WEEK 23-26 IN OSLO AND SKIING - ALEX

 March 17 to April 13 - Ski Trips and Spring

I began writing this at the end of April. In the month plus since we have had both of our families and friends come and visit. This, along with the travels written below, have contributed to delaying my blogging process. The majority of this blog is written from my perspective in mid to late April.

In every aspect, our life has fully transitioned from holding on to winter to spring from mid-March to mid-April. From evening walks, socializing outdoors, and trading our skis for bikes things feel very different from mid March. Since the Birkenbeiner ski race I’ve gone on two ski trips, Morgan had a major breakthrough with her work, and the onslaught of visitors officially began.

Ski and Sail Trip (March 19-24)

In a very last minute turn of events I left on a ski and sail trip in the Sunnmore Alps only a couple days after the Birkebeinner. Unfortunately, one of our UW connections living in Oslo had a freak accident resulting in a torn ACL. This ruled her out of the guided ski trip that she, along with another UW student currently in Oslo, had planned on the west coast of Norway. Given my current flexibility I was able to participate in her place on the trip and took advantage of the opportunity.

The trip was a ski and sail trip, which are very popular in the Norwegian fjords. The premise is that you sleep on a boat that also shuttles you to and from the best ski lines at the water’s edge where the mountains dive into the ocean. The skiing is backcountry skiing, so you skin uphill (hiking but with your skis on your feet) and ski down like you would at a resort with chair lifts. Online marketing would have you believe that this mode of transportation to the best ski spots is a foregone conclusion, but the year’s low snow total and warm weather ensured quite the opposite. The snowline was about 800-1000’ above sea level, meaning we had to drive and on some days hike a little bit to reach the snow. The boat was still useful in acting as a private taxi ferrying us back and forth across the fjord and served as our snug accommodations as well. Myself included, there were 6 people on the trip all from either the US or Canada. It’s tough to pinpoint exactly what it was, and perhaps it was that everyone was a tourist rather than a temporary occupant, but there was a noticeable contrast in comparison to spending time with Norwegians and other Europeans. In some ways it helped me feel more like a tourist, which I haven’t felt like in quite some time, and was a nice change of pace.  Being around a few of my North American peers, on vacation and traveling abroad, provided me with a positive perspective of our current situation.

We slept on the boat in small bunkrooms and in irregularly shaped beds docked in the village of Saebo on Hjorundfjord. Most meals were prepared in the small galley kitchen and there was just enough room for everyone to sit around the table to eat. The boat’s captain was a reserved Norwegian man who owns a couple farms in the west and uses his sailboat to host tourists in the fjords. He wasn’t the friendliest host, but what he lacked was made up for in spades by his assistant who cooked, cleaned, and did a great job of entertaining us. We mostly used the motor to get around, but on our final trip back to the harbor of Alesund we traveled under sail which was nice and quiet.

Left: Our 45’ sailboat that we slept and ate on over the course of 5 days and 4 nights. A total of 8 people stayed on the boat

Right: Me cozied up in my bunk on the boat.

The skiing was the main event and we had a local guide that took us on 4 ski tours throughout the Sunnmore Alps. The tours were on the mellower side and mostly steered far away from any hazardous terrain. We did not see very many people the first 3 days, which was nice. It was quite overcast and foggy on our first day, but the subsequent days were each sunny and beautiful, a more than adequate compromise for the snow conditions. A little description of each day is further below.

During our initial boat ride from our meeting point in Alesund to Saebo the northern lights were visible, which was pretty incredible. The northern lights were visible on a few other occasions throughout the trip, and were strong enough to see with your naked eye. Other highlights were swimming in the 3 degree centigrade fjord, having a set course meal at Rekkedal Gjestegard and learning about the farm’s history dating back to the 16th century. We also visited Christian Gaard, a bar in Trandal, population 15, that has been made famous because of its instagrammable swing and to a few popular music festivals it hosts each year.

