29May 2017 by DS News Team
CAS ( Finally) Issues Verdict on Suspended Russian Skiers

CAS ( Finally) Issues Verdict on Suspended Russian Skiers

Leaders, Newsfeed
The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Lausanne has issued a verdict in the arbitration procedures involving six top Russian cross country skiers – Sochi 2014 Olympic champion Alexander Legkov, Falun 2015 World champion Maxim Vylegzhanin as well as Alexey Petukhov, Evgenia Shapovalova, Evgeniy Belov and Julia Ivanova . The decision reads as a big compromise: The CAS have decided to maintain the provisional suspensions imposed on the athletes until 31 October 2017, at the latest. However, "in the absence of any anti-doping rule violation having been assessed against any of the athletes so far, the temporary suspension shall lapse and the athletes shall be allowed to compete again" Yelena Vyalbe, President of the Russian Cross-Country Ski Association, has already reacted on the CAS verdict by saying that all…
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28May 2017 by DS News Team
Kikkan Randall Wins Ski To Sea XC Country Ski Leg

Kikkan Randall Wins Ski To Sea XC Country Ski Leg

Leaders, Newsfeed, Travel & Mass Sport
US International and ex-world champion in sprint Kikkan Randall won the 2017 Ski to Sea cross-country ski leg on Sunday, beating 300+ competitors, male or female on a 6km distance. Ski to Sea brands itself as the biggest relay race in the world. The race has seven legs – cross-country skiing, downhill skiing or snowboarding, running, road biking, canoeing, cyclocross and kayaking. Each year, at the end of May some 300+ teams participate in the 150 kilometer race that starts at Mt. Baker Ski Area in Whatcom County, Washington in the United States and goes, you guessed it, to the sea. This year's cross-country ski leg was in jeopardy for an alleged lack of entrants and the organizers have initially canceled it, causing a storm of protests from would-be participants…
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27May 2017 by DS News Team
Madshus Sold

Madshus Sold

Gear News, Money & Finance, Newsfeed
A business deal much awaited in the skiing world was announced late on Friday. Madshus AS, together with its corporate parent K2, was sold to Kohlberg & Company, a private equity firm. Many, especially in Norway, had expected that the storied Norwegian ski & apparel producer would be spun off and sold back to a Norwegian business. Rumors swirled that Swix Sport (or its owner, Ferd Group) were looking to purchase Madshus. It would make sense: the two companies are located close to each other in the outskirts of Lillehammer – working together would bring massive savings in everything from manufacturing and warehousing to marketing and distribution. Alas, that was not to be the case, as Madshus AS remains in American hands – at least for now. New-York based Kohlberg…
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26May 2017 by DS News Team
Magnificent Five

Magnificent Five

Gear News, Money & Finance, Newsfeed
It's almost summer. Time to finally pack away your skis and switch to their wheeled brethren. You know what's the biggest difference between the two? It's cold in the winter – hardly a good time for standing and chatting. Meanwhile, summer is perfect for just that – discussing training methods, tactics – and most of all, ideal gear. Today we look at what is likely the most popular category of them all - training skate rollerskis. Marwe 620ХС, Swenor Elite, SRB SR02 Professional Flex – those are the names that come to mind when one is talking about high-end skate rollerskis. There's nothing wrong (and a lot right) with them – except for one thing: they are too ubiquitous. Everyone and his coach has them already – what's there to…
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25May 2017 by DS News Team
Our Test: EPB, Device You ( Really) Want to Have

Our Test: EPB, Device You ( Really) Want to Have

Gear News, Newsfeed
What it is: an emergency pole back-holder, to be used primarily for ski marathons where the chance of breaking the pole at the start is, sadly, pretty high. Short resume: A brilliant, timely idea; the device works as-is, but needs some fine-tuning. Get it when it becomes available on the market. That's the short version of it; read the longer version for details and pictures. The Swedish company StaffanStaven is known primarily for their shock-absorbing ski pole inserts that are steadily gaining in popularity - especially with the rollerskiing crowd. Staffan Larsson and Gunnar Winroth, two people behind the StaffanStaven, are obviosly thinking of expanding their offerings. Last week they kindly sent us a pre-production version of the Emergency Pole Backholder (EPB) that they have developed. ...We love ski marathons,…
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