Cross-country skiing

Alexander Phillips80 said:We’re sitting here acting like this is some major European Championship when we’re really just talking about a tiny field of 18 racers—eight of whom were locals—and none of the heavy hitters from the big skiing nations showed up, let alone cared about it.
Can you actually point to where the FIS officially labeled this little gathering as a championship?

It’s right there in the FIS results if you bother to look.

🙂

Jonathan Jackson20 said:The results are posted right there on the FIS website.

🙂

Whereabouts?

http://www.fis-ski.com/uk/604/610.ht...C&raceid=18833
PDF results

Look, all I wanted was for us to give a little credit where it's due and celebrate young Edi Dadić's performance, but it seems like people around here find it impossible to acknowledge anyone's success unless it’s some massive, career-defining victory—regardless of how significant the competition actually was. My intention was to offer him a few words of encouragement and motivation to keep his head up, but instead, it looks like he isn't getting any support from this group at all, just a barrage of discouraging comments suggesting that his efforts and his results don't mean a thing.
So, honestly, maybe we should just move on to a different, slightly more upbeat topic regarding skiing—something like discussing the best slopes, terrain, or gear instead.
🙂

Jonathan Jackson20 said:Looks like Sophia Richardson77 is fired up again!

By the way, I caught the news on CNN today that Edi attended the reception at the Mayor's office.
Hopefully, that reaction is enough to settle things.
As for Mr. Krmpotić, he also claimed that R. R. was this year's marathon winner, which we all know isn't true. Shouldn't journalists do a little fact-checking before printing incorrect data in the papers?
Sadly, we all know this isn't just an isolated incident.
🙂

Like I said before, this whole situation is just tragic. When I mentioned HOO, I was referring to today's reception at the Mayor's office—so basically, it's all empty talk. It’s obvious you guys can't produce real results, so you try to grab media attention through these dirty tactics just to line your own pockets. And don't even get me started on the falsified results... Brenda Williams6

Jonathan Jackson20 said:http://www.fis-ski.com/uk/604/610.ht...C&raceid=18833
PDF results

Basically, everyone, I just wanted us to celebrate little Edi's result! But it seems like people here in America can praise him for anything except his success, no matter how big or small the competition might be. I wrote that hoping we could offer him some encouraging words and motivation. Sadly, the kid didn't get that from us; instead, he just got discouraging comments telling him that he and his results don't matter at all.
So, why don't we move on to a much brighter topic regarding skiing? (Maybe talk about the best slopes, turns, and things like that!)
🙂

Where are you running to now, Brenda Williams6? Now that we've seen through you, like I said, there's still more...

John Morgan90 said:Like I said before, this whole situation is just pathetic. When I brought up the HOO and mentioned that meeting with Mateša earlier today, I was calling out nothing but empty rhetoric. It’s obvious you guys aren't capable of delivering any real results, so you resort to these dirty little tactics just to grab some headlines and line your own pockets. And don't even get me started on the falsified results... Brenda Williams6

I’m not going anywhere. I’m right here. But honestly, I think it's incredibly out of line to carry on a conversation this way. You think you've unmasked me? For what? Because I posted news from the FIS on a forum?
Sophia, I have absolutely nothing to do with the results, let alone anything about lining my pockets—that kind of accusation is honestly beneath you. And now it seems you're even trying to pin the falsified data on the FIS.
As far as this thread goes, I’ve got nothing left to say, especially to you, since it clearly feels like you’ve developed a personal vendetta against me.

Jonathan Jackson20 said:There’s actually a lot to say about that. But honestly, Sophia Richardson77, I don't care about the results, let alone trying to pocket anything from them. I think that's a really low blow coming from you. It also seems like you're blaming the FIS for faking the scores.
I'm done talking about this topic.

You're rambling again! What do you mean "what FIS"? People have already debunked your claims with actual facts.
Like I said, there's more... but I don't feel like getting into it right now, maybe next time.
And if you're so curious, Brenda Williams6, why don't you just go ask the director yourself?

Regarding cross-country skiing, I’m genuinely curious about how much snow coverage we actually need for the trails at the summit to be usable. I ask because back when we had about 24 inches early in December, the tracks weren't even passable, despite plenty of people showing up ready to hit the slopes.
It seems to me that the conditions over in the Rockies have been significantly better this season.
I’d appreciate some insight on this.

Brenda Williams6, let's be real—that was definitely an official championship, but it was organized by the ESF rather than the FIS. Looking at the field of competitors, that one Canadian guy is the only one who has actually beaten Edi Dadić in head-to-head matchups; otherwise, he’s been winning across the board (including at those European Youth Olympics, even if you thought his performance there was subpar).

I can wrap my head around someone throwing around a "European Champion" title if they're just trying to hunt down sponsors to secure some serious funding, but I get the feeling there’s more to this story than that...

You’ve got a point there, but the FIS officially sanctioned the competition, so that's that. My main hang-up is figuring out what kind of sponsor we could actually land. Let’s be honest—we’re living in America, where cross-country skiing is pretty much a niche interest that nobody gives a second thought to. In this country, the only thing sponsors, journalists, news outlets, and the general public actually care about is football.
And here we are, wasting our time with cross-country skiing and these endless threads where we just vent and moan.
That’s exactly why I’m suggesting we start acting like a civilized community by actually writing about the sport and sharing our experiences from the trails back home and abroad. We should be helping one another out, because honestly, that might be the only way to actually find some joy in this sport. That’s really the reason I posed the question in the first place.

Jonathan Jackson20 said:Look, you've got a point there, but at the end of the day, FIS gave it the green light.

