08Aug 2021 by The Daily Skier Editorial
Petter Northug is back on track(s)!

Petter Northug is back on track(s)!

Leaders, Newsfeed
Blink Fesfivalen' "langløp mix-stafett" or the mixed relay is a great new format and we shall tell you about it..another day. Because on Sunday the stars of long distance racing were totally overshadowed by an appearance of one man: Petter Northug is back, competing! [caption id="attachment_18411" align="alignnone" width="1540"] Northug might have changed - but the world-famous scowl is still there. We missed that facial expression! [/caption] It was the first appearance of the double Olympic champion of tracks after you-all-know-what-happened events of last year. Petter looked poised, handling the media going crazy around him with a look of a star who knows it's unavoidable - and explained how he sees his future: " I have plans to take part in the Ski Classics series, probably next season already. I'm looking…
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07Aug 2021 by The Daily Skier Editorial
Blink Skifestival introduces new promising race format

Blink Skifestival introduces new promising race format

Leaders, Newsfeed
Blink skifesfival is not just a unique amalgamation of xcskiing, biathlon and open-air pop-music concerts. It blazes the trail in introducing new race formats that show great potential. On Friday Blink rolled out a new idea: a combo race: individual prologues ( 2.6k women, 4.2k men) followed two hours later by pursuit races of 10/ 14k. The Sandness Arena is a primarily training grounds so slopes' difficulty is not on par with what the top international stars assembled are accustomed to - but we are talking rollerskis , no snow skier wants to risk an injury on treacherous asphalt downhill, so there were no complaints among the starters. That's to say that sprinters felt right at home in their relatively long prologue while a distance runner found her/ himself a…
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03Aug 2021 by The Daily Skier Editorial
Arne Idland: athletes from 13 nations will compete at Blink Skifestival this year

Arne Idland: athletes from 13 nations will compete at Blink Skifestival this year

Leaders, Newsfeed
Arne Idland is a man who created Blink Skifestival in western Norway and built it into a premiere international summer event in both xcskiing and biathlon. The Covid-19 pandemics affected the event a lot - last year's races were held without international athletes and with no spectators. In 2021 both the internationals and the public will be back. The end of hard times? We talked to Arne as he was surveying the last preparations at the Sandnes Arena where most races will be held this year: "...Organizing the event of the size of Blink Festivalen was of challenging under circumstances, things were and are often unpredictable. Norway has the strictest Covid rules in Europe, it makes it hard to plan - you don't know what would be actually allowed by…
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28Jul 2021 by The Daily Skier Editorial
Yulia Stupak: There are girls on World Cup circuit who always hit you poles, always aggressive

Yulia Stupak: There are girls on World Cup circuit who always hit you poles, always aggressive

Leaders, Newsfeed
We continued publish our notes from a recent interview with Yulia Stupak. For " ease of digestion ", her thoughts & tales were grouped thematically (in reality one gets to hear Ms.Stupak's opinion on everything at once - and then back again. Absolutely charming if you are present but quite impossible to convey verbatim) Training: " I am walking on a knife’s edge - exploring my maximum in each and every training cycle yet trying not to overdo it. That’s how you grow and find new strength. Functional readiness, technique - everything. The latter one is constantly evolving - Markus ( Cramer) works a lot with me to better my style - even if microscopically, little by little. In the Olympic season the stakes are much, much higher than in…
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26Jul 2021 by The Daily Skier Editorial
Yulia Stupak : childbirth gave me extra psychological stability and confidence . Including for photos in bikini on Instagram

Yulia Stupak : childbirth gave me extra psychological stability and confidence . Including for photos in bikini on Instagram

Leaders, Newsfeed
Yulia Stupak (Belorukova) is not just one of the world's top skiers - unlike quite a few (many, alas), a 26 year old Russian is actively and consciously trying to expand the appeal of cross country skiing beyond the tight circle of hard-core fans. Be it through her marquee dancing on podiums or talking openly about childbearing & rearing for active international athlete. This is Part 1 of our recent conversation with Ms.Stupak: "..I’ve achieved quite a bit, won several important medals at a young age. After that I felt it’s time to start a family. My husband is 8 years older than me, he probably felt it even stronger. He told me: " You are very talented and you are only at the beginning of your sporting career. You…
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