by long-time Lumi guest from Anchorage, Alaska: Gunnar Knapp On March 8, 2026 I skied the Engadin Ski Marathon in the Engadin valley of Switzerland. I was very pleased to complete my tenth Worldloppet, thus earning my Worldloppet Master Diploma and gold medal. To ski the race, I joined the trip organized by Lumi Experiences to Seefeld (Austria) and the Engadin Marathon. I had taken numerous other fun trips with Lumi, including trips for all...
Best pricing until midnight November 23, 2025 Accommodation deals Group savings Enjoy one of Canada’s most popular and scenic point-to-point ski marathon, with some night sprints too! Ski Marathon Two days: April 4 & 5, 2026 Two distances: 21km & 41km Two ski techniques: Classic (day 1), Skate (day 2); Wave starts Two world class venues: SilverStar Mountain Resort and Sovereign Lake Nordic Club, Vernon, British Columbia Rates steady for 5 years! With thanks to our...
Garrott Kuzzy’s journey from the trails of Minneapolis to the alpine valleys of Austria reads like a skier’s odyssey—equal parts serendipity, endurance, and vision. Before becoming an Olympian or founding Lumi Experiences, a travel company built around the joy of cross-country skiing, Kuzzy was simply a kid who loved movement. “There were no cell phones then,” he recalls with a laugh. “I think I was just playing soccer, doing the stuff kids did in Minneapolis.”...
On October 4, amid a crisp autumn morning at the trailhead near Cable, Wisconsin, around a hundred skiers, family members, and supporters gathered to witness the unveiling of two life-size bronze statues celebrating the trail designers of the American Birkebeiner, Sven Wiik and Marty Hall. Half a century after their work laid the foundation of what has grown into the United States’ premier cross-country ski marathon, the Birkie community paused to remember the minds behind...
This article was made possible through the generous support of our voluntary subscribers. If you would like to see more articles like this one, please support FasterSkier with a voluntary subscription. In 2021, our family decided to do the 2022 Vasaloppet, marking the 100th anniversary of this iconic event. That meant setting an alarm for 1:30 a.m., firing up the computer, and scrambling to grab a spot as the Vasaloppet website went live. With 15,800 entries...
Registration closes Sunday March 30th 6pm Pacific Time. Q&A with a First Timer in S2S 2024: Don’t let these unknowns keep you away from the start line! FIRST TIMERS: Have you not done a Loppet before? Or the S2S? But know (deep down!) you want to give it a try? At S2S, Finishing is Winning, and signing up is a win too, especially if it’s your first event. An S2S first-time participant in 2024 shares...
Many of you already know her, but for those of you who don’t we are excited to introduce you to Annika Landis. Annika is a member of the Enjoy Winter- NTS Factory Team and FasterSkier’s newest athlete blogger. This season Annika will take us along on a journey through her busy race schedule, which includes historic events such as the American Birkebeiner, Swedish Vasaloppet, Swiss Engadin and Norwegian Birkebeinerrittet. Born and raised in Hailey,...
In its first three years, the Sovereign 2 SilverStar (S2S) niche is becoming clear. Participants say it’s an awesome goal event for all types of skiers and a terrific event to conclude and celebrate the ski season. Here’s what else they say about the S2S and what brings them back each year: Awesome late season snow and grooming Extremely friendly and helpful volunteers The focus on Finishing is Winning A very fun and social atmosphere;...
“If you’re not pedaling, you’re going to fall over.” Last month, the American Birkebeiner Ski Foundation sprang into registrants’ inboxes with a summer announcement: Ben Popp, Wisconsin native and ABSF Executive Director since 2013, had been elected President of the Worldloppet International Ski Federation. Replacing Finland’s Juho Viljamaa, Popp will serve a four year term, effective immediately. He already has the regalia to prove it. The Federation’s gavel, a relic of the Tony Wise...
