Blog Assignment Student organised field trips period 24-28 February.

Individual reflection report on your field trip.

Including;

Planning process

Group dynamic processes before and after

Execution of the field trip

Challenges

Reflection on the learning outcomes, what was successful, what was not?

Attach your original plan to the reflection report.

Student organised field trips period 24-28 February:

A reflection of the trip starting with the planning process:
Without knowing enough about the terrain or what constituted a realistic distance in winter conditions it became clear that our plan was over ambitious. We found this out firstly from a previous group, who had been in the same area prior to our arrival, who advised us that it wouldn’t be possible to complete our first day due to time limitations i.e. arriving in Hovden at 12:24 with the intention of skiing to our first hut, Berdalsbu, which was 22 km away. With this being effectively only a half-day we wouldn’t have made it before dark.

At this point we decided to move to plan B, 13km to Tjörnbrotbu, where we would find another hut. Shortening the distance and changing the plan wasn’t a problem as people, who had experienced it, had informed us about it. This was all decided on the evening before.  As a learning point it is clear that next time we need to have more group contact to discuss in depth both the route planning process and general group decision making. As this trip was solely planned by one individual we now see the importance of everyone needing to know specific details in terms of the: Where? Why?  How ?and When ? details of the plan  so that we are all fully informed and comfortable with the demands of the route.

Looking at the group dynamics prior to the event we had a basic understanding of how each member of the group operated in the outdoors, for example we acknowledged that we all had a basic level of skiing. However, throughout the trip group cohesion improved as we found people bonded well despite some tough decision making and major alterations to the plan.  A group perceptiveness developed through being in each other’s company for an extended period of  time, hence it was easy to observe when someone in the group was acting differently and  led to a greater awareness of individual personality traits.

Throughout the trip everyone coped well with the route and everyone remained positive, making the trip very enjoyable despite its frustrations. It is fair to say there were tensions when people wanted to do things their way; at such points I found my role was to mediate in terms of consideration for the overall group needs, rather than the needs of any one individual.

On the first day, on our way to the first hut, we encountered some bad weather.  Whilst on our way out of Hovden we met some locals with in-depth knowledge of the area and weather patterns. On questioning where we were going and what we were doing they advised us to be very careful when climbing out of Hovden  since we had to climb out of the valley to a higher level where the weather would be much worse and suggested that we should not attempt it.  Taking this on board we agreed that it was safe enough to explore a bit further and see how it felt for ourselves. We proceeded safely, but got to a point where it was nearly white out conditions. At this point everyone felt it was right to turn back whilst it was still safe to do so. With it being our first trip I feel that we made the correct decision to turn back as none of us had a great amount of winter navigation experience so playing safe was the wise option, further utilising the knowledge of locals who know the area well is always an additional safety net. On turning back we found self-catering accommodation which enabled us time  to fully discus the a new plan, as we had effectively lost a day. In doing this we reviewed and created a realistic plan, which satisfied all our needs – making it a successful trip.

Navigation was very different in these circumstances since we had to adjust to the limitations of  winter conditions which meant we were unable to plot our way using key features: lakes and contour lines for example to guide us. However, we stayed nicely on track as  we were following a winter route which was posted out and visible, thanks to improvements in the weather.

Sometimes we found that it was hard to make decisions due to people wanting their ideas to be fulfilled, an example of this was a couple of members from the group split as they wanted to challenge themselves over more difficult terrain. Making the group split wasn’t a good idea because we were in the mountains which meant contacting each other wasn’t that accessible. However, shortly we re-joined as they thought the route they had taken was above their comfort zone which showed common sense and safety prevailed.  Overall a lot of experiential learning took place for all members of the group, including that prompted by personal reflection following disagreements which  at some later point they realised wasn’t the best decision or maybe it would have been!. Leaning from such experiences gave them greater knowledge for next time.

Overall the plan was successful in that having back up plans made it much easier to switch. If we didn’t have an option B we may have gone blindly along with plan A . We are now aware that we are more than capable of travelling 15km or more with large packs, as we did this without any major issues.

Original Plan:

Self-organised Trip: Winter Break

Date: 24.02(Tuesday) – 26.02(Thursday)

Group: Jochen, Steve, Petr, Tadas, Roman

Day 1

Going by bus to Hovden: Bus(221) leaving  0845 at Kristiansand and should arrive 1224 in Hovden.

Then skiing to the hut Berdalsbu (around 22 km).

In case of emergency skiing back to Hovden or down to the main road (max. 10 km).

If it is too far we can use the hut Tjörnbrotbu (just 13 km from Hovden).

Link to the hut: http://english.turistforeningen.no/cabin.php?ca_id=21&fo_id=6469

Day 2

Skiing to the hut Hovstöyl (around 30 km).

