Remarks by Host Karl Traubel

And this was one day before our flight to Sweden. It was my fourth time participating in the Wasalauf.

The Vasaloppet (Swedish: Vasaloppet) is one of the world’s largest cross-country skiing events and part of the Worldloppet Series. The main race is held every year on the first weekend in March between the towns of Sälen and Mora in the Swedish region of Dalarna on the Vasaloppsleden trail, covering 90 km using the classic technique. The race has been held since 1922.
(Source: Wikipedia)

Feeling relieved and with plenty of beer cans in our luggage, we set off for Stockholm together with my brother Walter, my friend Dicki—the owner of the Moorhütte—Thomas “Hösle,” a quintessential Ostallgäu local, and Erwin, a ski instructor and cross-country skiing instructor on the teaching staff. From there, we traveled comfortably to Mora in a spacious bus made by a German automaker from the Swabian region. Here, deep in the Swedish forests, we settled back into our cozy cabin. Dicki—colleague, school friend, and head chef—had already planned the menu weeks in advance, because the food simply can’t be neglected during a week like this. The menu would have held its own against HUBERTUS cuisine. The fact that Dicki didn’t lose a single game of Skat more than made up for his culinary achievements. All in all, this week was another highlight. We had fog and light snowfall, but the snow was fast for skiing. Just like last year, the relay race took place the Friday before. Erwin and Thomas prepared the skis—and that was my undoing. As the second skier on the 23-kilometer course from Mangsbodorna to Evertsberg, my skis were too slippery. That was my challenge; however, Thomas passed the information on to the rest of our team, so they were able to switch skis, and we finished with a very respectable result. While I was waiting as the second skier, I saw a Swedish TV camera crew interviewing Dario Colognia. He’s certainly one of the world’s best cross-country skiers (and an occasional guest here at HUBERTUS). I was able to chat with him briefly; he was out checking out the course and said he’d come back to visit us in Balderschwang sometime. Behind four Norwegians, Dario crossed the finish line in fifth place with a time of 4:08:02. I happily crossed the finish line with a time of 9 hours and 40 minutes (I’m also more than twice his age!). After the race, two Swedish blondes asked us if we knew that:

"Do runners have a bad memory?"

We said no, and then she explained. Toward the end of the race and even after crossing the finish line, you keep asking yourself, “ Why am I doing this? Why am I putting myself through this? ” —and you swear to yourself, “That was the last time!” However, almost without exception, you change your mind the very next day and find yourself thinking, “

” “Why not do it again…?”

I’d also like to express my huge thanks to our spa team, who suggested I have my skin examined, and to our therapists for their support, which ensured my injured shoulder withstood this strain without complications. After all, in late fall, I’d suffered a double ligament tear while mountain climbing. A huge thank you also goes to Gernot, our cross-country ski trail groomer in Balderschwang, who tends to over 60 kilometers of trails right on our doorstep every single day. On my cross-country skiing excursions, I’ve rarely encountered conditions as perfect as those here in our home village of Balderschwang.

“The good things are so close...”