Evje Ski Course based at TrollAktiv Outdoor Centre.

 

This trip featured a ski course, which for me meant I would be skiing for the second time in my life!  So, with that in mind I set off for a week’s ski course in Evje, at an outdoor centre called TrollAktiv.  Operating from this base we rented cabins for the group which were a luxury, fully equipped with everything you need on returning from a day’s skiing.  The good thing about the location of TrollAktiv is that it is surrounded by mountains, making them very accessible for us in terms of day trips off into the mountains.  The plan was to get the basic skills done at the start of the week then move onto a ski tour on the last day! 

 

Monday:

Everyone had arrived at the centre so now it was time to get ready for some actual skiing. I was placed in a group with the leader, Len; initially we just stayed in the car park getting the feel for the skis and our balance. This progressed to completing some simple exercises which was useful in terms of getting your mind focused and prepared for going out on the slopes.  Once we had covered the basics we went onto a gradual slope where we were allowed to freely experiment whilst Len gave advice and demonstrated to us the art of skiing downhill.  This was beneficial in that he didn’t bombard us with an overflow of information; he kept it very basic and at a slow pace which allowed us all to keep up and stay very positive in terms of the learning process.  On our return back to TrollAktiv we were given a short lecture on waxing the skis, explaining the technique of layering them and which wax is more beneficial with the different temperatures.

 

Tuesday:

 

We waxed our skis after checking the temperature to inform which wax would be most appropriate. Again we were split into groups, this time I was working with Tim, an instructor working for TrollAktiv but also working with the University/ Len. We had to take a mini bus ride up to the top of one of the mountain ranges where there were many ski tracks and good quality compact snow for practising on.  We spent a couple of hours practising the techniques for skiing on the flat and down hill.  From this point I felt like I was getting the hang of it. Little did I know what was to come later in the week and how my sense of getting a hang of it was going to be tested! 

 

From here we did a short tour for a few hours practising different turning techniques on some steady beginner slopes. The experience of cross-country tracks, that are available on the slopes, was totally unexpected and new to me but posed some challenges since our skis didn’t fit into the slots of the track because of them being slightly wider and the metal edges wouldn’t allow us to ski smoothly on them. However, it was great to see so many people out practising their skills.  Numerous falls later we returned back to TrollAktiv. 

 

On the evening there was another lecture, this time on the treatment and prevention of cold injures, for example frostbite, which is a very extreme injury, but its prevention needed to be considered in the conditions we were experiencing.  A lot of this was very self-explanatory but needed to be covered for those who hadn’t experienced such temperatures and who were doing these activities for the first time.

 

 Wednesday: 

 

This was a very good day; we did a tour of one of the mountain tops, taking half of the day to get up there since it was a long plod, but never the less very enjoyable.  At key points during the ascent we would stop off and practise some down hill skiing techniques such as Telemark, which I really struggled to grasp but was happy to give as many goes as it took to master it.  Eventually we got to the top of the mountain utilizing a number of technical climbing techniques such as edging and making snow steps to support our progress.  On getting to the top we were rewarded with tremendous views from our advantage point whilst resting up and lunching together with the other group.   

 

On the way down we were shown how to snow-plough slowly down the mountain safely.  By descending slowly, with space between each other, Tim was able to observe us closely and give individual verbal feedback as to how we could improve our technique.  

 

Finally, on making it back to TrollAktiv safely we had the chance to use snowshoes on the night and experience some night navigation which I have done before, but never in snow shoes.  They were very easy to use and proved very useful in deep snow; however nowhere near as enjoyable as skiing! 

 

Thursday: 

 

This was the longest and best day of all!

 

 

 

 

We arrived by mini bus at the foot of the mountain from which point we had to walk up to the top of the range before we started skiing, which took well over an hour.  Our ascent was higher than the day before and on reaching the top the weather was windy and cold, therefore we were forced to leave the top after only a few minutes. Keeping the same groups as the previous day we prepared to set off down on skis, however this time we were able to  lead on the decision making in terms of the safest route down etc. using maps provided. The ideal snow conditions and a reasonably gentle initial slope down from the top of the mountain offered us a very pleasant downhill skiing experience for a short while but as it became steeper I was forced to zig zag down more slowly to maintain control which posed more of a challenge for me whilst more confident skiers meandered down more easily. It therefore took me a longer time to get down and I tired due to the number of falls I had to recover from.

 

Friday:

 

Friday, we only had half of the day since we were leaving that day consequently, we didn’t have a lot of time but again we split into two groups consisting of those who wanted to focus on the skills or to do a ski tour. This ensured we maximized our time.  I chose the skills group as there was still lots of room for improvement!  I found this last session very hard since by now I was tired and sore from the week’s activities but still attempted all of the techniques. Time was well spent I thought.  

 

To sum up, the week was a great experience for me personally.  From a learning point of view I can see how my skiing has improved over the course of the week as a result of the gradual skills development offered. I was also able to identify where I needed to focus my attention to improve further. In terms of confidence levels, by the end of the week I was confident enough in my ability to head out on my own personally organized trips, which is a key achievement.