The way I see it, FIS set this up as just another run-of-the-mill junior race, and honestly, if people want to spin it into being a World Championship or some Martian expedition, that's on them. When you start playing those kinds of manipulation games, guys like Edi Dadić aren't winning anything—they're just digging themselves into a hole...

Jonathan Jackson20 said:Regarding cross-country skiing, I’m genuinely curious about how many centimeters of snow we actually need for someone to tackle a trail up on the ridge. Because earlier this year, when we were looking at maybe 60 cm back in early December, the trails weren't even passable despite plenty of folks wanting to get out there.
I noticed things seemed a lot better over in the Appalachian mountains this season.
Can anyone give me an answer on this?

If it's wet southern snow, you're looking at 20 cm minimum.
With dry powder, you'll need at least 25 to 30 cm.
That's the bare minimum for classic style, though you'd probably want more if you're skating...

👍

Jonathan Jackson20 said:You make a fair point, but the FIS officially recognized the competition. My only concern is what kind of sponsors we could actually attract. Let's be honest—we live in America, where cross-country skiing hardly gets any attention. The only thing sponsors, journalists, media, and the general public really care about here is football.
And here we are, ruining everything by constantly complaining and bickering over cross-country skiing in these little threads.
That’s why I’m suggesting we start acting like civilized people by actually writing about the sport and sharing our experiences from trails both here in the States and abroad. If we help each other out, it might actually make enjoying this sport easier! That's why I asked my question earlier.

Civilized people... hmm...
Look, I agree with you that we need to support cross-country skiing in America, but not by using the tactics the ski federation leadership uses to manipulate results. Like I mentioned before, there's more:
Race 12/05/2010 Goms (Swiss) 6.2 miles classic style. The headline on Croski read: GREAT START FOR THE NORDICS 😈ED DI DADIĆ IN 2ND PLACE. It claimed that at the first FIS race in Goms, Switzerland, Edi Dadić climbed onto the podium for a 2nd place finish...
But the truth is completely different: Edi Dadić was actually 46th, trailing by 2 minutes and 20 seconds, and there wasn't some special junior race that would have put him on the podium. What's really important to me is that he finished that race over three minutes slower than the leaders, which is incredibly slow for a "European Champion."
So, I have to ask: who orchestrated this, and what was their goal?
And there's more...

You honestly think that’s enough for the snowcats to actually pull a trail?!
If that’s the case, why aren't they grooming up at Mount Rainier when there's easily twice the snow there?
They’re claiming they don't have enough—maybe 50 or 60 centimeters tops.
I just don't get what the big deal is. It wouldn't even take them twenty minutes to get it done!

Jonathan Jackson20 said:I'm not going anywhere! I'm right here. But honestly, I think talking this way is totally uncalled for. Are you trying to "expose" me? For what, exactly? Just because I posted news from the FIS on the forum?
Sophia Richardson77, I have absolutely nothing to do with the results, let alone pocketing money or anything like that. I think that’s a really low blow coming from you. It seems like you're even blaming the FIS for falsifying data.
As far as this thread goes, I don't have anything left to say—especially to you, since it looks like you've developed a personal grudge against me now.

If I actually had a problem with you personally, I'd have to know who you are first! I have no idea who you are, so just know I don't hold anything against you or your efforts to improve cross-country skiing. But unfortunately, by making these comments and defending people who manipulate the scores, you aren't helping the sport at all.
People in the mountains, please wake up! These folks from New York City are going to ruin the whole tradition of skiing.

Haha, they even ran a feature on Dadić over on PBS... though it was full of those typical journalistic blunders. For instance, they claimed biathlon is a Nordic discipline (it isn't), and they acted like the event in Oslo this year was a World Cup when it was actually the World Championships. Plus, nobody thought to mention that this wasn't even a FIS championship, but an ESF one with basically zero real competition...

So, Brenda Williams6, you don't have a single comeback for my take on those Goms results? No orders from the higher-ups and absolutely no arguments to back you up?

It’s no wonder they aren't buying what you're selling—it's pretty obvious they've seen right through you!

John Morgan90 said:It’s no wonder you guys can’t catch a break with the passes; it's pretty obvious you've been cursed...

The issue isn't just about my pass not working; it's that nobody can get one when they actually want to hit the slopes, and the crowd just keeps growing every single year. Instead of being able to head out to Mount Rainier, we’re forced to pack up and fly abroad just to get some decent snow time. It’s especially frustrating for the rowing and kayaking teams, who rely on skiing as their primary off-season conditioning. 🙂

Anonymous said:Haha, so there was even this little feature on Dadić over at PBS... though, honestly, aside from a few typical journalistic blunders—like claiming biathlon isn't a Nordic sport, or acting like what happened in Oslo this year was just some random World Cup instead of the actual World Championships—nobody seemed to find it necessary to mention that this wasn't even a FIS event, but an ESF one with basically zero real competition...

Look, it was a FIS competition; the ESF just decided to slap a different label on it for whatever reason...

Let me kick this thread off: 😁

1. Does anyone actually know where there are some decent, well-maintained trails around here now?
2. Which clubs are even still active?

Hey everyone!🙂

Emily Kelly4 said:America actually has some pretty solid cross-country trailsAspen, Lake Tahoe, Flagstaff, the Appalachian Mountains, Mount Rainier...

Wait, since when does Aspen even have cross-country tracks?
I’ve never actually given it a shot myself, but man, I really want to. How's the uphill grind with skating? Like, do you just slide right back down? It feels like it'd be way different than classic skiing where you aren't constantly slipping backward.