Location: “TrollAktiv” in Syrtveit, Evje in the Setesdal valley

When: 5^th -9^th February 2018

 

Introduction:

Our cross-country ski trip took place at Evje, a place wich is around 70km away from Kristiansand. It is located in the Setesdal valley which is known for its great landscape varies from flatlands to high mountains and the main river “otra”. We’ve spend 5 days with the course in 3 huts at “TrollAktiv”, a rafting and activity center owned by Tim Davis. He built up this center 25 years ago and offers nowadays a large variety of activities and accommodations. Tim was also my instructor for this week and taught us all the basic skills you have to know for cross-country skiing.

The Group and the Leader

12 totally different people clashed together for 5 days learning cross-country skiing with Tim. The range of experience couldn´t be more mixed. From very good skilled downhill ski drivers to Australians who never experienced snow before, everything was in. My last ski trip was 6 years ago but my hope was, to build up on my 14 years experienced before that. Everything changed when we went out for the first try and soon it turned out, that nearly everyone had to start from lever “0”.

Tim is a very experienced and skilled skier and therefore a great leader. He skied through the snow so smoothed and easy but on the same time didn’t show off only his skills. He was very patience with us as he waited hours to get us zigzag wise over a small hill or a hundred falls later down a hill. I liked the way observing us individually and giving us good feedback. He motivated every single one after each try and enjoyed the time with us by taking pictures of our fail outs and laughed when we came down with the face in the snow first instead the feet. He challenged us with tasks but never overstrained it.

Our schedule of the week looked like that:

Monday	Arrival and first try out in the local area + evening lecture “waxing skis”
Tuesday	Technical training at “Hogas” + evening lecture “equipment, needs and improvistation”
Wednesday	10km trip to Himmelsyna + evening lecture “first aid on a ski trip”
Thursday	Trip to “Bertesknappen” with improving our orientation skills and off track skills + “ceilid” evening of cultural exchange dances, singing and games
Friday	Improving technique, avalanche training and building an overnight shelter in the snow

The technique

All in all we got a good bit of all the several technique forms and had a nice mixture of technique training by just skiing a short path down a hill, walking up and try again and again, and trips where the main aim was to just move forward and figuring out by ourselves how to ski on the varies of terrain, weather it was downhill/ uphill/ flat, on tracks/ off tracks, on powder snow/ icy snow/ wet snow, in -17° up to +2° with much sun/less sun and wind or even snowing and much wind.

The first thing I observed and had to deal with was the difference of the skis as I was just used to downhill skis. Downhill skies are mainly designed to handle speed. So they afford more stability and control. The whole boot is attached to the ski to speed downhill very fast. Cross-country skis are designed for more flexibility to facilitate travel up AND down in a variety of terrain. Therefore only the toes of the boots are attached to the skis while the heel is free to assist with uphill travel. Such a new and more freely feeling! The focus is more on hiking around an area and is not limited to a piste with lifts.

• The classic ski technique:

We were learning mainly the “diagonal stride” for getting uphill or ski on flats. It is a technique were you move your arms and legs in opposition. It provides a very natural movement and is something between “walking” and “running” with a glide in addition. This “natural” movement is possible when your skies are well waxed and they fit to the snow condition. (later more about that).

The technique includes a kick phase and a glide phase. During the kick phase you push the waxed part of the ski into the snow to get a grip and to push yourself forward. Simultaneously the front foot is sliding along the snow. Then this foot its pushing off while the other foot glides forward. Repeat this action and get in a flow.

http://crosscountryskitechnique.com/how-to-diagonal-stride-video/

Skiing uphill:

• “Fiskebone” or herringbone technique:This technique allows you to get up a hill no matter how steep it is. The name reveals how your track will be seen in the snow.For this technique u point your toes outwards and form a “V” with the skies. Then you simply lift up one leg infront of the other and continue walking up. The secret is not to lean too much forward, otherwise u will fall down by sliding backwards down the hill. Tim gave us the image of rolls under the feet, if u lean forward u will roll back and otherwise round. So it is very important to balance ur body´s center of gravity to get up easily.On the first day we just trained it on a small hill and it seemed so hopeless. I was falling, falling and falling up the hill. But then on the second day I got it and from that day on I went up so easily as I have done nothing else than this before. To make it more efficient or even just work I figured out to push the knees together and to push really aggressively the edge of the ski into the snow. This allows more grip and better balance.
• Another technique is using the skis parallel. For that u walk up with your skies horizontal to the hill in order to get a good grip on the edges. It can be helpful to set the upper ski always a little bit more forward to avoid instability.

