The Fast Wax Sponsored Skier Program is an extension of the Fast Wax research effort.
 It was developed to create a feedback link from a variety of skiers for continuous product improvement.
 

Katherine Himes  Katherine Himes has been ski racing for eighteen years. She began  racing in high school, and lengthened her race distance to marathons during collegiate skiing at the University of Minnesota and the University of Wisconsin-Madison. This year she is focusing on going faster by forcing herself to enter short (15K and under) races. She's a bit apprehensive about this plan! Highlights of her ski career include:  2nd place in the classic division of the  Birkebeiner, 2nd place at Mora Vasaloppet, winning a race at the Badger State Games, competing on three 24 hour relay teams in Canada, the 1996 Junior Olympics in Maine, and coaching women on improving their ski technique.  Favorite places to ski:  Baker Park; Mont Sainte Anne, Quebec; West Yellowstone; and, of course, Theodore Wirth.  When not skiing, Katherine enjoys running marathons, road biking with her husband, and strength training with Piotr Bednarski's training groups.  Her day job is in the Provost's Office at the University of Minnesota where she puts her Ph.D. and MBA to good use!                                                                                                                                            Photo complements of Skinny Ski.com   Dave Nelson   Skinnysky Race Team David Nelson took his non-standard training practices to a new level this summer. In addition to repeatedly climbing the stairs of their new home while working on the interior, he also started doing long-distance, high-speed rollerskiing. After training weekly with Josie, her sister Siri and husband Ben, they all completed the 50 mile bike tour in Mora. Josie was quick to remind Dave that he didn't technically complete the event, since he wasn't on a bike. Dave is confident this will be his best season ever, since their garden produced a record crop of potatoes, his favorite fuel for training and racing.                                                                                                                                              Photo complements of Skinny Ski.com    Josie Nelson    Skinnysky Race Team If you have met Josie on the ski trails, you will probably agree that she is one of the friendliest, most exuberant skiers you'll find. If you haven't met her, listen for her chatting, encouraging others, or just singing as she skis. Josie prefers the classical technique, because she finds it "easier to ski next to someone." This year Josie is looking forward to skiing in the HolmenkollenMarsjen classical marathon in Norway, where there will be thousands of new skiers to meet. Hope you're working on your Norwegian, Josie!                                                                                                                                      Photo complements of Skinny Ski.com    Grant Nelson    Skinnysky Race Team Grant Nelson is an athlete & dentist in Duluth, MN. During the non-skiing months, Grant enjoys lots of variety in his training including, canoeing, hiking, running, kayaking, rollerskiing, house-building, ... The house-building activity has been interfering recently with some of his other passions & often times provides very little ski specific training. With winter, however, skiing tends to take priority over most other things. Grant competes in most of the large local ski races, but likes the idea of racing to train, rather than training to race.                                                                                                                                         Photo complements of Skinny Ski.com    Bryan Wickenhouser  (aka Wick)    Crested Butte, Co   - 34 years old and originally from Wisconsin. Having grown up playing soccer and  Alpine ski racing, it was a natural move out to Colorado for me after college. I’ve been a member of an adventure racing team, Team Solomon/Crested Butte for the last 5 years.  My specialties are mtn. biking, trail running and the behind  the scenes business end of the team. I run my own small business, so it affords me the time to set my own schedule for training & work, while managing the team's business end of things. If I'm not working in the Winter, its a safe bet I'm out skiing!  Skiing lately for me has meant a lot more Randonee racing, with a base of XC skiing.  I am a board member at the Crested Butte Nordic Center for the last five years and have been with Fast Wax for the last four.  My goal for the 2008 Winter is to be named to the United States Ski Mountaineering team that will be competing over in Switzerland at the World Championships.   For more information about myself and my team go to www.teamcrestedbutte.com   Think Snow!     Andy Schakel       I was first introduced to nordic skiing when I was 9 years old after moving to MN from Missouri.  My first race was through the Bill Koch Youth Ski league and after that . . . I was hooked.  I skied for Stillwater High School and then the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay.  I currently enjoy competing at local citizen ski and running races.  I get support from Atomic and Fastwax, and I train with the Vakava Race Team through Finn Si Su.  I am also a new member of Team Synergy through Endurance Athletes.  I try to balance my life among work, family and play.  In my prior life, I worked as a physical therapist but then decided to go to medical school.  I am currently completing my residency in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation through the U of MN. Most of all, I am happily married and glad to be in MN with family and friends – loving life!                                                                                                                                             