April 4-6 2025
The Liatoppen is the world’s largest youth Biathlon festival with 1,100 U16 athletes competing in 2025. Isaac Fellows was a member of the US team of 22 biathletes from across the country who travelled to Norway for 3 days of training and 3 days of competition. This year there was almost no snow at the venue and they moved snow by truck up the mountain from a local downhill ski area to hold the competition.
Friday: Relay race 3 1K loops with 2 shooting sessions. Isaac (lane 26) skied the second leg of the top seeded US team with Lance Smith from AK and Elin Lunoe from AK placing 13th in the mixed relay category.
Q: How was your experience in Norway?
Isaac: The trip to Liatoppen, Norway was super fun, super cool, and a great overall experience. It was really cool to be in Norway for the first time where the ski culture is just everywhere and everyone is super friendly. What made the biggest impression on me is how focused on skiing the country is. A shopping mall will have 5 ski shops with a vast selection of equipment. Everywhere you look there is a ski area that includes a biathlon range. There was a school near the venue that trained Nordic skiers and biathletes with a range right beside the school.
The race venue was on top of a mountain with great views, and a really nice place to ski. It was great to meet everyone on the team and become friends with people from Alaska to Washington to Maine. The races were so much fun and even if you didn’t do well, everyone was happy to be there and enjoyed the beautiful sunny days. The weather was impeccable all week with sun and warm temperature everyday, so this combined with the amazing racing, stunning views, and new friends, made my week in Norway an incredible experience that I’ll always remember.