Skiing downhill:

• SnowpowingThis is the easiest and most safest technique to get downhill. It is also taught to beginners of downhill skies and made it easy for me to learn. In addition to this you can also try to get down in an “S” shape. To turn, the weight is shifted from the inside of the one foot to the inside of the other foot. This brings you down the hill very smoothly.                                                                          Your skies are in the shape of a pizza slice, you turn your knees and ankles inwards and point your toes to each other. By applying pressure against the snow with the inside edges the speed can be reduced. For this technique you don’t have to turn your body away from the direction you wish to go, which makes it so easy.
• Parallel Turns:The ‘parallel turn’ is another way used to descend a mountain and is also known by the downhill skiers. This technique requires more balance and control. With cross-country skis it felt much more difficult than with downhill skies. It was harder to get the stability and control of the skies for the reasons I mentioned in the beginning.Rather than creating a pizza shape, keep both skis parallel and begin sliding down the mountain diagonally. Now you create more a zigzag than an “S” shape. To turn, lift up the ski which is closer to the downhill side, turn it to face back against the way you are travelling, shift your weight and then lift the other ski up so it is now parallel again with the newly angled ski.
• Telemark:This is a more advanced technique and brings you on a higher level of skiing in different terrain. The legs are now in a more split position. The bended knees brings the bod´s center of gravity deeper whereby the back leg is more bended. This causes a nice “balance-dance” and allows to balance on lumpy terrain or dumps. It is now all about the body to influence the skis at the right time and the right place to make the skis do the work. It is possible to go straight down with this position or even to take turns. For turns you set the edge of the ski in the snow and let them take u round the arc. Here again it is important to put much pressure into the skies and especially the front one. To hesitate will just make you fall.
• Double Poling:This technique was introduced in our warm up. It includes the whole body and requires a good core control and rhythm. It’s a lot less technically then the other techniques but is an effective method of moving fast in flat and easy surface. The legs are parallel and are bending in a rhythm with the poles. Firstly, the poles are sticked in the snow in a line of the heels. Then the knees following to bend. Finally, you push yourself forward with the sticks, this includes the strenghs in your arms and core. Extending the knees and lift up the ski poles will bring you to the beginning of the movement and you repeat this cyclic movement.

Evening Lectures

Next to the practical ski courses during the day we had theoretical lectures in the evening. The following will give you a brief conclusion about the topics and what I especially learned and got out of it.

1. Waxing skis and preparation:

Every morning, before our course started we had to prepare our skis for the day. Depending on the weather and snow condition a certain wax has to applied on the ski. For that reason we got some theoretical information about it. In Norway is mainly one company, swix, ruling the wax industry for cross country skiing. They set the rule, the colder the snow condition, the colder the color of the wax. So a red wax has to be applied on the ski in fresh snow and warm conditions (°/°), a purple in °/° and a blue in very cold conditions °/°. In addition we used a green wax for () as a main layer all over the ski which gave us the best support to a good drive.

You can divide the bottom side of the ski into 3 thirds. The first and the last thirds are the “glide zone” These parts should allow the ski to glide smoothly on the snow. The third in the middle is the “grip zone” and plays an important role for the waxing. The ski is bend in this part and only contact the snow when u put weight on it. It is also called “the camber”. So the idea behind it is, to “step” on the ski when you need grip e.g. for uphill or flat and to glide on the front and the back to increase the steps or get downhill fast. Accordingly, wax has to applied on the middle third of the ski. In my case, as I am a smaller and “lighter” person, I had to increase this section to get a better grip. Heavier people can minimize this third.

More information you can find on the following web page: http://www.swixschool.com/

So as a conclusion, waxing depends first on the snow condition, but then it is also important to consider the shape of the person and the terrain, weather its off piste, on track, steep, flat or a lot downhill.

