‘Light the Night’ solstice ski brightens darkest day
- Ellie Ruel
- 15 hours ago
- 3 min read
Juneau Nordic Ski Club fundraiser brings holiday glow to campground trails
By Ellie Ruel
Juneau Independent
Winter weather enthusiasts braved bitterly cold temperatures for a festively lit solstice ski at the Mendenhall Campground on Sunday night. Hundreds of people donned skis, snowshoes, or winter boots and crunched through frozen trails underneath glowing branches woven with strings of lights to celebrate the end of shrinking daylight hours.
The “Light the Night” event was put together by the Juneau Nordic Ski Club and the Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé Nordic Ski Team as a fundraiser. Volunteers sold hot cocoa, hand warmers, light sticks and baked goods at strategically positioned warming stations with bonfires.
Eliza Albrecht is a freshman on the high school ski team, and said many of the intricately looped lights were set up during a practice the night before. Some sections of trail were decorated with paper or ice lanterns, and others featured brightly colored light strings and festive projections.
“Yesterday, it was so cold, but we were all just running around trying not to freeze,” she said. “We spent a long time working on the lights, and there’s lots of space for snow angels and stuff.”
The skiers have been coping with record cold temperatures and short days during practices, so headlamps and layers have been staples for the team lately. This solstice, with a mere six hours and 21 minutes of daylight in Juneau, marks a turning point towards brighter days and shorter nights. In the meantime, Albrecht says skiing is a good way to pass the fleeting daylight hours.
“It’s a really communal sport, so you can be doing your own separate workout, but there’s at least five other kids in your group also doing their own separate workout. You can just suffer together in the cold and complain about the runs together,” she joked.
A wind chill of minus 19 degrees Fahrenheit didn’t discourage Chelsea and Aven Finch from getting out to enjoy the lights on their skis. Both ski the campground trails frequently and were excited to see the new decorations.
“Both my kids are on the Junior Nordic Ski Team, so we wanted to come out to support the high schoolers too. And it’s beautiful weather,” said Chelsea Finch. “Solstice is my favorite, it’s fun.”
Aven, 7, was sporting beaver fur in her boots and mittens and a cup of hot cocoa to stay warm. Her favorite illumination was the “fairy forest” projection towards the end of the lit trail.
Some skiers brought their own light displays along. Renee Warr’s rainbow-colored cape of light strings made her easy to spot even among the shadowy branches.
“It’s an amazing community event to celebrate bringing back the light. I love the winter solstice even more than the summer solstice because now we get light again, and we live in a place where light is so important. To have the place lit like this, it’s magical out here. I want this to stay all winter long,” Warr said.
The cold was “no big deal” to Warr, who has been Nordic skiing for 20 years.
“It’s been way colder than this,” she said. “You layer up and we all had the gear for this weather.”
Back at the first bonfire, Melissa Johnston concurred, even though this was her first weekend Nordic skiing and she had just finished the full mile-long loop.
“I feel like I’m sweating in my outfit,” she said, laughing.
For her, the clear view of the sky and a shooting star made the experience well worth it, and a good way to celebrate the solstice. Hand warmers in socks helped a little, too.
“The fact that tomorrow, we get more sun is just so cool,” Johnston said.
• Contact Ellie Ruel at ellie.ruel@juneauindependent.com.