Clockwise from upper left: Diving into the fjord after a day of swimming, hanging out on the sailboat in the evening, our sailboat underneath the northern lights, the view from where our boat was docked, the view of the northern lights on our way from Alesund to Saebo.

Day 1: Nodre Saetertin

Included a short 5 minute book pack to start and finish the day to get from the parking area to where we could start skinning. Had to turn back short of our objective because the low cloud cover reduced visibility to almost nothing. Shorter day, but below the clouds had a great view of the fjord below and adjacent mountains. In the evening we had a sauna and swim in the fjord and had dinner on the boat.

Views from throughout the day. As we moved higher in elevation it became foggier. We turned around and started our descent in the clouds as shown in the lower right photo.

Day 2: Kvitegga

My personal favorite. The drive to get to the trailhead went through the narrowest valley with a road in Northern Europe (I am beginning to roll my eyes at the mention of things that are labeled as “shortest”, “longest”, “tallest”, etc. in Northern Europe). It was a very pretty drive and the geographic distinction adds some cache to the route. The ski looked directly down at Geirangerfjord. Long ski run down with minimal hiking at the beginning/end. We ended the day with a group drink at the Union Hotel in Oye, which was a very nice place, and had dinner at Christian Gaard.

A perfect day at Kvitegga. Clockwise from upper left: Standing at the top after hiking to the top. Looking up at our objection, skinning up, break time with a great view looking at Geiranger Fjord, fresh ski tracks from our descent.

Day 3: Skruven

Since it was Saturday and the weather was nice our guide tried to take us to a more local spot that isn’t included in any of the guide books. It was so local in fact that he had never been to the area and didn’t know the best way to approach our objective. We ended up getting into avalanche terrain while skinning uphill, so we dug a snow pit to see what the conditions were, and discovered alarming instability in the snow pack. We turned around before we got too far and had a couple of shorter laps in the valley in what was otherwise more of a bushwacking ski day than anything else. No hiking was required and no avalanches were triggered which were positives. After getting back to the boat we jumped into the fjord for a swim before going to dinner at Rekkedal and getting a tour of the old farm buildings. After dinner we were treated to a great northern lights show and we all went for a walk to the end of the road in Saebo.

Views in the valley on our ascent. The photo on the bottom right is our turn around point after it was determined that the snowpack was not safe enough to continue.

Day 4: Fingeren

It was Sunday, sunny and we went on one of the most popular tours in the area. Despite the amount of people who were out skiing we were still able to get some first tracks up higher. The view and terrain were both great and this would probably rank as my second favorite day. We sailed back to Alesund in the afternoon and had our final meal together on the boat.

Busier and with snow that was in worse shape than the other 3 days, but Fingeren was absolutely beautiful and we had amazing warm weather. Photo in the upper right is performative knitting that Emma and I were doing to the amusement of our group.

Morgan’s Cabin Trip (March 21-23)

Morgan along with five of her Norwegian colleagues and significant others had a ski weekend at a cabin near Rondane National Park in the eastern Norwegian mountains. The cabin belongs to another coworker who has lambasted their own personal use and insisted that Morgan take advantage of it on his behalf. Initially I was supposed to also join, but the late minute ski and sail trip ended up getting in the way of my participation. The cabin was from the early 1900s and had a log book of previous visitors that included notes of guests from the 40s  during German occupation, which were interesting for them to read. The weather was absolutely fantastic and everyone had a great time.

Clockwise from upper left: Outside of the cabin, looking out at the view from the kitchen window, sitting out catching spring sunshine, Morgan and her friends on the trail.

Hardanger Fjell Ski Tour (April 4-13)

The second ski trip I went on was a DNT sponsored trip that took place over 8 days and went from cabin to cabin across the Hardangervidda, a mountain plateau in south central Norway. What the Hardangervidda lacks in tall dramatic mountains it makes up for in that it is a unique mountain environment and something that is quite different from other ecosystems I have been in. When blanketed by snow it feels more like a desert. No signs of life are visible and everything is white. The ski trip was a “fjellski” trip which in North America would be referred to as backcountry cross country skiing. There are a few other places in the world where people do this, but it is by and large a Norwegian only type of skiing. The up and downhills are more gentle than Randone skiing, the type I did in Sunnmore, and it translates very well to hiking.

