Erling Stordahl

Erling Stordahl (1923–1994), a musician and sport activist, one of the pioneers of integration of the disabled with the physically fit in sport. As a 13year old, he lost his eyesight. As a 15-year-old he won the national competition for accordionists. Many of his compositions became hits. He recorded around 120 songs, donating the profits from sales of records to the Association of the Blind. In 1957 he took over his family land in Storedal near Sarpsborg (Skjeberg) and established there a Centre for Culture, adjusted to the integration of the blind with the people with eyesight. The Centre, being also a memorial to king Magnus IV the Blind (around 1115-1136, a son of Sigurd Jorsalfar), who, as the tale has it, was born on the same land, was opened by the then prince incumbent Harald in 1970. It is adorned with a “playing figure” of Arnold Haukeland with the music of Nordheim – Ode to Light. Stordahl was also the initiator of Riderrnet, a ski run initially intended for the blind (since 1964), and later for all disabled people, on Beitostølen in Oppland, which – since that time – takes place every year at the end of March, setting off the international “Knight Week” in the local spa. The event became a benchmark for many similar initiatives around the world.