It’s been 14 years since I became an Olympian, competing as a cross country skier in the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver.

Since then, it hasn’t been easy to get to the Olympics as a spectator. The Winter Games have been in Sochi, Pyeongchang and Beijing, while the summer games have been in Rio and Tokyo, with an interruption by the Covid pandemic. The Paris Games were finally an opportunity for me to attend my first Olympics as a spectator. My wife Catherine speaks fluent french and has spent lots of time in Paris, so she planned out an incredible long weekend for us, striking the perfect balance between Olympic events, Parts attractions and local flavors.

We caught the opening Ceremonies and many of the early competitions on TV, so we had a pretty good orientation and impression of the experience before arriving last Thursday night, August 1 for three days in Paris.

Public transportation was plastered with Olympic branding and volunteers to direct visitors. Our accommodation in Paris’ 9th arrondissement was located right on the cycling road race route with views up to the Sacré Coeur Basilica atop Montmartre – one of the highest points in Paris. We arrived in time for a late dinner – almost all restaurants in France have strict seating times and require reservations – and an evening storm poured rain just outside the restaurant’s open facade, bringing a welcome breeze on a hot night. Parisian steak frites, paired with a bottle of Bordeaux and a fresh side salad offered a quintessential start to the trip.

Most events start later in the day, so our aim on Friday was to discover Paris. What better place to kick things off than the Eiffel Tour? Adorned with the Olympic rings, I wanted to visit the iconic landmark on the Seine and site of the Opening Ceremonies, Beach Volleyball and finish of the triathlon and road races. I wrote my Master’s Thesis about “visitor flows” and the movements of tourists through cities. Not surprisingly, one of the first places tourists go when they arrive in a new city is the highest point. In Innsbruck, the destination I studied for my thesis, that’s the Nordkette mountain range overlooking the city below. In Paris, the highest point is the Eiffel Tower.

I was surprised that there was practically no line for the elevator to the top, so we hitched a ride and were rewarded with an Olympic panorama of Paris. The festive atmosphere of the beach volleyball match carried to the top of the Eiffel Tower. BMX racers practiced at the race track on the other side of the Seine. 3 x 3 basketball courts were surrounded by spectators. The iconic Grand Palais museum, with its vintage art deco style, hosted the fencing competitions. The Louvre, Arc de Triomphe and Notre Dame – all places I knew only from photos and textbooks – came to life amidst all the Olympic venues. I didn’t get to visit any of the famous sites during my first trip to Paris, but I’m already looking forward to my next trip when I can go inside. This trip, after all, was to celebrate the Olympic Games!

And that’s exactly how it felt: a celebration. I was a bit self-conscious before my first day in Paris, so I decided to leave my USA Olympic rings shirt at home, instead opting for an unbranded neutral green t-shirt. Once I was out in the city, I realized I was probably the only person without a national flag or Olympic rings of some sort. People’s clothes were an opportunity to open conversation, congratulating sport’s fans on the achievements of athletes from their country.

Some countries with large Olympic teams even have “houses” in Paris. The houses are more like embassies. The “Team USA House” was in the Palais Brongniart, an impressive building originally built in 1826 as home to one of the world’s first stock exchanges. The Team USA House is a gathering point for athletes, their families, sponsors and even US Olympians from previous Games. At the Vancouver Olympics, the cross country skiers stayed in Whistler, so I never visited the Team USA House. One of my highlights in Paris was visiting the Team USA House and the opportunity to connect with other Olympians and share the experience with my wife Catherine and best man, Dan. Dan and I ski raced both in high school and college together. Dan is in Paris for the Olympics in his role working for Airbnb.

A couple of the highlights in the Team USA House were catching up with 5x Bobsled Olympic medalist and 2022 USA flag bearer Elana Meyers Taylor, her husband and Olympian Nic Taylor and Olympian Lauren Gibbs. Elana won her first medal at the 2010 Games (I was at the awards ceremony!) and is still competing, currently training for the 2026 Milan-Cortina Games. Wow!! I’m looking forward to cheering on Elana, Nic and Lauren when they compete at the Bobsled World Cup in Innsbruck this winter. Another highlight was meeting LaShawn Merritt, 3 x Gold Medalist in the 400m Sprint and 4x400m Relay. We connected on the focus and intention it takes to achieve big goals and the power of sleep. LaShawn currently runs Nike Speed Clinics for high school athletes and runs the LaShawn Merritt Foundation, dedicated to enhancing the well-being of youth in underserved communities.

We haven’t even made it to the competitions yet! Getting tickets was definitely not the easiest or most affordable part of the games, but spending Friday night under the lights of the Stade de France, France’s national stadium, was definitely worth the effort. All 80,000 seats were sold out and the crowd was waay into it. Fortunately, there was still enough flexibility to get up and move around, so we could catch different events from different vantage points. We met the families of a few different athletes competing and had fun cheering on their athletes. The US team dominated the 4 x 400m mixed relay qualification. The women’s 5000m qualification heats featured a master class in strategy, with team tactics, rabbits and sprint finishes all coming into play. Many of the decathlon events offered an opportunity to see a variety of field sports. The highlight of the evening was the men’s 10,000m final. The crowd had a wave going around the stadium at the same pace as the runners. Grant Fisher from the US brought home an historic bronze medal on the 10k which prompted lots of texts with past running teammates of mine watching the races from home in the US.

If I had one wish for my time in Paris at the Olympics, it’s that more friends and family could join me to experience the Games. One person would be my sister Martha, who is an NCAA DI Champion rower. We went to the Rowing finals on Saturday morning thinking of her. The women’s and men’s Eights and Single Sculls featured medal finals. Rowing had a fun atmosphere with a lot of freedom for fans to walk along most of the 2 km course.

The rowing medal ceremonies finished with enough time for us to get back to our neighborhood for the Men’s Road Race. We didn’t plan this part of the trip beforehand, but the course went right past our accommodation in Paris – twice! The crowd was already starting to line up behind the fencing when we arrived, so we staked out our spot next to a crew of Irish fans, in Paris to cheer on Ben Healy and Ryan Mullen. Surprisingly, the two Irish cyclists were having a great race and the Irish crew was ecstatic, sharing updates with us from the course. I really enjoy capturing photos from events like the Olympics. At the track and rowing events, most of my photos were capturing the crowd and atmosphere, but because the athletes were so far away, it was almost impossible to get any close-up action shots. That changed when I lined up next to catch the lead pack of the cyclists. One of the absolute highlights of the Games for me was capturing a close-up of Remco Evenepoel, en route to his Olympic Gold Medal, less than 5 km from the finish and right before his dramatic bike exchange after getting a flat tire. Looking at the photo, I think you can even see a little smirk on Evanepoel’s  face as the reality sinks in that he’ll likely win his second gold medal of the Paris Olympics. A big grin is definitely apparent on French rider Valentin Madouas, en route to a silver medal. What an exciting event.

Our trip wrapped up with more exploration in Paris. Restaurants and bars were packed and patrons overflowed onto the streets watching various events on the big screens. Cheers erupted in different places from different crowds and there was a genuine joie de vivre from everyone in Paris.

As I reflect on my long weekend in Paris, I am so glad that I took the time to attend the Olympics. After this experience, there’s no doubt that the Paris Olympics will go down as one of the best ever, especially with how Paris’ cultural sites were incorporated into the venues for the competitions and how well everything was organized. I am already looking forward to the Milan-Cortina Games and feel much more knowledgeable about the Olympic system as we develop Lumi’s trip to the 2026 Games.

