Finding Hygge in Nordic Ski Culture

Growing up in a family with Danish cultural traditions, hygge is what we strived for. There is no great translation into English. Google translate produces “fun”, but that’s not quite it. I think “cozy” is the closest if you’re going for a one-word translation. But it’s not like the coziness of warm socks. It’s the coziness and warmth you feel when you’re around people you are fully comfortable with. It is sitting around a dinner table well after the dinner is done, losing track of time, feeling a smile on your face, and the joy of being so content with the people you are surrounded by. I’ve found that hygge is often felt in moments that may seem insignificant in the grand scheme of things. The in-between of the big events. But that’s what makes moments of hygge so good. Enjoying the coziness of the in-between.  

Hygge is sitting around the fire eating homemade pizza with the team, it is summer nights at Christi and Rachel’s sipping dessert wine, running for an hour too long because the conversation is too good and the trails are too lovely to leave, waxing skis with fun music and fun people, coffee in the morning while watching the Tetons illuminate, driving back from Walden with Ferne and Dan and seeing the most beautiful sunset coming over the pass, watching the Olympic skiathlon at 5 something in the morning with Andrew and Trevor and enjoying their commentating rather than the TV.  

Skiing is great. I love it. I am learning to love races. But the moments of hygge? Those might just be my favorite part of this whole thing.