One of North America’s only, and Alaska’s favorite, point-to-point ski race is this Sunday, March 3, 2024! More than 1200 skiers and 100 bikers to participate on excellent trail conditions. Alaska’s Nordic ski community celebrates ski racing and generations of standout local athletes at the annual Tour of Anchorage, the spring skiing festival, and one of North America’s most popular ski races on Sunday, March 3rd. The Fat Bike Tour of Anchorage welcomes back the...
It hasn’t always been the same race, but it has always been the American Birkebeiner. Courses have changed, directions have changed, ski techniques have changed, conditions have changed, field sizes have changed, reputations have changed. Thin snow conditions across the American Midwest even necessitated that his year’s race was not even contested on the Telemark trail between Cable and Hayward, but over five laps of a ten kilometer loop painstakingly preserved just for this event....
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...
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. – – – – – – – – – – For the uninitiated, you may have heard the words, “World Loppet”,...
Marcialonga—the seventh Ski Classics stage, and first Grand Classics event, Season XV—took place today in Trentino, Italy. The traditional Italian race—starting in Moena and finished in Cavalese—saw Runar Skaug Mathisen (Lager 157 Ski Team) and Emilie Fleten (Team Ramudden) mastering their respective races and winning the 51st edition of Marcialonga. MEN’S RACE In the men’s race, which started at 8:00 CET, the action started early with Team Ragde Charge, Team Eksjöhus, Team Ramudden, and Lager...
Location: (Beautiful!) British Columbia; SilverStar Mountain Resort and Sovereign Lake Nordic Club Technique/Format: April 6, Classic technique; April 7, Skate technique; Wave starts Distances: 21k & 40k To register or learn more: www.sovereign2silverstar.com Win! Finishing is Winning! The joy of finishing is top prize at Sovereign 2 SilverStar (S2S). We also have Age Awards for every 5 years. Club Championships: More to win in 2024! Last year Yellowknife won the $2,000 prize. This year, due to the popularity and close race, we have...
The second annual Sovereign to SilverStar Ski Marathon has successfully completed with 70% more registrations than in its inaugural year. With over 600 participants, and 800 entries over the two days of event the S2S has already grown into Canada’s 3rd largest loppet and the biggest in BC. This partnership event between Sovereign Lake Nordic Club and SilverStar Mountain Resort managed to raise $11,500 for Kidsport Vernon this year. Kidsport is a local charity that...
By: Jody Zarkos You could not have scripted a more perfect day for the 50th annual Zions Bank Boulder Mountain Tour. The sky was blue, the sun was shining, and the snow was plentiful as 967 skiers made their way down the Harriman Trail on Saturday. Making the quickest trip from start to finish was 24-year-old Peter Wolter of Hailey, who became the 14th men’s hometown champion in race history in a winning time of...
By: Jody Zarkos Hometown racers Peter Wolter and Mary Rose will both be wearing bib number 1 on Saturday, February 4 in the 50th annual Boulder Mountain Tour sponsored by Zions Bank. Fresh off his first World Cup ski races at Les Rousses, France, Peter has put together a strong season with 14 top 10 finishes in Super Tour races during the 2023 season with a victory in a 30km classic in Cable, Wisconsin, on...
Press Release Marcialonga, the seventh Ski Classics stage and first Grand Classics event Season XIV took place today in Italy. Emil Persson, Lager 157 Ski Team, and Magni Smedås, Team Eksjöhus, won the 70-kilometer-long race in grand style. The race that started in Moena and finished in Cavalese saw Emil Persson, Lager 157 Ski Team, and Magni Smedås, Team Eksjöhus, mastering their respective races and winning the 50th edition of Marcialonga, the seventh event of...
By: Cynthia Engel The 2023 Tour de Meissner offered up an exceptional ski day for all skier ambitions. A classic-only ski tour that took place January 22, 2023 at Meissner Nordic Community Ski Area outside of Bend, Oregon, the Tour de Meissner delivered on everything that distinguishes an event from being good to being the one you mark on your calendar to make happen every year. Yes. A classic tour. The Tour de...