Five Norwegians Make Sprint Final
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Canmore World Cup CoverageSpecial to CrossCountrySkier.com |
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Technique versus Power
The men’s B final was at least the first heat in which every single one of the six racers double-poled the entire 1.2k course that contained 32 meters of total climbing with a single maximum climb of 15 meters.
The men’s A final was a carbon copy of the B final; the five Norwegians and one Russian double-poled over what, by World Cup standards, was moderate terrain. At the second hairpin turn and the most difficult part of the course, all the men slowed to a pace below that which they could have strided had they had kick wax, but none of them had any kick wax let alone classic skis.
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Women’s A final finish: Majdic in blue just ahead of Jacobsen. |
In the post-race press conference, Naess, Hattestad, and Roenning all confirmed that they had switched to skate skis over the course of the heats, changed into combi boots, and given up any kick in exchange for pure glide and a reliance on double poling. It was an impressive show of pure strength.
Alternatively, when the women’s top three skiers were asked post-race if any of them had considered using skate gear, they unashamedly said that “no;” that they are not strong enough.
Eldar Roenning was asked if there are any classic technique sprint courses where racers stay with classic skis and kick wax all the way to the finals. He replied that Kuusamo, Finland, demands classic gear because of its difficulty. When asked what Norwegians think of the tendency towards “double pole” technique races, Roenning continued that they like it, that it shows the pure power that has been achieved by top male skiers.
One FIS official who travels to every race said the organization is talking about seeking harder classic technique sprint courses to avoid the double pole phenomenon. There seems to exist a purist’s spirit here accompanied by a criticism of the double poling. That same FIS official quietly observed that “what Naess did today had nothing to do with technique.” The women racers at this level, however, tend to have beautiful technique.
Canmore’s trail system is easily capable of being re-configured. The FIS official also remarked privately that Canmore could simply make the classic sprint course hillier, though by no means did she intend to complain. “Canmore is the best World Cup venue, in my opinion” she said. “The wide trails really make it so they can race…the format is really good…some of the European trails they ski on are …” the official frowned instead of finishing her thoughts.
The Canmore venue was at the forefront in yet another category today. For the first time in North America, start gates were used for the sprint races. The gates are standard in Europe and help regulate each race start, among other benefits.
Tomorrow is a rest day and then racing resumes on Friday with a women’s 10k and men’s 15k freestyle interval start.
Complete results are available at http://fis-ski.com.
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