Assignment 3 – 1st selforganised trip: Haukeliseter to Hovden, 19.2.-23.2.18

In February it was time for our first student organized field trip with the aim of extending weight and distance on cross-country skis. Beforehand, we had to talk about organisational issues, so I met my group (Janna, Zoe, Frankie, Maike, Tom B.) to plan the route, equipment, food and organise maps. It was a very productive meeting as the group was also intensely discussing safety aspects including the local weather and avalanche forecast as well as creating a detailed route card. The trip we chose was a 45.2 kilometres long winter-route from Haukeliseter to Hovden which we planned to complete in 5 days in total including travelling. Normally it is meant to be a three-day tour from hut to hut but as we also wanted to camp in winter conditions for two nights we divided the route into four legs. The area is beyond the boarder of vegetation and characterized by mountains and lakes. In the winter the lakes are frozen and everything is covered in snow, so that the shape of the mountains and valleys form the landscape.

Our trip started on Monday driving to Hovden by car and taking the bus to Haukeliseter fjellstue where we stood overnight. In the late afternoon we went outside to ski around the  hut and get a first impression of the area and snow conditions. After dinner in the evening we were sitting together to have a final look on the route and weather/ avalanche forecast as well as to make a detailed plan for the first leg. Moreover, Zoe and I went to the reception to ask about experiences concerning avalanches and characteristics of the route. In addition, we bought another gas canister (for safety reasons) and waxed our skis.

On Tuesday morning we started well-prepared on our first leg to the lake Ingelsvatn which included 10 kilometers of distance and 240 m of height. Getting used to skiing with a heavy backpack took us a while and we stopped quiet a lot to check the maps and practice orientation although the track was marked with sticks. Orienteering in snowy mountains is challenging and requires the use of obvious features (high peeks, ridges, lakes/ rivers, cabins) as well as compass bearings on short sections. A positive aspect was the group cohesion as we were all at nearly the same level of skiing so that keeping an appropriate pace and rotating the leading position was very effective. As a consequence, we were staying close together, having some breaks and arriving at our planned camping spot early in the afternoon at 3 p.m. To stay warm, we decided to ski some kilometers further to the lake Langevatn where we had a stunning view over the lake at sunset whilst building up the camp. For our campsite we took avalanche risk, wind and gradient into consideration and flattened the spot with our skies. After building up the two tents we had dinner which was a little bit miscalculated (definitely learned from that, as it provides the body with warmth, energy and keeps the mood up) and eaten with frozen toes. We tried to get warm again by moving around before we went to bed early (8 p.m. – there is not much to do in the cold [-12°C] and dark). The night turned out to be very windy and we might have miscalculated our tent location a little bit but at least I was  warm (partly too warm).

The next morning, we had breakfast in our sleepingbags and packed everything to leave the campsite for another day of skiing. As we managed to ski already 16 kilometres on the first day we adopted our plan concerning the route. We decided to not camp next to Holmavatnhytta but stop there for lunch and continue further into the direction of Sloaros. Again, the group worked effectively together and the good weather and snow conditions let us enjoy skiing in the mountains. A special highlight was the appearance of a herd of reindeer in the mountains in front of us. Before arriving at Holmavatnhytta we had to cross a wide open area, where the wind was blowing strongly. That gave us an impression of how intense skiing can be in different conditions. Luckily the wind stopped when we were crossing the Holmavatn after lunch. As we were already a bit behind our time planning we tried to keep up the pace by rotating the leading position and managed the 5 kilometers of crossing in 1 hour and 15 minutes. This is a technique transferred from birds who fly in a v-formation and alternate the leader to safe energy (wind-shadow) which is really useful as in our case the skier in front is in charge of making a track in the deep snow. In the afternoon we were building up our camp around 3 kilometers away from the second hut close enough to use it as an emergency plan but far enough to experience 2 tent nights in the winter mountains in a row. This time we were also building snow walls around the tents as a protection from the wind and having a hot and filling dinner. One of our gas canisters froze so it took us a long time to melt snow and cook water in cold -20°C. Again, we went to bed early after a collective evening activity which also kept the mood up and was an indicator for the excellent group dynamic affecting the whole week positively.

