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News and Information about the People and Programs of Ski for Light, Inc.
Skiing. Sharing. LearningThe mission of Ski for Light is to enhance the quality of life and independence of visually or mobility-impaired adults through a program of cross-country skiing.
I awoke this morning to a symphony - a bald eagle screeching, crows squawking at one another (and perhaps at the eagle), the bickering of Steller's jays, and, in the distance, a chortling croak from a raven. All familiar summer sounds in Juneau, Alaska, where I grew up and where my Mom still lives. After foregoing my annual trip to southeast Alaska last year, it is wonderful to be back home, to feel the looming presence of the mountains, to hear the birds chatter, to ramble around my childhood home, and to talk in-person with my mother and my friends from my days of living in Juneau.
Likewise, I am pleased that planning is well underway for our 47th annual Ski for Light International week, an in-person event that we intend to host from January 30 to February 6, 2022 at snow Mountain Ranch in Granby, Colorado. SFL guide, Michael Evelo, is the event chair, and he has recruited a talented, creative planning committee, which is laying the foundation for a welcome return to the trails and lodges at the YMCA of the Rockies. Please read on to find an article from Mike with more specifics about the 2022 event.
I am looking forward to our gathering again in those beautiful mountains, and this anticipation has fueled me over the past months when in-person get-togethers were few, and when skiing opportunities were restricted for many of us. My thoughts often returned to the prospect of a new Ski for Light adventure - meeting new SFL enthusiasts, and re-connecting with friends from previous International Weeks. I can practically feel the exhilaration; the first few strides in the Snow Mountain Ranch tracks, the puzzle of learning the climbs and descents, the twists and turns of the trails, and the camaraderie born of new, shared experiences with my guide. I know that when we gather in Granby next winter, those imaginings will pale in comparison to the real deal; the travel, the skiing, and a renewed appreciation of what is possible.
I hope you can join us for our return to the tracks! Please visit www.sfl.org for up-to-date information and applications to attend the 2022 international Week.
Best wishes for a safe, healthy, and active summer.
The 47th annual Ski for Light International Week will run from Sunday January 30 through Sunday February 6, 2022! We are excited to be returning to Snow Mountain Ranch, part of YMCA of the Rockies, located near Granby, Colorado. We are equally thrilled to be returning to an on-snow event after our first ever virtual Ski for Light International Week, held this past winter. The resort offers more than 100 kilometers of expertly groomed Nordic ski trails, surrounded by the majestic peaks of the Rocky Mountains-- all covered with snow.
The week will begin with lots of friends reuniting for the first time since the last SFL week in 2020, and with many new lifetime friendships being forged. During the days, the fun will start on the fantastic ski trails, and will carry over to our off-snow events in the late afternoons and evenings. We will conclude the week's festivities with the Olav Petersen Race/Rally, followed by the evening awards ceremony, which really highlights the magic of Ski for Light, making real the accomplishments that many thought were unreachable an all- too-short week earlier. We will again offer the popular afternoon special interest sessions. The variety of these presentations is always a surprise: It could be learning how to use our electronics better, what wax to put on our skies, an adventure to an exciting corner of the world, or an unbelievable accomplishment of a fellow SFL friend. The evening entertainment lineup is being worked on as I write this, and may include contests, dancing, detective work and - for sure - the all- time favorites will be returning... the silent auction and Norway Night!
If you are already thinking of coming, or if you have never heard of Ski for Light 'til just now, I invite you to what many first time participants have called "the experience of a lifetime" !! Many of these first-timers leave the event ready to return the next year, to improve their newfound skills, and to reconnect with new friends. If you have never skied before, no worries, we offer technique sessions for beginner and intermediate skiers.
Also, for just the upcoming 2022 event, there is a change to the stipend policy for skiers: Typically, visually- and mobility-impaired participants can only apply for a stipend to help defray the cost of attending the week for their first two years. This restriction is removed for our upcoming event!
