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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13Jul 2021 by The Daily Skier Editorial
Jasmi Joensuu: Going to Denver Was Best Decision I Made

Jasmi Joensuu: Going to Denver Was Best Decision I Made

Newsfeed, Training & Outfitting
Jasmi Joensuu, 25, burst onto the international scene last season with a string of top performances in the World Cup and , especially, in Oberstdorf-2021. [caption id="attachment_18307" align="alignnone" width="1920"] At the Team Finland recent training camp in Vuokatti [/caption] What makes her ascendancy special is the fact that she earlier chose to spend several years outside Team Finland, studying and racing in the US. Scholarship programs that some US universities are offering to promising European skiers carry a lot of obvious direct and indirect benefits for those who apply - but winning on the highest level afterwards hitherto was not thought to be one of them. Ms.Joensuu bucked that trend by getting her diploma at the University of Denver (Finance as a major and Marketing as a minor) then returning…
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