The world nearly stopped spinning after last week’s missed Weekly Wax. Never fear! We’re doubling up this week: twice the nonsense, two-times as many hot takes…an extra layer of ooey gooey wax.

…. what is this anyway? A newsletter? A landing pad for lost links? A blog? An opinion column? Ann Landers and Doug Wilson meet Devon Kershaw?

All of the above.

It’s been a busy past couple weeks here at SederSkier Studios. We hosted my parents and brother and his wife from Dec. 27 – Jan. 4, which made content creation a challenge. I consoled myself dwelling on the plethora of produced podcasts which hopefully propelled GripWax Nation to the Tour de Ski. I figured you’d be fine once you have ski races to wake up to each morning. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to watch the races myself — and comment on them each evening — in a timely manner like I’d hoped to!

The end of December — with U.S. nationals and the TDS — probably isn’t the best time to take a vacation, but what could I do?

In addition to stockpiling stories, I’ve also been hauling hay into my proverbial physiological barn the last four weeks. I’ve been fortunate to accumulate some huge training hours this month, which has me excited for race season.

My 2025 campaign kicked off on Sunday. I woke up early for the first Grand Nordic Race Series event of the year, a 15-kilometer freestyle out at Snow Mountain Ranch. Despite my best intentions of leaving at 6:30 a.m., I snuck out of the garage with my skis and headed up Fremont Pass somewhere around 7:23 instead. Per SederSkier SMR tradition, I had just enough time to park, get my bib, go to the bathroom and slide up to the start line before the 10 a.m. gun.

Considering I thought we’d maybe be skiing through 4 inches of powder on a 5-degree morning, the immaculate grooming and 20-degree temps were a pleasant surprise. The race was wonderful.

Even more enjoyable than finishing a hard effort was the chance I got to connect with members of the Nordic community. I spoke with a few fans of the blog and podcast and had some longer conversations with brand new friends, too. I brought my recording equipment but decided against any official interviews with people this week…next time. I guess I’m already falling short of one New Year’s resolution (cover loppet racing).

Speaking of New Year’s resolutions.

Ever since we got married in 2014, my wife and I have always enjoyed writing out our goals for the year together. Our NYE tradition consists of maybe clanking wine glasses together while we joke about some of our ‘failures’ from the previous year’s list, which is stuck to the fridge for all to see for 12 months. After the ball drops somewhere in a time zone halfway across the Atlantic, we call it a night. In the morning, we rise early and write out new ambitions.

The aforementioned family-hosting obligations pushed those traditions to Jan. 3 this year. That afternoon, I took the goal sheets off the fridge and brought them to City on a Hill for our annual date. My parents offered to watch the kids for the entire afternoon and evening….which basically felt like someone offering to fly us to the moon. … on the one hand, you’re scared of what could happen. At the same time, you feel like you can’t turn down the opportunity, even though logic tells you going to the moon shouldn’t even be possible. (The VAN ALLEN RADIATION BELTS PEOPLE!!!!).

While the coffee was delicious, our date wasn’t as spectacular.

It had nothing to do with the New Year’s resolutions either. Yes, I’d missed the mark on a few obscure athletic goals (i.e. running the length of the Rainbow Trail), neglected to take Novi on a monthly father-daughter date and failed to ‘buy land…if it’s smart…’ which was, and I’m not making this up, one of my 2024 goals.

I think what I’m learning (here’s the Ann Landers part of the blog) is that at this stage of parenting and marriage, my wife and I sometimes don’t even know what to do with ourselves when we are blessed with 2 hours of ‘free time.’ We enjoy reading our Bibles and sipping coffee together by the fire every morning, and with me working from home most days, regular check-ins happen. We go deep. We’re honest. We communicate. We share. We’re in love.

But none of those things guarantee Instagram-worthy getaways.

Dates turn into discussions. Romance is replaced by raw, real vent sessions. And at the end of the day (here’s the Doug Wilson part) I think that’s OK. Maybe even good.

When we drove home from the restaurant that night, I felt somewhat crushed by the fact that I hadn’t even shared my bucket list for 2025. We’d gotten hung up on one element of Christie’s goals, our waiter was giving my wife a suspicious amount of eye contact (which we both noticed and laughed about later on….) and we never recovered enough to contemplate any of my goals.

