Cross-country Skiing, 'Nordic Challenge', Norway, Apr 2011, ID 1087
Wycliffe College CCF
During the Easter holidays, a
team of 8 staff and cadets, travelled to the Hardangervidda mountain range in
Southern Norway, where we were to carry out an arduous cross-country skiing
expedition. The aim of the venture was to introduce a novice group of cadets to
cross-country skiing and carry out a ski tour expedition in what is classed as
one on the great wilderness areas of Northern Europe. The area is quite close to
that traversed by the Heroes of Telemark and very similar in its potential for
inhospitable weather!
This was an exceptionally fit and well motivated group of
cadets, probably the best I have ever had on any previous expeditions. They all
responded very well to the challenging cross country skiing and general Arctic
survival skills. After completing three day of training the cadets were ready to
venture out into the remote snowy wilderness of the Hardangervidda, where we
were to embark on a 50 mile 4 day ski borne expedition. On the first day we
headed South with each of us carrying a rucksacks weighing about 35lbs. The
planned route started at Finse then onto Kraekkja, followed by the unmanned
Hytta at Kjejdebu, then a snowhole location and back to our base at Finse.
After our overnight stay at Kraekkja we had to change our
plans for the next day, as the weather conditions had deteriorated rapidly. Very
strong Westerly winds were now throwing up enormous amount of spindrift, which
made visibility and movement in a Westerly direction almost impossible. After
looking at the map and discussed our options with the hut manager, to some
relief it appeared that the weather wasn’t going to get any worse. We now
decided that the obvious option was to head East to the private Hytta at Tuva,
which was some 20 km away. It was a fairly flat route, navigation in the clouds
of spindrift wasn’t too bad. With a strong wind behind us we covered a
normally five hour journey in four. The group travelled so fast that at times we
didn’t have to move our skis or push with our ski poles, strangely it was all
quite exhilarating even in these tempestuous conditions !
What a delightful and quaint mountain hut Tuva is. Its rustic
form certainly had a sense of history about it. Peter the Hut manager and his
wife Aileen made us very welcome, providing us with comfortable bunk bed
accommodation and some excellent food. Throughout the night the wind clattered
the hut with such force that at times it creaked, but it was reassuring that the
solid wooden beams were not going to be budged by this howling gale!
In the morning the weather conditions had not improved with
gusting winds being recorded at almost 112 KPH. Going to the outside loo was a
major task, where the power of the wind almost took ones breath away. One thing
was for sure no one was going anywhere! We were not too upset at having to spend
another 24 hours at Tuva. Most of the time was spent playing cards, the leader
conducted a quiz on Norway with many questions on Nordic Skiing and some
Norwegian history……..I am not surprised that no one knew who Vidkun Quisling
was! He was a Norwegian politician. On 9
April 1940, with the German invasion of Norway in progress, he seized power in a
Nazi-backed coup d'etat which garnered him international infamy. From 1942–1945
he served as Minister-President, working with the occupying forces. His
government, known as the Quisling regime, was dominated by ministers from
Nasjonal Samling. A Quisling is now part of the English Language.
Saturday, the next day, was a beautiful clear sunny morning.
Outside the hut some cadets loitered on their skis, the sun’s rays bounced off
the crystal clear snow, with my camera continuously clicking, this certainly was
a very special moment. It captured the serenity of the place, unlike the
hostilities of the previous day this was a different side of the Hardangervidda:
for once it was being kind to us. As we skied on to our snowhole area we had
some wonderful views of the surrounding snow covered peaks, especially the
Hallingskaret ridge which dominated the skyline. The route was fairly
undulating, and the steep downhill sections provided a number of minor falls.
All had enjoyed the creature comforts provided by the
mountains huts, but there was now the exciting prospect of building and sleeping
in a snowhole.
Using our lightweight shovels, two large entrances about eight
meters apart were hewed out of the snow, extending in and down about eight feet.
It was now a matter of clearing out an internal chamber, which when completed
resembled a small-whitewashed room, or tomb! One entrance was sealed whist the
other was reduced in size. The small doorway provided enough room for one person
to crawl through. There was enough room to stand up and ample space to
accommodate eight sleeping spaces with a cooking area in between. Six hours
later all were in their comfortable accommodation cooking a well-earned evening
meal. Soon afterwards sleep just seems to come naturally, all twelve hours of
it!
Taking into account the awful weather conditions this was a
very successful expedition, which all found challenging and enjoyable. These
young cadets were quite superb. They were highly motivate, well organized and a
joy to be with. For a group who had never previously skied with a heavy 35lb
rucksack it was quite an accomplishment. The many Norwegians that we met were
equally impressed. No doubt all will remember their experiences for a long time
to come.
We would like to thank all those who supported and assisted
this expedition especially the Ulysses Trust for their generous donation.
Thanks to
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