Mountain Safety Trip

29.3.-1.4.2016

Snow holes and skiing

Lessons of the week

DNT huts are awesome. Navigation is awful. Snow holes are handsome. I experienced more than a handful. These phrasings are confusing, but it’s all about the style.

Main part

Finally, that’s what it’s all about, outdoor education in Norway. Skiing through landscapes covered in snow and sleeping in self built snow caves. Luckily the weather forecast was total bullshit and as we arrived there was neither rain nor wind, only snow and sun. Okay, the sun was a lie. That would’ve been too much. But snow and some clouds are fine as well. After meeting with Len and Tim (attentive readers already now this guy) we started skiing towards the area where we wanted to build our snow castles. The 6km took us 4 hours, which wasn’t really planned, but our luck. We arrived too late to start digging, so we were forced to sleep in the DNT hut that’s also located there. What a bad luck for us, a warm and cosy hut instead of a snow hole. The next morning we had to discover that open windows during the night and no heating except of the small fireplace that was of course not active, provide a pretty cold awakening. But instead of complaining we saw it as preparation for the next 2 nights outside.

The second day was like in a winter paradise. Perfect snow all over the place with small trees sticking out here and there, blue sky and the sun even delivered a beautiful halo. And this time I didn’t lie, look at the pictures and get envious. We prepared our skis and then went around the area to find some snow hole suited spots. Of course there was also time for some downhill skiing on one slope, which somehow ended with a lot of falling due to the changing snow structures. (Always blame your failures on external factors!) Now it was time to build our home for the night. Max, Julian and I found a perfect spot that was away from all the others (of course not because we don’t like them, only because it was best-suited). We started digging with a slow, but steady pace. Of course only one at a time, so that the others can relax in the sun and work on their tan for the summer. It was even possible to go topless, which, at first, is kind of a weird feeling being surrounded by snow and ice, but soon turns into one of your most enjoyable moments ever! Too bad there were only 3 guys present, but okay. With time passing as slow as old people cross the street the sunburn got stronger and the snow hole became bigger. When it was big enough for the three of us and we wanted to start closing the entrance, we had to discover that the wall to the outside was thinner, thus also more fragile, than planned. Therefore we decided to build deck chairs and grant ourselves some rest waiting for the temperature to freeze the wall. After an hour it was cold enough and we started realizing that our snow blocks were too short or our entrance was too wide. Time to prove our improvising skills. Julian went into the cave while Max and I prepared the leftover blocks to close the entrance from bottom to top. As soon as the snow cave was sealed I thought about how nice it would be to just go back to the hut and leave Julian inside. Unfortunately I had already given him the saw and before I got the chance to turn around, he had already sawed the rabbit hole to get out again. Pity, but maybe next time. At least he took the most stunning picture that was ever made out of a snow hole.

Now we could finally prepare our new accommodation for the night. To finish the day gracefully a fire was started right next to the deck chairs and the bench. By moving the fire with every wood log added, we prevented in from melting too deep into the snow. After enjoying the starlit sky for some minutes we escaped the falling temperatures and crawled into the snow hole. Up to this moment I wasn’t really sure about Lens’ assertion that it’s always around 0°C inside a snow cave, but thanks to science it actually is. The next morning, after an incredible comfortable night, the others told me that they heard someone sawing wood during the night, which was really confusing. For one thing, there were only a few small and almost dead trees surrounding us and for another thing, it was freaking cold and of course dark during the night. Aside from that I didn’t hear anything, even though I woke up two or three times. Maybe they were hallucinating because of the cold or so, I should look up if that’s possible.

Nevertheless, a new day had arrived and we were motivated to explore the beautiful nature of Norway and maybe ski over one or two tops. Snow conditions were perfect, and also the weather looked promising again, until we climbed the first mountain and suddenly were confronted with a wind that even the best hairdryers dream of.

Like on the day before everyone had to navigate the group to the next checkpoint using map and compass. We soon realized that snow can be pretty mean by covering all the landmarks you want to use. Additional there are a lot of things one has to consider when guiding a group, such as an appropriate and constant pace, an overview of the group members, well-timed breaks and of course coordination. Not everyone could demonstrate all of the required skills, which resulted in a few detours and frequent stops in the middle of the wind. After passing a slope and almost being blown up the hill Len decided that going on didn’t make sense and replaced the rest of the tour with emergency shelter building instead. Also known as “How to dig your own grave”, that is actually pretty comfortable for the first minutes after sliding in. We left the shelter-side again, leaving a field of human traps behind, and went back to our snow hole to eat dinner.

Dry food: ‘food for your outdoor life’, a light small plastic bag with a tasty sounding meal inside and really easy to prepare.

In theory this sounds pretty awesome, and it also is, if you don’t give a damn about less taste but more salt instead. Luckily I didn’t really care and I was happy to have something warm to eat. Which leads me to another important aspect of outdoor life in the winter. Always look out for easy and fast accessible water, e.g. a small stream, because melting snow takes a lot of time, even when you’re sitting by the storm kitchen trying to warm the gas cartouche with your hands. As one may assumes from the previous sentences, we didn’t have water close by, the nearest stream was 10 minutes away, with skis and down the hill.

On Friday we headed back to the cars, making our route over a top and learning about some more emergency shelters. Finally the groups were reassembled according to technique and stamina, so one group could go faster and the other group members didn’t have to stress themselves while trying to keep up. I’d love to say that also our navigation skills had improved, but.. stuff happened. There’s no need to go in detail here, only one thing should be mentioned: maintain height as long as possible! We still made it back to the cars on time, where we met the others, had some closing phrases, thanked Tim for the company, jumped in the car and stopped at the next supermarket for sweets and energy drinks. Back in civilization, eventually?