Just like everything else this winter snow totals were quite low in the mountains. It didn’t have a direct impact on our trip, but was something that came into focus later in the week as Easter approached and when it became evident that the same itinerary may not be possible for the following week when seemingly the whole country converges on the mountains for backcountry skiing. Throughout our 8 days we had terrific weather, almost always sunny and minimal wind. Considering that the area is known for unpredictable weather, constant wind, and lots of precipitation we were considerably lucky. As I wrote about previously all the trails in the mountains are marked with birch branches and regular and relatively short intervals, about 10 meters, making it easy to stay on trail and focusing on the skiing instead of route finding the whole time.

I was joined by 11 other participants: 8 Norwegians, a Canadian, and two Britons. We were led by two Norwegian volunteers and totaled 14 in all. The trip was organized and advertised through DNT and so we stayed at DNT huts almost exclusively. With the exception of two huts, one with the group and one without, they were all full service meaning that breakfast and dinner were included and each day we made bagged lunches to take with us. The price wasn’t marked up, a great bonus, and the trip is meant to make longer mountain trips more accessible to people who otherwise wouldn’t do them. Since there were multiple non-Norwegian speakers the default language was English. Leading up to the trip I anticipated it would be Norwegian only and perhaps a bit awkward, so this was a pleasant surprise. In reality the only awkward element was the age difference between me and everyone else. I won’t dwell on it too much, but the average age was about 60, so while it wasn’t as old a group as the wood working volunteers, there was still a generational difference between me and everyone else. By the end of the week I was ready to spend time with people my own age.

The following is a brief summary that I wrote shortly after returning. The week left me in a mixed mood, which is reflected through the daily summary. In retrospect I enjoyed the trip and am glad I did it. If the weather had turned south I would have appreciated being in the group. However, given how good the weather was I would have been just happy doing the trip by myself and probably would have been socially stimulated just as much.

Day 0 Finse

I took the train from Oslo to Finse where we were meeting in the afternoon to go over the plan for the next week and for a little meet and greet between everyone. I went for a short ski during sunset which was a real highlight and not the only time I would go out during the week for some softlight skiing. Finse reportedly set a record for the number of people who stayed overnight (they don’t turn anyone away so even if you don’t have a reservation you can show up and they will find a place for you to sleep) and in the morning the common areas were littered with beds and people still sleeping. It was a Friday night with a forecast for perfect weather so the local Norwegians in our group hypothesized that people were getting their Easter mountain time a week early when the weather was good and the sun was still on the ground.

Left: Arriving at Finse in the afternoon.

Right: Going for a sunset ski across the lake. 

Day 1 Finse to Kraekkja

This was one of the longer days and covered ground that I had skied a few weeks prior in the opposite direction. We stayed in a large group the entire time and consistently waited for the two British individuals who struggled going downhill, one hadn’t skied in a while and was not confident in his ability, and the other had brought the wrong equipment and therefore was very slow. After getting ⅔ of the way through the day we split up which helped make the afternoon a little more pleasant since there was less waiting and more moving. After getting to Kraekkja and debriefing for the day our guides decided that the two British were a liability to our group, particularly in the potentially bad weather we could face. This made us a group of 12 for the remaining part of the trip and the evening meal a little awkward. Just like Finse, Kraekkja also set a record for the evening and required 3 dinner services to fit everyone in a dining hall that is designed to host all potential guests. Kraekkja is one of my favorite huts that I have visited in Norway, so I was happy to return after staying here in March.

Photos from the day skiing from Finse to Kraekkja. The photo on the bottom right is one of two living rooms that served as overflow for walkup guests.

