Mountain Safety Trip
From the 19th until the 23rd of March we had planned our Mountain safety trip. The goals of this trip were:
– Improving ski technique
– Learning to lead groups through winter environments
– Setting up Tents, Shelters, Snowholes in winter environments
– Judging avalanche danger
– Navigating in winter environments
Preparation
As preparation of the trip we spoke about the area where we would go to and the general route we would take. We agreed on a route with a few huts alongside the way. These huts would be beneficial in case of emergencies. Furthermore we had lectures on avalanches. Why learned about avalanche rescues for the case of an emergency but also about factors that can indicate avalanches. So we should be able to judge if an area contains the possible danger of avalanches. In order the get a general idea about the area we would be going to we took a look at the map and the weather for our stay and the weeks before. Through this process we could already determine possible avalanche locations and routes we should use or avoid.
The gear for this trip was quite similar to the skiing trips we did before only the avalanche kits consisting of probes and shovels were additionally added. The planning of food for the days was also left to us.
For the trip we decided to divide our whole class into two groups by the individual skill level. Ewen would lead the more advanced group for the duration of the trip while the other group would be led by Len. This should prevent growing discontent within the groups because of the different skill levels.
Day One
We started our tour at about 12 o’clock just above the village Berg 100 km north of Kristiansand. After waxing our skis both groups started to navigate their way to our first campsite close to two DNT huts. The most parts of today tracks led upwards and were quite challenging. We always changed the person navigating the group in the front so that everyone could practice their navigations skills. However the tracks were well marked and navigating wasn’t really needed. Nevertheless we tried to identify certain points on the map to practise. During the trip we quickly lost sight of the other group.
Along the way we spotted hills that we had talked about in the lecture and marked as possible avalanche slopes. Small avalanche traces on those hills proved us to be right about our assumption. During the trip the group atmosphere was casual and relaxed. We knew we had a short day ahead of us to reach our first destination and everybody seemed happy to be back on a trip. After reaching the DNT huts Ewen told us to set up a tent sight. In the windy conditions of the day we were looking for some wind shelter. Only two big boulders seemed sufficient and so we all started to flatten the snow behind those boulders and setting up our tents. After that we collectively build snow walls surrounding our tents for additional shelter. During this process the secon group arrived and joined us. We spent the rest of the day preparing our dinner and reflecting about the trip.
Day Two
On the second day we started our tour at nine o’clock. The route for the day was about 8 km long and we should arrive around two so that we have enough time to build our snow hole for the night. The first two kilometers of the track we especially hard because they were quite steep. Ewen told us to do as few turns as possible because every turn would cost us time. On those two kilometers we climbed about 250 meters of difference in altitude. After reaching the top we were all very pleased and happy about the progress we had made. From there the track was hilly but mainly led slightly downwards. We continued as we did the day before in appointing different members of the group to break the snow and navigate us. Many breaks along the way kept the general group atmosphere at a stabile level and also our energy. However it was obvious that today’s trip was challenging and demanding and we were all happy about every break. I started to feel the weight of my backpack quite heavily on my shoulders and also a starting cold was making me feel quite weak. Only 300 meters before reaching our destination we took another break. It was a weird location for taking a break but it indicates how exhausted the group was. Due to our condition our navigation skill was insufficient. We had not known that we were this close to our target but had thought that we still had two kilometers to go. We were relieved to discover that we had covered more of the track than we had thought. But were also upset that we did not recognize obvious details to identify our exact location.
At our destination we took another break while overviewing the surroundings. Ewen pointed out one particular slope that might be suitable for building our snow hole. We all skied up the mountain and tested the depth with our snow probes. The depth seemed sufficient and we started digging three holes for the entrances of the snow holes.
While one person was digging the entrance two others were moving the snow down the hill to create more space. After creating the entrance we could start building a cave by digging further into the snow. Ewen was supervising the work at all times and made us connect all three snow holes. The final step was closing the entrance and digging a smaller entrance below the level of the sleeping area. So in the end we created one big snow hole with three entrances also serving as ventilation systems. Although we had been exhausted before building the snow hole everybody worked hard to finish them. It took us almost five hours to complete it and after a while one could feel the motivation decreasing. Nevertheless we kept working at a team taking terms in shovelling and resting. The work outside of the snow holes was the most tiring and unsatisfying due to the slow process and the harsh weather conditions. 
After the finishing the snow holes we were relieved and very happy with our accomplishment leading to a much increase group cohesion and a great atmosphere that evening. However our clothes were soaking wet from the work in the snow and we feared that they would cause problems the following day.
Day Three
Luckily Ewen told us to take all shovels inside of the hole because we had been snowed in during the night. After digging ourselves out we signalled Ewen that we are okay. The Nobody was really motivated for any ski touring this day an Ewen must have sensed this wish immediately. Instead of doing a trip we used the whole morning and noon to relax in the DNT hut and dry our clothes. Ewen had a hard time motivating us for some exercise. In the afternoon we started building an igloo under the supervision of Ewen. We created several stations for sawing snow bricks, carrying them and finally building them into an igloo. The group had definitely arrived in the stage of performing. 
During the last day and this we needed almost no words for the tasks. Everybody knew where to be and what to do and this resulted in an efficient approach on building the snow hole and the igloo. Everybody seemed to enjoy the work and the accomplishment of it. Although we did not do anything else besides building the igloo the day was a big success. We had given everybody the 
chance to recover from the past days. The team spirit had grown and we were eager to go skiing on the following day.
Day four
The goal for the forth day was to get back to our first campsite and meet up with the second group who we had not seen since. After that we wanted to head further to the starting point and set up individual emergency shelters for the night. We started navigating our way back to the campsite as the days before. The group atmosphere was great and since everybody knew the track already we were quite confident. My cold had increased and I felt quite weak during the day. I had the feeling the group was well aware of that without me even saying a word. Whenever I took the lead someone else would replace we soon after. IT was great to see how smart our team had found team roles that were most needed and how easily we could adapt to the situations we faced as a team. When we arrived the step part we had climbed on the second day we were rewarded with a beautiful view over the landscape and a fun downhill slope. The second group welcomed us at the campsite. They had spent their nights in snow holes around the campsite after realizing that the slope ahead of them was to steep. It was great to share our experiences with the others and hear what they had experienced. After that meeting our group continued the trip toward the valley and stopped close to the end to set up our shelters. In groups of to we build shelters for the night. The idea was to build emergency shelters within half an hour. However we took way more time to do so. When the other group arrived they started setting up shelters as well. Before everybody had finished we gathered around all the shelters and discussing them. It grew obvious that we would not spent the night in there, because some were not really suitable and would result in a cold and hard night. Len admitted that it was never the plan to spend the night in shelters. The idea was to build them as a practise and experience how to build one. Many of us were relieved that we would not sleep in the shelters others were disappointed. We continued our trip to the cars with our head torches out, because the sun had started to set. Our main focus for the last meters was safety. The snow was icy and we were all tired. We all arrived safely at the cars and started to load the vehicles with our gear.
Reflection
I had the feeling that the group cohesion on this trip was very high. Not only because we had already spent many trips together but also because of the decision to split the groups into two. The homogenises of the group increased the cohesion and the motivation within our team. We created our own little competitions within the group to challenge us and playfully improved our skiing skills.
References
Meredith Belbin, R. (2011). Management teams: Why they succeed or fail. Human Resource Management International Digest, 19(3).
Tuckman, B. W., & Jensen, M. A. C. (1977). Stages of small-group development revisited. Group & Organization Studies, 2(4), 419-427.