The weekend at the Holmenkollen Ski Festival was more a cultural event than a trip to practice our hard skills. First we visited the “Fram Museum” in Oslo. The museum is all about the polar expeditions. It focuses on Roald Amundsen and his expedition to the south pole. The ship he used is inside the building. It is possible to go on board and check out the cabins.

Folk Dance

Afterwards we put up our tents on the Holmenkollen and walked through the campsite to catch a bit of the exciting atmosphere. In the evening we watched the pre jumps at the ski jump. On the next day we all went to the “Holmenkollen Ski Museum” were we learned a lot about the history of cross-country skiing, friluftsliv and the gear’s development. In the afternoon we watched the 50k male race in cross-country skiing. Elderly people were doing folk dance in traditional costumes one the street while adolescents dressed up in the Norwegian colours passed by. Drunken people were cheering besides families that were having a nice time around the campfire while watching the game. On the other side of the stadium we saw the start of the race. It was a great atmosphere and especially the Norwegians cheered for every athlete passing by.

In the evening we had a cosy time around the campfire with the Norwegian outdoor education students. As there was a big afterparty all around we went dancing on the snow and experienced how crazy Norwegians are about cross-country skiing. It is indeed the Norwegian culture.