Lars Widmer
From Swiss peaks to Swedish snowy trails
Lars lives in Örnsköldsvik (Ö-vik), literally with the ski tracks at Skyttisterrängen on his doorstep, only 300 meters from his apartment. This makes life very convenient for Lars who is a passionated skiorienteerer and combines a professional engineer career with world elite athlete skiing and orienteering.
Lars grew up in the Swiss mountains just outside Zurich. During covid he met Frida from Dalarna in Sweden at an international skiing competition and fell in love. When Lars was offered a permanent position as a test engineer at Sanmina, and Frida managed to secure a position at RISE Processum, Research Centre in Bioeconomy, the couple decided to move to Ö-vik in 2021. Since then, he has continued his engineering career and he now works at NavAero in Sundsvall.
Living in Ö-vik combines the best of two worlds. I feel privileged to be able to combine my two careers as a professional engineer and a world elite athlete.
Lars WidmerIn Sweden since 2008
Being able to work from home two days a week gives Lars great opportunity to fit in more training hours in the ski tracks. The other days he commutes by train to NavAreo
in Sundsvall.
– Even though the Swedish train service is less reliable than in Switzerland you still have time to enjoy the outdoors, Lars says and laughs.
Lars is impressed with the work-life balance in Sweden and by the low level of bureaucracy, as well as the digital and healthcare services. He points out that Swedes can be a little difficult to get to know, but coming here as an elite athlete and joining a local sports club has really helped in terms of getting new friends and socialising.
Being part of my local ski orienteering club, Säterbygdens OK, is not all about training and performing, it is also a forum where you socialise and build friendships. I very much appreciate this part of Swedish sports culture.
Lars has no plans to leave Ö-vik at the moment. He says that he and Frida are here to stay for a long time.Irida has made many friends since moving to Sundsvall and feels at home. In comparison with the Albanian way of life and culture, Irida has learnt to appreciate the calmness and slower rythm of life and says that it is typical for the lifestyle of the Sundsvall and High Coast Region.
