Assignment 2 – Basic Ski Course at Evje

 

As the snow began to melt at the beginning of February, our class caught a bus up to an Outdoor Centre, Troll Aktiv, based in a town just north of Kristiansand called Evje, for a Basic Skills Skiing Course. The course was set up to provide not only the practical side of skiing, including basic technique, turning, skating and gliding, but also to introduce us to waxing skis, packing day sacks for touring and first aid.

The Troll Aktiv Centre at Evje is situated on the east of the Samkom river, which they use for rafting, canoeing and kayaking in the summer, and west of a mountainous area they use for skiing in the winter. The skiing conditions fluctuated throughout the week which made developing our technique and keep motivation and spirits on a high a tough task.

 

Skiing Technique

Before we began the basics of skiing technique, we were first taught how to keep our balance on our skis, and get used to having these large, long objects attached to our feet.  We were told to always keep our feet bent and when we walk to press our feet into the ground in order for the ski to grip onto the snow. We participated in a range of activities that helped improve our balance on the skis and enhance our kinaesthetic feel for the skis.

The next progression was to lean to keep our balance whilst moving on the skis. We were guided through a range of activities that improved our balance whilst going down a small decline – such as squatting, going on one leg, moving in and out of the tracks and doing small jumps.

There are a few main ways that we can turn whilst moving with skis. These include edging and leaning with our skis, stepping, the kick turn, and the telemark turn. Each of these techniques are used in different circumstances and to different overall effects. Edging and Leaning skis in order to turn are the most basic of techniques when it comes to turning. When edging, a skier will turn their skis over shortly so that the edge of one of their skis digs into the snow enough that the flat side of the ski raises of the snow. This will result in a gradual turn in the direction of the edge. Leaning whilst skiing involves placing pressure or moving ones centre of gravity more onto either the left or right ski. By moving your weight on to your left ski, you will turn right and vice versa. These two techniques are vital to be mastered before a kick turn or telemark turn are practiced. The third technique is called Stepping. This simply involves lifting the front of one ski in the air, and turning it some degrees in a different direction, then bring the other ski over to match that desired direction. By performing 2 or 3 steps, you can change your direction quite rapidly on a downhill slope without much effort. The next turn that we progressed to was the kick turn. This turn is a precursor to the telemark turn but is not quite as difficult as less balance is required for the skier to perform it effectively. This turn allows for a quick, immediate change in direction and involves moving your inside ski from a snow plow to parallel with your outside ski. This is a difficult move to master as the change in direction, balance, and shift in the centre of gravity can be difficult to get used to, however when performed correctly, can be a very effective method. The final, most advanced but traditional method of turning Cross

Country touring skis is the telemark method. First you must learn the telemark position – this is a position where make a 90 degree in your front leg,  and move your back leg backwards, to create the position in the picture along side here. By placing equal weight onto both of the skis, keeping your skis shoulder width apart, poles out wide for stability and eyes on the direction you wish to turn in, you will create a telemark turn on a downhill slope.

The glide is the most common and efficient way of touring along a long land of snow covered landscape on cross country skis. To perform a glide, place pressure on the centre of one of your skis, then push your other ski forward, simultaneously lifting you back leg in the process. This will result in a glide. Repeating that process multiple times will result in a quick, efficient and graceful movement.

There are two main techniques used for moving up a slope on cross country skis. When the slope is not to steep and the appropriate wax has been applied, a skier can simply glide or walk up the hill, but if the slope is to great or the wax not sufficient, a herring bone must be performed. This involves creating a V shape with your skis, with the wider part of the V facing up the hill, and making steps forward whilst keeping this shape. Making small edges into the snow helps with the stability of the movement and insures that you will not slide down the hill.

The final technique that was taught during our Ski week was Skating. Skating on cross country touring skis is the fastest way to cross an area and it mimics the way Ice skaters move across an ice rink. It involves keeping the skis in a V shape similar to a herring bone, but instead, you move your body weight on to each ski alternatively, it a slightly outward bound direction, rather than straight ahead. The transfer of weight from each ski to the other and the push in the direction of travel creates a smooth, efficient and quick movement.

 

Ski Waxing

The main purpose for waxing our skis is to firstly achieve a smooth glide on a downhill or a flat area, and to secondly be able to grip onto the snow while we are moving up hill.
When it comes to waxing, there are many different types of wax for many different types of snow conditions, and the way that you wax your skis differs

depending on the conditions you are expecting to see. Waxes are generally temperature specific, as the conditions of the snow will change dependent on the snow. If you were to use the wrong wax for the conditions you are skiing, in you can find that you will not glide effectively, be unable to grip the snow properly, or will gain a build up of snow and ice under your skis. The picture to the right shows the different colours of waxes and the temperatures that they are best suited for.

