Producing Skis: A visit to the Salomon & Atomic ski factory
Producing Skis: A visit to the Salomon & Atomic ski factory

Altenmarkt, Austria sits in the valley below the face of the Dachstein mountain. The lush green valley is home to 4,000 inhabitants and about as many grazing brown cows. On the edge of town, past the cobbled pedestrian streets lies the Atomic - Salomon ski factory. It is not hard to understand why this valley might attract skiers, surrounded by alpine ski hills on almost all sides.

I stopped in to check out the facility and get a better understanding of how skis are produced. Jean-Marc Draeyer, Salomon’s head of race ski production, took time away from selecting skis for the world’s top racers and specialty Nordic shops to take me on a tour of the facility. Photos are not allowed, but the process was enlightening, especially how the flex is literally baked into the ski to perform for specific conditions.

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AustriaGarrott KuzzyAltenmarkt, AustriaSight-Skiing, Culture
Development for the 2021 FIS Nordic World Championships
Development for the 2021 FIS Nordic World Championships

In the event preparation cycle, event organizers often build new infrastructure at least a winter before their big event. Oberstdorf, Germany will host the 2021 Nordic World Championships for the third time (1987, 2005). Oberstdorf is best known as a ski jumping venue, familiar to many as the “agony of defeat” jump; the intro to “Wide World of Sports” when Vinko Bogataj falls on the inrun. The ski flying hill is home to at least 20 world record jumps and the ski jump venue is the first stop on the annual Four Hills Tournament. The cross country trails in Oberstdorf are also a regular stop on the Tour de Ski. In 2020, however, there will be no Tour de Ski in Oberstdorf, as they are hosting a full World Cup weekend in late January, as a test event for the 2021 World Championships.

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Garrott KuzzyOberstdorf, GermanyWorld Cup
2020 Minneapolis World Cup Trip
2020 Minneapolis World Cup Trip

Happy 4th of July! To celebrate, Lumi Experiences is announcing a special trip to the Minneapolis World Cup, the first World Cup in the United States in almost 20 years.

The events are being hosted at Wirth Park, one of the largest urban parks in the country. The Loppet Foundation has grown cross country skiing in Minneapolis for close to 20 years, hosting events such as the City of Lakes Loppet, which brings in over 10,000 participants.

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USAGarrott KuzzyMinneapolis, MNWorld Cup
Val di Fiemme - 2026 Olympic Host City for Milan-Cortina Games
Val di Fiemme - 2026 Olympic Host City for Milan-Cortina Games

The International Olympic Committee announced this week that the 2026 Winter Olympic Games will be hosted by Milan & Cortina, Italy … the first time the Winter Games will be held in central Europe since 2006 in Torino, Italy. Although Milan and Cortina are around 250 miles apart, the IOC cites the sustainability of Milan-Cortina’s bid as one of the main reasons for the decision. They will use many of the existing venues in northern Italy to host events.

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ItalyGarrott KuzzyCavalese, ItalyWorld Cup
Innsbruck 2020 - Winter World Masters Games
Innsbruck 2020 - Winter World Masters Games

“The practice of sport is a human right.”
- Olympic Charter

The World Masters Games were founded in 1985 to bring athletes over age 30, of any ability, together to compete internationally. The 2020 Winter World Masters Games (WWMG) are heading to Innsbruck & Seefeld, Austria from January 11 - 19, 2020. Seefeld is the site of the 2019 Nordic World Championships. The WWMG are only held every 5 years -- in contrast to to the Masters Cross Country World Cup, which happens annually. The WWMG brings athletes together from many winter sports, including cross country, biathlon, ski jumping, ice hockey, figure skating and more. In 2020, WWMG expects over 3,000 participants to compete in Innsbruck.

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AustriaGarrott KuzzyInnsbruck, AustriaWorld Cup
The Classics
The Classics

Nope, this isn’t about the Paris Roubaix or Tour de Flanders. This is about Ski Classics: the Worldloppet and the VISMA Ski Classics. What are these international events? How can you participate?

The Worldloppet is an international series of some of the world’s most popular ski marathons. In 2019, the Worldloppet celebrated 40 years since the organization started with 10 events in 1979, including the American Birkebeiner. Since then, it has expanded to include 20 ski events in 20 countries.

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Garrott KuzzyLillehammer, NorwayWorldloppet
What's in a name?
What's in a name?

