Janteloppet ski festival in Norway made history by hosting the largest skiing lesson - with 604 people taking part.
The lesson was instructed by legendary Olympic cross-country champion Petter Northug Jr.
He's won a total of 13 World Championships and two Winter Olympic gold medals.
Before this attempt, the record stood unbeaten for 15 years! The last successful attempt was by Hansjürg Gredig in 2008.
Skiing is a popular sport in Norway with Janteloppet organizers joking that every Norwegian is born with a pair of skis.
As such, it made sense that their world record attempt had to be centred around the sport!
The attempt took place at Mosertertoppen Skistadion in Hafiell, an idyllic winter resort accompanied by ski tracks and cabins. It’s also the venue where the Janteloppet ski festival is held every year.
The fun lesson accommodated all skill levels and was divided into sections where participants were encouraged to try different techniques.
With a focus on cross-country skiing, lessons varied from balance and poles to body movements.
A snow stage was created on top of the cross-country ski track so participants were able to see Petter deliver the lesson.
Overall, the lesson took only 35 minutes.
For Janteloppet, the hardest part of the attempt was sourcing participants to take part.
The registration process started in November, giving eager skiers two months to register for the event.
On the day of the attempt there were only 550 participants registered which was below the previous record of 595.
Undeterred, Janteloppet searched for skiers who were out on the resort practising cross-country skiing and invited them to join in the lesson.
The temperature oscillated between -5°C and -10°C, so there was a lot of jumping to keep warm involved.
At the end of the lesson, Official Adjudicator Sheila Mella Suarez awarded the Guinness World Records certificate to Petter.
At Janteloppet, our passion for cross-country ski reached new heights. Breaking the Guinness World Records title for the largest skiing lesson in Norway, we turned the Mosetertoppen skistadion snowy tracks into a canvas of festive unity, creating memories that carve a lasting mark in history. - Petter Northug Jr, Founder of Janteloppet
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