Hell on skis
Tuesday, February 20, 2007
Okay, so maybe I am not an expert just yet. But I have knit a Norwegian star hat with ear flaps, and I have been initiated into the wide world of cross-country skiing, so I am feeling pretty cool right about now.
This past weekend was the great Fulbright reunion, where all the people we haven't seen since August get together and swap war stories. On the first day, we each give ten minute presentations of our projects. It's a scary prospect since it takes all day, but everyone is doing very different things and in general knows what they're doing, so it was actually pretty interesting. I particularly liked hearing from the women who are travelling around Norway teaching American literature and culture to jr. high and high school students. Apparently, they all think an American is a chubby white kid with a backwards baseball cap.
On the evening after the presentations, we were invited to the house of, I guess, the second-in-command ambassador to Norway. The US government bought some swanky 1930s mansion in a fancy part of Oslo, so we got to go there and eat appetizers and listen to speeches about how educational exchange is going to save the world. It was nice enough.
The next day, we left for Lillehammer. I had already rented skis from the student athletics center here, because they rent them very cheaply and for the entire season. Unfortunately, I went rather late and the selection was quite poor. I have a bent pole and the bottom surface is peeling off one of the skis. The upshot is that the guy gave them to me for half price.
Even though I could have gone downhill skiing, I chose cross-country for two reasons: 1. It's what the Norwegians do, and I tend to respect that whole When in Rome thing 2. When I was 9, I hit a parked snowmobile while going down a bunny hill, and ever since I haven't had the kind of passion for going really fast while standing on top of two slabs of wood that other people seem to have.
On the first day, I went out with a big group of people. We were mixed level-wise, so we took a long tour but took our time. It snowed all day, and, frankly, you couldn't even tell we were on a mountain. Also, ice kept building up on my skis. Lisa and I crashed into one another on a downhill and got a little behind the group. We tried to catch up, but finally the ice got the better of us, and we just took off our skis and walked. Hiking on snow is not fun, in case you were wondering.
Deciding we'd had enough physical exersion for the day, we hit the sauna, and I spent the rest of the afternoon watching television (a luxury, seeing as I don't have one at home). There's this Norwegian reality TV show where they take a bunch of teenagers to some island or something and make them live like it's 1930. Then they cry because they have to eat their pet rabbit. Pure gold, I tell you.
The next day is the day I actually have pictures from, so hold onto your hats. I hit the trail with a Fulbright researcher, her Norwegian husband, and her 8-year-old son. They had planned to take the ski lift up to a trail that goes around on top of the mountain above tree line, and then comes back down (more gently than a downhill run, obviously) on the other side and winds back to the hotel. Since I hadn't actually been on top of the mountain yet, this sounded like fun to me, so I tagged along. Here are two of my skiing companions approaching from a distance:
As you can see, it was white up there. Really white. And windy. The snow was very loose and soft and a dream to glide across (or do a face-plant in, as I managed to do on several of the downhill parts). I felt like an Arctic explorer, it was awesome!
From the top, we could see Jotunheimen in the distance, which is a central plateau in Norway where all the tallest mountains are. See them? They're right past the ski lift there.
More mountains:
And finally, a bit of strange snow formation. That pole is how we know where we're going.
And that was my adventure! There exist pictures of me actually on the skis, but other people took them, so I haven't seen them yet. If there isn't too much snot on my face (an inevitable hazard of winter sports) , I'll be sure to share them later on.
This past weekend was the great Fulbright reunion, where all the people we haven't seen since August get together and swap war stories. On the first day, we each give ten minute presentations of our projects. It's a scary prospect since it takes all day, but everyone is doing very different things and in general knows what they're doing, so it was actually pretty interesting. I particularly liked hearing from the women who are travelling around Norway teaching American literature and culture to jr. high and high school students. Apparently, they all think an American is a chubby white kid with a backwards baseball cap.
On the evening after the presentations, we were invited to the house of, I guess, the second-in-command ambassador to Norway. The US government bought some swanky 1930s mansion in a fancy part of Oslo, so we got to go there and eat appetizers and listen to speeches about how educational exchange is going to save the world. It was nice enough.
The next day, we left for Lillehammer. I had already rented skis from the student athletics center here, because they rent them very cheaply and for the entire season. Unfortunately, I went rather late and the selection was quite poor. I have a bent pole and the bottom surface is peeling off one of the skis. The upshot is that the guy gave them to me for half price.
Even though I could have gone downhill skiing, I chose cross-country for two reasons: 1. It's what the Norwegians do, and I tend to respect that whole When in Rome thing 2. When I was 9, I hit a parked snowmobile while going down a bunny hill, and ever since I haven't had the kind of passion for going really fast while standing on top of two slabs of wood that other people seem to have.
On the first day, I went out with a big group of people. We were mixed level-wise, so we took a long tour but took our time. It snowed all day, and, frankly, you couldn't even tell we were on a mountain. Also, ice kept building up on my skis. Lisa and I crashed into one another on a downhill and got a little behind the group. We tried to catch up, but finally the ice got the better of us, and we just took off our skis and walked. Hiking on snow is not fun, in case you were wondering.
Deciding we'd had enough physical exersion for the day, we hit the sauna, and I spent the rest of the afternoon watching television (a luxury, seeing as I don't have one at home). There's this Norwegian reality TV show where they take a bunch of teenagers to some island or something and make them live like it's 1930. Then they cry because they have to eat their pet rabbit. Pure gold, I tell you.
The next day is the day I actually have pictures from, so hold onto your hats. I hit the trail with a Fulbright researcher, her Norwegian husband, and her 8-year-old son. They had planned to take the ski lift up to a trail that goes around on top of the mountain above tree line, and then comes back down (more gently than a downhill run, obviously) on the other side and winds back to the hotel. Since I hadn't actually been on top of the mountain yet, this sounded like fun to me, so I tagged along. Here are two of my skiing companions approaching from a distance:
As you can see, it was white up there. Really white. And windy. The snow was very loose and soft and a dream to glide across (or do a face-plant in, as I managed to do on several of the downhill parts). I felt like an Arctic explorer, it was awesome!
From the top, we could see Jotunheimen in the distance, which is a central plateau in Norway where all the tallest mountains are. See them? They're right past the ski lift there.
More mountains:
And finally, a bit of strange snow formation. That pole is how we know where we're going.
And that was my adventure! There exist pictures of me actually on the skis, but other people took them, so I haven't seen them yet. If there isn't too much snot on my face (an inevitable hazard of winter sports) , I'll be sure to share them later on.
This entry was posted
on Tuesday, February 20, 2007 at 5:00 AM.
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5:59 AM
Wow! I wish I could have gone up there with you guys -- the pictures look awesome.
Lisa