Was there ever such a sad FIS World Cup season as this one?

Was there ever such a sad FIS World Cup season as this one?

Leaders, Newsfeed
Was there ever such a screwed up FIS World Cup season as this one? Two WC stages scrapped- ostensibly - because of Covid, while every other snow sport was happily competing at the same time, even in the same countries. The World Cup final cancelled because of the politics - and what's most telling, not a single serious candidate sprung up to fill the void despite a three week notice. “Something is rotten in the state of Denmark" That's not us here saying - that's murmurs we increasingly hear among stakeholders of all hues. And it might get worse. It almost certainly will get worse. We are not privy to exact statistics, but one does not have to be a genius to see that a loss of the market of…
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Northug,  brand with character that looks like winner

Northug, brand with character that looks like winner

Gear News, Leaders, Newsfeed
...A late model Porsche 911 is parked next to a graffiti calling on comrades to rise against capitalism and, separately, against sexism. Welcome to Grünerløkka, that " Greenwich Village of Oslo ", trendy and hip, where opinions and lifestyles diverge and daring ideas being born and implemented. Grünerløkka is a home to the Northug brand. From here - to the world! [caption id="attachment_18580" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Lower floor is to introduce potential retailers to the current collections ...[/caption] [caption id="attachment_18579" align="alignnone" width="1920"] ...while top floor is busy working on those of 2023 and who knows how far beyond[/caption] Meet Silje Vasvåg,key account manager at Northug, branch of Brand Assist AS: [caption id="attachment_18583" align="alignnone" width="1920"] "Northug brand has that X-Factor feel. You are not only getting the best quality glasses and textiles…
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Therese Johaug is launching personal care line

Therese Johaug is launching personal care line

Newsfeed, Trivia
"....Care By Therese Johaug Deodorant is an effective deodorant that keeps you fresh throughout the day. The formulation is enriched with a discreet and delicate scent with notes of fresh citrus, pear and juniper..." The reigning queen of the world cross country skiing is launching her own personal care line. https://www.instagram.com/p/CTuHGGvodU-/?utm_medium=copy_link The items from the launch collection have started to appear on ASKO website,the Norwegian grocery chain being Johaug's long-term partner. Last December Johaug abruptly severed her lucrative long-running deal with Huawei, with Chinese giant putting A LOT of money into promotions with the xcski star - remember Oslo airport abslutely plastered with Therese's portraits extolling Huawei's products? Well, that advertising space is free, let's see if ASKO has a similar ad budget...
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Innovations in xcskiing worth considering? Learn from Blink!

Innovations in xcskiing worth considering? Learn from Blink!

Leaders, Newsfeed
In 2021 Blink Skifestival cemented its reputation for being innovator and trendsetter. Since 2019, the last "traditional", pre-pandemic Blink, the organizers reworked the program quite a bit and here are the novelties we found to be worth reviewing and actively recommending: - Individual prologue + distance race with time handicap. We reviewed it here, Just to reiterate: that's the best format we've seen so far when it comes to pitching sprinters vs distance runners & keeping the suspense going throughout the сompetition ( at least in women's race). [caption id="attachment_18472" align="alignnone" width="1176"] Distance runner vs sprinter. Who's better in two different races on the same day?[/caption] - Mixed-gender long distance relay, another unique format. Since we could afford to be subjective, we'll spell it out: great idea - for Norway.…
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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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