Who Woke Me Up?

Last weekend JC Schoonmaker was at the top of the ski world, going stride for stride with Klæbo en route to the first American men’s World Cup podium since Simi Hamilton. But just six weeks ago he was suffering through a low-grade virus that wouldn’t go away, and already thinking that maybe this just wasn’t his year. Join us for real talk on what’s happened since, and what’s next for this team.

Sophia Laukli is the American who lives and trains in Norway, the nordic skiing Olympian who is also the reigning champion in international trail running, the late bloomer who didn’t start rollerskiing till age 17. She’s forged her own path in both skiing and running, finding balance along the way. Hear her speak about how she’s done it, and what others can learn from it.

John Wessling has lived all over and has pretty much done it all in sport, both endurance sports and skill sports. He self-effacingly describes himself as “the best of the worst” in most of these endeavors, but he’s also a three-time Cat 1 national champion in cross-country mountain bike racing, so take that last assessment with a grain of salt.

Wessling brings this cross-disciplinary perspective to bear as he discusses why nordic skiers make the best athletes, why he puts motocross world champions on the SkiErg, the single thing that mid-pack Birkie skiers should be thinking about, and much more.

Find out everything you need to know about ski waxing, plus many things that you didn’t know you needed to know but will benefit from now knowing, in this masterclass on waxing and ski preparation from wax tech to the stars Zach Caldwell. Kick, glide, fluoros, non-fluoros, paraffins, tools, race waxing, everyday waxing – you name it, he talks about it here. Whether you're a novice or a maestro, you will learn something from this.

Julian Robert and Jeff Courter head up research and development at Rossignol, the longtime ski brand of podcast host Fast Big Dog. Join them to learn how ski designers work with athletes to develop skis, how to make the best use of demo days to find new skis that work for you, and their biggest tip for someone looking to buy a new pair of skis. You’ve probably also seen some recent buzz about the new SX skate ski; hear about this ski’s capabilities and its place in the larger Rossi lineup. From, literally, the men who designed it.

This episode is sponsored by Rossignol. We sincerely appreciate their support of this podcast. They answered the questions put to them regarding Rossignol skis and new products, but have not otherwise controlled the substantive content heard here.