Defending champion Therese Johaug jumped out front early in the Skarverennet on Saturday and stayed there, holding off Norwegian teammate Marit Bjørgen to win the 38 k event from Finse to Ustaoset, Norway.

Bjørgen finished 19 seconds behind Johaug, who won in 1:41.33. Norway’s Martine Ek Hagen was 1 second behind Bjørgen in third, Tuva Toftdahl Staver (NOR) placed fourth (+3:48) and Astrid Øyre Slind finished with the same time in fifth.

Norwegians swept the top 11, and Sweden’s Seraina Boner placed 12th.

Top 10

1. Therese Johaug (NOR) 1:41:33

2. Marit Bjørgen (NOR) 1:41:52

3. Martine Ek Hagen (NOR) 1:41:53

4. Tuva Toftdahl Staver (NOR) 1:45:41

5. Astrid Øyre Slind (NOR) 1:45:41

6. Silje Øyre Slind (NOR) 1:45:42

7. Marthe Kristoffersen (NOR) 1:48:34

8. Marthe Katrine Myhre (NOR) 1:50:30

9. Anne-Tine Markset (NOR) 1:51:40

10. Astrid Urenholdt Jacobsen (NOR) 1:51:47

Women’s results

Chris Jespersen edged Norwegian teammate Petter Northug in the Skarverennet on Saturday, winning the 38 k race from Finse to Ustaoset, Norway, by 5 seconds in 1:31.24.

Close behind, Russia’s Eugeniy Dementiev was third (+8.0), and defending champion Jean Marc Gaillard of France finished fourth (+8.0). Sweden’s Martin Johansson was fifth (+9.0).

The runner-up from last year, Jespersen led with just over 8 k remaining and held off Northug, who moved up from fifth and made up a more than a minute (1:19) on Jespersen. Dementiev was in second at 29.7 k, but was 1 minute and 18 seconds behind Jespersen. He led a seven-man chase pack, which included Northug.

Top 10

1. Chris Jespersen (NOR) 1:31:24

2. Petter Northug (NOR) 1:32:29

3. Eugeniy Dementiev (RUS) 1:32:32

4. Jean Marc Gaillard (FRA) 1:32:32

5. Martin Johansson (SWE) 1:32:33

6. Toni Livers (SUI) 1:32:33

7. Robin Duvillard (FRA) 1:32:34

8. Simen Andreas Sveen (NOR) 1:32:44

9. Martin Hammer Team (NOR) 1:32:45

10. Frode Andresen (NOR) 1:32:52

Men’s results

The 30th Lake Placid Loppet has been canceled due to unseasonably warm weather at Mount Van Hoevenberg in upstate New York.

The 25- and 50-k races were supposed to be held Saturday after a lack of snow in February pushed the event back a month.

The Loppet is part of the American Ski Marathon Series and usually takes place on a modified version of the course used at the 1980 Winter Olympics.

FasterSkier was in northern Wisconsin for nearly a week leading up to the 2012 American Birkebeiner. All articles through Saturday, Feb. 25, are listed on Birkie.com under “Behind the Scenes at Birkie 2012.”

While FasterSkier will be tweeting as much as possible from the 39th American Birkebeiner (@fasterskier) on Saturday, this Birkie Live webcast is also available via CXC.

If you happen to miss the races starting at 8 a.m. local time (9 a.m. Eastern), check out archived videos here.

(Note: FasterSkier live updates will be based on cell service, which is non-existent for at least the first half of the race. Be sure to check back and read the race recaps on Saturday).

HAYWARD, Wis. — The American Birkebeiner expo was jumping with athletes on Friday afternoon, many of which buzzed around industry tables seeking advice from ski professionals.

What’s the wax?

With temperatures expected to be in the 20′s later Saturday morning, most everyone was recommending blue.

Here are a few tips from the service pros as seen on their websites or expo newsletters:

Boulder Nordic Sport:

• Ski Selection: Early waves: med to stiff flex cold ski, Later Waves: Medium flex Cold Ski.
• Stone Grinds: Skating S1.3 (CV0), S1.2 (S1-0x), S0.2 (0.55), S2.2 (S2-1x), Classic: C1.2 (XTi2), C2.2 (Li2), C0.2 (ZR1XL).
• Base Layer: SkiGo LF Graphite
• Race Paraffin: Holmenkol Matrix Blue or Ski*Go HF Blue
• Fluoro Powder: Holmenkol Mid 08 or Solda HP05 or Ski*Go C105
• Topcoat: Holmenkol Speedblock Cold
• Structure: Holmenkol Structure Tool (one roller) or Finite L04/AF10
• Kick: Clean the kick zone, rough up kick zone with sandpaper, iron in a binder layer of Toko Green hard wax/binder. We tested quite a lot of kick wax Friday at 10AM and found the following recommendations. Conditions on race morning are supposed to be colder, with more new snow possible, so this may need to be adjusted on race morning!
• Guru Green for those who are skiing early and have solid technique.
• Rode Super Extra for those in later waves or who need a little extra kick. It had great kick and was the fastest of everything we tried except Rode Super Extra has better kick and is still almost as fast as Guru Green. SkiGo HF Blue was also quite good, although with the new snow coming, SkiGo HF Violet might be a better choice.