If you’d like to attend a World Championship event, we still have a few spots available on Lumi’s trip to the 2025 Nordic World Championships in Trondheim, Norway and the Tour de Ski trip in Val di Fiemme, Italy. The World Championships in Trondheim, Johannes Klaebo’s hometown, will be an historic series of races. The Tour de Ski in Val di Fiemme will be on the same trails as the Olympics in 2026. If the Paris Olympics have you inspired to take a trip to France, we still have a few spots available on Lumi’s France Jura trip. One of Lumi’s trip leaders in France is the mother of an Olympic Gold medalist with some incredible Olympic stories herself.

Our Olympic sale with $300/person savings for the 2025 World Cup and France trips ends this Sunday, August 11. Reach out soon for more information and to sign up!

On Saturday, June 29, the best cyclists will set off from Florence, Italy for the first stage of the 2024 Tour de France. For the next three weeks, they’ll be riding around 200 km of often hilly or mountainous terrain every day. This devilishly grueling stage race serves as a model for the winter equivalent – Tour de Ski – where cross-country skiers are pushed to their infernal limits day after day. This seems like it could only be dreamed up in hell, right? Then it may come as no surprise that the initial, demonic idea for the Tour de Ski was hatched in a sauna during a conversation between Olympic Gold medalist Vegard Ulvang and Jürg Capol, FIS head of cross country ski competitions.

While most mortals spend the holidays and celebrate the New Year with friends and family, World Cup cross country ski racers are in training camps the week leading up to the Tour de Ski – a 7 day stage race traveling through several countries to ski venues across the Alps, from New Year’s Eve to through the first weekend in January. The event was first held in 2006 as a way to incentivize athletes to participate in races during a time of year that generally draws large TV audiences in Europe. Racers give their all to entertain the rest of the hungover world on New Year’s morning. Generous World Cup points, a purse of close to $1 Million and the prestige of winning are used to make sure the top cross country skiers attend this grueling week of back-to-back racing and traveling.

Similar to the Tour de France, points and time bonuses are earned and awarded for different events and classifications: a sprint bib for the most points in sprint races, a U-23 bib for the most points of a young athlete, an award for the best climber and even a yellow leader bib for the most overall points – just like the Tour de France. If you were at the Minneapolis World Cup this past winter you likely saw Diggins skiing laps of the Wirth Park course in her yellow leader bib.

Over the past 18 years, the Tour de Ski events have taken place in iconic venues such as Munich, Prague, Toblach / Dobbiaco, Oberstdorf and Val Müstair. Venues and countries come and go in the itinerary, but there is one constant: the Alpe Cermis Hill Climb in Val di Fiemme.

There is no better test of a skier’s determination than the Alpe Cermis Hill Climb. The 7-race tour ends with a 9 km skate race, starting in the Val di Fiemme Stadium – site of the 2026 Winter Olympic Cross Country Ski events – and finishing at the mid-station of the Alpe Cermis Alpine ski hill. The climb is just 3.6 km, but the average gradient is 12% with a maximum of 28% – steep enough to bring even the world’s best skiers to collapse at the finish as lactic acid burns like fire in their legs. Simply finishing the Tour de Ski is a tremendous accomplishment even for a World Cup cross country skier.

That’s why we are thrilled to bring Lumi guests this winter to cheer on athletes at the 2025 Tour de Ski. Every year, our Lumi trip leaders travel to Cavalese, Italy on a Dry Run before hosting guests on our two trips to the Marcialonga. The weekend when our trip leaders do their Dry Run always overlaps with the Tour de Ski Hill Climb and they plan their day in order to watch the World Cup racers as they head up Alpe Cermis. It is the trip leaders who rave about the Tour de Ski, saying how much they would love to share the Tour de Ski experience with Lumi guests.

But this trip is about more than the Tour de Ski. It visits two of our most popular destinations: Cavalese, Italy and Seiser Alm – in the heart of the Italian Dolomites. When you’re not cheering on the racers, you’re out skiing on the panoramic Passo Lavaze plateau. When you’re not out skiing, you’re with your hotel’s chef / owner learning to make her family’s centuries-old Apple Strudel (hint: as it’s in Italy, it’s made with olive oil, not butter – a Lumi guest favorite, especially vegan travelers). After the Val di Fiemme World Cup events finish, your own personal Tour de Ski continues on the famous Seiser Alm plateau. 80 km of immaculate trails rolling beneath Dolomite spires await you. It turns out, many of the World Cup athletes also head to Seiser Alm for their recovery week after the Tour de Ski. It may be one of the only opportunities for you to actually pass Johannes Klaebo on the trail.

Of course, it’s up to you what ideas you might dream up as you relax in the heavenly sauna at your Seiser Alm hotel on the 2025 Tour de Ski trip this January… Or if touring through France by ski is more up your alley, there are still a few spots left on our France Transju trip this February. 

We’re offering $300 off both trips through the final stage of the Tour de France. Reach out to info@lumiexperiences.com by July 31 to receive a detailed trip itinerary, sign up and save!

See you on the trail,

Garrott

garrott@lumiexperiences.com

(plus savings from Mother’s Day to Father’s Day!)

Leading up to Mother’s Day, we’re taking an opportunity to reflect on the special time that adult children and parents can spend together on a ski vacation. In a world with busy work schedules and obligations, time together is often squeezed into a meal, a weekend or the holidays. Recently, we have found that Lumi trips are increasingly popular for parents and their adult children. It’s rare that Moms or Dads can spend a dedicated week together with the adults they once taught to ski. The itineraries are planned and logistics are taken care of, so neither parent nor child has the responsibility of deciding which route to take, how to navigate transportation in a foreign country or even who is going to cook or wash dishes. I love seeing when our guests can simply relax at the hotel bar before dinner in the evening and catch up with their loved ones without any responsibility – this is especially the case when it is parents and their adult children.

With Mother’s Day this Sunday, we wanted to share some reflections from Katie who traveled with her mom Francie to Austria & Italy on the Seefeld & Seiser Alm Sight-Skiing trip last winter. 

Do you want to take a special ski trip with your or parent(s) or adult child(ren) this winter? Sign up for a 2025 Lumi trip that still has availability before Father’s Day on Sunday, June 16 and save $300 per person!

2024 Seefeld & Seiser Alm reflections by Katie Miller:

I knew going on a trip to Europe with my mom would be unlike anything we had experienced together before. What I did not know or expect was the connection, gratitude, and joy that I was going to experience traveling with my mom. We had never been on a trip of this length or magnitude. 

To say the trip and traveling with my mom for 11 days was special would be a vast understatement. I saw her in ways that I never had before, we bonded not only as mother and daughter, but became closer as friends which I think is one of the greatest gifts that arises when you spend time with a parent as an adult. You can see them and understand them in ways that you were not able to when you were younger.

We spent the majority of our time in Seefeld, Austria, and Seiser Alm, Italy, with a quick added day and half in Venice, Italy at the end of the trip. We hit the timing just right and Seefeld was blanketed with snow that looked like vanilla frosting creating some mouth-watering photos and the kind of skiing that Nordic enthusiasts dream of. We skied through stunning trails, got the perfect mix of snowy and sunny weather, ate lunch at huts on the side of the trail, trying local dishes including Kaiserschmarrn and Käsespätzle. Drank several hot chocolates with Amaretto (highly recommended!) and went Rodeling (Austrian sledding!) down the mountain at an alpine hill. 

