Blink Fest This Year Draws More Stars Than Ever Before.

Blink Ski Festival this year is shaping up to become more star-studded than ever before.

A four day rollerskiing/ summer biathlon event in Western Norway is cementing its unique position in the skiing world.

Blink the only real competition where the best & greatest of the World Cup cross country skiing circuit get to see face to face the Visma Ski Classics’ strongest marathoners as well as the world’s best biathletes.

The preliminary list of participants in Blink 2017 reads like who-is-who in the world of “narrow skis”:

Marit Bjørgen, Martin Fourcade, Iivo Niskanen, Maiken Caspersen Falla, Heidi Weng, Charlotte Kalla, Krista Pärmäkoski, Martin Johnsrud Sundby, Johannes Thingnes and Tarjei Bø are all attending.

And did we mention the King of Skis ( and the last year’s winner of Blink’s 60km classic), one and only Petter Northug Jr.?

The spotlight, however, would probably be on a Russian skier who will participating fjr the first time. Sergey Ustiugov, with his Tour de Ski crown and 2 golds and 3 silver in Lahti, is the man to beat in the Olympic season.

World champions Alex Harvey and Federico Pellegrino  are not the list of participants as yet, but the day is still young.

For our money, the most exciting event of the Blink festival is the Lysebotn uphill race, a summer answer to the Alpe Cermis climb at Tour de Ski

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z2ev5LOArPc

The last Lysebotn (his second in a row) was won by Matti Heikkinen of Finland, while a biathloner Tarjei Bø came second. Teresa Johaug pulverized the competion in the female race, leaving the second placed Heidi Weng ( herself a Lysebotn 2015 winner) in the ( relative) dust with almost two minutes behind.

Blink 2017 is taking place on July 26-29 in city of Sandnes

TOP PHOTO courtesy of Blinkfestivalen.no