Winter’s coming. Consider cross-country skiing.

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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.

With high-performing Minnesotans such as Diggins dominating the sport, more Americans are watching, and subsequently, more of the community is getting out and learning to ski and generally being more active, especially young people. This cycle generates figures such as Klæbo visiting, which spurs interest and momentum further.

And the benefits of this go well beyond the bounds of the niche (though hopefully less so) ski community: Cross-country skiing is one of the best sports you can do for your health, if not the best. It’s objectively considered by exercise physiologists as the best cardiovascular exercise one can do. It’s low-impact, improves balance and engages most muscle groups, not just upper or lower body.

And besides, Minnesota winters are typically slow to end. Running (skating?) on icy, salted roads isn’t particularly fun. Treadmill running isn’t, either, and even champion athlete Klæbo understands how dull it can be. Fat-tire biking on a sheet of ice is a pretty brutal way to work out.

Skiing is a way to get out of your home on a freezing winter day and get moving. It connects you with a community that goes beyond skiing, and can help immerse community members in a healthier lifestyle and support system. Many local clubs and teams, such as the Loppet Foundation and Endurance United, are beginner-friendly and can provide gear, coaching and even scholarships.

Minnesota should continue to support and harness this momentum, starting with trying to host another World Cup. “I hope it won’t be 20 years before they apply for a world cup race,” Klæbo said. “It gives so much back to the city, and everyone was talking about Minnesota internationally, before and after. Hopefully they can have a race back here as soon as possible.”

Last, more infrastructure and funding prioritization should be given to supporting Minnesotans who want to get active outdoors. Anyone who’s been to Elm Creek or Theodore Wirth on a Saturday morning in January can attest to the need for more trails and infrastructure to support active lifestyles. Klæbo explained how, in Norway, it’s free to use thousands of kilometers of ski trails across the country, which the Norwegian Ski Federation pays to groom and maintain — and they also consistently rank as one of the healthiest and happiest countries in the world.

According to 2022 federal data, 33.6% of Minnesotans are obese and an additional 34.9% are overweight. There are many factors behind these troubling numbers, but if measures can be taken to get people outside and moving, they should be taken. This is a public health crisis that has been normalized by its prevalence, and a core tenet of the cross-country ski community has been inclusivity to people of all abilities, as well as supporting a generally healthy active lifestyle, regardless of actual skiing ability. Supporting making trails more numerous, well-maintained and accessible can help fight this issue and should be prioritized by both state and federal lawmakers.

“It was great to hear and talk to the people around here,” Klæbo remarked. “I wish we had more time to spend here. Hopefully this can be something that we continue to do and build it bigger.”

We Minnesotans should be proud to have made such a positive impression and about how far we’ve come advancing cross-country skiing — and we can also think about how we can continue promoting an active culture to get more Minnesotans outside and exploring.

Aurora Weirens, a Minnesota native and a student at Cornell University, was the 2024 summer opinion intern for the Minnesota Star Tribune.