03.02.20 – 07.02.20
Ski-Trip to TrollAktiv in Evje
Skiing:
Monday was my first time on skis in my whole life. When we arrived in the ski-area of Evje and put on the skis for the first time, it was a very strange feeling for me. I had no grip anymore and always slipped away. We first made some practice like standing on one ski, jumping around, … That alone was very hard for me, because I hadn´t the body tension and the balance yet. After a few minutes working out how to handle with the skis, we tried to ski around the area. We learned how to ski down a hill in wavy lines, to walk up a hill and just how to stand, when you are skiing down a hill. The wavy lines were a little bit difficult for me, because you need to take your weight on the one leg and then to the other leg. But I often lost during this moves my balance and fell. That showed me how important it is to have a good body tension and balance. The most of us had never tried cross-country-skiing before, but some of them have experience in snowboarding and other sports where you need also a good balance, which was an advantage for them. Walking up a hill was first a big struggle for me, because I always slipped back down. But then I realized I should walk like a “V” and exert pressure on the insides of the skis and it worked. But I also tried just to shift my weight back, bend my knees a bit and to tense my whole body, especially my stomach and walk slowly up with straight skis and it also worked really well. This kind need a lot more concentration, but it wasn´t that exhausting like the “V”. I also learned that I should fall in the right position. I always fell on my knees and that was hurting a lot. But it´s also very dangerous, because it has a big risk of injury. So it´s better so fall on your butt or on your side, but not on your knees.
The second day was probably the best day in this week, what was caused because of the great weather and snow conditions. The snow was fresh and like powder and the sun was shining. So we used the blue wax again. Our daily morning routine was now to check the weather forecast and to choose which wax we should use. We started a tour through the ski-area. During the tour Tim showed us some technique, for example how to stop, skiing in wavy lines, stopping very fast and the Telemark. He also showed us how to skate, what was difficult in my opinion. The weather and snow changed from the powder snow from Tuesday to a crystal snow, which is comparable with sugar. That´s why the snowflakes lost their shape and are now rounder than before.

On Wednesday we did a little off-track-tour. Our task was, that everybody should lead for one time and learn how to build a path in the deep snow. The difficulty was to find the right speed and the best way to walk. When you go up a hill, you must decide if you want to walk in a “V” or if you want to walk wavy lines to decrease the slope. Especially at this day it was very hard to walk up a hill, because the grip was very low because of the special kind of snow crystals. After we arrived at our lunch break place and had lunch, we did a competition with two groups. Our task was to make a fire before the others. It was very difficult to find dry wood in the snowy area. Tim told us that the best way to find useful wood is to look for dead trees and take the wood from the tree, because the wood on the ground is too wet. Probably the best way is to bring a little wood, make a fire with it and then dry the wood that you have found on the fire. After this competition I was freezing, that showed me that I need to remember to move and do in between some jumping jacks or other moves to stay warm. We also noticed that the weather was changing during our competition and lunch break. When we arrived at the point there was snow on the trees, and after the 2 hours the snow was melted. Now we knew it must be around 0 degrees or more. So we had to wax our skis with a different kind of wax, because in the morning we were using the blue wax. Now we needed the red wax, which is for degrees more than 0.
On Thursday we drove to Bortelid, to practise some mountain-skiing. We skied up the downhill path, which was very exhausting. We used skins, that we have more grip, which was very helpful.

On the top of the hill we learned some emergency techniques. For example how to abseil somebody from a cliff. We buried our skis about 1m and put a rope around them. So we could use them as an anchor. Another way was to bury a circle around 1m, which could also be used as an anchor. At least we had the task to build a camp for the night, to stay alive. We knew the wind will be a big problem, so we decided to build a snowhole. We used our skis as a framework for the roof and filled it with snow. At least we had too less time to build it big enough for two persons.

We also had a map and compass day, where we skied around the area and orientated with our map. A very important fact we learned was, if one part of the nature doesn´t fit with the map, it´s not the right place. So you should always check the area around you and every piece of the puzzle has to fit perfectly.

Lessons:
When we arrived at TrollAktiv, we had an introduction before we went to the ski-area. Tim and Sindre taught us something about the weather conditions, waxing and clothing. The weather conditions this year are very bad for skiing. I thought it´s because of the climate change, but Tim told us that it´s because of highs and low pressure. He also taught us how to wax the skis. There are different types of wax, which are used for different temperatures. At the first day we used the blue wax, which is for a temperature between -2 and -10 degrees. That also showed us how important it is always to check the temperature and the area around you when your skiing, because the snow can change during the day and you maybe need another type of wax. Clothing is also very important. The Norwegian saying: “Ull er gull.” is a shortcut for the clothing. The Norwegians use a layering-principle. The first layer should be woollen underwear. Wool has great advantages like it is still warming when it´s wet and it´s not smelling, because it´s self-cleaning. The second layer should be a fleece-pullover/sweater or like the first layer a wool-pullover/sweater. At least you should wear jacket and trousers which are wind and waterproof. Also the socks should be made of wool. What I also learned is, that you should never use cotton, because you will freeze when it´s wet.
Our next lesson was about about “Gear for a day-tour”. First we talked about the individual gear. It should include an individual first aid kit, extra clothes like a down-jacket for breaks, extra gloves or mittens, sunscreen and lipbalm, a map and a compass, goggles or sunglasses, a sitting mat and a avalanche kit, which includes a shovel and a probe. You also should have a whistle. I learned that if you whistle in one minute 10 short times, it means that you need help. Also important are snacks and lunch. Normally you do 2-3 short breaks during a ski-tour, because if you eat one time a lot, your stomach will need more energy to digest the food. The group gear should include an emergency shelter or a bivy bag and extra skiwax. For broken skis you could use ropes, zipp-ties or glue.
Finally we also learned something about first aid and first aid kits in the mountains. Everybody needs a personal first aid kit and there should be also a group first aid kit. We collected things, that needs to be in the personal and the group first aid kit. The personal kit should include individual medication, antiseptic, aspirin or better paracetamol, plasters, compeed for blisters, safety pins, needle and thread, tweezers, latex gloves, butterfly sutures and tape. The group first aid should include an elastic bandage, CDR-protection and cling film. We can differentiate between first aid for accidents, which is very serious, for minor injuries, illnesses and preventative aid or things for fixing. Especially tape is very various, because you can use it for minor injuries, preventative activities and for fixing things. It is also very important to know what´s in the first aid kit. That´s why it is probably better to make a own first aid kit, than buying one.

Group cohesion:
The group cohesion on the first day was very good, because we had the same level of skills and supported each other very well. On Wednesday morning there was a film team from UiA that took photos, videos and interviews for promoting the Outdoor Education course. So we made a race. We were divided into the group of Tim and the group of Sindre. This competition showed that even that we were the losing team, we supported each other very good and still had a good team spirit, that’s because we have a good group cohesion and loyalty.
During this trip I thought about homogeneity and heterogeneity of groups. I think it was very helpful, to be with people that had experience at least in downhill skiing, because they gave me, a very beginner, good tips for improving my skills. But I think for the people with more experience and knowledge about cross-country skiing it would be better to stay in a homogeneous group, to improve their skills. When we for example practiced the Telemark, stopping or the wavy lines, it was easy for the people with experience and they learned it faster. So we just practiced it for 3-4 times and started with the next kind of technique, which was way too fast for me. So I think it would be better at the beginning to split up the groups in beginners and advanced, to maximize the learning progress for everyone. However, this in no way corresponds to the principle of inclusion, which should be used as much as possible in lessons.