http://nordicwalkingna.com/Certification.html
Malin Svensson and Gary Johnson are coming back to Minneapolis in August. They were our partners for the 2nd Annual North American Nordic Walking Expo in June and had so much fun they just had to come back to do an INWA (International Nordic Walking Association) Instructor Certification.

Actually, they were so impressed with Nordic Walkers here in Minnesota, (they even came out in the rain) they felt it would be an excellent location for a training. Eagan Community Center is our host for the program, a beautiful facility on the east side of town.
This is the first time that Nordic Walking North America have offered this training here in the Twin Cities. Malin is considered to be one of the leading Nordic Walking experts in the world. Gary, her partner with Nordic Walking North America is a fitness expert coming from a background as a professional soccor player. It is a 2 day workshop for fitness professionals and instructors. The training is mainly an outdoor course and includes theory and history as well as technique, video and personal feedback. Cost of the training is $299.
Why get certified? If you are a fitness trainer Nordic Walking is your opportunity to encourage more individuals to make a change to a healthier, active lifestyle. Many people shy away from “gym memberships” because they don’t see themselves as athletic or fit. Nordic Walking requires no spandex, no helmet and everyone can do it without being put in front of a mirror or on a machine. Help us get people outdoors and moving. It’s the perfect addition to any trainer’s repertoire.
There is so much potential for Nordic Walking to change peoples lives, to move them towards a healthier lifestyle, to turn around the obesity epidemic. Don’t you want to be part of that?













We started our last day at Big Sky at the top of Lone Peak. We signed out to ski the North Summit at about 10:45am. Look to the very top and think about skiing down the snow field towards the line of rocks in the center of the photo. It was cold! like 5 degrees. So the snow was stiff and so was I.Once again there was no turning back so we took turns skiing the “whale” and the “gorge” down to the safe spot. I definitely got my cardio workout. The total vertical is 4000 feet to the bottom of the “6 shooter” lift at Moonlight. Essentially you go from the very top to the very bottom. I need to tell you that this is definitely outside my comfort level of skiing. It’s very high, very steep and the snow was less than perfect. but the sense of accomplishment for having made it down in good style will keep me pumped all the way home to Minnesota.
The Big Coulior that the kyds have been skiing this week is the white strip just to the right of Lone Peak, seen here from a distance. The small speck right on top is the Tram tower. Sam skied it with Michelle on Friday, her first time to drop in. It’s a thrill to watch them come down.
At night there is a single light in the building so you can always see the top of Lone Peak. We did the Montana Yurt Dinner on Friday night. It’s a snowcat ride up into the hills and then dinner in a yurt with a bonfire and sledding under the stars. Instead of riding the snowcat back down there was a small group of us that took the sleds and walked and sledded the 2 miles back to the base. WOW. We followed the cat track down under a star filled, cold Montana sky. It was so much fun!
Tomorrow we’re going to try and ski the North Summit. We’ll start at the top of the tram and ski all the way down the north side of Lone Peak and end up at the bottom of Moonlight. If the lines aren’t too long and it’s good light we’ll be on it. One last first before we head back to Minnesota.
In order to ski this you have to be decked out with full avalanche gear, check in and out with the ski patrol, and have nerves of steel to be able to make the drop into the couloir. Sam lived out here for 4 years and never got to do it but on Tuesday the stars aligned with great snow, good visibility and short lines at the Tram and to do the Couloir. He and Brian dropped in at 1pm for an epic run. Here’s a closer view of the actual couloir, you can see 2 small dots at the top, that would be Sam and Brian. Awesome!
Yesterday we skied Moonlight Basin, great snow on some of my favorite runs. I had never taken the lift up to the Headwaters at the top of the ridge but when Sam and Brian invited me to come with them I had to say yes. You start by hiking up hill to the chairlift, this discourages the not so good skiers from trying it. At the top you have to side step up to the high traverse, a thin ribbon of snow that wraps around the hut and runs along the top between bands of rocks. Once there you are committed! I followed Sam, not daring to look down or around me, focused on the snow under my skis and his voice reassuring me it was fine. The truth is that I’m not good at heights and my heart was pounding!At the end of the traverse was Fire Hole. It’s a “medium” wide gully and the snow was soft and deep! I followed Sam down to meet Brian (he couldn’t do the high traverse on his snowboard) and then we took turns going the rest of the way down. The first turn is the hardest, but once into the rhythm I was able to just keep doing one turn after another and made my way down in fine style. Laura’s voice was in my head to keep “touching” my pole and keep turning even tho she wasn’t there with us. The best advice to have when on the steep and deep.It felt really good to challenge myself, and I was proud of what I could do. The best part was my “support team” of Sam and Brian, it was their encouragement that gave me the extra confidence to go for it! Thanks guys!!!!
Skiing with friends and family - priceless!
This evening we’re in Gunnison Colorado with our friends Tim, Lois, and Nick and will sleep tonite with visions of skiing Crested Butte the next couple days.Time on the mountains with family and friends - priceless!
and eventually the day ended with a spectacular sunset of red and gold.We are a mixed group of wise and wonderful women, ten in number and generations in experience. We have skied, snowshoed, explored, ate and drank together during our time here. We have stretched our bodies and our minds, challenging ourselves to take a deep breathe and go a little further.I am refreshed in spirit and mind and almost ready to return to the cities. I love HOW, Hoigaard’s Outdoor Women. It allows me to know women who are outside my normal circle of life. I am enriched by their energy and their willingness to share their lives with me and each other on our trips and events. It is a joy and a blessing.





















