Keep Showing Up: Will Sweetser’s Unglamorous First Principle
"Maybe I was a genetic predeterminist, and that's why I started learning all the physiology."
Will Sweetser on how a kid with one of the smallest engines on his college roster became one of the sharpest coaching minds in American skiing. Part one of two.
Read it now on FasterSkier — link in bio.
April. For a lot of coaches, parents, and skiers, this is the month when the planning begins — new training cycles, program adjustments, goals for next season. It's a natural time to reflect and build.
But before you open a spreadsheet or start mapping out hours, we'd encourage you to read this piece by Jim Galanes first.
@jimgalanes has been around this sport for over five decades, and in this article, he asks a question that doesn't get asked enough: Does the way we actually develop young skiers match what we say we believe in?
The answer, as Jim lays it out, is complicated and worth sitting with before you start writing down training targets for a young athlete.
Worth a read — link in bio.
Worth a conversation — let's have a constructive one on the FasterSkier Facebook page.
pc: @tryg26
A stray dog crashing the Olympic Sprint course. 15 million views on X. And now — skijoring on the World Cup calendar.
The story of how Nazgul the dog may have accidentally saved traditional cross-country skiing is one of the more remarkable things we've written in a while. A disillusioned FIS delegate, a desperate committee meeting, and one viral moment that changed everything.
We sat down with Lars Johansen, the Swedish FIS delegate at the center of it all, to get the full story — from the Cortina hotel room where it started, to a multi-million dollar Purina sponsorship deal.
The details are wild. Read the full story on FasterSkier — link in bio.
From the Olympics and World Cup Finals to the Northeast Kingdom, the season rolls on this weekend at the Craftsbury Outdoor Center for SuperTour Finals.
Ben Ogden took the men's sprint final on home turf, with APU teammates JC Schoonmaker and Gus Schumacher rounding out the podium.
On the women's side, Canadians Katie Weaver and Olivia Bouffard-Nesbitt swept the top two spots, with Emma Albrecht claiming third.
Gnarly spring conditions, fierce racing, and a U16 athlete crashing the heats — all in a day's work.
Full recap at the link in bio.
pc: @tryg26 Tryg Solberg / FasterSkier
lake placid xc ski world cup finals 2026 for @fasterskier - what a weekend! 🇺🇸❄️✨
my first ever nordic ski “race” was a covid edition of the lake placid loppet with maybe a dozen other people if I’m being generous, pretty amazing to be here a handful of years later alongside 10,000+ fans each day shooting the best in the world.
it was special to see olympic medalist ben ogden race on home soil (and have the chainsaw gang from vermont show up in full force), watch king klaebo do his thing, and see so much hype for this sport across fans of all generations. but this world cup final was always going to belong to jessie diggins. the joy she gave this sport throughout her whole career was on full display, and it made for a joyous weekend for all. THANK YOU JESSIE!
Sprint day at Mt. Van Hoevenberg was absolutely electric.
The crowd lining that course turned Lake Placid into something we won't soon forget. Cowbells on the climbs, voices echoing through the stadium, fans screaming names like they were cheering for family. This is what happens when our nordic ski community shows up — and yesterday, it showed up in force.
Federico Pellegrino — @chiccopelle —felt it from the very first warmup lap. "I got this feeling of power from the public," he said. "Chicco Pelle! Chicco Pelle!" And then in the final? He couldn't wait. He blazed off the front and stormed to the 18th victory of his World Cup career — the last sprint of a brilliant career. "This was the way I dreamt, when I was young, to win races. To end my career in that way was fantastic."
On the women's side, Sweden swept the podium for the second straight day. Linn Svahn, Jonna Sundling, and Maja Dahlqvist went 1-2-3, with Dahlqvist clinching her third career Sprint Crystal Globe. "It's like my second home, honestly!" she said. "So many people screaming my name. It was really cool."
Even Klaebo — watching from the sidelines for once — couldn't help but tip his cap. "The Americans really know how to make noise and a good atmosphere," he said. "It was cool!"
Racing wraps up today with the 20 k Mass Starts.
Full coverage on FasterSkier by our @john.teaford
Photos by @t.dils
Links in bio.
This weekend, the world's best cross-country skiers are racing on American snow in Lake Placid. Let that sink in for a second.
Two years ago, Minneapolis proved that Americans will show up — in massive, loud, freezing numbers — when you bring the World Cup to them. Now Lake Placid is hosting World Cup Finals for the first time ever. And the energy around this sport in the U.S. has never been higher.
