A Luminous Lumi Tour
Jeff classic skiing on the Lavazé plateau above Cavalese, Italy
Lumi guest Jeff Wilhelm from Boise, Idaho describes his experience traveling to Austria, Italy and Germany with his wife Peggy Jo on Lumi’s Dolomitenlauf & Marcialonga and Marcialonga & König Ludwig Lauf trips… a preview? “This Lumi tour was luminous.”
Interested in joining one of the Lumi cross-country ski trips next winter? They’re starting to fill and right now we’re offering an early booking discount of $300 when you save your spot before March 31. Reach out to info@lumiexperiences.com see the trip itinerary and book!
Story by Jeff Wilhelm:
Let’s lead with the WHY. Why did my wife and I take a Lumi trip to Austria and Italy? Well, for one, I have two moldering Worldloppet passports circa 1999 and 2001 with just 3 stamps each. It’s clearly time to let those documents fulfill their righteous purposes! Also, my wife Peggy is an entirely delightful person who is a non-skier with several disabilities. So, the question was how to take a trip where I got my skiing and marathon fixes, and Peg had a chance to enjoy herself and Europe, and we could enjoy being with each other and interesting compatriots. I discussed the possibilities with Garrott at the American Birkebeiner last year, and Peg and I pulled the trigger shortly thereafter.
Pro Tip: Plan to spend some time in Munich!
We flew into Munich a few days early and stayed at Lumi’s recommended hotel in Munich. The hotel was convenient to the Fußgänger (pedestrian zone) and also to the subway. Munich is a fabulous cultural center and features two of my own favorite art museums, die Alte und die Neue Pinakothek. There are plenty of other great specialized museums too – like the BMW and the Oktoberfest museums, and many historical and cultural walking tours to do. Be sure not to miss the Viktualienmarkt (victual or food market), and grab some weisswurst (white sausage – served only in the mornings!) at Schneiders and dine on authentic Bavarian cuisine at the Augustiner across from the Frauenkirche.
We were picked up at the Lumi hotel on Friday morning and we bused in comfort through the mountains to Lienz, Austria, where we stayed in a family-owned hotel right next to downtown. From there we could walk to the bus station and wend our way up to the Dolomitenlauf course at the Austrian biathalon center.
For the duration, I experienced the life of a World Cup skier. Everything was taken care of except the skiing, which I like to take care of myself, anyway! Our skis were waxed, great meals provided, transportation seamless.
Lumi trip leader Anna with Zirbenschnapps for Jeff on the Lavazé plateau
The Dolomitenlauf in Austria
Very cold at the start (No problem – there is no bad weather, only bad preparation!).
The trail was stunningly beautiful and hard packed, heading up briefly then down through open alpine meadows and farms, then back up up and UP along a glacial brook in the trees (very good!) then a short loop around and through the stadium past the 21k mark and then out to do it once again! I was 93rd place overall, 87th male, 4th of 27 in M7 (always the bridesmaid!) --(Peggy, who hates to be disappointed, was satisfied! Gott sei Dank!)
Wax tech Florian was most keen to know how my skis ran, and I told him “mit jedem Schritt, hab ich gesagt: Danke, Florian! Danke, Florian!” With every step, I said “Thank you, Florian!” The skis had great glide in tough conditions. I think it’s a good rule to thank people who give me gifts --like expertly waxing my skis!
Off to Italy!
After the classic skiers did their race on Sunday, we headed to South Tyrol and the town of Dobbiacco/Toblach and days of glorious skiing along the Tour de Ski routes and up through the Dolomites towards Cortina, viewing the 3 Zinnen (3 Towers) and other Dolomite massifs along the way. From there we bused to Cavalase to tour the Marcialonga course and prepare for our 70km ski odyssey through medieval towns and the Predazzo Ski Jumping and Lago Tresoro Nordic and Biathalon areas, all 2026 Olympic venues. I’ll report on that amazing race in my next blog, but suffice it to say the Marcialonga has a unique vibe with the course running through the valley towns and literally thousands of fans lining the course and manning the aid stations, whirling little wooden ratchets and yelling Bravi, Bravi, Bravi!
Jeff and his wife Peggy Jo and their friend at the Marcialonga in Cavelse, Italy
This trip was all very convenient for my non-skiing wife. It must be acknowledged that the trip leaders, Polona and Anna, made sure that Peg had walking partners for yarn shopping and coffee drinking each day. The pace of the tour was easy with lots of margin and there was always time for Peg and I to walk to lunch, take short strolls through the local environs, and engage in cultural activities, many of these provided by the tour – like strudel making, which I seem to have a natural talent for – much to Peg’s delight. I might become the resident family strudel maker at home! The hotels all had spas and all but one had a pool, which made for some great afternoon relaxation.
In short: this Lumi tour was luminous. For the passionate marathon Nordic skier, I’d say this tour is highly recommended, if not compulsory! As I mentioned, Peggy does not like to be disappointed, and there was never any danger of that!
Wherever and however you want to explore on skinny skis next winter, we have you covered:
Our Sight-Skiing trips to Italy, Austria, Norway or Slovenia are for the skier who wants beautiful skiing, delicious cuisine & cultural experiences during their vacation, without any ski racing.
The Trondheim World Champs (2025 only!) and Tour de Ski trips are opportunities to catch your favorite World Cup racers in iconic regions like Norway and Italy (site of the 2026 Olympic Games).
All of our guest favorite Worldloppet trips to ski the Dolomitenlauf, Marcialonga, König Ludwig Lauf, Transju’, Engadin, Birken, and Fossavatn are back. Plus! New trips to Estonia and Finland launching soon…
And of course our self-guided trips — popular for couples, families, groups of friends, companies and ski clubs.
We would love to hear from you: info@lumiexperiences.com! Reach out to reserve your space, see a detailed itinerary for a trip, and we’re always happy to answer any questions.
See you on the trail,
Garrott Kuzzy
garrott@lumiexperiences.com