It was hard to leave the dreamy trails, delicious local foods, and perfect ski days in Seefeld, but we made the trek to Seiser Alm, Italy and somehow the trip only got better. Seiser Alm is truly a skier’s paradise (Nordic and Alpine). I can say without a doubt it is now at the top of my list of favorite places to ski ever. The trails are seemingly endless, the grooming is impeccable, and the views are stunning and leave you feeling like you are standing in a painting. Our days in Seiser Alm were filled with joyful skiing, never ending smiles, soaking up sun and drinking a lot of coffee and espresso. We started and ended our days enjoying meals with our other trip goers and guides filled with tales of our days, recommendations for the next days, and information about the local area. 

My mom and I got to see each other push our comfort levels and be adventurous out on the trails; my mom pushed herself by trying to ski longer than normal and on trails that were harder than those she normally skis on. I headed out on one of the days for a day of alpine skiing on the Sella Ronda (which may have been the coolest thing I have ever done!). When we were off doing different activities, we’d come back together later in the day and share what we’d done and continue to be in awe of the amazing place we were in and the gratitude we had for being able to experience it together.

A trip filled with laughter, new experiences, new places, and becoming closer friends with my mom was a truly unique experience and one I would recommend to anyone lucky enough to have the opportunity.

It’s always a treat for me to have parents and adult children enjoying the trails together on Lumi trips. My Dad joined me for the Iceland-Fossavatn trip (his first Lumi trip!) last month – more on that later. If you’d like to travel with your parent(s) or adult child(ren) this next winter, there is still some space available on the 2025 Seefeld & Seiser Alm Sight-Skiing trip that Katie and Francie experienced last winter. 

Prefer to watch your favorite skiers race together? Check out the Tour de Ski and Trondheim World Champs trips. Want to participate in a ski marathon or two together? The Marcialonga & King Ludwig, France-Transju, Seefeld & Engadin, Norway-Birken and Iceland-Fossavatn trips still have space available, but are filling up quickly. Reach out by Father’s Day (Sunday, June 16) to reserve your spot and save $300 / person!

Happy Mother’s Day to all the Moms out there,

Garrott

garrott@lumiexperiences.com

With so much attention focused on the sky as many places in North America prepare for the upcoming total solar eclipse, it seems like a great time to highlight another solar phenomenon.  

One of my favorite ways to extend the ski season is to travel north in the early spring, an ideal time to see the aurora borealis or northern lights.

Lumi’s ski season comes to an end next week in Iceland’s Westfjords region for the Iceland-Fossavatn trip. Conditions are looking good for skiing the Fossavatn ski marathon after a recent, record snowfall in the host village of Ísafjörður. I hope the solar outlook will be in our favor too! Will we be lucky enough to look up and see ribbons of colorful light dancing across the night sky? There’s a decent chance, although since there are lots of factors that influence the visibility of the northern lights, there’s definitely no guarantee.

A brief astronomy refresher: the northern lights occur when a solar flare emits charged particles from the sun. When these particles collide with gasses in the earth’s atmosphere, they emit the light that we see as the aurora. Last week, Lumi trip leader Lilli spotted the northern lights from her home in Trondheim, Norway. Next week, will we be able to see them from even further north in Iceland? Maybe!

Here’s a recipe to increase your chances of seeing the northern lights:

• • Travel to a northerly location 65-70°N: Because solar flare particles have an electric charge, when they arrive in the Earth’s atmosphere, they catch a ride to the north pole (and south pole for the southern lights) along Earth’s magnetic field. This is why the northern lights are seen in places up north, in what is called the aurora oval zone around 65-70°N. Ísafjörður, Iceland (66.0749°N), home of the Fossavatn Worldloppet ski marathon, is within this zone! When the lights are particularly strong, they can be seen south of these latitudes too, like in Trondheim, Norway (63.4305°N) last week.

• Seek out dark skies: There is plenty of time when the sky is dark enough during the winter up north. This is why many northern light photos you see are taken during the winter. It’s hardly ever dark enough during the night to see the northern lights in these places during the summer months. Being in a remote location that doesn’t have much light pollution like Ísafjörður, a small coastal town in the Westfjords, is another plus.

• Look ahead for clear skies: Take a look at the local forecast. If you’re lucky to have a clear night during your trip, keep your eyes peeled for the northern lights after ~ 10:00 PM.
• Check the aurora forecast: Another key factor that influences your chances of seeing the northern lights, but is harder to predict, is the weather in space. While there isn’t a constant stream, schedule or pattern of solar flares, scientists do monitor solar activity and predict when and where the northern lights will be most likely seen. You can take a look at NOAA’s Aurora Forecast to get a sense for where in the world you’re most likely to see an aurora on a given day. This changes day-to-day. This Tuesday, they were forecasted to be strong in Iceland, Wednesday in northern Russia.

Did you know that solar activity is on an 11-year cycle and predicted to be at its peak or “solar maximum” until the end of 2025? During this time, there’s a greater frequency of seeing the northern lights generally. 

Is it on your bucket list to see the northern lights? Check out these Lumi trips to increase your chances of seeing the northern lights in 2025 (during the solar maximum!): Iceland-Fossavatn, Trondheim World Champs (2025 only!), Norway-Birken and Estonia & Finland (waitlist-only). Let’s ski and gaze at the night sky! Sign up soon and receive a $200 discount before April 30.

See you on the trail, gazing up at the sky,

Garrott

garrott@lumiexperiences.com

Did you know that “Lumi” is the Estonian and Finnish word for snow? I am thrilled to announce the new Lumi Experiences Tartu & Finlandia trip for February 2025! Experience the unique winter cultures in Estonia and Finland on Lumi’s special namesake trip.

The trip starts in the medieval city of Tartu, home to the Worldloppet ski marathon with the same name. It’s also where the Worldloppet Headquarters is based. Discover Estonia’s ski culture by skiing the gently rolling Tartu Worldloppet ski marathon (31 or 63 km), a popular right of passage amongst Estonians. The event starts at the Sports Center in Otepää, host of past FIS World Cup competitions, and continues through snowy pine forests to the finish area outside of Tartu. When you’re not skiing, step outside your hotel to explore Tartu’s culinary scene and historic neighborhoods.

After a long weekend in Estonia, take a scenic ferry across the Baltic Sea from Estonia’s capital city, Tallinn, to the Finnish capital, Helsinki. Continue your journey about an hour further north to Lahti, home to over 180 km of ski trails, Finnish saunas and the Finlandia ski marathon.

As a World Cup ski racer, racing in Lahti was one of my favorite World Cup venues. It’s close to town, making it a short walk from your hotel to the stadium, where the famous Finlandia ski marathon starts and finishes and where World Cup athletes were racing in the Lahti Ski Games. Ski and skate other venues, including over several frozen lakes, around Lahti which is known as the Gateway to Finnish Lakeland. Off the trail, visit Lahti’s Ski Museum, reward yourself with the traditional Finnish sauna experience, and taste Mustikkakeitto, their special blueberry soup.

Add to the experience by book-ending your trip with an optional stay in each country’s urban coastal capital: Tallinn and Helsinki.

