Evje Ski Week

Introduction

 

Our basic ski course took place in a small town north of Kristiansand called Evje. This area was a perfect place for recreational users because it offers plenty of outdoor adventure activities. Our base camp was located at Tim Davis’ adventure center, ‘TrollAktiv.’ The ski area was a quick 15-minute bus ride, which was the starting point for many skiing trails that went all over the valley for many kilometers. The skiing conditions were not ideal for proper skiing, with adjustments with ski wax (a.k.a. not using anything) we were able to deal with the harsh conditions of the icy/cold damp rain. Main ski area where we practiced was flat with a large field with a slight downslope on the left slide, which was perfect for going down hills. The trails that lead away from the ski center twisted and wrapped around dense Norwegian forests and hills with endless opportunities to practice going down hill and unfortunately up hills… Our learning outcomes for this basic ski course is to simply practice our skiing techniques by practicing; balance (knee bending, telemark stance), turns (telemark, slalom), stopping (telemark turn, snow plow), skate skiing, uphill climbing, and classic cross country skiing. With skiing techniques, comes with preparing for expeditions, therefore a learning outcome for this field trip would be learning what to pack and also how to pack our day bags and also first aid in the field. Whats unique about Norway is that all land is accessible for recreational use. In this area, we had endless snow  to ski from as long as we respected the landscape without worrying about going onto someone’s land. With the recreation act, it makes our field trip more enjoyable knowing we can choose to ski where ever we would like to go. For local people this is important because this makes access to outdoor activities easier therefore people will participate more frequently in them.

Day 1

 

 

We first arrived at TrollAktiv on a rainy Monday after our short bus ride from Kristiansand Centrum. The first objective was to find a guy by the name of ‘Tim’ (which was later on our ski instructor) and get to our accommodations to get settled in for the week ahead of us. Once we decided on who was in which cabin we were able to relax and prepare for the short ski lesson we had planned for the night. We grabbed our skis and hopped on the bus that took us 15 minutes to the ski area.

For our warm-up, we started off without our skis and did some exercises simply to warm up our core and limbs because the weather conditions was a slight mist with wind which was not ideal for people standing still. For exercises we did jumping with arm circles, jumping jacks, squats, and jumping with twists. Next, Tim explained how to make a ‘play area.’ This area is very important for people learning the basics of skiing and also for children on skis. This area was mainly flat but towards one side it had a slight downhill, which was ideal for practice for turning and stopping. To make this area, we all spread out over the area and practiced stepping in circles to help us from not crossing our skies and flattening the area. After some tumbles, it was time to practice falling the correct way and getting up again (which came to use quiet often..). The next exercise we did was knee bending just to simply help us find our balanced while on skis. To increase the difficultly, we attempting to jump and do a full 360 degree turn while in the air, which did not end well for me… After the warm-up was complete, we were ready to do some really skiing. For the first drill we divided into two lines on the top of the downhill slope and one by one we skied down normally, then we increased the difficultly by skiing down while jumping, jumping, and alternating legs.

After our basic skills were mastered, it was time for some competition. We divided into four teams of five people and the object of the relay was to step as fast as you can on our skis around a ski pole which was 15 meters away and come back and tag the next person in your group so that they can go. With our ‘expert’ level of skill, our group was the 5 time reigning champs of the relay races! After our relay races were finished, the darkness crept in and it was time to head back to TrollAktiv for dinner and a shower.

 

Day 2

 

The next day started off with a brief information meeting involving snow conditions and which wax to use for our skis. Due to the warmer weather, we used the red wax, which is used in +1 through +10 degree Celsius temperatures. We took the bus up to the ski area where we began a quick warm-up by jumping and playing flag-football with skis and also partner tag to simply warm up the core of our bodies in the cold damp wind. After the warm-ups it was time for drills. To up the difficulty, we practiced skate skiing in a flat area with harder snow. To skate ski, the main ideas were to transfer your weight when you stepped onto the flat apart of your ski to make you move forward. We did this exercise a few times then added ski poles into the mix. From then it seemed to be easier to time the steps correctly to properly skate ski.

We then got the opportunity to backcountry ski around the area. To prepare for our backcountry trip, we had to make sure our packs had the right equipment to be safe and

prepared for anything. Some of the items we brought along were a spade, first aid kit, extra rain/windproof clothing, food, and a lighter for a fire. We then started our 6 km trek to a campsite area where we planned to have lunch and to have other lessons. The trip included many downhill selections and wooded areas, which made for a very enjoyable journey. We took a couple rest stops along the way to climb up small hills to ski down and practice our telemark stance to help stability and to find a semi safe route to ski down. Sometimes I got a little over ambitious and took a couple nasty wipeouts but all and all it was an awesome experience. Once we got to our destination I was designated to build a fire inside the teepee which, only took around five minutes because the firewood was previously dry and ready for use we had our lunches and it was time for our next challenge. We divided into 3 groups and we assigned a construct a certain ski obstacle for the class to try. My group was assigned the accordion, which was made up of multiple alternating bumps about 1 meter high in a row down a slope. To make the obstacle correctly we had to make the bumps rounded with a track for the ski to go over and also a reserve curve on the opposite side of each bump for added difficulty. Once construction was complete, we then skied over the obstacle to form the tracks for when the entire class executed the obstacle. The two other obstacles that were constructed by the other groups were multiple bumps in a row, and the ski jump. The objective from these obstacles is to work on your core balance when coming to rough terrain, also to help with bending your knees and using them as hydraulics to maintain a center of gravity while going over obstacles. After a couple nasty tumbles and wipe-outs on both moguls and the jump, I think I became more comfortable with my bodies limits and was able to control my center of balance much better.