Photo complements of Skinny Ski.com   John  Stamm   Afton MN.                                                                                                                                             Photo complements of Skinny Ski.com      Wynn Roberts      Grand Rapids MN. I am 19 years old and from the town of Battle Lake MN.  I   have a younger brother and sister.  My family has been skiing since I was 9 years old.  My favorite place to ski is Spidahls Ski Gard near Fergus Falls MN.  I am also a member of the Fergus Falls Rifle club.  My hobbies include skiing, biking, hiking, shooting.  The best expierence I've had in skiing is the chance to go to Argentina.  This will be my 3rd year on the junior national team for biathlon.  My favorite race todo in MN is the Black Lake Loppet do to it's "sweet" style.  You have to eat a donut and have a coffee half way through the race.  It also starts in a time back style so the finish is usually a sprint of all abilities.  Currently I've been attending the Fergus Fall Community college.    Dave Christopherson                                                                                                                                          Photo complements of Skinny Ski.com         Don Pollari   Salt Lake City,  UT.   Don Pollari started skiing at the age of 4, spending his most enjoyable winter days at Mont du Lac ski area outside of Duluth. He alpine raced competitively through college at the University of Minnesota Duluth and the University of Montana. After moving back to the Midwest from Montana he took up cross country skiing and now only occasionally, if ever, rides a ski lift. In 1996 he moved to Salt Lake City and (flatlander that he is) is still striving to fully adapt to high altitude nordic racing. A perennial highlight is making the Birkebeiner pilgrimage. With a beautiful new daughter in the household Don is soon to make a planned transition from career to stay-at-home Dad. Many kilometers will be put on the child chariot next ski season.  Dave Cahill Norwich, Vermont   Dave, age 30, works as a Vermont state prosecutor by day and skis by night. He advises would-be criminals to not even think about trying to get away on skis, especially with the wrong wax. He is married but isn't thinking about kids just yet. (He took it as a sign when he couldn't keep the potted cactus in his office alive for longer than six months.) Dave and his wife, Janet, typically ski 8-10 marathon races a year. In 2009 he won the Lake Placid Loppet 50km race on the 1980 Olympic course, and he managed a 37th place finish in the Birkie.      Adam Loomis    Eau Claire, WI I am a 16 year old Nordic Combiner from Eau Claire, WI.  I started cross country skiing at the age of three, and went off my first ski jump when I was ten years old.  I travel throughout the mid-west and nation for ski jumping and nordic combined competions.  I am a member of Chippewa Valley Nordic, Eau Claire's high school club team.  I spent the majority of the summer training in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, and Park City, Utah.  I run cross country at my high school, and also enjoy playing tennis, biking, water skiing, and hiking. This past winter I competed in my fourth Ski Jumping and Nordic Combined Junior Olympics in Ishpeming, Michigan.  I won the ski jumping individual competition, and finished second in Nordic Combined.  At the Senior National Ski Jumping and Nordic Combined Championships I placed 13th in the Nordic Combined and 26th and 28th in the ski jumping event.  In the next few years I hope to qualify for Junior World Championships as a Nordic Combiner.  Josh Valen  Team Norway Josh Valen is 19 years old he is coaching for Team Norway and  Mukwonago High School.  He  is racinag USSA and FIS this year in his spare time..  He was on the varsity ski team at Mukwonago High School for all four years. Those four years the team took 2nd, 7th, 1st, and 2nd at the state meet.                    Vickie Valen   Vickie Valen has been skiing since she was two, and has been racing for five years. Vickie took 2nd overall in Wisconsin Junior Race league last year. Vickie is moving up to USSA this year. Besides racing Vickie also enjoys playing soccer.               Zack Valen Team Norway Zach Valen is17 years old and currently on Team Norway in Iron Mountain, Michigan.  He races FIS and USSA for Team Norway.  Zach also races for his high school, Mukwonago.  Zach as a sophomore was selected to the Wisconsin All-State team.  He also was a junior Olympian in 2004.Zach is currently a junior and is expecting a great season this year.               Ed Anderson Farmington Hills, MI Racing for 22 years, Ed left an athletic career as a soccer and lacrosse player to ski, run & bike.  He's run about a dozen road marathons, including Boston, Grandma's, Columbus, Detroit, Columbia (SC) and, trail marathons where he's placed as high as 5th. He lives in Detroit and does most of his ski racing in Michigan for the Hanson Hills/Cross Country Ski Shop Ski Team. Training in the off season includes trail running, mountain biking and lots of roller skiing at the local metroparks. His best ski race finish was 113th at the Birkie at age 41, and last year for his 19th Birkie at age 54, he was 198th. He has surgery scheduled in February that will keep him from making this years Birkie his 20th but he's already planning his return to racing next year that will include the Birkie as well as the Masters World Cup races in Sovereign,British Columbia.          Randy Larson Spooner, Wi