100 Years Ago: A Personal Account of the 1924 Holmenkollen 50K
Cheering at Holmenkollen with Lumi trip leader and 2x Olympian Holly Brooks
I’m thrilled to share a special story from the 1924 Holmenkollen 50K cross-country ski race, written by Henry I. Baldwin (1896-1992), grandfather of long-time Lumi guest Gunnar Knapp.
Gunnar traveled with his family and Lumi Experiences to the 2023 Holmenkollen World Cup. 99 years after his grandfather’s visit, the women were skiing the first-ever women’s 50K event. If you’ve been to Holmenkollen, you may be surprised to learn that many of the traditions haven't changed in 100 years. Here is a note Gunnar sent after recently rediscovering his grandfather’s journal entries from the ‘24 Holmenkollen in his autobiography called “The Skiing Life”:
From Gunnar Knapp:
Dear friends:
As some of you may know, but others probably don't, my grandfather--Henry I. Baldwin (1896-1992) was an early pioneer of skiing in the Adirondacks and New England. He grew up in Saranac Lake, New York (near Lake Placid), and later worked as NH State Research Forester in Hillsboro, New Hampshire. Among other adventures, he was one of the first people to ski at Tuckerman's Ravine on Mount Washington, he helped officiate at the 1932 Olympics in Lake Placid, and he built ski trails all over New Hampshire. When he was in his 90s, at his children's urging, he wrote a book called "The Skiing Life" about his memories of skiing over nine decades.
I read the book about 30 years ago, and had mostly forgotten it. But I happened to reread it recently, and was amazed to discover that it includes a five-page account of attending the Holmenkollen 50K cross-country ski race in 1924 (100 years ago!), as he described the experience in his journal at the time. After having attended the memorable Holmenkollen race weekend with many of you in 2023, it was fascinating to see how many similarities there were between our two experiences 99 years apart--as well as some obvious differences (at that time there was just one 50K race, for men, which was out and back--so wherever you watched from you only got to see the racers twice.
--Gunnar
Gunnar leading the Lumi group to the Holmenkollen races
Gunnar's wife Alice at Holmenkollen
Diggins placed third in the first-ever women's 50K mass start in 2023
Jessie Diggins en route to victory in the Overall World Cup at the 2024 Holmenkollen, overlooking Oslo
Excerpt from “The Skiing Life” by Henry I. Baldwin
1924 Holmenkollen Ski Race:
While we were accustomed even in our ignorance to mention Norway and ski-running in the same breath, and always in superlatives, it was, perhaps the overwhelming superiority of Norwegian ski runners in the recent Olympic Winter Sports at Chamonix, France, that opened the eyes of Americans that there must be something unusual, almost uncanny, about the supremacy of Norway in this sport. Skis have been in general use in Switzerland, parts of Germany and Austria seemingly long enough to develop experts. But to see real skiing one should go to Norway. It was thus that I came to make a pilgrimage to Holmenkollen this year, bent on seeing this King of Sports at home and I was not disappointed. . .
To compete at Holmenkollen is the goal of all young Norwegians from the time they first set out on skis. Everyone learns to ski in Norway at 3 or earlier, but not everyone may take part in Holmenkollen.. . To take a prize at Holmenkollen is regarded by the modern Norwegian no less sought after than ValhaIIa to his Viking ancestor. . .
The trolley or "trikk" to Majorstuen, the terminus of the Holmenkollen electric line was thronged with young fellows in blue ski suits and bright colored scarfs going up to see the finish of the race; the vestibules were piled high with their skis. Starting from Majorstuen we began to get the real Holmenkollen atmosphere. A long line of people filed between iron fences to the cars and bound their skis upright on the sides of the cars. A car thus covered bristles like a Vikings' ship beset with warriors' spears. . .
As it was evident that no one would be back for two hours yet, I determined to satisfy my hunger if possible or at least to see what the inside of Frognersaetern restaurant was like. The latter proved easier than the first. Having checked my skis outside where the long stacks of them betokened a goodly number inside; I got a look inside, but that would be all, it seemed, not only was every cubic inch occupied but the occupants were armed with ski staves and many had rucksacks on their backs which made crowding past more complicated. Those who were fortunate enough to be seated at a table were quaffing glasses of dark ale or still darker coffee and eating cakes and cheese. . .
Lumi guests pause for a photo in front of the infamous Frognersaetern restaurant on the Holmenkollen plateau
The famous Birkebeiner painting, on display inside Frognerseteren
Finally at 2:35 a murmur audible above the tempest came down the track lined by people far up in the woods. It gathered volume as the crowd increased in density. It mounted to a roar as the first runner burst from the wood, stepped nimbly onto the steep open slope and crouched low for the final dash down hill to the finish in the face of the gale . . .
The crowd began to thin out, gradually forming openings for the wind to whistle in among the remainder. Last in time but high in spirits came Emmerich Rath, from Czechoslovakia, the only non-Norwegian to finish. He would certainly have received a hearty welcome, for Norwegians are most hospitable to foreign contestants, but the greater number of the crowd had betaken themselves to town on skis or sleds before his arrival - I among the rest.
Read the full story from Henry I. Baldwin directly from the pages of his book:
Views over Oslo and the fjord from Holmenkollen
If you’ve been to Holmenkollen, is Henry’s account of the 1924 race familiar? If you haven’t yet experienced the Holmenkollen World Cup, what Norwegian fans affectionately refer to as “the second national day” of Norway, it takes place every March on the Holmenkollen plateau above Oslo.
This winter in Norway, however there’s going to be an even bigger event you won’t want to miss, drawing crowds of fans from Norway and beyond. It’s only the second time in cross-country ski history that the World Championships will be in Norway, but outside of Oslo – the last time was in 1997 (almost 30 years ago in Trondheim!).
After the races, take an evening boat ride along the Trondheim Fjord during Lumi’s Trondheim World Champs trip
Lumi Experiences has lodging and grandstand tickets reserved for this unique Nordic event. The trip deadline is approaching fast: receive a $300 / person booking discount when you sign up for Lumi’s Week 1 trip by Friday, November 15. There are still a few spots available on the Week 2 trip too, which dovetails nicely with one of Lumi’s most popular trips: the Norway-Birken trip to Holmenkollen and Lillehammer. Reach out soon to see an itinerary and save your spot: info@lumiexperiences.com
See you on the trail,
Garrott Kuzzy
garrott@lumiexperiences.com