Wendy Harper/MDN Tarjei Gjelstad demonstrates traditional ski making at Norsk Hostfest on Thursday, Sept. 25. Wendy Harper/MDN Tarjei Gjelstad of Telemark, Norway, talks to festival goers about the art of ski making at Norsk Hostfest on Sept. 25.

Norsk Hostfest brought a touch of Norway’s mountain heritage to the State Fair Center when Tarjei Gjelstad, a traditional ski maker from Telemark, Norway, presented live demonstrations of the centuries-old craft of ski making.

Gjelstad, whose family comes from the region often regarded as the birthplace of modern skiing, shaped wood into skis during multiple sessions throughout the festival. He showed audiences the careful steps of handcrafting — from selecting the right timber to bending and finishing the skis, start to finish — while explain

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