Norheim, a Norwegian skier, was known as the father of modern skiing. He immigrated to the United States in 1884, spent a brief time in Oslo, Minnesota, before coming to McHenry County and filing on a homestead, according to Norsk Hostfest information.

Norheim was raised in Morgedal in the municipality of Kviteseid in Telemark. Kviteseid commissioned Gotaas to write a book about Norheim in honor of the 200th anniversary of his birth on June 10, 1825.

Gotaas’s interest in folklore first came from hearing his grandpa tell him stories. “They are too long to tell but one anecdote that my grandfather told me was about my mother’s father. He was fighting Germans during World War II and outran German soldiers in downtown Oslo in 1943. The Germans occupied Norway and he got away and hid in the woods for more than a year. His friend he was running with got caught and the Germans shot him,” Gotaas said.

Stories like these caught Gotaas’ attention and he started to delve into the world of folklore and history.

Gotaas, much like Norheim, started skiing when he was a toddler.

“I started to ski when I was 2 years old. I have been racing but not like Sondre. He was more into jumping and downhill and I ski cross country,” Gotaas said.

“I have written 51 books, 50 of them about Norwegian and Scandinavian history, and I will continue to do so. I am a Norwegian and my work is to preserve and tell about our history and culture,” he said.