Worldloppet - Skiing Around the World!
Worldloppet - Skiing Around the World!

Lumi Experiences is excited to announce its recognition as an official tour operator of the Worldloppet.

The Worldloppet is an international sports federation of cross-country ski marathons in 20 different countries. The aim of Worldloppet is to promote the sport of cross-country skiing, by focusing on popular skiing through ski events around the world. Lumi Experiences aim to bring people together and facilitate the best cross country ski experiences possible is on the same track as the Worldloppet.

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Garrott KuzzyOtepää, EstoniaWorldloppet
A Prost to Oktoberfest
A Prost to Oktoberfest

But it’s only September! That’s right. The world’s largest folk festival starts in September and goes until the first weekend in October in Munich, Germany. The first Oktoberfest took place in 1810, to celebrate the wedding of Princess Theresa to Bavarian Prince Ludwig. The party was so popular that the celebration became an annual tradition, starting earlier and earlier to draw out the party and take advantage of Munich’s notoriously good weather in late-September. The Theresien Wies’n is the meadow, named after Queen Theresa, that hosts the annual event--just a short walk from the cobblestone streets of Munich’s old town.

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GermanyGarrott KuzzyMunich, Germany Culture
Producing Skis: A visit to the Salomon & Atomic ski factory
Producing Skis: A visit to the Salomon & Atomic ski factory

Altenmarkt, Austria sits in the valley below the face of the Dachstein mountain. The lush green valley is home to 4,000 inhabitants and about as many grazing brown cows. On the edge of town, past the cobbled pedestrian streets lies the Atomic - Salomon ski factory. It is not hard to understand why this valley might attract skiers, surrounded by alpine ski hills on almost all sides.

I stopped in to check out the facility and get a better understanding of how skis are produced. Jean-Marc Draeyer, Salomon’s head of race ski production, took time away from selecting skis for the world’s top racers and specialty Nordic shops to take me on a tour of the facility. Photos are not allowed, but the process was enlightening, especially how the flex is literally baked into the ski to perform for specific conditions.

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AustriaGarrott KuzzyAltenmarkt, AustriaSight-Skiing, Culture
Development for the 2021 FIS Nordic World Championships
Development for the 2021 FIS Nordic World Championships

In the event preparation cycle, event organizers often build new infrastructure at least a winter before their big event. Oberstdorf, Germany will host the 2021 Nordic World Championships for the third time (1987, 2005). Oberstdorf is best known as a ski jumping venue, familiar to many as the “agony of defeat” jump; the intro to “Wide World of Sports” when Vinko Bogataj falls on the inrun. The ski flying hill is home to at least 20 world record jumps and the ski jump venue is the first stop on the annual Four Hills Tournament. The cross country trails in Oberstdorf are also a regular stop on the Tour de Ski. In 2020, however, there will be no Tour de Ski in Oberstdorf, as they are hosting a full World Cup weekend in late January, as a test event for the 2021 World Championships.

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Garrott KuzzyOberstdorf, GermanyWorld Cup
2020 Minneapolis World Cup Trip
2020 Minneapolis World Cup Trip

Happy 4th of July! To celebrate, Lumi Experiences is announcing a special trip to the Minneapolis World Cup, the first World Cup in the United States in almost 20 years.

The events are being hosted at Wirth Park, one of the largest urban parks in the country. The Loppet Foundation has grown cross country skiing in Minneapolis for close to 20 years, hosting events such as the City of Lakes Loppet, which brings in over 10,000 participants.

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USAGarrott KuzzyMinneapolis, MNWorld Cup
Val di Fiemme - 2026 Olympic Host City for Milan-Cortina Games
Val di Fiemme - 2026 Olympic Host City for Milan-Cortina Games

The International Olympic Committee announced this week that the 2026 Winter Olympic Games will be hosted by Milan & Cortina, Italy … the first time the Winter Games will be held in central Europe since 2006 in Torino, Italy. Although Milan and Cortina are around 250 miles apart, the IOC cites the sustainability of Milan-Cortina’s bid as one of the main reasons for the decision. They will use many of the existing venues in northern Italy to host events.

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ItalyGarrott KuzzyCavalese, ItalyWorld Cup
Innsbruck 2020 - Winter World Masters Games
Innsbruck 2020 - Winter World Masters Games

“The practice of sport is a human right.”
- Olympic Charter

The World Masters Games were founded in 1985 to bring athletes over age 30, of any ability, together to compete internationally. The 2020 Winter World Masters Games (WWMG) are heading to Innsbruck & Seefeld, Austria from January 11 - 19, 2020. Seefeld is the site of the 2019 Nordic World Championships. The WWMG are only held every 5 years -- in contrast to to the Masters Cross Country World Cup, which happens annually. The WWMG brings athletes together from many winter sports, including cross country, biathlon, ski jumping, ice hockey, figure skating and more. In 2020, WWMG expects over 3,000 participants to compete in Innsbruck.

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AustriaGarrott KuzzyInnsbruck, AustriaWorld Cup
The Classics
The Classics

Nope, this isn’t about the Paris Roubaix or Tour de Flanders. This is about Ski Classics: the Worldloppet and the VISMA Ski Classics. What are these international events? How can you participate?

The Worldloppet is an international series of some of the world’s most popular ski marathons. In 2019, the Worldloppet celebrated 40 years since the organization started with 10 events in 1979, including the American Birkebeiner. Since then, it has expanded to include 20 ski events in 20 countries.

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Garrott KuzzyLillehammer, NorwayWorldloppet
What's in a name?
What's in a name?

In March 2016, I took a short train ride from my home in Innsbruck, Austria to Seefeld. My former coach, Bryan Fish, was at the Europa Cup finals with a group of athletes from the US. I wanted to catch up with Bryan and help test wax for the team. While the skiers were racing, we discussed the opportunity to ski race in Europe. Thanks to the National Nordic Foundation, these racers trying to make the jump to the World Cup were able to receive world-class support.

But these elite athletes are not the only ones who should be able to ski in Europe with first-class waxing and support. What if we share that experience with other skiers as well? Lumi Experiences was born. Lumi is the Finnish word for snow. As the name suggests, Lumi focuses on travel to experience winter in some of the world’s most spectacular places.

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Garrott KuzzySeefeld, AustriaWorld Cup, Trip Leader