By Gavin Kentch
This article has been updated in October 2025 to reflect recent revisions to the schedule. You can also now find the official schedule here through USSS. In the case of discrepancies between information given on the USSS overview page and information contained on race-specific websites from the hosting club (e.g., are the Period 1 distance races mass start or interval-start), I have gone with the latter.
Following some discussion, the Coaches Committee and Sport Committee adopted the following schedule for the 2025/2026 SuperTour at last 2025 USSS Spring Congress:
Period 1: Alaska (Fairbanks and Anchorage)
| date | venue | race |
| Saturday, December 6 | Kincaid | classic sprint |
| Sunday, December 7 | Kincaid | TBD |
| Friday, December 12 | Kincaid | TBD |
| Sunday, December 14 | Kincaid | TBD |
This reporter will be at the venue for on-site reporting from all Period 1 races. (I originally wrote that sentence when I had plane tickets to Fairbanks, but, yes, I will drive nine minutes to Kincaid for what is now both weekends of Anchorage racing. Be impressed.) Also, here is the NSAA site for the Anchorage races.
Period 2: U.S. Nationals (Lake Placid)
| date | venue | race |
| Sunday, January 4 | Mount Van Ho | 10km interval-start classic* |
| Tuesday, January 6 | Mount Van Ho | skate sprint* |
| Thursday, January 8 | Mount Van Ho | 20km mass start skate* (juniors: 10km mass skate) |
| Friday, January 9 | Mount Van Ho | classic sprint |
Period 3: Midwest (Wirth + the Birkie)
| date | venue | race |
| Saturday, February 14 | Wirth Park | 10km interval-start skate |
| Sunday, February 15 | Wirth Park | 10km mass start classic |
| Saturday, February 21 | Cable to Hayward, hopefully | literally the Birkie |
Period 4: East (SuperTour Finals at Craftsbury Outdoor Center)
| date | venue | race |
| Friday, March 27 | Craftsbury | classic sprint* |
| Saturday, March 28 | Craftsbury | relay* |
| Sunday, March 29 | Craftsbury | 40km mass start skate* |
* denotes national championship race
Time to talk about Olympic selection already? Time to talk about Olympic selection already, I guess.
While I do not foresee a particularly large number of American athletes qualifying for the Olympic team for 2026 based off of domestic results, the quota size for the U.S. this year should be as large as eight women and seven men. This would be a step up from the eight women and six men who headed to the frigid plains of Zhangjiakou in 2022 — big shoutout to the American men for ranking fifth last year in the Nation’s Cup standings, up from ninth in 2020/2021, and so presumptively earning themselves an additional quota spot for Milan–Cortina.
First shot at qualifying for the Olympic squad goes to athletes with strong World Cup results through the first half of the 2025/2026 season. Second shot also goes to World Cup skiers. If spots are available after accounting for the World Cup crew, athletes will be looking for strong performances at 2026 U.S. Nationals in Lake Placid to help them make the team for Italy. Strictly speaking, the window for top domestic performances runs from the start of the 2025/2026 SuperTour season through January 18, 2026… but the premium given to strong results at U.S. Nationals ensures that Nationals week will once again be the de facto Olympic Trials. If any spots are still open.
It is currently roughly six months till high-level racing returns to this country with the Race to the Outhouse #1 and #2 at Government Peak in mid-November. Happy training to all.
You’re reading this on Nordic Insights, one man’s labor of love dedicated to publicizing American skiing. We started with nothing and now we’re going to the Olympics. You can read more about our first three years here, and donate to the Olympics fund here. Thank you for consideration, and, especially, for reading.
