17Jan 2022 by The Daily Skier Editorial
Beijing Olympics ski tracks – what are they like? Tough with a capital T , says the man in the know

Beijing Olympics ski tracks – what are they like? Tough with a capital T , says the man in the know

Leaders, Newsfeed
Without further ado, we give the floor to Max Volkov, distance squad coach in Team China, who is currently at Kuyangshu Nordic and Biathlon Center in Zhangjiakou - the future Olympic venue : Overall,the Olympic tracks are quite balanced and harmonious for the lack of better description when it comes to a combination of uphills and descents. As one would imagine, there are no easy race profile configurations at the top level competitions in principle. But in Beijing there are added factors: The one that gets mentioned a lot is the altitude. The courses are laid on or above 1700m - that's higher than any FIS World Cup races in Europe. During the Olympic Games, the weather is expected to be cold and dry. That would make the snow slow.…
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12Jan 2022 by DS News Team
C8 fluoro waxes would be legal in Beijing – unlike in Europe. But there is no point in using them, says leading coach on the ground in China

C8 fluoro waxes would be legal in Beijing – unlike in Europe. But there is no point in using them, says leading coach on the ground in China

Gear News, Newsfeed
The scandal around the use of ski waxes containing banned C8 fluorocarbons , at the Scandinavian Cup in Falun keeps on flaring. Perfluorooctanoic acid known colloquially as C8 is banned in the European Union , Norway and Switzerland to name but a few. Therefore using it in ski waxes is illegal as of 2021 - both in FIS and IBU competitions since those take place in Europe, almost exclusively. There are three problems with that: - C8s do give advantage in certain situations - at least that's what majority (not all) ski waxers are saying - Anyone who is anyone in xcskiing had amassed a lifetime supply of very expensive C8 lubricants and is not terribly keen to just throw it away - Most importantly,there is still no reliable detection…
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10Jan 2022 by DS News Team
Planica gets cancelled too. Time to talk changes?

Planica gets cancelled too. Time to talk changes?

Newsfeed
The second stage in a row of the FIS World Cup 2021/22 just got folded. The Planica cancellation announcement mirrors that of Les Rousses: COVID fears, " safety of stakeholders cannot be guaranteed" etc. etc. ". Meanwhile, a double weekend of mass skiing just finished in nearby South Tyrol - including two Visma Ski Classics races. Without a hitch. Meanwhile, the IBU Junior Biathlon Cup event is about to kick off in Pokljuka. Is it in some different Slovenia than the one where Planica is located by any chance? Perhaps it is a time to start openly saying that the current system whereas national ski federation and LOCa (local organising committees) hold all the cards and can pull the plug at any moment, is antiquividated? Yes, if words become deeds…
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05Jan 2022 by DS News Team
Les Rousses World Cup stage cancelled – organisers admit it could have been held, but …too much trouble. And who are we to blame them?

Les Rousses World Cup stage cancelled – organisers admit it could have been held, but …too much trouble. And who are we to blame them?

Money & Finance, Newsfeed
The Les Rousses World Cup scheduled for January 14 to 16 is canceled It's the first time in the " Covid era" when the major event is not cancelled on the direct order from local health authorities - but because, you know, things don't quite add up, the troubles outweigh the gains. The organizers of would-be Les Rousses stage are quite blunt: "...The presence of spectators would entail the implementation of substantial technical and human resources to ensure the health security ...In addition to the concern for the health of the teams on the eve of an event not to be missed, Jura Ski Events also fears the financial consequences...” It's not a secret that financials of the most FIS World Cup stages were iffy even in those blessed pre-Covid…
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27Dec 2021 by The Daily Skier Editorial
Two top female skiers announce break in their careers for medical reasons-just weeks before the Olympics. What’s going on and what’s to be done?

Two top female skiers announce break in their careers for medical reasons-just weeks before the Olympics. What’s going on and what’s to be done?

Leaders, Newsfeed
The Sunday news came as a bit of a shock https://www.instagram.com/p/CX8Ntt8LHnw/?utm_medium=copy_link And then again it didn't - Oestberg's struggles with her form & health were well publicised. Even still, those troubles seemed to be behind her. Ingvild came strong 8th in 10kF in Davos mere two weeks ago, just 28 seconds behind Therese Johaug. Since the Beijing 2022 distance courses seem to clearly favor light yet strong and technical athletes, many felt the ex-World Cup winner's place in the Norwegian line-up is all but guaranteed. Not so, alas A little less noticed by the media but nonetheless shocking was a similar announcement earlier last week by one of the most promising young Italian athletes: Francesca Franchi informed her fans via Instagram that doctors told her to stop competing, effective immediately.…
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