We hope you’ll join us for this special Lumi cross-country ski trip to Estonia and Finland. Reach out to info@lumiexperiences.com to be the first to see the itinerary and save your spot. March is the last month to receive the early booking discount of $300 per person on all 2025 Lumi trips. Several of our most popular trips, like the Dolomitenlauf & Marcialonga and Norway-Birken are over half-full already. Reach out soon to secure your spot!

See you on the trail soon,

Garrott

garrott@lumiexperiences.com 

Most Birkie skiers are familiar with the legendary story of the original Norwegian Birkebeiners and how that inspired the famous cross country ski race in Norway, from Rena to Lillehammer; which in turn inspired the American Birkebeiner from Cable to Hayward.

But what is the Norwegian Birkebeiner like today? I skied my first American and Norwegian Birkies last year and took away many impressions.

“Wait, what?!” you ask. “Garrott, you lived in Hayward for 5 years and have never skied the Birkie?” Well, okay. I skied the Birkie once in 2007, but it finished at OO that year. The Birkie’s timing in late February always overlapped with World Cups or Olympic Games. After retiring in 2011, I moved away from Wisconsin. Last year was my first year back, as my company, Lumi Experiences, had a booth at the Expo, sharing stories from the Worldloppet events where we run cross country ski vacations.

On Birkie Saturday, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to ski from Cable to Hayward and actually finish on Main Street. Finally, I checked off one of my bucket-list items as a ski racer.

Three weeks later, I found myself standing in Rena, Norway getting ready to classic ski 54 km from Rena to Lillehammer, carrying an 8 pound backpack representing baby prince.

Håkon Håkonsson. The three-week gap between the two events was enough to recover from one and carry good fitness into the next.

Our group was staying in Lillehammer, so it was an early morning bus ride to get to the start in Rena. The race course takes you on a direct path over the mountains, but the roads have to go around the mountains. In order to arrive at the start by 8:00 am, the bus left Lillehammer at 5:30 am. I was expecting a very dark start to the morning, but when I opened the blackout curtains and daylight came in, I thought I had slept through my alarm. This should not have surprised me, as we were just two days from the Spring Equinox and only 5° south of the Arctic Circle.

The start of the Birken is basically in a farm field with temporary warming tents without any permanent infrastructure. The colloquial name for the Birkebeinerrennet was one of the biggest surprises for me. I’ve grown up in the US calling it the Norwegian Birkie, but in Norway, it is unequivocally referred to as the “Birken.” This terminology makes it easy to differentiate the American “Birkie” from the Norwegian “Birken.”

The start itself was one of the most civilized starts I have ever experienced. The ~ 10,000 starters are split into 14 waves. As a wave 1 Birkie skier, my Birkie time was good enough to be seeded in the 4th wave at the Birken – a wave placement which seemed surprisingly accurate, given the pace of the skiers around me. Ample tracks and a gradual uphill start kept everyone spread out without any accidents. It seemed like everyone understood they had 54 km to ski and no one needed to win the first kilometer.

In fact, as early as one kilometer into the race, skiers were already stopping to work on their kick wax. Conditions were surprisingly tricky, as the course starts only 1000 feet above sea level, then climbs to about 3000 feet of elevation. The weather warms throughout the day and a skier may go through three or four different wax conditions.

I waxed with a thin layer of klister, covered with hardwax. This combination is tricky because you have to keep your skis moving to prevent icing in the powder at higher elevations, but it provided great kick for the first 20 km of climbing up to the plateau in Raudfjelllet. It was also durable enough to last for my entire 54 km race. I just stopped once to switch skis half-way through the race in Kvarstad. This meant the wax that had worn off the inside edges of my skis was now on the outside edges, giving me better glide and kick for the second half of the race.

The spectators really help make a ski race fun for participants. The Marcialonga in Italy and the Engadin in Switzerland both go through many villages, so it’s easy for people to cheer from their balcony. The Birkie and Birken courses are much more rural, so they’re harder for spectators to access. However, the spectators that make it out onto the course are there to have fun and bring a lot of enthusiasm for the racers. There were so many spectators at the Birkie this year that I thought I was already at OO when in fact, I was only at Boedecker Rd. By the time I was actually at OO, skiing over the Key Log Bridge, I was in awe at all of the new infrastructure and enthusiastic spectators. My favorite spectators, however, are the snowmobilers. They are often in the harder to reach corners of the course and seem to be there more to cheer on the agony of defeat than the thrill of victory.

The Birken goes through a protected region, high on the plateau, so there are no snowmobilers. Somehow, though, spectators figure out how to bring couches to the trailside, build huge bonfires and offer homemade aquavit or Jagermeister to skiers passing by.

Speaking of aid stations: each Worldloppet event seems to have its own unique treats, like Comte cheese in France, dark chocolate in Switzerland or blueberry soup in Sweden. In Norway, it’s lefse. Seriously. The rolled lefse dough filled with cinnamon and sugar looked a little dry to me, but I was hungry at the first aid station and took a bite. It turned out to be one of the best tasting race foods I have ever eaten. After that, I made sure to take a buttery lefse at each aid station. Yum!

Unlike the Birkie, which is mostly wooded from start to finish with lots of rolling trails, the Birken is mostly on a high open plateau with long, sustained climbs and long, gradual descents. I often found myself looking out over the wide expanses and admiring the views throughout the race.

We were fortunate to have ideal weather conditions for this year’s Birken, save for a headwind somewhat reminiscent of crossing Lake Hayward at the Birkie this year. There are years, however, where the weather on the plateau can be much less ideal. Besides the symbolism of the backpack, there is also the practical consideration that you can carry warm, dry clothes with you. Not only does the backpack need to weigh 8 pounds, it also needs to store a windproof jacket, pants, long underwear, hat, gloves and balaclava.

One of the best parts of the Birken is the final 15 km from Sjusjøen to Lillehammer. Rather than big climbs and a lake leading to the finish, the last 15 km of the Birken is a long, gradual downhill. Before the race, I learned that a special award is given to finishers who cross the line within 25% of their age group winner’s time. I’m not sure if the Birkie still has a 25% Club award, but the tradition lives on in Norway. I train far less than I did as a racer, but still have a competitive spirit. Achieving the 25% Club award in the Birken is not easy. When I realized I may still be in the running at the last time check, I tried to make up as much time as I could on the downhill to Lillehammer, relying more on my ski skills than on my fitness.

The Birken finishes at the Birkebeiner Stadium, which hosted the 1994 Lillehammer Olympic Games and still has one of the most challenging trail networks on the World Cup circuit. 

Fortunately, the Birken finish does not take racers on any of the World Cup course. Instead, skiers cruise through the flat stadium and into the finish. After a quick backpack check, skiers are awarded their Birken medal and Worldloppet passport stamp, recognizing their achievement.

For me, one of my favorite aspects of completing a big event like the Birken is sharing the experience with friends. After the race, everyone gathered to share stories about their journey from Rena to Lillehammer and to cheer on the new friends they had made during the week. Skål!

If you’d like to ski the Norwegian Birkebeiner, check out the Lumi Experiences Norway Birken Trip and receive the early booking discount of $300 per person when you secure your spot before March 31. We would love to have you along. Reach out to see the itinerary!

See you on the trail soon,
Garrott Kuzzy

garrott@lumiexperiences.com

Story originally written by Karen Bossick of “Eye on Sun Valley” newspaper, abridged story below.
Photos courtesy of Muffy Ritz and Lumi Experiences.

