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Feature: Paerson shines spotlight on town of ski champions

Rumors of Lapland reindeer passing on their snow maneuvering ability to Sweden's top alpine skiers have yet to be proven.

But when the world ski championships ended recently, it wasn't just the indigenous Sami people of Sweden's far north that were given reason to believe in a little magic.

In the wake of slalom legend Ingemar Stenmark and his record 86 World Cup wins Anja Paerson has in recent years put Sweden's alpine talents back on the map.

But it was her record-setting displays in Are, a six-hour drive south of Taernaby, that put her home town back in the spotlight.

Paerson won three world titles, including an elusive downhill gold which made her the first skier to champion all five disciplines.

Given that Taernaby's two small ski runs, served by two basic "T-bar" lifts, are not designed for speed, it was a huge achievement.

"Coming from Taernaby and winning the downhill gold is really special. It shows boys and girls all over Sweden that even when you come from a small town you can win, and fulfil your dreams," said the Swede, who boasts 34 World Cup wins and two overall crowns.

Now with seven world titles, 11 medals from four championships and five Olympic medals including a slalom gold, Paerson is one her way to becoming a legend -- and she is still only 25 years old.

She is now only four medals shy of equalling the record 20 world championship and Olympic medals won by retired Norwegian Kjetil Andre Aamodt, considered the greatest ever all-round skier.

It was no surprise her home town -- situated less than 100km from the Arctic Circle and with a population of around 600 -- prompted huge media interest.

Most visitors ended up mystified after seeing two small slopes which, compared with those found in Austria, France, Switzerland and Italy, look quite unremarkable.

Except that, thanks mainly to Stenmark, Paerson and the latest Taernaby terror, Jens Byggmark -- all three of whom have Sami family lineage -- the skiers who grew up on Taernaby's slopes boast 124 wins and five overall victories in the prestigious World Cup series. Skiers from the rest of Sweden have 54.

With snow six months of the year, the local ski club is the hub of the community. When it comes to interval breaks, the local schoolchildren hit the slopes. One is called "Ingemarbacken," the other "Anjabacken."

Hans-Peter Carlson, the president of the town's ski club is hoping their now famous production line won't stop.

"All the skiers from Taernaby are inspiring," Carlson said. "So for the kids here there are no mental barriers. They grow up thinking, `Ingemar and Anja made it, so why can't I?'"
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