Day 2 Kraekkja to Stigstuv

This was another day with sunshine and great weather. The ski was a little shorter and we got to Stigstuv early in the afternoon. Stigstuv was the only non-DNT cabin we stayed at during our time and although not bad by any means was probably my least favorite. It didn’t help that it was in a very flat part of the Hardangervidda, so the most interesting part of looking across the horizon was to admire how flat it was. It was also the only place where you had to pay for a shower, which I found to be a little annoying.

Photos from throughout the day. A photo of Stigstuv, the only non-DNT cabin we stayed in during the week.

Day 3 Stigstuv to Sandhaug

The 3rd day was very similar to the 2nd. Shorter total distance with minimal uphill and downhill. Again the weather couldn’t have been better so it was very enjoyable to be outside. During the end of the day we left the flat expansive plateau and returned to terrain that had topographical variety. On the final descent to the hut I broke the shaft of my pole at one of the places where it telescopes in and out. Fortunately I was able to make a fix that although wasn’t perfect was workable and that lasted for the next 6 days of skiing. In the afternoon I went for another short ski and lapped a steeper portion a few times so I could practice my telemark turns. Sandhaug was a fairly large cabin that felt much newer than the other establishments, I don’t know if this is true or not, just my speculation. It was very nice and spacious and was equipped with wifi, enabling me to communicate with Morgan and allowed us to plan for her to come to my finish point so that we could ski another couple of days together.

The ski to Sandhaug travelled across the flattest terrain that we encountered throughout the week.

Day 4 Sandhaug to Sandhaug

The midpoint of the group trip was a zero day with an optional day trip as a group. About half the group stayed at the cabin and relaxed while the other half enjoyed a day trip with lighter bags. We followed a chain of lakes until we came to a nice lunch spot where we had a relaxing picnic out of the wind on the porch of someone’s private cabin. I took advantage of the afternoon to practice some telemark turns by myself on the mountain behind the cabin. Later in the day we were met and surprised by our British companions from the beginning of the trip who felt like they were unfairly cast off from the group and waited to rejoin. Their efforts in catching back up with us after going the other direction on Day 2 was proof that they were worthy companions. Our leaders couldn’t help but agree and they rejoined the group.

Our off day ski group is pictured in the upper left. I am showing off the repair to my broken pole on the bottom left. It was an easy ski across the large nearby lake.

Day 5: Sandhaug to Litlos

We started the day by breaking off into two groups now that we had been rejoined by the Brits. They left an hour early, which worked out well because we met up with them during lunch and then skied the last bit together in the afternoon. The tour to Litlos was a longer ski day and by this point we were about as far as you could possible be from a road so it was very quiet on the trails between the two cabins. The descent into Litlos was particularly nice and long (every cabin was at the edge of the lake so the last few miles of the day followed a very predictable pattern of climbing up to a saddle and then skiing down to the lake and cabin on the other side). Litlos was by far my favorite cabin and had absolutely gorgeous views from the dining room and living room. At night I went out to ski across the lake and back under the nearly full moon. It was one of the highlights of the entire trip.

Note that once we left Sandhaug in the morning I didn’t have any cell service until we arrived at Haukeliseter on the final day. At this point Morgan and I had a tentative plan for what our weekend would look like, but I wasn’t sure if she was going to join me for a bonus couple of days of skiing or if I was going to be taking a 1AM bus to Oslo because I hadn’t bought my return bus ticket yet and the more practical time was sold out.

Litlos, pictured upper right, was my favorite cabin of the trip, partially due to the spectacular views from the living room, bottom left, and dining hall. The sunset was spectacular and compelled me to go for a short ski across the lake. Most of the group is photographed on the middle right.

Day 6: Litlos to Hellevassbu

Day 6 was windy, very windy. It wasn’t quite windy to the point where we skipped lunch, but we did have to hide behind some large boulders to get out of the wind and make the break pleasant. The wind picked up throughout the day and on the downhill descent into the cabin I was having to actively work to move forward despite the help I was already getting from gravity. 

