A Nod to Planica

I’m happy to say that one of my favorite photos—the leaders of the men’s 50-kilometer classic race skiing the course during the 2023 FIS World Nordic Championships in Planica, Slovenia, with the Julian Alps as a backdrop—made its way into the 2025 Photo Annual issue of Cross Country Skier Magazine.
The backstory to this photo: Slovenia is sort of like Switzerland without the publicity: small, beautiful and alpine. The 50-k is always the last event of the championships. It was a warm, sunny day and I climbed up a huge pile of stored manmade snow to get this view. Planica, just down the road from the ski resort of Kranjska Gora, is a little alpine valley with the race courses, a ski stadium, and huge ski jumps, all of it surrounded by rugged peaks. There’s also a touring trail that runs up the valley to a cabin where you can grab a snack before heading back down. Beautiful skiing through the forests below those big mountains.
If you’re counting, that’s Norway’s Pal Golberg leading, followed by Finland’s Ivo Niskanen and Norway’s Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo. Golberg won, Klaebo was a close second, and Sweden’s William Poromaa (fifth in the photo) was third.
The XC Skier issue, just out, is worth finding for the great photos and the content in general. In addition to XC photos from around the world, the issue includes stories on ski destinations, northern lights, a tour on Norway’s high, windy and white Hardangervidda and more.