That's not a coincidence. It's what happens when fans can actually watch their heroes race in person instead of setting an alarm for 4 a.m. on a Saturday.
We wrote about why this matters — why more American World Cups aren't just good for the vibes, they're essential to growing the sport in this country. From youth development to sponsor interest to the simple power of a kid watching Jessie Diggins fly past them on a trail 20 minutes from home.
Read the full piece by @luke.m.d on FasterSkier: link in bio.
Where should the next American World Cup be?
pc: @t.dils
A week ago, Johannes Høsflot Klæbo was lying on the ice in Drammen with a concussion after a dramatic crash in the sprint semifinals. His season looked like it might be over.
Today, after a 20-hour journey from Norway, in heavy snow and deteriorating conditions at Mt. Van Hoevenberg, he won the 10 k classic interval start at the World Cup Finals in Lake Placid — reclaiming the distance globe lead from Harald Østberg Amundsen, who finished fourth.
Never count him out.
If Klæbo finishes what he started this weekend, it would cap one of the most dominant seasons the sport has ever seen: six Olympic gold medals, the Tour de Ski title, and a clean sweep of the Overall, Sprint, and Distance Crystal Globes.
Gus Schumacher led the Americans in seventh, with Ben Ogden 11th.
Full race coverage from @john.teaford on FasterSkier: link in bio.
Jessie Diggins just clinched her fourth Overall World Cup Crystal Globe — and she did it on American snow.
In falling snow at Lake Placid, Diggins fought her way to fifth in today's 10 k classic, more than enough to lock up the overall title for the third consecutive year. She's the first woman to three-peat since Justyna Kowalczyk did it between 2009 and 2011.
This is the final World Cup weekend of her career. Two races left. The Adirondacks are rolling out quite a stage.
Full coverage from @john.teaford at the link in bio.
pc: @nordicfocus
#JessieDiggins #CrystalGlobe #CrossCountrySkiing #LakePlacid #WorldCupFinals #NordicSkiing #XCSkiing #FasterSkier #USSkiTeam #MtVanHoevenberg
Frida Karlsson disappeared into the Holmenkollen fog at the 35 k mark and no one could follow. The double Olympic champion broke away solo and won the 50 k Freestyle by nearly two minutes, leading an all-Swedish podium sweep with Linn Svahn second and Jonna Sundling third.
"It's such a magic day for our team," Karlsson said. "It's our first triple in the distance and it's sick."
Heidi Weng was the top Norwegian in fourth, while Jessie Diggins — racing her final Holmenkollen 50 k — fought her way to sixth and all but locked up the overall World Cup title in the process. The fog was so thick that stadium announcers had to tell the crowd when racers were approaching.
Full race report from one of the most memorable days in Holmenkollen history on FasterSkier: link in bio.
pc: @nordicfocus
Einar Hedegart emerged from the fog — literally — to win the Holmenkollen 50 k Freestyle in just his seventh World Cup start. The former biathlete stalked from the back of the pack for most of the race before unleashing a final sprint past Harald Oestberg Amundsen to claim victory on cross-country skiing's most storied stage.
But the biggest story of the day may be what happened off the course. With Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo sidelined by a concussion from Thursday's Drammen crash, Amundsen's second-place finish vaulted him into the distance globe lead by just three points heading into the World Cup Finals in Lake Placid.
Norway swept the top eight. Zak Ketterson led the Americans in 18th after battling through fog so thick he couldn't see 10 meters ahead. And the season finale just got a whole lot more interesting.
Full race report, quotes, and globe standings breakdown on FasterSkier: link in bio.
pc: @nordicfocus
Scary moment in Drammen today as Johannes Høsflot Klæbo and Ben Ogden crashed out of the sprint Semifinals, during which Klaebo hit the back of his head on the hard-packed snow.
The good news: Norwegian team doctor Ove Feragen told TV2 that Klaebo is conscious, stable, and not believed to be seriously injured. He's being evaluated at the hospital as a precaution for the head impact. Fingers crossed he's okay and cleared for the 50 k at Holmenkollen on Saturday.
With the two Olympic medalists out, the final belonged to the next generation. Ansgar Evensen stormed from the back of the pack to win. Jiri Tuz of Czechia grabbed a career-best silver. And 21-year-old Kristian Kollerud — in his very first World Cup start — stood on the podium in third in his club suit.
Four races left this season, including Lake Placid.
Read all about the race on FasterSkier: link in bio
pc: @nordicfocus
