Ambassador Astrid Uhrenholdt Jacobsen

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Astrid Uhrenholdt Jacobsen

Commitment and a clear performer's voice

Astrid Uhrenholdt Jacobsen was one of the world's best cross-country skiers for almost 15 years. Alongside training and competitions, she has pursued studies in health management and medicine and will finally graduate as a doctor in June 2021.

Despite her strong performance with several international medals, Astrid is perhaps best known as a woman with commitment and a clear athlete's voice in the public debate. Perhaps not surprisingly, this is how she ended up as a member of the Sports Board of the Norwegian Sports Confederation.

My favorite place and my favorite activity

The mountains of Norway with their unique attributes when wearing skis. Cross-country skiing, mountain skiing, alpine skiing or ski touring!

Versatile

Astrid grew up with a Danish mother, a Norwegian father, two brothers and traditional Norwegian hiking culture. There was hiking, skiing and foraging for mushrooms and berries. Summers were spent fishing and sea life. The big dream was to start alpine skiing, it seemed so exciting with high speed down and lift up.

“You have to learn to ski properly first!”, said dad Jacobsen, and that's how Astrid started cross-country skiing. Gradually, the environment became good and safe, and the joy of traditional skiing grew so much that it was prioritized over handball when her teenage years became busy. Even then, the fact that cross-country skiing was an outdoor sport with the opportunity to spend training periods in beautiful countryside was decisive.

My best trip

The summit trip with the Bergans gang in Lofoten was a highlight. Otherwise, the best trips are yet to come. I enjoy looking at maps and dreaming of new possibilities. Nice evening walks in the mountains are also a magical respite from everyday life.

Nature

Much of Astrid's adult life has been spent training in the mountains, along fjords, country roads and in the forest. Her goal has always been to develop her skills and improve, but her motivation and driving force has always been her surroundings and the joy of moving with and in nature. Now that the athlete's life is over, the way we travel in nature has changed - to something calmer and less planned.

Alternating between loving a hard run up a mountain, paddling between some islands in southern Norway, going for a walk in the woods behind the house or just moving dinner outside provides replenishment and joy. To enjoy sweating and striving a little, but not letting it overshadow potentially beautiful and calmer experiences in nature.

My best hiking tip

The most important thing is to decide to get out, but be a little open to what, where and how. Often, the doorstep mile is the most difficult, but for me, committing to getting out into the fresh air is the most important thing. Then the weather, opportunities in the local area, time, motivation and daily form can determine the rest.

For me, it results in trips that work in everyday life, and they are very varied. It's also a way for me to feel that I'm mastering activity in my everyday life, and not failing to carry out certain plans because other things I can't influence are happening.

Time in Vesterålen

In 2021, Astrid moved to Vesterålen, where she once lived as a child. A former smallholding was her home for the 12 months of her internship, with some of Norway's most beautiful scenery in her backyard. Now the next stop is Fåvang in Gudbrandsdalen, and after that nobody knows anything other than that the long-term dream of working as an anesthesiologist at the Air Ambulance lives on.

On tour with Astrid

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