Self organised trip Hovden – Tjornbrotbu – Berdalsbru

Day 1 (02/03)

We split up in three different groups to travel from Kristiansand to Hovden. Some of us took the bus early morning, Laura and Will took a couple of people with them in their cars. Our group took the bus due to bad weather forecast and poor driving conditions (snow and ice). We met up with the rest in Hovden, and then made our way up to the start of the trail to the Tjornbrotbu hut. As it took us longer than expected to find the start of the trail, we left quite late (i.e. around 14:00), leaving some members of the group in slight distress considering whether or not we would make it to the hut before dark. The reason why most of us felt uneasy was due to the fact that in the limited amount of time we had we still had to cover (at least) 10 kilometres with a total of 300 meter in ascent. The weather was cloudy but quiet (i.e. no severe winds) most of our way up the trail. After having had covered three kilometres we came to a junction. As we skied in two groups some of us took the wrong turn, leaving the other half of the group confused and somewhat stressed out. The group who took the wrong turn then had to cross back to the main trail what took some time, and it was already getting quite late. Despite the hiccups we managed to re-established our group dynamic and continued further up. As we got closer to the hut we met a group of Norwegian women that had just come down from Tjornbrotbu. I asked them about the weather conditions and directions and they warned me for strong winds and a very steep last ascent up to the hut. Glad to have spoken to the women we continued our journey. Not much later we came to the foot of the hill up to Tjornbrotbu. It started to snow quite severely and the winds got stronger by the minute. As we made our way up we noticed the thick layer of ice and the lacking amount of fresh snow. In addition to that, we underestimated the steepness of the hill as it got more slopy by every meter that we got up. Halfway up to the hut the weather got even worse and the grip on our skis was very poor. For me this was the first moment that I ever started to panic as the snow and ice hurt my face and visibility was minimal. Poor grip and thick layers of ice made the climb ever more challenging, and I knew that there was no way in turning back. Seeing Sarah in front of me, and the others in line behind encouraged me to continue. The last 200 metres to the hut were probably the toughest, as you were able to see your destination but did not seem to get any inch closer. Yet as soon as I reached the hut and knew that the others would follow, everything was fine. We all would spent the night inside around the oven, as the storm was still roaring outside.

Day 2 (03/03)

We decided to split up into smaller groups for the second day. Jo(hanna), Janna, Zoë, Frankie and me left earlier, the other would follow later. It was quite a cloudy day but the wind luckily settled down (compared to the storm the day before and during the night). We wanted to travel/ski in smaller groups as this proved to be the most effective (i.e. reference to the Haukeliseter to Hovden trip). Despite the calm weather and slight overcast our skiing abilities were put to test by the poor snow conditions along the 14 kilometer long trail from Tjornbrotbu to Berdalsbu. The snow was icy and densely packed down, making it almost impossible to ski down the steep slopes. For that reason we would find ourselves taking off our skis and walking down multiple times. In addition, the cloud would make it hard for us to navigate and distinguish features. Hence we used our maps and compasses at all times to trace the track and check on directions and distance. After a good four hours we came on top of a hill, overlooking the valley and the DNT hut where we would spend our second night. We skied down, climbed up and settled in, preparing the hut for the other to arrive. The rest of the group arrived not much later, and we all had a blast sitting around inside and talking about all sorts of things.

 

 

Day 3 (04/03)

The night before our group decided to leave together for our final descent back down to Berdalen. We only had to cover six kilometres that day, of which most would be downhill. The day was perfect considering weather and snow conditions, what made it great for everyone to practice and improve their skiing skills. We all waxed properly, and everyone was having a great time coming down in the thick new layer of powder snow. No difficulties were faced, and the whole group seemed to work together very well. Around midday we came back to the cars/bus and made our way back to Kristiansand

Learning outcomes

What I have learned the most during this trip is the importance of a well-balanced group dynamic. We never faced any difficulties considering group dynamic, thus for all of us it was the first time on a trip that some people got stressed/frustrated by how other handled in a certain situation. Despite all this, we still stood strong together as a group, and did not outbalance the ‘storming’ process. Also, what should be taken into account is that groups are in constant change; they are dynamic rather than static. Meaning that at some point, every group faces some difficulties along the way, which should not necessarily be considered as negative. On of the solutions for all of us was to split up into smaller groups the second day, what would take away the tension to some extent. Especially since we (my group) knew that we could work well together as a group; we would all have the same influence on the decision making process, authority thus was distributed equally, and everyone would work towards production and goal (i.e. reaching the next hut in time without unnecessarily exhausting ourselves). Everyone provided support to the rest of the group, and interactions were kept harmonious.