If you are an intermediate or an advanced skier interested in becoming a guide, SFL will open up a whole new world of Nordic skiing to you. Guiding at SFL will give you the unique satisfaction of passing on your passion for cross-country skiing to someone who otherwise would not experience the thrill of gliding over the snow. If you feel apprehensive about knowing how to guide, no need to fear, SFL provides a training video, a training manual, and a day of in-person training on skies prior to the start of the week. For our veteran guides who would like a brush-up training session, SFL is excited to announce that we will be providing a refresher class. SFL will cover the cost. Stay tuned for details.
I also want to give an invitation to those who want to be a part of this special Ski for Light family, but not on the snow. Of course I'm talking about the invaluable volunteers, often referred to as worker-bees. They are very dedicated to our organization, are an essential part of making the event go smoothly, and are dear friends.
Applications for skiers, guides, and volunteers are available now at www.sfl.org/events/next. Single and double rooming options will be available on a first-come, first-served basis. So get your plans together for an exciting and unforgettable experience at Snow Mountain Ranch. We are looking forward to having a great time with you, both on and off the Colorado snow!
Last year was challenging -- a Ski for Light event without skiing. I do want to commend the organizers for pulling off a successful virtual event, but I am looking forward to getting back together on skis this coming winter. There is light at the end of this COVID tunnel, due to the amazing science of vaccine development, and my hope is that this light is not an oncoming train in the form of a new AND more deadly variant. This coming year will we hope, be better with more social interaction, but it is critical that we remain vigilant because there are still Americans hospitalized and dying from this virus. Almost all of those currently sick, hospitalized, or dying with COVID-19 are folks that did not get vaccinated. The most important thing you can do to protect yourself, your loved ones, and our communities, is to get vaccinated. The vaccines have been very thoroughly researched, and have proven to be extraordinarily safe and effective. If you have not taken this step, please do so as soon as possible, for this is the path to herd immunity, to fully reopening our country, and to getting back to a normal life. Also, the SFL board and planning committee have voted to require all folks attending the event this winter to be fully vaccinated: Given the size of our group, the close interactions common at our events, and the fact that we have people traveling from all over, this is the only possible way we can safely hold an in-person gathering.
As I write this at the end of July, the delta variant is currently causing an uptick in cases and in hospitalizations: This strain produces exponentially higher numbers of viral particles in those infected with it, which is why it is so much more contagious than prior variants. There are also reports of a number of fully vaccinated individuals getting delta COVID. The CDC is again recommending the wearing of masks, even for vaccinated individuals; however, if you are vaccinated, avoid crowds, hang out only with other, vaccinated people, and wear a mask in public, you still have a very low chance of getting sick. I wish I had a crystal ball and knew what will happen this fall and winter, but I know that careful behavior will certainly improve your chances of staying healthy, and of us hosting an in person ski event.
The science behind our understanding of COVID-19 has produced new information, sometimes daily, and certainly weekly. We now understand that the virus is mostly transmitted by droplets, but also can be aerosolized; however, it is not spread by fomites (touching contaminated surfaces). The best protection from airborne infections, in general, is wearing a mask, and there is very clear data that masks reduce the chance of transmitting COVID-19, with a side benefit of reducing influenza, as well. If you are worried about the virus, have not gotten vaccinated, or have a condition that makes you susceptible to infection due to a compromised immune system, please continue to wear a mask. The need for mask wearing will continue until we have reached herd immunity (the state where the number of susceptible individuals is so small that the virus cannot maintain a significant infection rate of the population) and we have the virus under control worldwide.