I used to feel an unjustified sense of power writing out goals. It seemed like if I wrote ‘break 15 minutes in the 5k’ or ‘qualify for the Olympic Trials’ then it was sort of a done deal. Cheap, yes, but cheap in the same way that you can just buy a U.S. Ski Team jacket for $50 at a ski swap instead of earning a World Cup start.

Now I laugh a little inside when young athletes publicly proclaim huge goals. Clearly, they have the same mindset I did, except typing a social media post and sending it out to the world is even more ego-inflating than putting it in a notebook labeled: “Summer free throw percentages and workout journal.”

But I now realize the validity of someone’s dream isn’t directly connected to its publicity. Just because you say you want to win the Boston Marathon or podium at JNs doesn’t mean you have a reasonable shot to do it. You just want everyone to think that way about you.

I know, I know. Some will say putting ‘big goals out there’ is about “transparency” or authenticity or accountability. I disagree. I think it’s about fear. Fear of failure. If you tell the world your goal is to win the Shamrock Shuffle 10k and set the course record — but then you drop out 4 miles in because your stupid Bicarb supplement made you vomit all over a volunteer — you still have the satisfaction of knowing that everyone else knows how good you think you are. After all, there was that one Instagram post that made me think for a second you might actually be Rocky Balboa.

Besides, you can always return to the Gram and post something like: ‘Today wasn’t my day,’ OR ‘Sometimes you get punched in the face.’

How about this one:

‘Failure is a risk inherent to setting big goals.’

Actually, publicly setting a big goal is a nice way of softening the harsh blow of failure. If the dream only exists in your mind, failure stings way, way, way more. Especially when you’re the one trying to prove the haters wrong.

At the Birds of Prey Alpine World Cup, I asked Lauren Macuga — a U.S. Ski Team Alpine athlete I know little about — what her goals were for the season. Lauren has never been on a World Cup podium, but she’s quickly rising in the ranks. She’s on the cusp of something big, but hasn’t done it yet. She’d have every reason (and right) to say, “win a World Cup.”

But she didn’t. Instead, she simply articulated that some of her goals are private.

I like that.

And my wife would probably have liked if I kept some of our date details private, too, but hopefully she’ll understand that I had good intentions in being ‘transparent.’

So, here’s to 2025.

To bad dates and good resolutions.

To raw discussions and real hard work. To the grind of work, parenting, gripwaxing and mountain climbing.

To getting better. To striving (and skiing).

To big dreams and big goals…..Even — no…. especially — the ones you don’t end up telling anyone about.

Ski news: 10 takes from the Tour de Ski

1. Not sure what to make of the Olympic courses. We got a preview of the sprint and skiathlon courses for the 2026 Olympics and basically what we learned is 1) the athletes aren’t thrilled and 2) ski speed really, really matters in the sprint and 3) there’s probably going to be a lot of crashes in the distance races. These courses look fun to ski (in some ways), but I’m not sure they’re super fair. Then again, isn’t that kind of par for the course for an Olympics?
2. DNFs are so hot right now. There were 100 men and 67 women who started the 2024-2025 TDS. Just 58 men and 31 women finished. So, 58% of the men and 46% of the women who started managed to get to the finish line. It’s just insane to me how many people choose to not complete this thing. I could see if this was like a fully-fledged, two-week, 12-stage event AND there was a really important event two weeks later….but seriously. Everyone knows now that the TDS isn’t that physically or logistically exhausting. Plus, the World Championships are more than a month away! Unless you’re on your death bed, just finish! It almost seems like more of a logistical nightmare, especially for American athletes, to quit and go home…Maybe I’m wrong, though.
3. Mixed feelings on excitement. Prior to Johaug’s decision to enter the TDS, it seemed like a forgone conclusion that Diggins would win this. After the first two stages, even with Johaug there, Diggins looked to have it in the bag. Then we had Astrid Slind grab two straight victories and all of a sudden, there was actual excitement for the overall. In the end, however, there was almost no drama on the final stage, as Johaug came into the last climb — which she was expected to dominate in — with a comfortable lead. There was a similar story on the men’s side. Is it just me or has it been awhile since we’ve been on the edge of our seats for the overall? This event had some exciting individual stages, but man were there a lot of disappointments. I’m especially bummed to see Sophia Laukli not have her day on the last climb. I genuinely was interested to see how her engine stacked up against Johaug’s.
4. More respect for Diggins. To come away with third — and fight through plantar fasciitis to do so takes serious guts and pain tolerance. And, unlike her competitors, she didn’t drop out! I’m glad some athletes still have old-school athletic integrity. Finish what you started.
5. Vermuelen is right. The TDS should have more stages, harder stages and more climbing stages. I’ve been saying this (especially the third point) for a long time. I actually think the World Cup could move in the direction of Skimo and just make a few more races (maybe 1-2 more) that are uphill only. They don’t have to be up a stupid ski hill, either….We could also have an up/down or just a downhill race, too. It would at least make for interesting TV!
6. Speaking of Mika, how awkward do you think it was on the overall awards podium with Johannes!?
7. Are the Norwegian women back? Six in the top 12 of the overall TDS! Remember when everyone was throwing shade!? They also have three of the top 5 women in the overall crystal globe standings.
8. You heard it here first: Slind (or maybe Carl) for the overall. She’s skiing well, I suspect Johaug will prioritize worlds and I’m nervous Diggins’ injury will hold her back.
9. How did the Vikings just get destroyed by the Lions?
10. Why does everyone talk about the TDS? The most worn out talker these days is the TDS. Here’s what’s wrong with it, here’s how great it used to be, here’s how we could fix it, etc….. Speaking of which, check out our next episode of the Seder-Skier Podcast, where we talk for an hour, non-stop, about the Tour de la dee klister-covered SKI!

