The Wild Ride of the Norwegian Birkebeiner
Cissy and Ron at the Skijump in Oslo
Lumi guest Ron Sawdey from Salt Lake City, Utah took time to reflect on the 2025 Lumi trip to Norway for the Birkebeiner Worldloppet event in Lillehammer that he took with his wife Cissy. Ron’s reflections share some highlights from his week in Norway, plus insights into the downhill from Sjusjoen to Lillehammer that awaits Birken skiers at the end of the event.
The article was originally written as a newsletter for his club, The Utah Nordic Alliance. Ron also wrote an article about his 2023 Lumi Marcialonga & König Ludwig Lauf Trip, in which he answers the questions: “What is a Worldloppt? Why ski a Worldloppet?”
Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride
By Ron Sawdey:
When I asked our friends Angie and Jerry Richardsons to provide me with some “beta” about the Norwegian Birkebeiner ski marathon, Jerry cautioned me about the big descent from Sjusjoen to the finish, calling it “Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride.” Though I am not a fearless downhiller, I casually noted that I should be careful on that descent. Really, how bad could it be?
In my quest to ski as many Worldloppet races as possible before I’m too old for such adventures, I knew that I had to include the Norwegian Birkebeiner. The official name is the Birkebeinerrennet; the common name is the “Birken.” It is the race of legend and has inspired the American Birkebeiner as well as the Canadian version. In other words, it was a must do for me.
My wife and I booked a trip through Lumi Experiences, the company that we used a few years ago to navigate the Marcialonga and King Ludwig Lauf marathons. The owner/operator of Lumi, Garrott Kuzzy, knows his way around Europe’s cross-country venues and understands the needs of anxious marathon skiers. Lumi trips absolutely nail the details to ensure that you meet your goal of completing the marathon. They provide great lodging, food, guides, seamless transportation and a fun itinerary. How about a floating sauna on the Oslo fjord followed by a plunge in those cold ocean waters?
Ron Sawdey pauses for a photo of the Holmenkollen Chapel, where the Norwegian Royal Family celebrates Christmas
This Norwegian trip proved to be just as good as our last Lumi experience. We met Garrott, our guides and fellow skiers at a wonderful hotel nestled in the forested slopes above Oslo, near the Holmenkollen ski venue. In a normal year we would have been able to ski the extensive trails that surround the hotel, but not this year. Due to the lack of snow, we had to head down the road to the local train station for a ride to the Holmenkollen venue and its 5km of man-made snow. We managed to fit in a day of skiing the icy, World Cup level trails. It was not the kind of easy warmup that I had hoped for prior to the big day.
Lumi guests Matthias and Curt with US Ski Team athlete Ben Ogden
However, one cool thing about skiing at Holmenkollen was that several US Team members were already training there in preparation for upcoming World Cup events. It was impressive to see them fly by us as we plodded on the uphills. It was also very cool to see the amazing wax trailers the teams bring to World Cup events. Of course, the US trailer is pretty modest when compared to the two-story Norwegian castle-on-wheels.
An aerial view of the World Cup wax trucks. Which team trucks can you identify?
After a couple of days at the Holmenkollen in Oslo, we made our way to Lillehammer, and the wonderful Sjusjoen ski venue. The snow situation in Lillehammer was marginal, but the Sjusjoen plateau is a couple of thousand feet higher than Lillehammer and had great coverage. It served as a scenic venue for our last couple of skis before for the marathon. It’s worth noting that any cross-country ski trip to Norway must include skiing on the Sjusjoen trail system. It is gentle terrain with great vistas and impeccable trails that seem to go on forever. In the words of Chris Magerl, the skiing at Sjusjoen is “dreamy”.
Unfortunately (or fortunately) we were not able to sample the downhill from Sjusjoen to the finish. The organizers were busy hauling snow in to cover the lower part of the route, and the downhill was off limits.
The legend of the Birken has to do with the birch legging warriors (Birkebeiner), spiriting the young prince Haakon away from those who wanted to harm him during a long ago civil war. The route that we ski from Rena to Lillehammer traces part of their escape route. In keeping with the spirit of the race, we were required to carry an 8 pound pack to simulate the weight of the young prince. Some of our party even managed to come up with an 8 pound baby doll that they either perched on top of or had peeking out of their packs. As usual, I made this a point of worry, but after packing extra warm clothing and a couple of water bottles that I couldn’t touch without removing the pack, I came in at exactly the required weight.
Lumi guest Kimberly skis the Birken, symbilically rescuing her baby Prince Hakkon.
