A First-time VIP's Rhinelander Experience

My name is Jacob Carsting and I am a visually impaired skier from Copenhagen, Denmark. I heard about SFL a couple of years ago, while skiing at the Ridderrennet event in Norway. I was born with Glaucoma and have been visually impaired my entire life. I was a bit skeptical about the trip; an 18 to 19 hour journey with three different airplanes, just to ski for one week, It would be a long journey, but on the other hand, it would be a great experience.

I got an e-mail from a friend who was going with two other Danes, Sven and his wife, Kirsten. Life is about grabbing the opportunities that present themselves, so after thinking about it for 30 seconds, and convincing my manager at work that the best thing for me to do in January would be to give me a week off and let me ski in the U.S. Working for an insurance company, my manager was a bit worried that I would end up in an accident, but at the end, I managed to convince her.

I was a bit nervous when we arrived in Wisconsin, but I soon met so many great people, especially my two guides for the week, an amazing couple named Betsy and Scott, from Alaska. They helped me all week and were a huge factor in making it great. I had a cool roommate, too, his name was Eric, and we had some good times together, including at the local bar; just remember, never drink with a Dane!

The ski trails were not what we had hoped for, but I have to say, the groomers' never-give-up attitude was a huge inspiration. They truly did a fantastic job, and actually managed to find snow in places where there should not be any snow. I have to say, the most important thing for me, was not only skiing, but also to meet other visually impaired people from the U.S. I have always been interested in how people from different countries work and live with their visual impairment, so I was curious to meet some visually impaired Americans, and hear about their lives and how they cope with things.

Funny enough, you can travel across the Atlantic Ocean, fly domestic in the U.S., drive one hour by cab, go to the bar at your hotel, drink a beer, and meet another visually impaired person, the same age as you, and with the exact same issues. Wow, our world truly is a wonderful place, and at the same time, a very small place. Meeting so many amazing people at Ski For Light has meant a lot to me, and I have to thank everyone, not only the participants, but also all the volunteers whom have created this event, which is worth travelling across an ocean for.

No snow meant a lot of time walking around downtown Rhinelander. A very different place from where I have grown up and where I live today in Copenhagen, Denmark. Everything, from the cars, beers, shops, culture, food, sidewalks and the friendly attitude from the local community, was a great experience. In Denmark, we have a lot of electric cars, which, of course, is great for the environment, but they are very difficult to hear. In Rhinelander, there were not electric cars, but a lot of big trucks, and they were, at least, easy to hear.

Instead of the annual competition, the Ski For Light created a lot of funny competitions, I have to say, it was not why I signed up for the event, but it was a lot of fun, anyway.

The trip home to Europe was horrible with a couple of crying babies on the cross-Atlantic plane, and my baggage was not on board the same plane as I was, of course. But I managed to get it later on.

I had such a great time, and I will tell my friends about the Ski for Light, and if time and life allow it, I plan on attending for many, many years to come.

Thank you so much everyone at SFL. You have made one more friend, even though I am pretty far away. Your organization and the great people in it are one of the best things I have tried as a visually impaired person, thank you so much, and I hope to see all of you again next year.