This next section is for those who want more details on the science behind what we have learned about COVID and the vaccines
First, against the original variant, the two MRNA (messenger RNA) vaccines by Pfizer and Moderna produce about ~50% protection two weeks after the first shot and ~95% two weeks after the second shot. The Johnson & Johnson single shot vaccine, which used more traditional technology and is not a MRNA vaccine, gets to ~65% protection a couple weeks after the shot. The most optimistic studies show the Pfizer, and we assume the Moderna, vaccine is only ~30% effective against the delta variant after the first shot and tops out at ~85% protection after the second shot; however, other studies have much lower numbers for protection against the delta variant, and there is some debate about how much the vaccine prevents infections versus preventing someone from getting very sick. With the high concentration of cases currently ravaging India and some other parts of the world, the virus will continue to mutate, and we cannot predict how future variants will act. They could be more virulent and more deadly, which could be devastating. Even during the past year, when international travel was severely restricted, the new strains of COVID-19 were able to leapfrog around the world. A global effort is needed to get the virus under control, especially while it is mutating. We also know that the vaccines, and the immune response from previously contracting COVID-19, are protective for at least six months, but we don't know how long THAT immunity will last. We may need to get vaccine booster shots if the immunity wanes, or if there is a new more deadly variant not currently covered.
Bringing the vaccines to market has been expedient, yet done with thorough and rigorous testing, and with approval by the appropriate regulatory agencies. No steps in the research on these vaccines were skipped, though some of them were carried out simultaneously to get to the end answer as quickly as possible. The development of vaccines that utilize MRNA technology is new. Though the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are the first to employ it, they will not be the last. MRNA technology for use as a therapeutic has been under development for more than 25 years, and we were fortunate that it was ready for prime- time last year. There are also MRNA vaccines in current research protocols that will protect us from certain cancers, and that could cure some other chronic diseases. This is an exciting field to follow if you work in healthcare. Now that many hundreds of millions of doses of the vaccines have been given, we are getting a clearer picture of their safety. These vaccines are safer than many over-the-counter medications. The most common side effect is 24 hours or so of flu like symptoms, especially from the second dose, causing a normal immune response in terms of a release of cytokines. A more serious, fairly uncommon occurrence is to have an allergic reaction to the vaccine, but this is also very easily treated, and is the reason they make you wait at the administration site for 15 minutes after receiving your shot. There are reports of very rare increases in cardiac inflammation or of blood clots forming after the vaccine. There have been isolated reports of more serious and even deadly outcomes after getting the vaccine, but none of these have been proven yet to be due to the vaccine, itself, or to be anything more than coincidence. Surveillance of complications from these vaccines will continue, and we will be able to see if there are any long-term consequences as time passes.
The Matrons of Spin wanted to meet in person. After a year of twice weekly, Zoom spinning together, we were vaccinated, and planned a trip to Bend, Oregon, where Nancy Stevens lives. We had met through SFL, and decided to start our pandemic fitness/social group, where we bonded into a tight, caring family of seven.
Three of us from Michigan (and I, from Tennessee) flew to Portland, Oregon, and drove the three hours to spend six days in Sun River with Nancy in early June. Now-I have to repeat-- it was June, in the high desert of central Oregon. When Nancy told us to bring the same clothes we would bring to Ski for Light, I scoffed; however, with morning temps of 37 and highs in the low 50s, I wore the same, warm outfit all week, and my shorts, sandals, and tank tops stayed in the suitcase.
Cold weather did not deter the Matrons! Nancy, a master of planning and organization, had procured a beautiful home for our stay, our food was catered by a chef friend of hers, and every morning and afternoon, a bike ride, hike, or paddle was planned, with all the equipment and volunteers we needed for our group of four VIPs , one SFL Guide, and two guide dogs. We can't express enough thanks to Chuck DeVeau (SFL Guide) and to Alan Rutherford, who made themselves available all week to help us, and to Oregon adaptive sports for providing both equipment and volunteers at no cost. In the evenings, Karen Burke played the keyboard, Nancy, her guitar, and Kris Gaumer, the recorder. Brenda Henige and I enjoyed and tried to sing along-- somewhat in tune. We laughed until our sides ached, made new friends with the volunteers (and tried to recruit them for Granby), and had a week to remember and cherish. Rita Howells and Denise Avant could not make it, but we are meeting up again on Lake Michigan with them in September.
