Birkebeiner twice, holds the second fastest Race Across America time in history (the famous bike race which she did 3 times), has particpated in adventure racing at the highest level including the Eco-Challenge, has won 20 individual World Nordic Ski Masters medals over the past 10 years including 2 golds, and has completed adventures th...

Barry is a 59 year old 4 time individual World Masters Nordic Ski Champion. He has also won many big marathon events overall such as the Yellowstone Rendezvous and Snow Mountain Stampede. He has been on the Toko Tech Team for the past 20 years. This is a great opportunity to learn from Barry about how to ski fast and be fit and healthy later in life. At this he is pretty much the best in the world...

Erik has been the director and head coach of the APU team since 2006. He has coached 13 recent Olympians and coaches 8 members of the current US Nordic Ski Team. The discussion ranges from catering to athletes' individual needs, avoiding and managing injuries, and body maintenance and care.

Learn about Rosie's non traditional route to 21st place in the 2018 Olympic games. There is more than one way to go from start to excellence. Rosie is a great example of that and continues to find her own way.

John Bauer is a 12x US National Nordic Ski Champion and finished as high as 5th individually in World Championships. Amazingly as a 50 year old he finished 12th in the American Birkebeiner. Learn how he trains and approaches life, work, and family with such success.

Andy Newell is one of the couple most successful Nordic ski racers in the history of the US. He has 247 WC/WM/OWG starts and was ranked 1st in the World for over a year. Additionally he finished 4th and 5th in the Overall Sprint World Cup. Andy is now a coach and has a unique understanding for the sport. If you want to learn about Nordic ski racing and training, watch this video. Part 2

Andy Newell is one of the couple most successful Nordic ski racers in the history of the US. He has 247 WC/WM/OWG starts and was ranked 1st in the World for a long time. Additionally he finished 4th and 5th in the Overall Sprint World Cup. Andy is now a coach and has a unique understanding for the sport. Lots of technique and strength discussion. If you want to learn about Nordic ski racing and tr...

Interview with the amazing husband and wife Olympic duo of Team Gregg. Learn about how they alternate prioritizing each other and how they devote so much time energy and talent helping others. Also contains much information about training and strength.

Erika is a successful Nordic ski racer who transitioned from full time athlete to working and competing yet is doing extremely well including top US Nationals finishes and a Birkie podium. Learn about how she has adapted her training and even more importantly about her mindset. This is an inspiring video.

Learn how defending American Birkebeiner champion adapted her training for school and living in Albuquerque, NM and still won the American Birkebeiner