This year it was finally my turn to attend Ski for Light, the event whose mission is “to enhance the quality of life and independence of visually or mobility-impaired adults through a program of cross-country skiing.” I discovered that it is also a fantastic people-to-people collaboration founded on a mutual love of skiing.
This year Ski for Light took place at the former Olympic ski venue in Soldier Hollow, Utah, from January 31 to February 7. For my husband and me, it was a rare weekend without the kids, and it turned out that we were in for an unforgettable experience. The vision of Erling Stordahl, the founder of Ridderrennet in Norway, has truly been achieved! Skiing can break barriers, both physical and mental, and Ski for Light, the U.S. offspring of Ridderrennet, creates a unique platform for cultural exchange between Norway and the United States.
Many of the participants we met had been to Ridderrennet and formed friendships with skiers, guides, and organizers from different states and countries. Norway had a large delegation. Veterans as well as newcomers were thrilled to be back in the U.S. for a week of skiing, together with participants from Canada, Denmark, New Zealand, and the U.K.
The attending Norwegian ski officials were very pleased with how Ski for Light has grown in the United States since its inception 35 years ago. One official told me how Stordahl had sought the assistance of the late King Olav V to convince the Olympic committee that is was high time to organize the Para Olympics.
We arrived at the end of the week for the 5K and 10K races on Saturday, February 6. Standing in the crowd at the start area, we could sense the anxiousness and eagerness to fulfil a goal and a dream, and it was amazing to witness the joy and satisfaction of the skiers and their guides as they crossed the finish line.
Some of the participants, like the Norwegian 10K winner Mattis Eriksen, guided by Ine Wigernæs, were fiercely competitive, while the general attitude among participants was to give it all you got and have fun getting there. The evening program at the hotel in Provo was equally energetic and fun, including the cultural show put on by the Norwegians. I believe the song “Ski for Light in Utah” written to the tune of “Hotel California” by The Eagles sums up very well what the week was all about.
THE SONG:
“Ski for Light in Utah”
Melody: Hotel California (Felder Henley & Frey).
Lyrics: Ine Wigernæs
One a lone desert ski track
- cool wind in my hair
Bad smell of my ski boots
- rising up in the air
We are gathered in Heber
- for the Ski for Light
Hills are heavy and the turns are sharp
- we are partying all night
Guides’re in the ski track
- makes me wanna’ yell
I am thinking to myself
- this could be heaven and this could be hell
But she picked up my ski gear
- and showed me the way
There were voices down the 5k loop
- and I heard them say
CHORUS
Welcome to the Ski for light in Utah
Such a lovely place - and some lovely days
Plenty of sweat at the Ski for light in Utah
Because every year - you can find it here
Some people are flying
- some fall hard on the ice
Some skiers look funny
- and some skiers look nice
But we all have in common
- the joy and the sweat
Some turns to remember
- some turns to forget
The ski tracks are perfect
- Wasatch sky is blue
We haven’t had the spirit here
- since the Olympics 2002
And all participants
-travelling from far away
There’s reception down the corridor
- and I hear them say
CHORUS
We all get here by school bus
- not a Mercedes Benz
But here is the main point:
- we’re making good friends
We’re incredibly grateful
- for all we receive
Even though that we are checking out
- we don’t want to leave
CHORUS
Read more: www.sfl.org