1. First aid in the specific field of ski trips in cold conditions:

We had a long evening going through all the cases what can happen on a trip in the snow and how we can or should deal with it. The following are so most “common” risks in cold conditions:

Frost bite and frost nip Change in skin colour: first white, then blotchy and blue. On recovery, the skin may be red, hot, painful and blistered. If they get gangrene, the tissue may become black due to the loss of blood supply and death of the tissue.	be carefully with rubbing, better is to put the frost part to a warm body part (under the clothes under the arm pit or belly) avoid it by acting quickly when u recognize it
·       Broken bones, strains and spans	Prevent any further damage! Support the injured body part to stop it from moving Remember RICE for the four steps to deal with strains and sprains: Rest Ice Comfortable support/ Compression Elevation
Hypothermia 1. Shivering, cold, pale, and dry skin 2. Tiredness, confusion, and irrational behaviour 3. Slow and shallow breathing 4. Slow and weakening pulse	in an early state warm up by moving Protect the person from the elements (by e.g. building a shelter/ emergency blanket/ sleeping bag/…) Dry clothes and adding layers
Dehydration and loss of food (causes of sweating a lot and drinking too less water) Symptoms: Headaches, dry mouth, dark urine, muscle cramps	Take a break and drink water with salt and sugar (or electrolyte)

 

 

To this lecture we had also to bring our own most important or special “helper”. People brought knives, extra prepaid phone, emergency blankets, storm lighter, suncream lipstick, extra pair of socks, asthma sprays,… Important was to know yourself and which extra gear you might need. I missed the announcement and had nothing material to bring. My emergency helper was my knowledge and the focus you need in such a situation. Saved by the bell 😉

This leads me to the following session:

Equipment, needs and improvisation:

Even here was my first thought: “All the gears but no ideas”. Undoubtedly, It is very important to carry certain equipment within your daily daypack for emergencies or unexpected changes but however, first you need an “idea” what to do with it and how to use it wisely. In all the outdoor shops I visited to get all my equipment for the travel to Norway I was overloaded with advices what to badly need and take with me. Out of this lecture I could clarify this jungle of gears and “things to have” and “nice to have”. I was even thankful that Len always reduces the expense of gears and advised us for example: “If you have a tool which you can use for more than one case, the better!” (e.g. scarfs/ buffs/ socks/ knife/ bivy bag).

Here now the list we should carry in our day packs in case to survive at least one night out in the mountains:

• First aid kit, containing sports tape and an emergency blanket
• Fire making kit (in a waterproof dry sack)
• Snow shovel
• Waxing kit
• Mat
• Down / Synthetic jacket
• Extra gloves, socks, hat (depending on personal preferences)
• Insulated water bottle and thermos
• Food for the day (+ extra energy bar)
• Knife / Multitool
• Sunglasses / Goggles
• Head torch + extra batteries
• Sun cream
• Lip balm
• Pen + Paper
• Bivvy bag (emergency kind)

OPTIONAL, depending on personal preferences and skills:

• Skins for skis
• GPS device
• Special Medication
• Binocular
• Spare Phone

IN YOUR JACKET

• Map
• Compass
• Phone
• Snacks“Never depend on the others kid in an emergency, always carry your own!”

Finally, to get a deeper knowledge of what could happen and how to react gave me now a higher competence of being a “vegleder”/ leader for groups in the outdoor. There are so many things that can happen in the outdoors and things to consider. Therefore be well prepared, be physically, mentally and emotional fit and be aware that anything can happen and finally enjoy the trip with trust, strength and a smile.

 

All in all it was a fantastic week, with a nice variation of physical demands, important theoretical input and living within a group of 24 curious, brave, lovely and sociable people. We got closer to each other and built up a strong group relationship with a stable fundament. I feel very comfortable in it as I express myself and contribute with all my yoga knowledge, group experiences and personal patience, endurance and abilities. In return I get all the advantages of the contributions of the others, such as massages, cooking support, games, laugh and love.

In appreciation I am looking forward for the following trips.

Shanti Om,

Linda

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sources:

http://crosscountryskitechnique.com/how-to-diagonal-stride-video/

http://www.telemarktracks.com/telemark_tips/telemark_technique_carving.html

http://www.sja.org.uk/sja/first-aid-advice/hot-and-cold-conditions.aspx