Nordic Skies and Skis

[Captain Halliday]

Hafjell highlights part 2

We all opted for five days of lessons... these ran for three hours each morning.

On day 2 Mrs H injured her knee getting off the pommel on the beginner slope.

Those of you who read my last TR will not be surprised. (Read that TR here)

Yes, this injury was the same knee.

Frankly, I was amazed she waited until day two.

But this meant that when Miss H was not in lessons, I was on duty.

So I made the most of my three hours each day on the blue runs, then picked Miss H up from her lesson and headed to the beginner slope.

Or Groundhog slope as I came to know it.

We would take a 10 minute ride up on the pommel, followed by a 90 second downhill run as fast as she could go.

Rinse and repeat.

For the next four hours.

Later in the week I convinced her to ride the gondola with me and try the green runs further up the hill.

Once she’d broken the fear she was fine... there was no holding her back.

At the top of the mountain, the winds I mentioned in my previous post were sculpting the snow like a Dubai desert.



Showing how good Hafjell is for beginners, here is a photo of the two green runs at the top of the mountain - they diverge left and right of the ridge.

Even in excellent weather, I virtually had the run of the mountain.

Four other skiers is all I can see:



There were some days when I would take my final run of the day and still be skiing on terrain that hadn’t seen a ski all day.

I almost felt bad carving up those neat little lines the grooming machines make.

Hafjell also has several runs that weave their way through alpine forest.

While skiing those with Miss H we spotted evidence of some local wildlife.



These small paw prints were one thing, but when we saw these I was a little apprehensive of skiing isolated parts of the mountain:





Those claws look nasty.



But we didn’t stay on those slopes for long because Miss H was growing in confidence and wanted to try the blue runs.

 

[OZDUCK]

Looks like great uncrowded fun with very good weather. (I have just realised that we will be driving past Hafjell, on the E6, in under 8 weeks. No skiing for us.)

 

[Captain Halliday]

Looks like great uncrowded fun with very good weather. (I have just realised that we will be driving past Hafjell, on the E6, in under 8 weeks. No skiing for us.)

Shhhh don’t tell them I’m still plugging away with a TR from a trip that was 6 months ago!

It’s a lovely area. If nothing else, consider stopping for a cuppa and a short walk.

 

[OZDUCK]

Shhhh don’t tell them I’m still plugging away with a TR from a trip that was 6 months ago!

It’s a lovely area. If nothing else, consider stopping for a cuppa and a short walk.

We are just passing through on our way to Alesund and will be stopping overnight another 2 hours or so up the road near Dovre.

 

[Captain Halliday]

The death drop

Most ski resorts grade their terrain by three levels: green (beginner), blue (intermediate), and black (advanced).

Hafjell uses a four colour scale, adding red which sits between blue and black.

Before this trip I was a green and blue run skier.

With some lessons and increasing confidence I was skiing the red runs after about five or six days and really enjoying it.

The southern side of the mountain is where most of the red runs are located.

That area is also most exposed to the prevailing winds and was closed for much of our visit.

With a couple of days left, they opened some of these runs and I was keen to try them out.

On this terrain map, it was the red runs on the right of the map, numbered in the 40’s that had been closed.



So I made my way almost to the top of the mountain and set off skiing down blue run number 41.

About half way down it becomes a red run, but is still numbered 41.

I then skied from left to right on the map on run number 45 which has a big dog-leg right before the ski boundary.

I took the turn.

Or so I thought.

Passing over a small ridge, feeling comfortable on the red run, the mountain suddenly dropped away from me.

Terrifyingly steeply.

I shuffled my way to the side of the slope.

A skier clad in Lycra and wearing a moulded helmet shot past me.

He weaved effortlessly through blue and red flags as though a gold medal was awaiting him at the bottom of the hill.

And then I remembered that the black diamond run number 60 was used as downhill training slope for the Lillehammer Olympics.

I consulted my pocket map, looking for an escape route.

Then I peered into the abyss, considering my options.

 

[Captain Halliday]

Once you ski black...

Standing at the top of Hafjell’s most difficult run, I didn’t have many options.

Walking back up to the turn I missed was too far and the terrain so steep that with every step, I would slide back to where I’d started.

I considered going across the hill looking for the red run.

But the trees were thick and the snow depth unknown.

I could get stuck and never be found.

My only option was to take on the fear.

And the black run.

The words of my ski instructor were ringing in my ears as I made the first move over the ledge.

“Pressure on the downhill ski.”

As soon as the ski tips were pointing even slightly downhill my speed increased rapidly.

I pushed heavily of my left foot, hoping the ski would bite and steer me across the slope and slow my speed.

It did.

But this slope was made for olympians and wasn’t wide enough for an amateur with no brakes.