On Thursday morning everyone felt a little bit dehydrated, so we stuck to our plan and skied the last kilometres to the Sloaros hut in best weather conditions. Sloaros was the most cozy hut I have seen so far, located in an open area with a frozen lake and a not frozen river between snowy mountains. There we spent the day hydrating, drying equipment, sitting in the sun and exploring the area. In the afternoon we were pleased to see another herd of reindeers crossing the area which is a very rare happening.

On Friday we went on our last leg to Hovden which were another 12 kilometres and 280 metres mainly downhill. The section from Sloaros to Hovden was not marked with sticks anymore so again we could practice our orientation skills in snowy mountains. The weather and snow conditions were great as the days before and especially the last downhill section to Hovden centre was a fun ending as we could ski trough deep powder snow  between some trees and improve our turns. We arrived back at the car in the afternoon and drove back to Kristiansand.

This trip was obtaining several learning outcomes concerning the organisation and implementation of a cross-country skiing tour in the mountains in winter. The organisational part included elements before but also during the trip itself. Before the trip we had to prepare equipment including tents, storm kitchen, gas canisters, avalanche probes, shovels, maps, and personal belongings. To get an official map we could copy we went to the DNT-office were we also asked for information about the route and conditions and made sure that the huts we wanted to visit were open. Moreover, we were preparing lots of food for the whole week, packing oats, baking bananabread, cutting and seasoning vegetables and buying dry soups and dishes trying to keep the energy supply as high and the weight as low as possible. For me personally the major learning outcome in the Pre-Trip-Phase was the route planning repeating a lot about avalanche risk and how to make a proper route card describing the single legs in detail including distance, height, duration, planned time and emergency plans. During the trip itself organisation was also an important aspect as we had to organise the days, adopt the route and plans to circumstances and situations, organise the camp and tasks as well as general elements of living outside in -15°C. Another learning outcome was the practice of winter navigation in the mountains. Although we mainly could follow the winter routes marked with sticks and indicated by blue dots on the map, we were regularly verifying our position on the maps and navigating along the way. Moreover, we practically learned how to build up a camp in the snowy mountains using the skies and shovels to flatten ground and build snow walls. We experienced that not only avalanche risk is an important aspect which has to be taken into consideration, but that also wind and weather conditions have to be calculated carefully. In addition, we got to know regulations and organisation of staying in DNT-huts. One of the most important learning outcomes is certainly our skiing ability with a heavy backpack as we definitely increased distance and weight. We got used to keeping the balance on both uphill and downhill and moving efficiently in a group. Moreover, we could practice turns and techniques as well as assessing snow conditions and waxing.

In general, the whole week was positively influenced by the outstanding group dynamic on the one hand and the excellent weather and snow conditions on the other hand. The group worked together efficiently during skiing and camping and discussed safety aspects and route adoption openly. Next to that, all members were supporting each other practically and mentally and also had a lot of fun together. The good weather and snow conditions were definitely a reason for all the positive experiences we had and helped to make this trip to a successful first self-organised trip. The equipment we took worked pretty well and I felt like we didn’t bring unnecessary stuff. Nevertheless, there are a few things to learn from. Next to the wintertent we had one normal two-men tent, which was not really stable in the first windy night. Moreover, one of our gas canisters froze, which was not a big problem as we had several, but it could be avoided by trying to keep it warm under a jacket. Otherwise we were well prepared and took care of our equipment. The main challenges we had to face were to keep our feet warm as soon as we stopped skiing in the evening and to drink enough water, which is not as easy as it sounds as it takes a long time to get a sufficient amount of water out of snow which then quickly can freeze again if its not insulated. The food we prepared was definitely a positive aspect as we were having dinner together and brining individual lunch. Sandwiches, thunfish, bananabread, Energy bars were providing enough energy throughout the days and spicy dinners kept us warm in the evening. The only ill-conceived idea was to have one dinner with lentils where some members were carrying liquid-lentils in their backpacks for several days.

In conclusion this trip gave us the possibility to practice planning and implementing a cross-country ski tour as well as to experience the mountains in Norway in winter. Altogether we were able to learn a lot both before and during the trip about equipment, route planning, nutrition, packing, skiing and navigation. It is a good basic experience to rely on and use for further trips learning from mistakes and transferring positive elements.