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Earlier this month, Johannes Høsflot Klæbo came into town. Klæbo, 27, hails from Trondheim, Norway, and is the most successful male cross-country ski racer of all time. On his way to Park City, Utah, for elevation training, he stopped in Minnesota for two days, specifically at the Theodore Wirth Trailhead. This visit marked a milestone event that speaks both to the flourishing international reputation of Minnesota as a cross-country ski destination, as well as the potential for Minnesotans to advance our culture of outdoors and exploration.
Thousands of members of the ski community turned out to train, ask questions or simply revel in the presence of Klæbo. In the morning, he led a training event and Q&A for youth and young adult skiers, and, in the evening, held an event to thank the 2024 Stifel Loppet Cup volunteers from last winter, who were critical to the United States’ landmark hosting of the first FIS Cross-Country World Cup in over 20 years, which happened to be at Theodore Wirth Park.
Interviewing Klæbo, I asked him why he was returning to Minnesota, which, being in the U.S., is historically a backwater country (when compared to the Scandinavian powerhouses) for cross-country skiing. “It was really special to be here,” he said. “Everyone was so happy, and the engagement was so great. People [the skiers and spectators] were loving it.”
Klæbo ended up winning the men’s sprints final while in Minneapolis, and expressed how much he and other members of the Norwegian team enjoyed the cheering and atmosphere while racing in our state.
The fact that someone who’s advanced the sport as much as Klæbo has fallen for the Minnesota spell isn’t just a compliment to our state and community: This is an inspiring development. Having a figure like Klæbo — a role model for so many youth athletes and beyond — visit is incredibly motivating for everyone involved. “I like doing this as much as them,” Klæbo said, referring to training and talking with the kids.
Furthermore, that the Loppet World Cup even happened in our country, much less at our neighborhood ski trail, speaks to the significant momentum that has grown in the aftermath of Jessie Diggins’ and Kikkan Randall’s team sprint gold in the 2018 Olympics in South Korea — the United States’ first medal in cross-country skiing since Bill Koch’s win in 1976, and first ever gold.