Thank you, Ski For Light, not only for helping me enjoy the snow and mountains again, but also for enriching my life with these amazing new friends.
Remember those awesome online fitness classes that we stretched and sweated to together this winter, back during SFL's virtual event? Well, guess what: They're still out there in YouTube land, ready to provide easy-to-follow exercises and a jolt of SFL energy whenever you need it, wherever you are. Here's the link to the Fitness Instruction playlist on the Ski for Light YouTube channel, which includes six, varied workouts (stretching, strengthening, yoga), along with an inspirational video of Fitness Success Stories from the 2021 virtual event.
Marie and Nino Pacini, Scott and Betsy Fischer, Doug Powell, and John Elliott did an incredible job creating these programs, but we know it can be hard to stick with any at-home workout routine once it becomes... routine.
"Get a buddy," advises longtime SFL'er Bonnie O'Day, who's been working out to those videos faithfully since February with her spouse, Bob Hartt, and with another exercise-accountability friend. Based on the YouTube analytics, dozens of others have incorporated the clips into their home fitness regimens, as well-way to go!
For this fall, we'll be working on some new virtual programming to help everyone stay motivated, and to get back into skiing shape in time for Granby. If you have particular fitness interests, accessibility needs, or other suggestions for our SFL training team, please reach out to me (jycoppens@gmail.com), and I'll pass it on. Thanks for participating, and do keep sharing your success stories.
This month, we learned that Snow Mountain Ranch has hired a new Nordic Director for the upcoming ski season. They announced that Todd Lodwick will fill that position, and this is great news to those of us who have followed Nordic skiing for the past several decades. Todd is a native of Steamboat Springs, Colorado, a mountain community that has produced and nurtured dozens of world class winter athletes and Olympians. Todd's sport, Nordic Combined, requires expertise in two disciplines - cross-country skiing and ski jumping. He competed in six Winter Olympic Games, representing the United States as a Nordic Combined athlete in 1994, 1998, 2002, 2006, 2010, and 2014. At the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver, British Columbia, Todd and three teammates won the Silver Medal in the Team Large Hill /4x5 km Relay event.
Todd's international experience was not limited to the Olympics. He was the first American to win major titles in Nordic Combined. He competed in seven World Championships and 162 World Cup events, winning six of those World Cups, highlighted by his victory in the sprint at the 1998 Holmenkollen World Cup in Oslo, Norway.
Todd brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to the Snow Mountain Ranch Nordic Center, and we are anxious to introduce him to the Ski For Light family and tradition. Things are looking good for this winter. And remember, it is not too soon to start conditioning for Cross-Country skiing this January!
On June 5, 2021, Tor Dahl died at age 83. He was from Harstad in Northern Norway, learned to read at age three, and went on to graduate from the Norwegian School of Business and Economics in Bergen before emigrating to the United States, where he settled in Minnesota. He was a Fulbright Scholar, was widely recognized as a world expert on productivity, and was also a professor-- But his many roles, involvements, and achievements make for a very long and impressive CV (ref. the obituary in the StarTribune on June 27), so let us focus here on how he helped launch and support both Ski for Light and the Vinland National Center.
As president of the Sons of Norway Foundation, Tor was uniquely positioned to support initial efforts by Olav Pedersen, Carl Platou, Bjarne Eikevik, and others, to establish an offshoot of Norway's Ridderrenn in North America. The Foundation contributed $5,000 to the 1975 event in Summit County, Colorado. Tor joined the board of directors of SFL and remained on it for a decade. He also sat on the board of Vinland National Center. He attended the Ridderrenn three times: In 1979, he was a member of the official Ski for Light team sent to Norway, serving as the guide of fellow board member, VIP Nathan Micay. Both had a great sense of humor, and joined the rest of the American contingent in writing the Ski for Light Song, which was then performed in the Talent Show. Some oldtimers still sing it in good company 42 years later. Here are the opening lines:
Once upon a time we went to NorwayRefrain:
We skied the Ridderrenn,
We thought it'd never end,
And we got klister blisters on our thumbs.