Is the selection process for WJC fair? I’m not sure

The U.S. squads for the World Junior Championships were determined this past week during the U.S. Senior National Championships in Anchorage.

The top six athletes — based upon results from each individual’s best 2 out of 3 races — will travel to Schilpario, Italy Feb. 3-9. I recently interviewed two local athletes who came to Kincaid with high hopes (and good chances) of making those teams. Nina Schamberger, a Leadville local, was second to Sammy Smith in the 10k individual start on Jan. 2 and third in the classic sprint on Jan. 4.

Will Bentley, a Ski and Snowboard Club Vail athlete, is the seventh-ranked skier on the men’s side and thus the first alternate.

But after deep-diving his catalogue of work from the week, I feel like Bentley being left off the team is sort of a minor injustice.

My main point of contention is this: How can someone who finished fifth, third and seventh in three races be left outside of the final top 6?!?! Especially when the 7th came in the sprint rankings (and Bentley actually finished second overall in the U20 sprint event.)

The problem might be mathemtical. USSS assigns the old-school World Cup points system to finishing places in its final tally. So, a win nets you 100, second gets you 80 and third drops you all the way down to 60. The ‘new’ system goes 100, 95, 90, 85, 80, etc.). This puts a premium on winning.

Take a look at the top-7 athletes on the WJC points list:

(name, best two races World Cup points total)

1. Grey Barbier, 160
2. Lucas Wilmot, 145
3. Jack Leveque, 132
4. Cole Flowers, 116
5. Murphy Kimball, 114
6. Justin Lucas, 110
7. Will Bentley, 105

Now, what would the list look like if we took athlete’s best two finishing places? We’ll golf score it….

• Grey Barbier – 2nd, 2nd = 4
• Lucas Wilmot – 1st, 5th = 6
• Jack Leveque – 1st, 8th = 9
• Cole Flowers – 2nd, 7th = 9
• Murphy Kimball – 1st, 17th = 18
• Justin Lucas = 3rd, 4th = 7
• Will Bentley = 3rd, 5th = 8

Bentley is the fourth-best on this list.

I think the most fair way to do this, would be to look at how athletes did in all three races (especially since you then cover the full gamut of events – mass start, interval start, sprint), from a place perspective. That list would look like this:

(name, three finishing places, total)

• Grey Barbier – 2, 2, 9 = 13
• Lucas Wilmot – 1, 10, 5 = 16
• Jack Leveque – 1, 8, 23 = 32
• Cole Flowers – 2, 7, 13 = 22
• Justin Lucas – 3, 4, 4 = 11
• Will Bentley – 3, 5, 7 = 15

Bentley was the third-best using this system. Even if you convert those three finishing places to World Cup points, Bentley makes the team. Basically, the only way he doesn’t make the team is using the current model!

People might shoot back and say that the reason the best 2 out of 3 are used is to protect an athlete from a weird day/illness/slow skis/etc. But I think one could argue in favor of the value of consistent performance across the week as being just as important as standout days.