Hellevassbu is a self service cabin, so compared to other cabins we had stayed at so far where we were served a set menu each night and morning we had to make our food from the pantry of dried goods in the cabin. I believe the self service cabins are very special and emblematic of Norwegian’s approach to the outdoors, because I don’t see a similar system being able to work in the US. A volunteer stocks the pantry with food, guests come and pick out the food they want and then pay later once they get back to cell service. The only way they inventory is by people actively paying for food and being honest. It’s been this way long before the internet age and I think speaks to the communal trust of the country.

Clockwise from upper left: Travelling between Litlos and Hellevassbu, it was extremely windy this day, view of the main Hellevassbu cabin from our Annex, getting drinking water from the lake, our evening meeting discussing the previous and next day, another view from the trail as we follow the birch branches from cabin to cabin.

Day 7: Hellevassbu to Haukeliseter

The last day of skiing as a group and one of the biggest days of the entire trip. The wind died down overnight, but clouds had blown in and for the first time on the trip there wasn’t blue skies and sunshine. For the first time on the trip we had proper cleaning to do before we left, so things weren’t quite as relaxing in the morning as the previous days.

The ski included our longest climb and descent on the whole trip. As we climbed in elevation the fog only thickened and there was a short stretch where you could only see one or two birch branches ahead of you. The downhill was particularly sketchy due to the visibility and variable snow conditions that had developed. Fortunately everyone made it down safely. This downhill piece to Haukeliseter by far resulted in the most falls of the entire trip for the group, myself included.

I was eager to get to Haukeliseter so I could get connected to the internet and see what Morgan’s plan was. At this point I still wasn’t sure if I was getting on whatever bus was available to me or if Morgan was on her way to meet me. Thankfully I had messages from Morgan informing me that she was on her way to spend the night at Haukeliseter and go out skiing with me to another hut the following day. At Haukeliseter we celebrated our group's crossing of the Hardangervidda plateau with a meatball buffet and Morgan got to meet everyone.

Clockwise from upper left: A beautiful morning, skiing into clouds as we worked our way uphill, a group photo from lunch, the final stretch towards Haukeliseter where the snow was starting to melt out making things difficult, selfie.

Day 8: Haukeliseter to Holmavatnhytta

In the morning I said my goodbyes to the group and Morgan and I pointed our skis to the south and continued on the trail to Holmavatnhytta. We were starting at a lower elevation here that anywhere I had been the previous week and it showed. The lakes were beginning to open up and we encountered a couple bare patches that required us to take off our skis and walk. In an abundance of caution we left the marked trail that went over a lake that looked suspect for our own path that avoided the ice and more or less followed the summer trail. At some point we regrouped with the winter route and made our way uphill and into the clouds. Similar to the previous day the clouds became thicker and thicker as we gained elevation. I estimate we spent the better part of an hour in near white out conditions moving from one stick to another. It was a surreal experience that was compounded by our feeling of being utterly alone on this stretch of trail. We saw a few others intermittently, but by and large felt like the only ones in the mountains. Morgan and I passed the time by playing a game of seeing and calling out the next birch branch. It was a high scoring affair that ultimately left us with disputed results.

After we crossed the high point and began our descent towards Holmavatnhytta the clouds lifted and sunshine and blue skies appeared. The last hour plus of the ski was utter bliss. The views were incredible and we were amazed at where we had skied to and what our surroundings looked like. The hut, just like at Hellevassbu, was self service and so we had to cook and clean for ourselves. We shared the common room with about 10 other people. Everyone was starting their Easter holiday and were excited to be in the mountains. We had a great view of the sunset and the full moon rising over the large lake beneath the cabin. Best of all was getting to share the experience of backcountry skiing with Morgan in what felt like an authentic Norwegian moment for us.

Views from throughout the day including the great view from our cabin, the full moon we were blessed with, Morgan and I having fun at lower elevations, skiing through dense fog. The dense fog lifted later in the day, but for an hour plus we were reliant on the birch branches and could only see one at a time.