Fast Wax:

• Glide Wax: Apply 2 layers of HSF 20 Tan over 1 layer of HSLF-20 Blue. Top coat with Flite Cold, Iron in using the Fast Wax Base Saver
• Grip Wax Options: (Make sure to rough up your wax pocket with 100 grit sand paper before waxing)
• Iron in Rode Black Binder, cork in and let cool, then cover with several layers of Rode Multigrade Blue or Rode Multigrade Purple, –> Rode Violet Special
• Iron in Rex Blue Power Grip or Grip Tape then add a layer of Rode Multigrade Blue or Rode Mutligrade Purple –> Rode Violet Special

Start Wax:

• Glide: Start Blue for snow 10F-20F: It will be a high humidity day with plenty of moisture and dirt. The more Fluor skiers use, the faster the skis will be throughout the race. … The skiers in the back 1/3 will have air temps above this range but the snow will remain colder and with the extra dirt farther back, Blue is still ideal. Choose between SG6, FG16, LF07 or HF70 based on your budget and goals. Two layers of Blue with your highest Fluor on top. … For 100% Start Speed use SF10g or SFR 99 block or Nano N7 — 100% Finishing Fluors.
• Kick: Start Blue. Iron in Base Wax on roughed up kick zone to keep your kick in your kick zone for 22 km or 54 km. Add 5-8 thin layers of RF Blue. RF Blue has the widest temp range 14-15F of all our blues and has a lot of Fluor for dirst and moisture. Terva Tar Blue (the poor man’s Fluor) would be another good option for those that have it but we would recommend the durable Synthetic Blue under it for durability.

Toko: 

• Glidewax: All waves, both techniques: Apply LF Moly, scrape and brush, then apply HF Blue, scrape and brush. Finish by rotocorking JetStream Blue, brush with a dedicated nylon polishing brush and polish with a thermopad. “Quick ironing” the JetStream Blue and corking over it is also a great option. See www.TokoVideos.com for demonstration.
• Gripwax: Rough kick zone with 150 grit sandpaper, apply Nordic Base Wax Green, iron in, cork smooth, let cool. Then apply one layer of Nordic GripWax Blue, cork smooth, and cover with Base Wax Green, cork smooth. Then Blue, Green, Blue, all full length of zone. Follow with Green, Blue, Green, Blue, in middle of kick zone. Later waves should carry GripWax Red and a cork.
• Structure: A fine linear structure covered by one pass with the Blue Structurite tool (before JetStream application) will best suit these conditions.

Click here for a complete list of Birkie expo vendors and website links. 

Video of the 2012 Birkie Elite Sprints is now available to watch.

The sprints were won by Jennie Bender (CXC) and Dmitriy Ozerskiy.

Watch the video here

For the past two years, Ari Ofsevit has published an unofficial guide to the American Birkebeiner in the form of of a blog post. The guide provided all sorts of useful information, from logistics to trail updates.

This year Ari has raised the bar, creating a dedicated website for the run-up to the 2012 Birkie.

“I’ve fleshed out the blog post in to a more-full-blown website, birkieguide.com, which should help new skiers navigate the maze and old skiers chuckle about wave start times and rutted hills,” Ofsevit said. “In other words, I have a severe case of the fever. And I’m trying my best to be contagious.”

“As race day nears, I’m keeping tabs, daily, on the long-range forecast and posting the ‘weather speculation’ on the site. I’m also keeping an eye on changes to registration, start times and trail closures and posting them as they come about, as well as anything else pertinent,” he said.

Ofsevit’s guides of the last two years were dubbed “remarkably good,” by the notorious JohnnyKlister, and the bar has been raised this time around.

Check it out at BirkieGuide.com

The 2012 Mora Vasaloppet has been canceled due to lack of snow. The following is a press release from the organizers.

Bright sunshine and rapidly warming temperatures Saturday brought the Vasaloppet USA board of directors to a conclusion they all knew would happen if forecasted warm and sunny weather arrived; cancellation of the 2012 40th anniversary race scheduled for February 12.

Sunny skies and near 40 degree temperatures are forecast for Saturday, Sunday and Monday, which will melt what snow remains on the Knife Lake back-up ski course.

The forecast for next week also meant there would be no race-saving snowfall to replace the snow lost over the weekend. Clear skies and warm temperatures were forecast for last Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, but clouds and cooler temperatures preserved the snow that remained on Knife Lake after last Tuesday’s high temperatures.

The cancellation of next Sunday’s five races means the Miniloppet, the Friendship Tour, and Eldris Sprints are also cancelled. Skiers that registered for the 2012 race will receive a certificate towards a $25 discount off of the 2013 race registration. This certificate will arrive in the mail to the skiers that are registered.

However, all other community events planned for the 40th Anniversary Celebration will continue with some changes of time and venue.

The Vasaloppet will host a community appreciation event at the Vasaloppet Nordic Center Complex and ski trails next Sunday for all volunteers, sponsors, and skiers. An orienteering event, hiking, skating, bonfires and food are planned. The event will begin at 1 p.m. and will run until dusk.