Glacier Skiing and International Travel Update

GMVS coach Colin Rodgers heading up the trail on the Stelvio Glacier

This has been a big week in international travel news. First, the US announced on Monday that it will allow fully vaccinated Europeans to enter the US beginning in November. This may not matter to most Ski Post readers who are based in the US, but it does mean that the EU will likely keep its borders open to vaccinated travelers from North America. Second, Austria announced on Tuesday that they plan to be open for all vaccinated travelers for the ski season this winter.

We plan to move forward with the Lumi Experiences trips to the EU this winter. There is still very limited space available on the Dolomitenlauf & Marcialonga Trip and Seefeld & Engadin Trip. Contact info@lumiexperiences.com for a detailed trip itinerary or to sign up!

In other news, I spent last weekend skiing with the Green Mountain Valley School team on the Stelvio Glacier in Italy. It was great to catch up with GMVS coaches Colin Rodgers and Kat Howe. GMVS has a strong relationship with the sports high school in Mals, Italy. Athletes from both high schools on opposite sides of the Atlantic spend several weeks training with each other every year -- in Vermont and Italy. It’s an excellent opportunity for skiers to get exposure to other training venues and coaching. Mals is located at the base of the Stelvio Glacier, just across the border from Val Mustair, Switzerland -- home to Swiss Gold Medalist Dario Cologna and the Val Mustair stage of the Tour de Ski. Needless to say, the training opportunities are almost endless.

Technique work on the Stelvio Glacier

The Stelvio Glacier is about 10,000 feet above sea level, about 1,000 feet higher than the Dachstein Glacier (where we go on the Lumi Experiences Factory Tour Trip). Fortunately, I’ve been on snow a few times already this month, so it was easy to get used to the fast conditions at 8:00 am. Acclimating to the elevation was a bit more challenging. The 3 km trail snakes its way up the glacier before a zippy, winding descent back to the start. We tried to go easy, but it’s just too much fun to go fast. That meant quite a few stops to let our heart rate lower again after some natural intervals. For me, it was the perfect opportunity to practice more corners after skiing in the Planica ski tunnel. We tried to make it down the 12 hairpin turns without skidding, but had to throw the skis sideways at least once to keep from shooting off the trail. Yikes!

The Stelvio Glacier on the west side of the iconic Ortler Mountain from Lake Resia in Italy

Another great activity was a balance drill, taking off one ski and twirling it overhead like a helicopter, before putting it back on -- while gliding on the other ski. A few of the older skiers had no trouble with this drill, so to up the challenge, they tried to switch skis with another skier -- while gliding down the trail. Colin and Kat kept the activities accessible for everyone with a healthy balance of challenge and fun. I’m already looking forward to meeting up with them again on the Stelvio Glacier next September. Check out @gmvsxc on Instagram for more photos from their trip.

Lumi Experiences also offers self-guided trips if you’d like to experience glacier skiing for yourself!

See you on the trail soon,
Garrott Kuzzy
info@lumiexperiences.com

Lumi Experiences Founder Garrott Kuzzy on the Stelvio Glacier.jpeg