I’m not an expert on team selection, so I definitely might be missing something. But I feel bad for Bentley, if for no other reason than it seems like he did just about everything he could have done…and ultimately, his selection came down to a 1 second difference in the mass start…or a 0.9 second difference in the interval start (see photo).

Loppet racing: Race organizers channel their inner Seder-Skier

Can’t believe I didn’t know about this?! Never fear, we’re getting them on the pod next week!

Perfect price and an EPIC FAQ section:

Letters, we get your letters…we get your letters EVERYDAY!

SUBJECT: Small observation from sprinting in TDS Stage 5

when Klaebo crosses the finish line in his heats, he breaks by doing the roller ski stop, putting his inside edges in the snow. Probably to keep his wax on his skis as long as possible. That might not be why he is the fastest, but probably why he is the best 🙂

-Karl

Dear Karl –

Add this to the list of legendary Klaebo devices for dominance. Brilliant observation.

-SederSkier

SUBJECT: the new vibe is a winner

Sederskier,

New Year’s Eve thoughts:
I have noticed that the podcast has a different vibe now, as compared to years past. More journalistic/professional. Whether that is from conscious effort or just a result of your own personal growth, I think it’s great. And I say that as someone who was/is a superfan of the rough around the edges, hard-nosed, rant-spitting Sederskier podcasts of old. I really respected your brutal honesty and willingness to call it like you saw it. It was all good stuff. That said, I think the new style is more broadly appealing and I want to see you succeed, more than I want to enjoy the outrage. Plus the quality of your podcasts is currently light years ahead of the competition. Skirious is interesting but not focused enough to keep the fans informed. And, TDKS appears to be self-immolating. Really poor quality lately. I only listen out of morbid curiosity.

Bottom line, I think you have a great opportunity here to capture a much larger audience right now…..if that’s even a goal?(Keep doing what you’re doing and keep cranking out those non-US Ski Team interviews.)

If you are trying to grow the audience, I have one suggestion for you to consider. Put all your old shows and blog posts behind a Premium subscription paywall. You wouldn’t be deleting any content but, if someone wants to go digging for those old, raw, controversial?, hot takes, at least make them pay for it. You have to admit that some of those comments, while true and honest and justified, could hurt the feelings of the more sensitive folks. If that stuff is a little harder to find, it might save some hurt feelings and prevent some doors getting shut for you.

In any case, I’ll keep cheering for you.

All the best,

Colonel P

Col. P – First of all, I greatly appreciate the kind feedback and positive support.

Writing and broadcasting has been a passion of mine since I was doing play-by-play for my imaginary Beanie Baby basketball games and pretending to host radio shows with old microphones as a kid. I like to think the Seder-Skier Podcast started from those roots and has just slowly improved in quality as a result of practice! Hopefully, it hasn’t lost any authenticity along the way.

I will say, I try to be careful in what I say, and you’re perhaps correct that I have more to lose now. But, I want my carefulness to flow from a place of prudence, not PR nonsense, if that makes sense. In other words, sometimes I might hold back on delivering a take because I think the risk is too high, but I’m not going to spit out a particular take just because I think it might put me in the better graces of someone high up in the Nordic community.

I will say, one space I’m looking to occupy more intentionally is what you mentioned — international coverage. I hope to have more European World Cup stars on, even if it’s in the spring/summer, when they have more time for long-form interviews.

But as lacking as the coverage is there, it’s probably worse in other areas. College, loppet, high school, coaching, industry innovators, race directors….I could have a new guest on every day for the rest of the year from these categories! In some ways, that’s maybe more important, too. The ski community is knitted together by folks from all sorts of backgrounds, and most never rose to the World Cup ranks.

There are a lot of great ski stories out there, and I want to make my show the place where you expect to hear the most relevant ones in a Joe Rogan style, transparent conversational style.

The world-famous Seder-Skier Podcast

• Jan. 6 – TDS recap show
• Jan. 8 – CU alumna and SSCV head coach Lenka Sterling joins the pod!
• Jan. 10 – Ski North Ultra race director Allie Rykken chats about the newest 100k on the Nordic calendar!

Did you know?

• The Seder-Skier Podcast has seen a 19.8% increase in total followers in the last 30 days!
• 30.6% of Seder-Skier Podcast listeners are between the ages of 45-59
• 14% are between the ages of 18-27
• 82% of our listeners are from the U.S. Of that group, 17% tune in from our home state, Minnesota.