Skiing in Jegersberg with a campfire

Activities:

Time to go skiing! As there were no boots left for neither Adrian nor me when we picked up our gear so apart from a bit of practice on our own, this was our first time on cross country skis or skis at all that is for Adrian. We met up in a group with Martynas, Jonas and Paige, ready to explore the local forest. We followed the tracks behind University alongside Nedere and Øvre Jegersbergvann, played around on the frozen lakes and always tried to motivate each other and give advice about technique and balance to the ones that didn’t have any prior experience in skiing. I figured although it felt a lot different, mostly just more unstable than being on alpine skis but at least I had experience with that that I could share.

When we came by a small clearing on a hill to our left we decided to go up there and have our lunch and fire there. Once up there we set up a small fire pit and started a fire to prepare hot dogs for everyone and enjoyed the sunshine.

After lunch we just followed the track along for another 15 minutes before parts of our group decided to call it a day and started heading back, so we took the same route back but crossed the small dam in the south-west of Øvre Jegersbergvann and finally arrived at the horse farm between Spicheren and Jegersberg after a fun little downhill through the denser forest.

Testing of equipment:

I went out with the skis boots and poles the day before when I got my boots so I had already gotten a bit used to the skinny skis and had practiced on the tracks and small downhill slopes which was more fun but also more strenuous than I had expected.

Lessons:

Don’t put too much wood on a small fire at once or you risk choking the flames. Also make sure the fire pit is wide enough and not too deep in the ground to ensure a steady supply of oxygen. To prevent the fire from disappearing in the snow it is helpful to place the whole fire on a small platform of green logs or branches.

Don’t put your gloves too close over the fire when trying to dray them out or they might eventually catch on fire.

Group Dynamics:

A nice day with beautiful weather, great atmosphere in the group and a nice hot meal. What more could you want.