In March 2016, I took a short train ride from my home in Innsbruck, Austria to Seefeld. My former coach, Bryan Fish, was at the Europa Cup finals with a group of athletes from the US. I wanted to catch up with Bryan and help test wax for the team. While the skiers were racing, we discussed the opportunity to ski race in Europe. Thanks to the National Nordic Foundation, these racers trying to make the jump to the World Cup were able to receive world-class support.

But these elite athletes are not the only ones who should be able to ski in Europe with first-class waxing and support. What if we share that experience with other skiers as well? Lumi Experiences was born. Lumi is the Finnish word for snow. As the name suggests, Lumi focuses on travel to experience winter in some of the world’s most spectacular places.

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Garrott KuzzySeefeld, AustriaWorld Cup, Trip Leader
Dresden City Sprint World Cup - Torsten Püschel Interview
Dresden City Sprint World Cup - Torsten Püschel Interview

In the lead-up to the Minneapolis World Cup, there are some parallels to the City Sprint weekend in Dresden, Germany. Both are urban events, relatively new to the World Cup circuit.

What are the motivations and goals behind hosting a World Cup? What does it take to get a new event on the calendar? What has the Dresden World Cup learned and how is the event changing after the first two years of their five-year contract?

We talk with Torsten Püschel, Co-Founder and Co-Director of the Dresden World Cup to learn more about hosting a City Sprint World Cup.

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GermanyGarrott KuzzyDresden, GermanyWorld Cup, Trip Leader
2019 Seefeld Nordic World Championships Recap
2019 Seefeld Nordic World Championships Recap

For two weeks at the end of February, the Nordic world focused its attention to the 2019 World Championships in the idyllic alpine village of Seefeld, Austria. This legacy venue has a long history of championship skiing; hosting the 1964 and 1976 Olympic Games, as well as the 1985 Nordic World Championships -- remembered as the last championship before classic and skating were officially designated by the International Ski Federation (FIS) as separate disciplines. The decision made was made by FIS officials in the iconic Seekirchl Church, located at the trailhead of Seefeld’s 200+ km trail network -- of both classic and skate tracks.

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Garrott KuzzyWorld Cup
RePost: New Moon Ski Shop - Word from the Wax Bench
RePost: New Moon Ski Shop - Word from the Wax Bench

Reposting a blog from New Moon Ski and Bike Shop’s weekly newsletter.

Lumi Experiences – Nordic Skiing in the Alps

Back in the fall, we featured an article about Lumi Experiences, a company founded by New Moon alum and cross country Olympian Garrott Kuzzy. Lumi Experiences offers cross country ski vacations to some of the world’s renowned destinations and events.

Just in case you’ve been dreaming of a fully-curated Nordic Ski vacation of your own, take a look at some of these amazing photos of Lumi’s trip to the 2019 Nordic World Championships. Caution, skier or not, these pics are normally the stuff of dreams. But they are all, indeed, up close and very real! Look closely and you might recognize a few faces. Enjoy!

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ItalyGarrott KuzzyHayward, WISelf-Guided
The Week Before the Big Event
The Week Before the Big Event

The Week Before the Big Event

Your preparation the week before the big race will not help you have the best race of your life; leave that to the other 51 weeks. The week before is for you to enjoy. It’s the best week of the year, when you can enjoy the fitness you have worked so hard to achieve. Planning your training, meals, sleep, equipment and travel will help you prepare, so you can glide to the start line with confidence. Ready to fly.

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Garrott KuzzySt Moritz, SwitzerlandTravel Advice, Trip Leader
RePost: New Moon Ski Shop - Word from the Wax Bench
RePost: New Moon Ski Shop - Word from the Wax Bench

Reposting a blog from New Moon Ski and Bike Shop’s weekly newsletter.

Looking for inspiration for your next ski trip?

Check out Lumi Experiences Cross Country Ski Vacations. Lumi Experiences was founded by former New Moon staffer and Olympian Garrott Kuzzy. Garrott currently calls Innsbruck, Austria home and offers a number of cross country ski trips to the alps. Last winter, skiers on Lumi trips got to ski in the Dolomitenlauf Worldloppet event, cheer on the US Ski Team at the World Cup in Seefeld and ski in the Swiss Engadin Worldloppet.

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Garrott KuzzyHayward, WIOverview of Trips