I came to a stop on the right of the slope, realising that after skiing slightly uphill to control my speed, I’d actually descended just 10 metres.

I needed to perform the same manoeuvre another hundred times to get through the worst of it.

Going left to right was easy.

If I drifted off the groomed slope, I’d crash into powder.

But if I skied too far the other way there were rocks, followed by a sheer drop.

I had to stop.

Those rocks, and the prospect of plummeting to my death were very motivating.

My slow and cautious descent continued until the black and red runs were side by side and I made my way to the (relatively) easier part of the slope.

Skiing out at the bottom I was still sweating despite the cold.

My heart was racing.

My legs shaking.

And I was fist-pumping like I’d just won a gold medal.

I skied over to the apartment for lunch.

And proudly announced to the family that the black diamond run was surprisingly easy and great fun.

 

[Captain Halliday]

Moving on

After a wonderful 12 days on the slopes, I was disappointed to be leaving.

We had a final giggle at the childish humour translations create.



Waiting for the village shuttle bus that would take us to the train station I took a few final photos, amazed at how quiet it was on a perfect mid-winter day.



Looking up the hill I spotted the apartment that we were originally assigned...



I reflected on just how different the 12 days would have been if we’d been lugging our things up and down the hill.

Like this lot.



It may not look difficult, but this is the easiest slope at the resort.



The black run would have been a nightmare.



Hafjell was wonderful.

Like most of Norway it was expensive.

But the snow was good, the slopes were not very busy, and the people were nice.

If you need anymore convincing, check out the sunsets in my next post.

 

[Captain Halliday]

Hafjell sunsets

On the train back to Oslo, I flicked through my photos.

It reminded me just how wonderful the long twilights in Norway can be.

Combined with the snow converted mountains they make for some stunning sunsets.

Here’s a selection of the magnificent scenes around the mountain as the long twilight lit up the snow and sky.

 

[parsonstrish]

Thank you so much for a very interesting and humorous tr. enjoyed it immensely

 

[Captain Halliday]

Thank you so much for a very interesting and humorous tr. enjoyed it immensely

Don’t give up on me yet. I have Oslo, Copenhagen and the return flight to go.

 

[parsonstrish]

Yippee

 

[Captain Halliday]

Oslo day 1

When it comes to planning a Halliday holiday, sometimes we don’t agree.

If we reach a stalemate about the activities for a particular day, I add the following to the spreadsheet: “short walk”.

Readers of my earlier trip reports - or my posts on Helsinki in this report - will know that a “short walk” for the Halliday clan can end up being 15 kilometres or more.

This is mostly because indecision is contagious.

The indecision that led to “short walk” being on the itinerary mysteriously spreads to all activities that day.

Q: “Which way should we go?”
A: “I don’t mind, what do you think?”

Q: “Should we go to this museum/gallery/attraction/park?”
A: “Maybe.”

Q: “What do you want to eat?”
A: “I’m easy. What do you feel like?

“What I feel like is not having to make every damn decision on this holiday!”

But I’m not foolish enough to say that out loud.

So despite groans from the family, we set off on a “short walk” around Oslo.

From our hotel near central station we headed first to the Opera house.

It’s a striking building by the water.



You can walk up the outside of the building to a viewing terrace on the roof.

There’s good views back across Oslo city.





The roof of the opera house is also home to the biggest seagulls I have ever seen.



It’s also a good place to view “hun ligger” which is a floating sculpture that depicts an iceberg.



It turn on its axis with the tide and wind giving a different perspective at different times.

Translated to English hun ligger means “she lies”.

Speaking of lies... they say that jumping into a near frozen fjord is an experience not to be missed.





Several of these floating saunas were dotted around the waterfront area.

There were a small number of people giving it a go.

I wasn’t one of them.

My enjoyment came vicariously.

The promenade near the opera house also gave nice views down the fjord as the changing light reflected off the glassy surface.





As the sun drifted below the horizon, I couldn’t help myself.

I turned to the family and lobbed another grenade...

“What do you feel like for dinner?”

 

[tgh]

I thought the opera house quite stunning, even without it's winter coat...

 

[Captain Halliday]

Rudolph for dinner

Remarkably, choosing a dinner option was surprisingly simple.

You see, during our time in Finland I’d given Miss H a hard time about how tasty Rudolph might be.

But I’d not had a chance to try it.

So as we were prepared for relatively high prices in the Nordic countries, we decided we’d try something with reindeer options on the menu.

This led us to a restaurant called Mirabel which lies on the promenade beyond the Opera house.

It’s slightly above mid-range in terms of pricing.

Fancy by our standards.

I enjoyed a wonderful seafood entree.

True to form, I was hungry and forgot the photo.

Mrs H skipped the entree and went for a dish that had a fancy Nordic name, but was basically a creamy seafood medley with rice.