We lost our underwear
But made some friendships there.
We skied the Beito till the bitter end.
And so on.....
In the tenth anniversary book "IF I CAN DO THIS," Tor contributed a piece called,"Ski for Light Epiphany". Here is an excerpt: "There were times when Ski for Light went from the sublime to the ridiculous. I remember a blind skier mistaking the klister tube for the toothpaste tube - I can only imagine what klister can do to your gums, knowing what it can do to my skis."
Tor Dahl will be fondly remembered by those of us in the Ski for Light community who were lucky enough to spend time with him.
I have been contemplating Tor Dahl. This is a man who has been in my orbit for many years. He is the father of my friend and mentor, Tove Irene, the dean of Skogfjorden the Norwegian language camp I went to and at which I taught. I house sat for him many years ago, when I was a student at Augsburg college. He just happened to be the speaker at my college commencement, and I was thrilled to have him mention my name in his speech. I admit to not remembering the rest of the speech.
He was involved in the early years of Ski for Light. Strangely enough, I never knew him at SFL, and I started participating in 2000. I have been around for a few years. When he told me he had helped to start the organization, I thought he was pulling my leg. Judy Dixon set me straight, and has some stories of the Tor Dahl years. You should ask her about them in Granby. Many times, when I would post pictures from SFL on my Facebook page, Tor would comment on how proud he was of my involvement with the group.
I was in Minnesota a few years ago, doing what good Norwegian Americans do, shopping at Ingebretson's with my friend, Hannah. As we passed the window, Hannah grabbed my arm and exclaimed, "Tor Dahl is inside!" He was there for a book signing by Norwegian author Vidar Sundstol. Tor immediately introduced us to this poor man, and told him all about Hannah's involvement with Skogfjorden and mine with SFL. This was Tor's way. He would connect people and would remember the most remarkable things about them. (A few years ago Leslie Maclin sent me a box of Nordic noir books that contained a couple of Vidar's books.) When I learned of Tor's passing, I contacted a friend of mine from the language camp. Karen told me about how she just came across a Son's of Norway certificate, honoring her father's guiding at Ski for Light, and signed by Tor. Again, there are so many connections through Tor and his early involvement with SFL.
Takk Tor, for making my wanderings, and some of the little and larger corners of my life, richer and brighter for having known you. Takk for alt.
The idea of teaching blind people to cross-country ski began in Norway in the 1950's with a blind Norwegian musician named Erling Stordahl. His work led in 1964 to the creation of the Ridderrenn, which today annually attracts more than 1,000 disabled participants and guides from around the world to the mountains of Norway for a week-long event. The Ridderrenn concept was brought to the United States in 1975 through the efforts of Olav Pedersen, with the support and involvement of many others. Olav was at the time a ski instructor in Colorado and had immigrated from Norway a decade earlier. He had known Erling in Norway and been aware from the very beginning of Erling's dreams and plans. The following article, written by Olav in 1995 just prior to the twentieth anniversary Ski for Light event, presents Olav's recollections of those days in Norway, the first U.S. event, and his belief that his involvement with Erling Stordahl and the SFL concept was truly a matter of fate.