After the wipe-outs were over with and the bruises were forming, we headed back 6km to the bus and back home to TrollAktiv to dry out our gear and prepare for a lecture on Wilderness First-Aid from a TrollAktiv worker named Simon. The lecture was based on how to assess the situation of the victim and the surroundings. We then practiced getting victims in a recovery position based on the injury. Simon showed us what is best to pack along in a first-aid kit such as; medical wrap, gaws, multi functional splint, a phone, whistle, and an emergency windproof sack.

Day 3

 

The next day started off in the same type of manner such as drills like air ping pong, a wrestling match (to a 14 year German Ju-Jit-Su fighter) to warm up our cores in the damp wind. We practiced some downhill skiing techniques such as the telemark turn, pizza (for turning), the alpine salom, and stopping, which seemed to be the most important… With Tim, we then made a plan to trek through some near by trails to “play around” in fresh powder snow and to find difficult slopes to practice our telemark stance, which centralizes our center of gravity to help our balance while going down steep slopes. This was great for beginner skiers because it teaches them how to find skiable slopes and teaches them proper technique while going down without too many consequences. It also increases enjoyment out of skiing backcountry trails because instead of just sticking to the same boring trail, you are able to go off the trail to ski fun slopes and also giving more confidence with every increase of difficulty for harder slopes.

Our short excursion was over and we headed back to the camp for some geocaching with GPS. The objective of this task was to properly use GPS to guide us to certain points that were already marked into the GPS’s computer system. Each group was assigned to 2 points to collect and each person in the group took turns of guiding the group with the GPS. I have never used a GPS system so it was really an experience snowshoeing and tracking these points with a GPS system. But we had to be careful due to cliffs and other obstacles because the GPS did not take that into account when it guided us to points.

The lecture that night was all about TrollAktiv and its operation. Tim told us about its history and the different activities that TrollAktiv had to offer its clients. Tim also gave us information about a summer internship with outdoor guiding and how it is working there (which sounds like a pretty amazing experience). TrollAktiv’s main attraction is whitewater rafting and kayaking during the summer times, which also hydroelectric power (huge in Norway) played a huge role in their business due to the volumes of water being flushed out giving the area a perfect whitewater route to raft down.  Over all, Tim has a perfect set-up to run a business to run TrollAktiv.

 

Day 4

To start the fourth day, we started waxing our skies with base wax because of the snowfall over night. We then drove to the ski center to begin our planned 15km ski route back down to the town of Evje. Our warm-up was a little different. Because of the fresh snowfall, the road ahead leading to the ski center was inaccessible, so for our warm-up it consisted of walking 600m to the ski center from the van.

We split up into two groups for our 15km trip so we could work on leading groups through fresh snow and also for more personal group dynamics. While starting our trip, it started to snow again with wet damp flakes that chilled my body to the core. Therefore our breaks between skiing were shortened because we got so cold when we stopped moving (my waterproof jacket became no longer waterproof). We met up with the other group after 8km for a quick/cold lunch spot and we decided to take an alternate route due to the worsening conditions and because everyone was wet and cold. The alternate route was a quick 1km to a nearby road where the van came and picked us up and took us back to TrollAktiv to dry off our gear.

 

Day 5

 

After a rough day before, our gear was dry and our legs were ready to go for another journey through the mountains. Day 5’s destination was to the top of the highest peak in that area to a radio tower. Instead of wax, we put on moleskin strips on the bottom of our skis to help us get a grip in the snow with the steep inclines that we were about to go up. The snow seemed to be in very good condition for skiing but the visibility was not so great due to the low cloud cover. We climbed up a couple hundred meters then stopped for a quick lunch and kept on our way up to the peak. We came across a very difficult area were we had to side step up the hill while also avoiding trees for about 20 meters. The most difficult stretch was the last 100 meters to the top of the peak. I was leading the group so I needed to make my own trail in very deep snow with a steep incline up to the top but after a couple of minutes we arrived to the top with a beautiful view of the fog and clouds but it was still nice to reach our goal to the summit. After a group picture we took off the skins and began to our ski down to base. Taking of the skins seemed to be much more challenging and much faster than I’d anticipated but it still was a great feeling be able to have worked on my technique. We made it back to base and said thank you and goodbye to Tim and he headed back to TrollAktiv to pack up for the bus home. The time I had spent in TrollAktiv was a wonderful opportunity to learn how to properly ski. I felt that I have conquered my goals for being able to ski correctly in difficult terrain under unfavorable conditions.

 

-Thank you Tim Davis and TrollAktiv!