She loved it.

It was incredibly fresh and the flavours well balanced.

Naturally I went for the Reindeer, medium-rare.



Like most things that you’ve been talking about and anticipating for a while it was a little underwhelming.

In taste it’s close to beef, but was slightly tougher.

But I couldn’t tell if this was the reindeer or if it was slightly over cooked.

Miss H will have to wait until December to find out if I’ve ruined Christmas.

 

[SuePa]

Miss H will have to wait until December to find out if I’ve ruined Christmas.

A sack of potatoes for you this Christmas!
I'm enjoying you trip report, thank you.

 

[Captain Halliday]

Oslo day 2

On our second day in Oslo we set off for a walk... heading first to Slottsparken or the Royal Palace.



From there we headed towards the waterfront where we’d been told about an impressive sculpture park.

We arrived at the Astrup Fearnley Museet (Museum) and after an overpriced coffee (AUD9.50) discovered the sculpture park consisted of just five sculptures.

One of the five “sculptures” was a large Perspex cube.

It was imaginatively titled, Perspex cube.

Underwhelming doesn’t begin to describe it.

I didn’t bother with a picture... but if you imagine a Perspex cube...

The view was nice and we watched the ferries go by while planning our next move.








Further around the waterfront is the Akershus Festing or Akershus Fortress, so we headed there.



Entry is free to most of the fortress and the museum gives a good overview of the Norwegian military heritage.



Apparently it’s a good place for birthday parties.



The views views back across the harbour and ferry terminal are also nice.





Leaving the fortress we were ready for lunch.

We reached the “The Salmon” which is a mini museum on the history of salmon fishing in the Nordic countries.

It also has a a small retail counter and a restaurant.

It’s open every day.

Or is it?

 

[Captain Halliday]

Oslo day 2 (continued)

Our afternoon involved more walking.

We passed an area on the waterfront where the flouro-vest brigade was packing up after a festival.

It included this supposedly temporary art installation for which it seems almost everyone in Oslo has donated a shirt.

It was all neatly set out in colour order, light to dark.





Imagine the artists wardrobe!

This part of Oslo also gave us other perspectives on the Opera house.





Nearby was another Norwegian sauna where brave souls risked significant shrinkage to impress others, or to make good on a foolish drunken bet.



As the long sunset continued....



And the moon rose over central station...



... we headed back towards the hotel to have pizza for dinner... a reward for Miss H putting up with two days without any kid friendly activities.

The plan was to pick up a bottle of red to accompany the pizza.

But as I walked into the shops that adjoin central station, I was met with a sight more chilling than a Norwegian fjord.





Lordag translates “Lord’s day”.

The exclamation under my breath was inappropriate for the day.

But the big guy must not have been offended because the convenience store below our hotel sold beer.

I gave praise, and marched triumphantly back to the room with pizzas in one hand and a six pack in the other.

 

[OZDUCK]

That "temporary" installation was still there a couple of weeks ago.

 

[Captain Halliday]

Fresh sheets

In Oslo we stayed at the Scandic Byporten which is right next to central station.

It’s really convenient and the room was small, but clean.

We stayed in room 546.

Which was also the parking spot for the linen trolleys for all four days were we there.



Day or night we had to move the trolleys aside to get into or out of our room.

First world problem I suppose.

You’ll notice ours wasn’t the only door that was obstructed.

Perhaps if you rent a toy you also get fresh sheets?

 

[Captain Halliday]

Nordic museums

Oslo has several small but impressive museums that tell the story of how the region and the North Pole was explored.

There is a cluster of these on a small peninsula across from the city.

Access is a 20 minute ferry ride or ~30 minutes by bus.

We took the bus because the ferry has a limited schedule in winter.

Even though it’s close to Oslo, the Bygdoy area feels very coastal and maritime.

The fog/sea mist is very obvious whether looking back towards Oslo.



Or towards the the mouth of the Fjord.



Our first stop was The Fram Museum.

The polar exploration ship The Fram is claimed to be the strongest wooden ship ever built.

It made it further North into the arctic ice than any other wooden ship.



It was amazing that a century ago they took a typewriter on the voyage and even translated their menu into English.





The museum also includes the stories of many polar explorers and their journeys.

It’s small, but incredibly well presented.

Next stop was the Viking Ship Museum.

This was true to its name, but far less impressive.



There were four Viking ships on display along with a a small collection of artefacts.

It’s a cold building with a minimalist display that isn’t child friendly.



Our final stop, back in the CBD, was the Kulturehistorisk, or Historic Museum.

It was also small but informative.

The highlights here were the ground floor where two mummies were on display.



On our way back to the hotel we passed a more modern museum...

The Norwegian equivalent of Blockbuster.