One very nice thing about this marathon is that they provide an early wave for men 70 and older and women 65 and older. This group starts immediately after the elite men and women. I lovingly call this the “geezer” wave. I’m used to starting in one of the last waves and weaving my way past slower skiers the entire time. On the Birken race day I found myself skiing fresh tracks for the entire course… until the big downhill, at least. Now, rather than expending energy passing much slower skiers, I was able to park in the right lanes and let other younger, faster skiers take on that burden. Yay, for old age!
Another race day worry for me is the weather. I can’t imagine a worse scenario than committing to a long day on skis made that much longer by intense snow and wind. I have been lucky so far, and race day for the Birken was mercifully cloudy with temps starting in the low twenties and little wind.
Rather than provide a blow-by-blow of my ski that day, I’ll summarize by saying that the Birken is a very tough marathon. I’ve skied much longer than the 54km of the Birken (i.e. Vasaloppett and Marcialonga), but the 3300 feet of total ascent was brutal. Many of our fellow travelers were from Wisconsin and have skied multiple American Birkebeiner marathons. All agreed that the Norwegian Birken was a much tougher endeavor.
Perhaps the best part of the day was the Norwegian spectators. They lined the course almost from the start, and it was evident from their fire pits, fur lined snow benches and BBQ grills that this is an all-day event for them. Later in the course they offered all manner of liquids; energy drink, coffee, cola, aquavit, and Jägermeister shots. All of this was in addition to what the organizers provided at the regular feed stations. There was no excuse for bonking or cramping during the Birken.
Lumi guests prepare for their event
The absolute highlight of the day was passing through the ski stadium at Sjusjoen. There were several thousand folks having a riotous good time and cheering on every skier that passed. The energy that they provided was a much needed boost just before the “wild ride” to the finish.
It's possible that in a normal snow year, that last 15 km (10 km of which are the actual descent) would be fairly straightforward. However, in this low snow year, the hauled in snow had been quickly scraped away as skiers tried to check their speed by snow-plowing into the corners. Fellow skiers clocked 30+ mph in several sections. By the time I hit this stretch, many of the corners had been scraped down to the base, an ice layer with the hauled in snow piled into drifts on the outside of the corner. I managed to navigate all but the last big sharp left with my skis under me. I biffed it badly on that corner and found myself sprawled on the course with skiers behind me doing their best not to crash into me. After scuttling off to the side and assessing the damage, I concluded that I could finish and joined the descending hoards as we sped to the finish.
At the finish I was greeted by my wife, Cissy, and our trip leader, Anders, who quickly offered me a beer which I happily gulped down (Did he really know me that well?). After I shared my misadventure, they reported seeing several skiers crossing the finish with blood on their faces. Later, I learned that others in our group had taken bad falls on the descent and in some cases took their skis off and walked down the worst sections. I can’t say that I blame them.
Celebrating the finish of a successful Birken. Skal!
I must report that we witnessed one skier crossing the finish line clad in nothing but a pair of boxer briefs. He wore gloves and a toque, but his skin was crimson from the cold but not from falling. I can’t imagine that some of his body parts were not frostbitten.
Crazy!
As for me, I took it easy for the remainder of our time in Norway fully clothed. I napped, tended to my bruised hip, took part in a wonderful farewell dinner for our Lumi group, scored some great gear at the Swix factory, and visited the Lillehammer Olympic Museum.
A visit to the Norwegian Ski Museum, complete with a ski rack outside, is a must-see for all skiers.
I was warned of the danger of Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride. I thought that I had approached it with sufficient respect but found that I really had no idea what I was getting into. It was truly wild, scary, painful, exhausting, and surprisingly exhilarating. In the end, I managed to survive the ride and can now bask in the satisfaction of finishing a very tough ski marathon. Not bad for a geezer.
If you are interested in joining the 2026 Norway-Birken trip, there is still limited availability. Not ready to ski the Norwegian Birkebeiner? Many guests, including Ron’s wife Cissy, travel on the Birken trip and enjoy the full experience without skiing the Birken. We encourage non-racers to join Lumi trips as well.
Prefer to watch the best skiers in the world race? Check out Lumi’s 2026 World Cup and Olympic Trips, where you can cheer on your favorite World Cup skiers and learn insider insights from your expert, local trip leaders.
Or perhaps you prefer a Lumi trip with no racing at all? Check out our popular Lumi Sight-Skiing Trips instead, where you can enjoy beautiful skiing, delicious cuisine & cultural experiences during your vacation, with no thoughts of ski racing.
See you on the trail,
Garrott Kuzzy
garrott@lumiexperiences.com