When preparing the skis for skiing, you ensure that the skis are clean and any previous wax is removed. Firstly, you apply a glide wax to the entire ski. Generally you can use a wax that is suitable for very cold conditions, as these can act as a glide wax. Generally a green -15 wax is suitable. Apply the wax, cork it off, and repeat 3 times. Then, dependent on the temperature, you will select a grip wax that is suitable and apply three layers to the middle third of the ski. The reason why you apply the wax to the middle third of the ski is that this is the area that will grip to the snow upon pressure, and be free from the snow when gliding. The camber or bend in a ski can vary from ski to ski so the middle third rule is more of a general rule. Once the grip wax has been applied and corked off 3 times, the skis are ready for skiing.

When the conditions are above 0°C, a different substance called Klister is used. Klister is more of a glue rather than a wax and is generally used as a last resort as it can be very difficult to remove. In these conditions, it is very difficult to find the correct mixture of waxes so that is why Klister is used.
Another alternative is to use Skins. Skins are a long strip of fabric that has bristles which all run in the same direction and are used for climbing steep mountains. By applying the skins to the bottom of the skis with the bristles facing the end of the skis, moving up hills becomes quite easy and is a great way for beginners to learn to move with skis.

 

Packing a Rucksack for a Day of Skiing.

There are many essential items that you must carry with you when going touring in the mountains. The foremost important item that we were always told to bring is a snow shovel. This item is necessary for digging emergency shelters in case of a abrupt change in weather, or digging an individual out of an avalanche. You should always bring a spare pair of gloves and an extra beanie. Wet or lost gloves/beanies can have disastrous effects on your health in the mountains. A loss of gloves can result in frost bitten fingers and travelling without a beanie can result in massive heat loss. It is also essential to bring extra warm clothing with you. Some sort of down jacket is most appropriate for when you make a stop for lunch or a teaching point. Bringing warm water is also a priority. Drinking cold water whilst touring through snow, whilst being undesirable, also requires your body to use extra energy to warm the water before digestion. Already warm water uses less energy for the body to process, warms up your body and also has a great effect on your mindset. High GI foods are also important for refuelling energy immediately, for instance candy, nuts, or different fruits and vegetables, and preferably a Low GI meal is ideal.  It is strongly advisable to line you rucksack with some sort of waterproof material. A garbage bag is a cheap, easy alternative to a heavy duty, expensive plastic liner. Wet items inside a rucksack can be unusable and uncomfortable so keeping them dry is a priority. Many other items can be taken in your rucksack such as: sleeping bag for emergencies, knife, head torch or rope.

One of the most important items to bring along with you is a first aid kit. A basic first aid kit equipped with various bandages, antiseptics, scissors, tape and tissues along with other specific equipment such as an emergency shelter, emergency blanket, multi functional splint and a mobile phone is essential for a group to carry when heading into the mountains.

The way in which you pack your rucksack is also important. Heavy items such as a sleeping bag should be placed at the bottom of your bag. This helps with you balance and stability on the skis. Items that you may need to get quickly should be placed on the top of your bag, such as a snack or water. Then the rest of you equipment should be placed within these two areas.

 

Clothing

Appropriate clothing is essential when touring through the mountains. Getting the appropriate mix between warmth, breathability and waterproofing is a vital part of your ability to cope with the surrounding climate. It is firstly very important to cover yourself with a waterproof outer shell to prevent any water coming in from the outside. Wearing clothing lined with Goretex is the best option, but there are many cheaper alternatives that provide the same protection. The clothing that you wear inside you waterproofs is just as, if not more important than your outer layer. Foremost you should wear a breathable wool thermal layer. This layer provides warmth whilst also allowing sweat to move away from your skin. A wet inner layer can cause the body’s core temperature to drop rapidly and can lead to hypothermia. Above this layer, you should use a mix of fleece and wool layers to provide extra insulation and warmth to your body. The trick when it comes to clothing in whilst skiing is being able to regulate your body temperature so that you are not cold, but are not sweating at the same time. To best attack this, wear multiple, thin layers, rather than one large layer, so that you can appropriately remove or add layers as you wish. As has been mentioned, bringing along a warm jacket with you, Down or Primaloft is advisable, is highly important for when you stop for lunch or when the sun sets. It is also vital to take care of your extremities as warmth is quickly lost through these areas. A woollen beanie is essential to keep your head warm while skiing to ensure that no warmth is lost, accompanied by some sort of buff or next warmer will help to keep the cold wind of your neck and face. Wearing warm, water proof gloves is essential to not only protect your fingers from the cold, but to gain more grip on your ski poles and to protect your hands when falling into the snow. Last but certainly not least it is vital to wear thick wool socks in your ski boots. There is nothing worst than having numb toes whilst skiing so keeping them warm is as much a comfort need than a health need.

 

Overall, the experience and the learning that was had at Troll Aktiv over the course of the week was highly beneficial.  Our skiing ability as a group improved substantially, we learnt many concepts around skis, technique, waxing and preparation, as well as lessons around preparing to go out into the mountains and what to take in an emergency.