Kalle Kristensen (center) and
team members Peten Fagerlund (left) and Kjell isak Sundbo (right) arrive at
the New Nordic Resort after having rolled 1,000 kilometers from Chiang Rai
in 12 days.
Vittaya Yoondorn
A 67-year-old Norwegian man “roller skied” across Thailand for
charity, beating his planned arrival date in Pattaya by nine days.
Wearing rollerblades and using ski poles to propel himself, Kalle Kristensen
and team members Kjell isak Sundbo, and Peten Fagerlund arrived at the New
Nordic Resort Oct. 27 having rolled 1,000 kilometers from Chiang Rai in 12
days. His planned arrival date had been Nov. 4.
Kristensen has been roller-skiing in Thailand for eight years and came up
with the idea for a cross-country trek four years ago after moving from
Pattaya to Chiang Rai. His initial idea was to support a school in the small
village of May Siwalai in Chiang Rai, which needed renovation. However,
flooding in northern Thailand over the past two years hampered those plans.
When he finally got underway this year, he gathered sponsors to provide help
and donations for those affected by floods. He traveled through Lampang,
Tak, Kamphaengphet, Nakon Sawan, Ayuthaya, Bangkok and Pattaya before
arriving at Pratamnak Soi 4. Through Oct. 30, he’d raised more than 160,000
baht.
“I have lived 11 years in Thailand and I love the country and the people
very much,” Kristensen wrote on the ski tour’s Facebook page. “Everywhere I
am doing roller-skiing I am getting a lot of attention. For most of the
Thais this is something new and exciting and I believe that by doing this
tour we will draw a lot of attention. I want to use this chance to do
something to help my Thai friends.”
https://www.facebook .com/thailand.tour.de.ski