Lumi Experiences guest Muffy Ritz from Sun Valley, Idaho traveled on the Marcialonga & König Ludwig Lauf Trip to Worldloppet events in Italy, Germany and Austria. Read on to learn about her adventures!

By Karen Bossick:

While others were trying to will the snow away this winter, Muffy Ritz was doing what she always does: Chasing it around the world.

Ritz is adamant about endowing her winters with adventures that include snow, culture and challenge.

“It’s so fun to get out of our element in Sun Valley and experience the European way of skiing, the European races…the spirit, the food,” she said. “You might take a chairlift to one ski area and spend six hours skiing back where you started.”

Ritz came to Sun Valley as an assistant Nordic coach for the Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation. A few years later in 1996 she started VAMPS—Vomen and Muffy’s Program–to encourage women of all abilities and ages to challenge themselves on the cross-country ski trails.

Last winter she and Joney Otteson headed to Europe for a few weeks of skiing Worldloppets, including a 70K race and back-to-back 42K skate and classic race.

“Worldloppet is basically a long ski, a citizen ski marathon,” Ritz said. “Serious racers take part in them, but the vast majority are very average folk. We spent nine months ahead of our trip roller skiing, hill bounding and doing strength training in the gym. But the snow didn’t come until mid-December that winter so we were nervous that we wouldn’t be in shape compared with those who had gotten on snow before us. But it turns out you don’t go that hard—you just cruise.”

Ritz did a similar trip in 1998 with Tom Pomeroy and Katharine Sheldon, but it was a DIY trip in which they made their own reservations, waxed their own skis. This time they did it the easy way, going with Lumi Experiences, a cross-country ski travel company founded by Garrott Kuzzy, a Nordic Olympian who grew up in Minnesota—Ritz’s old stomping grounds.

The guides included Olympian Holly Brooks, a Seattle native who competed at the 2010 and 2014 Winter Olympics and placed third in a World Cup 4-by-5K relay with teammates Kikkan Randall, Liz Stephen and Jessie Diggins.

Transportation was dialed in; hotels were in walking distance of the finish lines. They were escorted to the start lines and met at the finish line with celebratory libations. And World Cup wax technicians prepped their skis.

When they weren’t skiing, they learned to make apple strudel and knodel dumplings, tried curling and yodeling and careened down snow-covered trails on wooden sleds in something called rodeling.

“We’d sled seven kilometers down an icy road, using our feet to brake and steer. It started off easy, then became treacherous. We did it four times anyway,” Ritz said.

The 70K Marcialonga, which went up and down hills in the Fiemme Valley of Italy’s Dolomites, was the funnest ski race Ritz has ever taken part in.

She and Otteson wore red and blue striped socks ala Olympian Jessie Diggins as they toed the starting line along with 8,000 other skiers. Every five minutes race officials would open the gates allowing another 500 to 700 skiers onto the course.

Bands played and spectators rang cowbells as they skied through tiny villages, finally crossing the finish line in the center of town. The race started at 8 a.m.; the last skiers didn’t cross the finish line until about 6 p.m. as fireworks exploded overhead in the dark.

Both felt like they could have skied another 20K, even though they’d skied 70 km already.

“Italians don’t know how to go downhill. They’d stand at the top of hills considering the best way to go down. Then they’d snow plow and everybody would pile up,” Ritz said. “But Italians know how to have a good time.”

The 50K King Ludwig Lauf held in Oberammergau, Germany, took Ritz and Otteson past Bavarian monasteries. They availed themselves of Schnapps at aid stations along the way, and Kuzzy and his crew met them at the finish line with beer.

“There’s no pressure—nobody knows you. You’re just there to have fun,” said Ritz.

In addition to racing in these and other races, the group visited an Olympic training facility and dined at a hut where they had soup in an herb bread bowl and made their own butter, shaking cow cream in a jar. Some of the alpine skiers skied the Sella Ronda, a 40K ski circuit in South Tyrol, Italy.

Ritz sent friends pictures of the Italian cappuccinos, which she claimed were the best in the world. And, as always, she hopes others will join her on future trips.

“Anyone can do these!” she said.

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As an Official Tour Operator of the Worldloppet, Lumi Experiences offers guaranteed entry in the Marcialonga — one of the most popular (and fastest filling) Worldloppet events of the season. If you want to experience skiing the Marcialonga & König Ludwig Lauf Worldloppet events like Muffy, check out the trip and reach out to see the itinerary: info@lumiexperiences.com 

Plus save $300 per person when you secure your spot before March 31!

See you on the trail soon,

Garrott

garrott@lumiexperiences.com

Lumi Experiences guest Ron Sawdey from Salt Lake City, Utah took time to reflect on his 2023 trip to the Marcialonga & König Ludwig Lauf Worldloppet events in Italy, Germany and Austria. Ron’s reflections share some insider insights for both the uninitiated and Worldloppet Masters alike. Read on to learn more about the trip.

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For the uninitiated, you may have heard the words, “World Loppet”, and have had some vague notion that it has something to do with cross-country skiing.  And you would be right.

The Worldloppet is a worldwide series of citizen ski marathons, though the majority of these races take place in Europe.  Yes, there are elite, professional teams that compete in these races, but the vast majority of the skiers are very average folks.  The US has its own Worldloppet marathon in the American Birkebeiner (often simply called “The Birkie”), held each year between Telemark and Hayward, Wisconsin.

I got talked into doing my first of these ski marathons by my good friend, Jerry Richardson.  Jerry and his wife, Angie, shepherded me through my first Birkie a number of years ago, and I’ve managed to complete two more since that initial foray.  They have been a blast, and I would heartily recommend this very American experience (try the walleye)  to anyone who has a desire to test themselves in a true ski marathon.

Evidently, this whetted my appetite to take on more of these adventures, and with another skiing buddy, Cary Martin, we took on the Vasaloppet in Sweden six years ago.  This 90km ski is undoubtedly one of the highlights of my long ski life.  It was held under near perfect conditions (low 20’s, sunny skies, and no wind), and was a long, but joyous celebration of skiing for me and several thousand of my close personal friends.

The pandemic postponed plans for the last three years, but this year, Jerry again convinced me to take on a couple more ski marathons, the Marcialonga held in the Val di Fiemme in Italy, and the King Ludwig Lauf held in Oberammergau, Germany.  Hey, while you’ve gone to the expense of traveling to Europe, why not get the most bang for your buck.  Given how difficult it was to secure a lottery entry into the Marcialonga, we opted to go through a tour operator, Lumi Experiences.  As an official tour operator for the marathon, Lumi was guaranteed starting spots in what turned out to be the 50th edition of the race.  In hindsight, this was an absolutely brilliant way to go.

Lumi Experiences is owned and operated by a former US XC Ski Teamer, Garrott Kuzzy, who lives and works from Innsbruck, Austria.  I have to say that Garrot has got this ski marathon tour thing dialed in.  Garrott, along with our guides, Anna and Matija, made the experience effortless, and fun.  Every transportation, lodging, eating and skiing related detail was thought through by Garrott and his team.  This allowed us to focus on what we came to do; knock off  a couple of ski marathons.  Our hotels for both races were within walking distance of the finish line and were solid 3-4 star lodging.  We were escorted to every shuttle, accompanied to the start line, and met at the finish line by Garrott, Anna or Matija (with celebratory libations in hand).  If you have a food preference, it was already communicated to the hotel staff.  If you didn’t feel like skiing, that was okay as well.  They always had suggestions for other things to do in the towns we stayed at.  For my wife, Cissy, who did not plan to race, this was a welcome option.  Perhaps best of all, Garrott arranged for wax technicians who have waxed on the WC circuit to prep our skis before each race.  We had great skis!