Certain experiences in life, which first seem to have little significance, may later turn out to be a sign of things about to happen to you. And when people ask me, "How did you get involved with Ski for Light?" I tell how one such experience transformed my life. It goes like this: A young, blind musician and entertainer, Erling Stordahl and his two companions, also blind, came to my hometown, Voss, Norway, to give a concert. It was October 1952. I was working at the railway station and when the three arrived on the train that morning, I assisted them to their hotel nearby. As I was about to leave them, I said, "Good Luck." Then Erling said, "By the way, would you be able to be our M.C. tonight?" I hesitated for a moment and then answered, "I'll try, Erling." That night the three men turned my outlook on life almost upside down. The concert hall had never seen an audience more jubilant and appreciative; the applause wouldn't stop. And later that night in an interview, Erling told me his life's story. Since I also worked as a free- lance journalist at that time, the article I wrote about this young blind man was printed in several national newspapers. Today -- more than forty years later -- I wish I had saved that article, because I know that was what got me involved in Ski for Light. It bonded me to Erling in a manner which I personally explain as an act of God; it was part of my destiny, my fate.
I became even more convinced of that when in 1955, Erling again came to Voss, only this time on my invitation to entertain at the Norwegian Skiing Championships. As the chairman of the event, I was also host of H. M. King Olav V. One afternoon Erling asked me to meet with him in his room. It happened to be my 38th birthday. He made me curious about what he had in mind. He said, "Olav, what I am telling you now nobody else has ever heard, not even Anna. I have had this idea for some time that I will give up what I am doing now and try to start a program to teach cross-country skiing to blind people." Was I surprised to hear what he said to me? Yes, of course. Was he really serious? And why was he revealing this to me? But when he added, "I'll tell you, because I trust you," I knew he wanted an honest reaction to his idea, which he knew many people would find pretty crazy. However skepticism could not stop him. His vision found understanding and support from the public, the media, members of the government and last -- but not least -- from King Olav and the Royal Family.
We all know the results of his groundbreaking efforts: The Ridderrenn and Beitostolen Healthsport Center, an institution for development of equal opportunities for disabled and able-bodied people.
In September, 1973 I traveled to Norway to seek Erling's advice and help to try to export the concept to the U.S. As I explained my plan to him, I found that his trust in me was as strong as ever. He was glad to hear what I told him, and we reminisced about our conversation in 1955. We talked in some detail about how we could coordinate our efforts and laughingly he said: "We have to get the King with us." With a strong handshake, I said good-bye knowing that having gotten his blessing of my plan, the next step would be to find interested people back home.
Luckily my friends in the Summit Lions Club were ready. A committee was formed and a year of regular planning meetings were conducted. We heard that some newspapers in Norway enthusiastically had endorsed the idea of an American Ridderrenn, and private persons wrote to us and encouraged us to go ahead. Soon our plans had settled on February, 1975 as the date for the first event, to be held in Summit County. But during the last few months of preparations it looked like economic shortfalls might threaten the final lap to our goal. And here is where the Sons of Norway Foundation came to the rescue. On February 17 (my birthday), we welcomed 40 blind Norwegian skiers and their guides to our very first Race for Light. Erling Stordahl and his wife, Anna, were among them. Also from Norway came some expert help from the National Guard to do the technical part of the event. Twenty American and Canadian blind people got their first experience in cross-country skiing. Some of them we will most likely see at this 20th anniversary.
We also know that Erling had planned to be here, but cancer didn't give him the opportunity to once more show us that "If I can do this, I can do anything." How we are missing you, Erling, and thanking you for helping us to sow the seed in the United States
Our thanks go to the following companies that have provided products or services to help support Ski for Light. Many of these companies have stood behind us for years - and we're grateful. Be sure to think of our friends when you're gearing up for your next adventure.
JanSport * Beyond Coastal/Chums Sun Care * Big Agnes * Black Diamond * Borton Overseas Travel * Clif Bar * Columbia * Crazy Creek * Dansko * Darn Tough Socks * Energizer * Fjallraven * Fox River Mills * Glerups * Haiku * Kavu * Leki * Lodge Cast Iron * MountainSmith * Peet Shoe Dryers * Ruffwear * Spyderco * Wallaroo Hat Company * Wigwam
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Andrea GoddardThe deadline for the Fall 2021 Bulletin is November 1, 2021. We look forward to hearing from you.
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