In case of emergency -to the hut Björnevasshytta and down the road.

If we want to go on, just some km further is another hut (Torsdalsbu (KEY NEEDED)).

Link to the hut: http://english.turistforeningen.no/cabin.php?ca_id=256&fo_id=6469

Day 3

Skiing down to Rysstad, where we take the bus at 1640 and will be back at 1900 in Kristiansand.

In case we can’t make it on time: Skiing to Valle or somewhere between these two villages.

Packing list (for orientation):

http://english.turistforeningen.no/article.php?ar_id=17652&fo_id=3622

Our first trip on the skis was located in Jegersberg, which is an open forest area above the University of Agder. This location is perfect for friluftsliv since it creates a remote feeling as a result of the of lack of cohabitation, which makes you feel further away from civilisation than you really are.  It’s perfect for practising cross country skiing due to the allotted tracks which allowed us to meander through different terrain and ensured we stayed focused. Overall I think we picked up the skills faster than we would have done on a short slope, repeating the exercises over, since engagement and therefore focus would have faded and there would have been less challenge for the more able skiers.

When analysing the leader’s leadership style it was clear that he did not adopt the style of leading from the front – “follow me!”   Instead a more autocratic approach was adopted which ensured they were solely in charge of the group and decision making, which was necessary due to the nature of the activities, potential risk factors and the limited experience of the group. However whilst the task was in hand the leader took  more of a participant stance, joining in with the group which enabled him to model the skills being taught. Support was given to specific individuals to address the diversity of skill levels.  At other times he would go ahead of the group so that he could observe people, once again this technique enabled him to give timely advice as they passed; or accompany someone who needed further support through giving them direct coaching  with techniques whilst keeping them motivated to continue.

Management of the group was achieved through utilising points of natural regrouping. For example, when a junction in the road was reached the group would naturally gather and await directions to be given. This assured the instructor had control of the group but allowed individuals to perform at their own pace. A good example of this is on reaching the junction we were directed to make our way up a slope.  The leader would watch each of us travel up the slope, offering support only to those who needed it. This method ensured that those who had skied before were not held back and more importantly were not forced to engage in basic drills which they had already perfected.

Following this our arrival at a large open field, which provided our lunch stop,  allowed members of the party to catch up with the more able skiers and served as an opportunity to share experiences.  At this point, having had time to assess the group’s overall abilities, the leader shared the learning objectives for the afternoon session i.e. practising downhill skiing, which he’d identified as one of the main weaknesses of the group.  Identification of this skill gap was useful for everyone as it is an important skill which supports participants of all levels to gain better control, particularly since further down the line we will be carrying more weight which will make manoeuvring and control more difficult.

For some of us within the group this was a first-hand experience of really getting to grips with what we were up against. For me personally, coming from England where we don’t get many opportunities to ski and skills development is often restricted to artificial slopes, this was a completely new experience and literally presented a huge learning curve for me with plenty of falls to prove it.  However, it forced me to consider the skilful play and physical ability needed, alongside an appreciation of this means of travelling through the snow.

I think that my learning was fast-tracked through working within a mixed ability group since I was able to learn from mirroring the techniques of more able skiers as I went along.  Also we benefitted from peer-support, for example on one of the inclines my feet slipped out of place, I was immediately supported by a more able skier who was able to correct my stance.  Consequently, the more competent skiers in the group were able to engage in peer coaching through the sharing of their knowledge and skills – an additional learning outcome for those involved.
Therefore on analysing the leadership style and its benefits I recognised a blend of autocratic leadership and experiential facilitation which both ensured control over the intended learning outcomes and the safety of the group whilst offering a measure of freedom for the more able group members, thus meeting the needs of all abilities and successfully engaging everyone in the learning by encouraging participants freedom to give everything a go.  The key to this experiential approach was to offer and respond to the need for additional support at the point of need so that challenges did not become overwhelming. Consequently we felt we were able to proceed at our own pace.  Furthermore, time to reflect was naturally created at the point of regrouping which offered another opportunity to seek out advice either from the session leader or from peers.  By the end of the day I was able to identify and evaluate my personal skills development and areas for improvement; needless to say there is ample room for improvement when it comes to control on downhill slopes.

In terms of considering wider aspects which supported the success of the session ample regard was given to clothing and equipment which meant the training session was fully supported.  An ‘even better if’ element, which was beyond the leaders control, was the snow conditions.  We were practising on solid, packed snow which made the paths very ridged and hard to work with, making the skiing more challenging, especially for a beginner. Consequently, many people including myself had to wax their skis because of the change in temperature but despite this still found it very challenging.

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