Our fellow tour companions also made this trip remarkable.  There were 16 of us from all over the US (and one great female skier from Canada), and each and every one of them were interesting, fun, and generally nice people.  Sharing a week of skiing with these people made the trip even more memorable.  I’m even plotting to do another Lumi trip for the Norwegian Birkebeiner Rennet with a fellow skier from this trip.  

Garrott and company made sure that we had fun.  Our post Marcialonga recovery day ski at Passo Lavesa, and our midweek stay in Seefeld, Austria gave us the opportunity to take relaxed tours in some of the most beautiful cross-country terrain that you can imagine.  Lumi also made sure that we had other non-skiing, fun stuff to do.  We learned how to make apple strudel at our hotel in Cavalese.  We noshed on appetizers and drank Proseco from our hotel’s deck as the fireworks show celebrated the last finisher of the Marcialonga (yes, it’s a very long day).  We had a brush-by encounter with Johannes Klaebo at Passo Lavesa while sipping trailside schnapps.  We tried our hand at eisstockschießen (Austrian curling) in the middle of a snowstorm in Seefeld, but mostly laughed at our incompetence.  We tried to learn how to yodel with the help of an Austrian yodeling champion. Cissy and I won a gold medal (chocolate filled) for trying hard.  We careened down the slopes of a small Austrian ski resort on very cool wooden sleds in what is called rodeling.  Yes, we did try to yodel while we rodeled.

In other words; we had a ball.  I have never been so relaxed before a big marathon than I was on this trip.  And my times for these marathons probably reflect that relaxed attitude.  However, as one of the members of our tour put it; “To finish is to win!”.  I took those words to heart.

This was essential for the Marcialonga where nearly 8000 skiers toed the line that day..  After working my way up to the 2nd wave in my last Birkie, I was disappointed to find out that I was placed in the very last wave for the Marcialonga.  Evidently, based on my having no Loppet times for the last three years (damned COVID), and my advanced age (just turned 70) I was deemed a slowpoke.  I refer to it the “Geezers and Duffers” wave.  This meant literally stopping on the course while novice skiers contemplated the hill they were about to descend.  It meant trudging in place in a herringbone stance while waiting for your fellow skiers to make their way up even the most minor climbs.  I quickly adjusted my mindset to just go with it.  There was no point in getting frustrated, and all of that slow going gave me time to take in my surroundings.  Passing through villages where bands played, the local folk ringing cowbells and shouting encouragement from second floor windows are things that makes the Marcialonga unique.  It was a long but glorious day, capped off by hearing the sound of Cissy’s voice encouraging me up the last, nasty climb and then meeting me at the finish.  That was a moment I won’t soon forget.

The King Ludwig Lauf, was a much mellower affair.  There may have been a couple of thousand racers total between the Saturday skate race and the Sunday classic race.  I was still slotted into the last wave, but with so few skiers, there was no standing and waiting that day.  The day before had warmed well above freezing and we had a hard freeze overnight.  That temperature swing coupled with a very shallow snowpack created a very icy course.  This made for screaming downhills, sketchy corners, but very fast tracks.  I doubt that I have ever double-poled that much in a race.  It was fast and fun!  As always, Garrott and crew were at the finish with beer and schnapps, but they had even skied out onto the course to offer their encouragement as we made our way through the Ammergau valley.  It was a perfect end to a perfect trip.

Lumi Experiences is excited to support athletes on the US Ski Team like Julia Kern. Julia won a bronze medal in the Team Sprint at the World Championships last winter, and she is also a great representative off the race course.

Like several of the top-US racers who hold dual-citizenship (Jessie Diggins: US/Canadian, Sophia Laukli: US/Norwegian), Julia Kern holds US/German citizenship and speaks fluent German. Kern’s parents are both from Germany, though Kern grew up around Boston. Since childhood, cross cross-country ski treks in Europe have been a favorite past family tradition, including this year where the Kern family spent the week together skiing in snowy Toblach, Italy before the Tour de Ski.

This is the 9th consecutive winter that Julia is traveling the World Cup circuit for 4 months straight and she has her packing dialed in. As Lumi guests are starting to pack for their trips this winter, we asked Julia for recommendations on packing for ski trips. Check out Julia’s top 5 unique packing tips in this short video and see which 3 passports she carries with her!

Hopefully Julia’s packing hacks are helpful for your upcoming skiing adventures. If you want to take a ski trip to some of Julia’s (and our!) favorite destinations across Europe next winter, we’re offering an early booking discount on all 2025 Lumi trips. Secure your spot before March 31, 2024 and save $300 per person.

Buon viaggio!
Garrott
garrott@lumiexperiences.com

Happy holidays! Lucky for us skiers that the start of ski season coincides with the start of the holiday season. Holiday markets around Europe are bustling, the Alps are covered with a blanket of snow and the mulled wine is flowing. With gift giving on the mind, here are some of Lumi Experiences’ favorite gift ideas from our favorite brands for your favorite skiers this winter:

Hot Stuff

US skier Julia Kern’s new Skida print is out: Hot Stuff. Julia was inspired by the chili pepper pattern as a reminder to “bring the heat this winter… keep things spicy… taking risks, challenging the norm, skiing with more fire, and keeping things exciting.”

Lumi guests will receive Skida hats on their trips this winter, but you won’t find this pattern. Gift a Hot Stuff headband, hat, or neckwarmer to your favorite skier whose taking on a new challenge this winter, like skiing their 1st or their 10th Worldloppet! Part of the proceeds will benefit Julia on her 9th World Cup circuit this winter. 

Go Julia! 

Icelandic Pönnukökur

Tis the season for Pönnukökur – golden Icelandic pancakes traditionally enjoyed at a celebration in Ísafjörður, a small town in Iceland’s Westfjords region where you can ski the Fossavatn ski marathon on the Lumi Iceland-Fossavatn trip this April.

Similar to crepes, Icelandic pancakes are made with more eggs so they are golden, custardy, and easy to flip, especially when cooked on medium-high heat using a 10.5” Lodge cast iron pan. They make a hearty breakfast or post-ski treat. See the recipe & enjoy!

Cowbells

If you or your special someone will be joining us in Minneapolis or Norway for World Cup races this winter, or you want to join the Lumi trip to Trondheim, Norway for the 2025 Nordic Ski World Championships (launching soon), there’s no better way to cheer for your favorite racers like Julia Kern than with a MOEN Cowbell from Norway (the same supplier for the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer).

Modern Indigenous Cuisine

Lumi guests on the 2024 Minneapolis World Cup trip will wrap up the much-anticipated World Cup weekend with a farewell dinner at a popular restaurant in Minneapolis called Owamni. Chef Sean Sherman’s menu at Owamni highlights the foods of Indigenous communities across North America. 

Why not sample a taste of modern indigenous cuisine before your trip? Sherman’s cookbook, The Sioux Chef’s Indigenous Kitchen, specifically highlights recipes from the Dakota and Minnesota territories.