Day 9: Holmavatnhytta to Haukeliseter

We had less sunshine than the previous afternoon, but the weather was still generally good for our trip back to Haukeliseter. We had a midafternoon bus that would take us back to Oslo that we didn’t want to miss under any circumstances, so we made sure we weren’t the last people at the cabin responsible for the extra clean up chores. The ski was fun and it again felt like we were alone in the mountains. We braved the lake we skipped the previous day and were rewarded with thick ice and a short cut to our finish line. We made it back to Haukeliseter in plenty of time and had a couple hours to relax before our bus came. The bus to Oslo was 5 hours, but was generally a pleasant ride. Being able to reliably catch a bus or train in almost every corner of the country is something I greatly appreciate about living here and will surely miss when we return to WA.

Views on our back to Haukeliseter. The extra two days with Morgan were very special.

Time Around Oslo

Sunlight

The sunlight makes a big difference. By the time mid-April rolled around the amount of sunlight we were getting felt comparable to peak summer in the PNW. Compared to the darkness of only a few months prior we both felt invigorated to spend more time outdoors and to socialize in the evenings with friends. Morgan in particular commented on an overall improvement with mood. We are both looking forward to the rest of our time here being well lit.

Socializing

On the weekend of March 29 we had a visitor from Trondheim, yet another UW connection, who stayed with us for a couple of nights. We had great weather and took advantage of the sunshine to walk around the city and even went to the open air folk museum. Morgan and Meg also went to a ballet at the Oslo Opera house and enjoyed the show from the cheapest seats. We also went to the birthday party of one of Morgan's Norwegian colleagues. It was a nice evening, although a bit awkward at times, something the Norwegians openly blamed themselves and natural introvertedness for.

Clockwise from upper left: Morgan’s partially obstructed view from her seat at the ballet, soaking up the warmth from the spring sunlight, our tour guide at the Folk Museum inside the stave church, the Gol Stave Church that was saved by the Swedish King Oscar and moved to Oslo for his personal collection in the 1800s.

Morgan has been participating in an unofficial knitting club with a group of internationals. They meet about every other week or so and hosting duties are rotated about. Although invited I have yet to attend due to my personal travels that have conveniently coincided with the get togethers.

Taking advantage of the longer nights and free admission to the Oslo City Museum we visited with a couple of friends at the beginning of April. We went with a Norwegian and it was fun to get his perspective on some of the exhibits that discussed life in Norway within the last 50 or so years. He was also very useful in helping translate. It is not uncommon in bilingual public spaces, physical and online,  for the description in Norwegian text to be multiple paragraphs long and the English text to be a poorly summarized paragraph missing a couple key points.

Biking

While at home I have officially put away the skis and taken out the bikes. At the end of March, beginning of April, snow was still thick and melting on the Nordmarka’s gravel trails so I stuck to the asphalt. After returning from the DNT trip enough snow has melted to officially open up the Nordmarka gravel season, which I am very excited for. There is something so peaceful about riding through the forest and not having to worry about cars or traffic. We have enjoyed riding together and also with our cycling mad friends Jonas and Clarice.

Sunny days biking around Oslo.

Volunteering

After a volunteering session at the end of March I don’t think I will return again. The people were very kind and welcoming, but there was an aspect to it that was socially isolating and ended up not being the experience I was hoping for. A combination of the language and generational barrier made things tough. If I had more language proficiency I think it would have been better, but I ended up spending most of my time working alone away from everyone else. I reserve the right to give it another shot, but at this moment I don’t think I will.

Work

Morgan has spent much of the past couple of months fixing bugs in the computer code she is writing. This is a time and computing intensive process and takes away from her ability to work on much of anything else. By the end of March she had finally broken through and finished this work, opening her back up to more work at NGI and UW. It also puts her on a more routine schedule and pushes forward the publication timeline of some of her work.