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ParticipACTION’s 60-year-old Swede has nothing on this retiree who shows no signs of slowing down. Want proof? Check out his race results.

You went up to Skoki Lodge for two nights to celebrate your 80th birthday. How’d that come about? Well, my birthday is in July but because there’s no snow in July, we went in February. Iguess the kids were thinking, “rather than have a big bash for his 80th, let’s do something dad wants to do.” And I think some time ago I said, “I’d sure like to go to a lodge some time.” This was good because Skoki was built in 1931, so it’s also 80 years old.

And did it live up to your expectations? I found out skiing in the backcountry is a lot more work than skiing the groomed trails. But the views are just incredible—you don’t see that from the highway.… I went with my four kids. The fun part was that there was an alumni group from an Irish rugby team staying there, too. They hired a guy with a snowmobile. He’s got two big sleds behind and they piled their beer on there. They brought in instruments—guitar, violin, a little squeezebox accordion, a drum—and they sang, and recited and told stories. It was just a hoot. If I ever go back again, I want to go on St. Patrick’s Day weekend.

Have you been a cross-country skier all your life? When I worked, I didn’t have time to go skiing. I got started because my wife, Therese, belonged to a seniors outdoor club—they’d rent a bus and go hiking in the summer and (cross-country) skiing in the winter. After so many years of working for (Calgary) Co-op I was getting up to, I think, seven weeks of vacation. It was too much time to take off work, so they allowed me to take a day off a week, so I started going with my wife. When I retired in ’92, I became a full-time member of Skrastins Outdoor Club.

And you do a little racing as well? In 1995 the World Masters Games were held at Canmore. Five of us old guys hired a coach—he was from Norway and he’d never coached seniors before—and we entered. There were three races: 10 km, 20 km and 30 km. We certainly didn’t win anything, but we didn’t finish last…. I also usually do the Kananaskis Marathon and the Birkebeiner in Edmonton—I finished second this year (in the 70-99 age group, completing the 55-km course in 5:08:29). I’ve done about 34 races since I retired.

It doesn’t sound like you spend much time cursing winter.
I love the winter. I’d never go anywhere in the wintertime—like on a holiday. I just love snow.

Originally published in Swerve magazine April.15.11.

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