Lagrein & Mont d’Or

A bottle of Lagrein is a Lumi favorite. The Lagrien grape variety originates from the Alto Adige / South Tyrol region of northern Italy, which Lumi guests visit during trips to Seefeld & Seiser Alm, Dolomitenlauf & Marcialonga, and Marcialonga & König Ludwig Lauf.

A glass of Lagrein with Mont d’Or cheese—a special winter delicacy in the Jura Mountains of France—make a great pairing. Named after a peak on the French-Swiss border, Mont d’Or meaning mountain of gold, is traditionally served warm and melted with a baguette to scoop out the creamy gold colored cheese. Taste it in season on Lumi’s ski vacation to France!

Prince Haakon

Calling all Birken skiers! To celebrate the history of the Norwegian Birkebeiner, which follows the same path along which Prince Haakon Haakonsen was skied to safety by Birkebeiner warriors in 1205-1206, all Birken skiers must wear a 3.5 kg / 8 lb backpack (symbolizing the little Prince) when skiing the race. 

If you don’t already have one, this is one of our favorites: Salomon Trailblazer 20 backpack. The 20 L volume is big enough to carry everything you’re required to carry for the Birken, plus a camera or other supplies, but not so big that you end up carrying too much.

Skin Skis

With inevitable temperature fluctuations throughout the day, it’s much easier to “grab and go” with skin skis than to have to pack waxes, a cork, and re-apply wax along the trail. 

With skin skis, you can ski to your favorite trailside restaurant on a cold winter morning, enjoy Pönnukökur or a hot goulash soup with friends, and then clip back into your skis for a snowy and slightly warmer ski back to your hotel, without any wax adjustments! 

If you or your favorite ski buddy is looking to try skin skis for the first time or wants to buy a new pair, New Moon and Pioneer Midwest ski shops sell all the main brands. We recommend them for classic skiing on all Lumi trips.

Trees for Carbon

Traveling this winter? Consider making a donation to an innovative carbon offset program in Minneapolis. Green Minneapolis is working to expand the urban tree canopy across the city, and by doing so, providing carbon offsets to individuals or companies who want to offset their carbon emissions.

Bliz Shades

Lumi trip leaders love their Bliz sunglasses from our partners at Enjoywinter.com!

A Lumi Gift Card

Let your favorite skier choose their favorite 2025 winter vacation with a Lumi Experiences Gift Card! 

From Iceland to Italy, our boutique trips introduce travelers to winter cultures where nordic skiing is a part of everyday life.

$100, $500, and $1000 gift cards available with extra savings until December 31.

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Hopefully one or more of these gift ideas is the perfect fit for your favorite skier(s) this holiday season. Wishing you a very happy holiday time with family, friends, good food and wine, and hopefully some excellent skiing.

Happy holidays!

Garrott

garrott@lumiexperiences.com

P.S. Check out Lumi’s 2025 trips! Where will you ski next winter?

A sponsor of FasterSkier, Lumi Experiences is the world’s premier cross-country ski travel company. As an official tour operator for the Worldloppet, a series of 20 international ski marathons, Lumi is celebrating their partnership by gifting a trip to two lucky skiers for the 2024 France-Transju trip, valued at over $10,000.

We invite you to enter the trip raffle! Registration deadline is Wednesday, December 13. The winners will enjoy eight days of skiing through the renowned Jura Mountains in France and two entries in the Transju’ ski marathon.

On the Lumi Experiences France-Transju’ trip, explore the seemingly endless trails that criss-cross through quaint villages and preserved forests, all leading to cozy mountain huts for lunch. Sample the local wines and cheeses in preparation for skiing the Transju’ Worldloppet ski marathon, France’s largest cross-country ski race.

Lumi Experiences Cross Country Ski Vacations offers boutique trips that introduce travelers to winter cultures where nordic skiing is a part of everyday life — including their newest “sight-skiing” trip to Iceland (take $300 off before December 15) with the option to participate in the Fossavatn Worldloppet ski marathon.

Bonne chance and good luck!

Garrott Kuzzy

Lumi Founder & Olympian

LUMI TRIP GIVEAWAY!

As the world’s premier cross country ski travel company, Lumi Experiences is excited to announce their continued partnership with the Worldloppet international ski marathon series as an official tour operator. You can travel to 8 different Worldloppet events on Lumi trips, including support from local trip leaders, race waxing, transportation, accommodation and meals that reflect the tastes of the region where you’re traveling. 

To celebrate, Lumi is giving away a trip for two on the 2023 Seefeld & Engadin trip. The winner will receive two spots on the 2023 Lumi Experiences Seefeld & Engadin Trip plus two entries in the 2023 Engadin Ski Marathon, a total value of over $10,000. The trip is even transferable to a friend if you can’t make it.

To enter, simply sign up for the Lumi and Worldloppet Newsletters by December 15. 

This unique trip is a skier’s dream: behind-the-scenes tours of the Fischer, Salomon & Atomic ski factories in Austria with Birkie Champion Matt Liebsch, owner of Pioneer Midwest. Skiing on the Dachstein Glacier above Ramsau. Skiing in the ski tunnel in Planica, Slovenia. Running, hiking, and roller skiing with stunning views when you’re not on snow. Away from the trails, sample some of the best wine, beer, and dishes the two regions have to offer, and enjoy the support of your local trip leaders along the way.

Chances are, if you are reading articles on FasterSkier, you are part of the ​small world​ of Nordic skiing. We all enjoy the routine of putting on our boots, clicking into the bindings, and feeling the sensation of gliding on snow in the beautiful outdoors. The differences we experience while skiing are based on the locations, techniques, and intentions of the day. In March 2019, I had the opportunity to travel to Switzerland and race the 51s​ t​ Engadin Worldloppet ski marathon. Our group of friends from Minnesota and Wisconsin traveled with ​Lumi Experiences​, a cross country ski travel company run by US Olympian, Garrott Kuzzy. A number of other skiers from several generations (even a couple of non-skiers) from around the US and Canada were on the trip as well, and we became fast friends.

The week-long ski trip started in Seefeld, Austria, which had just finished hosting the Nordic World Championships, so many amazing young Nordic athletes were still in the region – more on that later. We did the familiar putting on of our boots and clicking into our bindings, but then had the privilege of gliding in the beautiful Leutasch Valley. We stopped mid-day for a typical lunch of wiener-schnitzel and Radlers (half beer, half lemonade). Each day was a new Nordic adventure in a “pinch-me-this-is-spectacular” setting. Lunches were often a lovely outdoor sit-down event at trail-side cafés with delicious hearty fare in the bright March sunshine. We were surrounded by a community of people from all over the world, who were brought together by a love of cross-country skiing.

Mid-week we traveled to the Engadin valley, literally the ​Valley of the Inn People​, nestled in the Swiss Alps. The valley is home to the Engadin Ski Marathon, started in 1968. We stayed in a small village outside of St Moritz, which was conveniently located in walking distance to the Engadin trails. While previewing the famed Mattress Hill two days before the Swiss race, I unexpectedly bumped into friends from home who recognized my Loppet Nordic Racing (LNR) headband. ​Small world.

The Swiss are nothing if not efficient. 13,000 people participate in the Engadin race events, traveling by highly organized buses and trains to the start. On arrival there are a few heated tents and many starting pens holding 500-1000 people; far larger than the gates of the American Birkebeiner. The Swiss course is essentially flat, which makes it a very fast race traveling along the valley starting in Maloja. The 42 kilometers wind through St. Moritz down Mattress Hill (a slalom of a downhill, past trees protected by mattresses). In Pontresina, the half-way point, 21 km short race skiers finish. Full-length skiers continue through Samedan, to the finish in S-chanf. On the morning of the race, imagine my surprise when I spotted a fellow Minneapolis native also wearing an LNR hat, boarding my bus to the start. Lining up at the start, I noticed another skier behind me wearing our local Gear West race uniform. ​The small world is getting smaller!

