It soon became evident that, due to the brilliant instruction and the group’s enthusiasm plus willingness to learn, every hour we spent on the snow we were improving dramatically. After three days of learning the basic techniques of Nordic skiing as well as instruction in mountain survival we took to the mountains for our first tour. For the first time on the trip we were not only faced with the battle of staying upright on our skis, but the physical stamina aspect as well. This is where our teamwork came into its own and everyone was given support when needed. This was a strong theme throughout the trip. Our first tour also gave us the chance to learn the map reading skills that would be vitally important once into our three day expedition.

Each evening, on top of doing our general admin and preparing for the next day, we had a lecture from either John or Will. These with the use of slides taught us on subjects varying from survival in the mountains to the extremely interesting and inspiring lives our instructors had lived. Our main aim over the first week was to build our skills for the three day expedition which would test what we had learned to the full.

Our first real major test of our teamwork and skiing skills came one extremely early Friday morning. We left our accommodation at 0245 to catch a 0300 train to take us to the foot of the glacier leading to the Hardangervider plain. After a brief sleep in the train station waiting for enough light to start we headed off at 0540, our aim, to be at the top by lunch. It was extremely hard going in -15 degrees temperature and by 0900 we had covered 15km! After gaining another 300 meters of height we arrived tired but elated at the top. All tiredness was soon pushed to the back of our minds as we took in the breathtaking scenery, another theme throughout the trip. At the end of the day we all felt confident that we could handle anything the mountains could throw at us. We were now ready for our expedition.

Saturday evening was spent preparing kit, plotting routes and mentally preparing our selves for what we were about to undertake. We left in our two groups early Sunday morning, heading for our first of two huts. Each member of the teams had a chance to lead and the daunting task of map reading. The expedition not only pushed us physically but mentally too. It was a new experience for all of us and one we all found fantastic. We covered roughly 80 to 90km in the three days and picked up valuable mountain experience. We finished feeling tired, but with a sense of pride at having found something new within ourselves.