One of the things that I always feel like skiers in the US are missing is a certain inherent knowledge of good technical skiing.  We simply don’t see technically proficient skiers enough to be able to construct and deconstruct the motions within our mind.  Without that understanding it becomes difficult to make the necessary changes on snow.

Enter the internet and Norwegian television (NRK rocks!).  Check it: some great classic skiing shots from today’s World Cup 10/15 km race in Finland.  There’s nothing like seeing to appreciate the energy and power that is put into every technique cycle in a World Cup race.

Watch it and mimic:

Men’s Race

Women’s Race

You can also catch a bunch of the races on universalsports.com

Town Race 1 today:

The masses: always a cool sight

Overall for the group it was a positive day.  At this stage of the game, there is still much to be worked on and it is merely a piece of the puzzle of these young athlete’s careers.  Results are rarely as important as coming away from each race knowing something that can be improved next time, allowing each race to be a point to be built from, and not an end in and of itself.

The event felt a bit more special with the teams up from Anchorage (Thanks!).  Here are some of the better photos I managed to take during the excitement.

Joe gets a little off balance around the corner at the top of the ramp. Max follows close behind.

The women's lead pack after one kilometer or so

Men's winner, Raphael Wunderle from UAA

Jacob