The 2019 Engadin was included as a special skate race in the Visma classic marathon series. This brought additional talent to the race, along with other athletes fresh off the World Championships in Seefeld. I was granted a preferred wave start based on my American Birkebeiner results and found my way to the starting pen with 80 amazing young (did I mention young?), strong women. We women started 15 minutes in advance of the men’s elite wave. Thus, I had the privilege of being passed by the likes of many notable male skiers such as Dario Cologna, the Swiss national favorite and Olympian, who would win the race in 1:22.22. The women’s race was won by another Swiss skier – Nathalie von Siebenthal in 1:30.41.

After a week of ski touring, hilarious yodeling lessons, eating, drinking, and crazy mountain rodeln rides, I was hardly in “race mode” for the Engadin. But the gun went off, I relaxed into the race, and I had a wonderful time. There is a relatively small community of people who find joy in putting on their skis and going for a tour, or pushing their limits in a race, whatever their intention is for the day. You can find those people all over the world – on the metropolitan trails of my home town Minneapolis, around the maple trees in Vermont, in the sunny Sierra mountain range in California, or racing the Engadin on the stunning trails amidst the alps of Switzerland.

I’m sure many skiers were disappointed when the 2020 Engadin was cancelled due to the outbreak of the coronavirus. We all hope for healthier times when we can gather again in the Swiss alps or wherever your ski adventures take you in this ​small world​.

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Mindy Benton’s resume includes a lot more than lining up next to women over half her age in the elite wave of international ski marathons. Mindy serves on the Loppet Foundation board and spends time coaching and volunteering at the foundation with her kids and family; that’s when she is not at work as a Podiatric Surgeon (that’s feet & ankles, not kids).

If you are interested in joining Lumi Experiences on a trip to the Engadin or one of several other Worldloppet events, you can find more information at ​www.lumiexperiences.com​. Save $300 on all 2021 trips by signing up before March 31, 2020.

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.

Organizers are anticipating over 30,000 spectators for the World Cup. Get special access on this bespoke, five-day trip, including VIP tickets to the World Cup, a seat at the pre-race gala-dinner, demo equipment and inspect the course with an Olympian providing insights into strategy for the race and participate in the “Equity and Adventure” round-table discussion hosted by the Loppet.

When you’re not at the venue skiing or watching the races, discover Minneapolis with your local trip leader. The city has much to offer, including coffee shops, micro-breweries and the mighty Mississippi River. In the evening, settle in to your boutique hotel, located in the heart of the North Loop neighborhood. There are several restaurants sure to treat your taste buds after your time outside. Spend time with friends and make new ones on this once-in-a-lifetime trip to the Minneapolis World Cup.

Check out www.lumiexperiences.com for more information about the trip.

See you at the 2020 Minneapolis World Cup!

 

The Lumi Experiences trip to the 2020 Dolomitenlauf & Marcialonga is filling fast. The deadline for guaranteed entry into the Marcialonga is March 31, 2019. Email info@lumiexperiences to receive a detailed itinerary or to put your name on the list. Later sign-ups are only possible if space is available and may not include a Marcialonga event entry.

The Dolomitenlauf and Marcialonga are two of the original and most popular Worldloppet events in Tyrol, Austria and the Italian Dolomites. Participate in two Worldloppet ski events in Austria and Italy on consecutive weekends. Between events, spend two nights in Toblach, Italy where you can follow a trail that connects you to Cortina. Afterwards, enjoy 5 nights in Italy’s Val di Fiemme valley. Explore the extensive trail network in scenic Passo Lavaze. When you are not out skiing, savor meals in your hotels, known for their cuisine, and relax afterwards with a sauna or swim. Kick your feet up and let us wax your skis, including race wax for both Worldloppet events.

Some trip highlights include:

• Skiing in two Worldloppet ski marathons
• Private schnapps tasting in Austria
• Rodeling – lift-serve sledding in the Dolomites
• Apple strudel making class at our hotel
• Skiing on the scenic & famous Passo Lavaze trails
• Race waxing included for both events

Sign up soon! Lumi is offering $250 off all 2020 vacations booked before April 30, 2019.

Lumi Experiences was founded by US Olympian Garrott Kuzzy and offers group, self-guided and custom cross country ski vacations to some of the world’s most renowned ski destinations, including several World Cup and Worldloppet events. Learn more at www.lumiexperiences.com.

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2020 is an exciting winter on the World Cup. There are no World Championships or Olympics, so athlete focus is 100% on the overall World Cup title. 2020 is also the first World Cup in the US since Soldier Hollow in 2001.

To celebrate and give North American skiers and ski fans an opportunity to see a live European City Sprint, Lumi Experiences is offering a special tour: Dresden to the Dolomites, January 10 – 20, 2020.

Spend the weekend cheering on your favorite racers in the action-packed Dresden City Sprint, then travel south to the Italian Dolomites for a week of skiing, followed by the opportunity to participate in the Austrian Dolomitenlauf Worldloppet event.

Along the way, tour the scenic, cultural town of Dresden along the Elbe River, ski on the famous via Ferrovia railroad line turned ski trail between Cortina & Toblach, sled down a 3+ km long descent after taking a chairlift up and take a private tour through one of Austria’s oldest schnapps distilleries. Source: Borcasino Casino Siteleri, Bahis Siteleri website.

Of course, like all Lumi Experiences vacations, you will be able to relax in the 3 & 4 star hotels while your trip leaders take care of the ski waxing and enjoy the delicious dishes Dresden and the Dolomites have to offer.

(Press release)

Lumi Experiences and the National Nordic Foundation (NNF) are partnering for the second consecutive year to offer a once-in-a-lifetime trip to the 2019 Nordic Ski World Championships in Seefeld, Austria. Last winter, guests on the trip cheered on Sophie Caldwell and Jessie Diggins on their way to the top of the podium at the Seefeld World Cup races, along with other memorable experiences like skiing on some of Seefeld’s 200 km of trails. The trip raised over $10,000 in support of the NNF, supporting grass-roots skiing in the United States.

2019 World Championships Trip

Dates: Monday, February 25 – Monday, March 4, 2019

HURRY! We can only accept bookings on this trip until October 15, 2018. 

Only 6 more spots available.

The trip includes tickets in the A-Grandstand to all events, including the 10 & 15km classic races, 4 x 5 km & 4 x 10 km relays and 30 km & 50 km marathon events. These tickets can no longer be purchased anywhere else.

The trip is led by Olympian’s Holly Brooks and Garrott Kuzzy. Holly is a two-time Olympian and played a huge role in bringing US skiing to the highest levels; one of the pivotal personalities in the book “World Class.” Innsbruck has been Garrott’s home for the past two years. He has picked out his favorite activities of the region to showcase on this trip.

After exploring the trails and cheering on your favorite athletes, relax in the sauna, pool and spa at Hotel St Peter, located directly at the trailhead in Seefeld and raise a glass to Team USA.

Visit www.lumiexperiences.com or email info@lumiexperiences.com for detailed information.