Written by Anna Sellers, Lumi Experiences’ social media manager and past SVSEF Gold Team member, for the Boulder Mountain Tour
Last winter, just days after competing in the Boulder Mountain Tour, I boarded a plane to Europe. I’ve spent the last 10 years travelling around Europe to compete in biathlon and ski marathons. But this year included something new: the opportunity to join several Lumi Experiences trips, capturing photos and making great memories with Lumi guests along the way.
Traveling with Lumi gave me the chance to experience some of my favorite ski venues in Europe in a completely different way. Instead of arriving with a race schedule and a training plan, I got to slow down, explore, eat good food and experience the places, beyond simply the trails.
Slovenia and the Julian Alps: An underrated Corner of Europe
The first destination on my itinerary was Slovenia for one of Lumi’s sight-skiing trips. The name alone should give you a sense that the sight-skiing trips are not about racing, but about skiing and enjoying the sights along the way – both on and off the trail.
After a very jet-lagged trip from the airport, I crossed a mountain pass that was the border between Austria and Slovenia and got my first view of the Julian Alps. The jagged, limestone peaks reminiscent of the Dolomites immediately took my breath away.
Despite traveling to Europe for biathlon and ski marathons since 2016, my travels had somehow never taken me to Slovenia, so I was especially excited to experience a new country. 5-time Tour de France champion Tadej Pogačar is from Slovenia, a small country whose active residents are big fans of endurance sports.
The week on Lumi’s Slovenia & Italy Sight-Skiing Trip was filled with, of course, amazing skiing on both the Italian and Slovenian sides of the border. Our hotel was about a 300 meter ski from the border, which made it incredibly easy to explore both countries. But some of my favorite parts of the trip had nothing to do with skiing.
Our trip leaders, Anna and Matija, were a huge part of what made the week so special. They were incredibly welcoming, fun to spend time with and knew all the little places that I would have never found on my own. It was another reminder that the leaders are such a special part of every Lumi trip.
Some other highlights for me from this trip were getting to ski beneath the massive rock walls of Saisera, basking in the sunshine and enjoying the snacks that trip leaders carried up the mountain for us before getting to sled down, taking the gondola up to the mountain top village of Monte Lussari to enjoy lunch and views from the top and finally exploring Lake Bled, specifically the affogato we had at the island in the middle after a scenic boat ride.
I’ve spent a lot of time in the Alps over the years, but Slovenia felt different. It felt like one of those places that had somehow stayed under the radar.
The skiing, trails, food, culture and scenery were all incredible, but what really stood out to me was how quiet it felt compared to many of the better-known European ski destinations. It had everything I love about travelling in the Alps without feeling overly busy or built up. Slovenia is definitely a place I have on my list to return to as soon as possible.
Seefeld, Austria: Seeing a familiar place differently
After Slovenia, with a quick side quest to compete in a ski marathon in Italy with Sun Valley local Annika Landis, I found myself in Austria on Lumi’s Seefeld & Engadin Trip.
Seefeld was not a new place for me. I spent many pre-race camps there with the Canadian Biathlon Team, often using the beautiful valley as a place to get over jet lag and prepare for races. But traveling with Lumi allowed me to experience Seefeld in a completely different way. Instead of spending my days following a training schedule, they were spent exploring the upper trails of Leutasch, actually stopping at the trailside cabins that I would normally ski past, to enjoy a Spezi and Käsespätzle, and relaxing at the lovely spa back at the hotel, all special things that I had never had the opportunity to do any of my previous trips to Seefeld.
It was funny to return somewhere I thought I knew so well and realize how much of it I had never actually experienced.
From Seefeld, we travelled by coach bus to Switzerland for the Engadin Ski Marathon. The Engadin Valley and St Moritz was another place I had raced before, but once again, Lumi gave me a chance to experience the valley beyond the race itself.
As soon as we arrived, we rode the world’s oldest funicular up to Muottas Muragl for lunch, with an incredible view over the entire race course. We watched paragliders launch from the mountain while taking in the view of the valley below. The next day, we were back on skis. Our trip leaders Valentina and Elisa took us out onto the race course and, once again, knew exactly which trailside huts to stop at for lunch.
Engadin Ski Marathon: the European sibling of the Boulder Mountain Tour
The Engadin Ski Marathon feels like the European sibling of the BMT. I have never participated in two races that feel quite so similar. Both are skate races, both often have incredibly fast conditions (I know not always, I competed in the BMT in 2025 and Engadin in 2024), and both are net-downhill, where the finish is at a lower elevation than the start. The tactics for these races are surprisingly similar too. The biggest differences? At the BMT, you take a yellow school bus to the start. At Engadin, you take a red Swiss train. Also there are about 13,000 more people racing in the Swiss version.
Despite the many participants at the Engadin Ski Marathon, Lumi trip leaders help you through the crowds, leading you to through the bib pickup, as well as to lots of Swiss chocolate, at the expo, wax your race skis, making sure your skis are fast to keep up with others in your wave and also welcome you at the finish with a drink!
Back to Sun Valley
As I write this from Sun Valley, I was lucky enough this past week to join BMT and past Lumi guest Muffy Ritz, her dog also named Lumi and the Vamps for an awesome bounding session. Lumi is the Finnish word for snow, so it’s an apt name for a ski vacation company and a white pit bull terrier.
It was a fun morning of sharing bounding technique tips and getting outside during one of my favorite times of year in the valley. But what I enjoyed most was hearing from so many of the Vamps who had joined Lumi on different trips over the past year.
They talked about the trip leaders, the skiing, the food and, perhaps most importantly, how much they enjoyed experiencing new countries and new cultures with Lumi.
A few were already telling me about their plans for the upcoming year and the Lumi trips they are hoping to join, including the Norwegian Sight-skiing trip, which dovetails as a perfect week of skiing and recovering from jet-lag before the Masters World Cup happening in Tromsø this year.
I’m excited to see you out on the trails, either in Europe on a Lumi trip, or here in Sun Valley on my favorite home trails.
If you’re interested in learning more about Lumi Experiences, you can find their full line of trips, request a detailed itinerary or sign up on their website: lumiexperiences.com or reach out to Lumi founder and Olympian Garrott Kuzzy: garrott@lumiexperiences.com.
