December has come and gone, and with it, has arrived a much awaited and over-due fall of snow in Valdres! I’ve made much use of it at the ski centre, both on my telemark and cross-country skis. In mid-December I was in Beitostølen with my “langrenn” class where we did a 10km classic time trial. I was expecting to get my but kicked by the Norwegians, but as it turns out, I managed to come within a minute and a half of second place! I’ve also experienced some fairly significant improvement on the slopes, but not without some fairly entertaining falls! During one of my more recent trips, after a 50cm “pudderalarm”, I went head over heels down the mountain side, effectively ploughing the snow away right down to the rocks- with my face. I was fairly painfully winded, and after lying there covered in snow for a minute or two, I struggled onto my feet clenching my wrist. But it was all in good fun, because I managed to recover my poles and goggles from beneath the snow and my bindings had held themselves together this time!
Valdres Alpinsenter is not the largest ski hill but its big enough and its not usually too busy, which makes it quite nice. There’s a great view from the top. I took in a nice sunset during my last run before the Christmas holidays.
Of course, as often as I`m out skiing, and as often as I write about it, there are other things at the school with which I occupy myself. After all, something must have been keeping me from posting on my blog all this time!
In pre-emptive preparation for the Christmas season, I’ve been spending many hours on the stationary bike in the school gym.
Also in preparation for Christmas, I’ve spent a fair amount of time playing guitar with my band class, practicing for the school Christmas ball at which we performed. Although we had difficulty adjusting the sound equipment, the performance went over half-decently.
The “Jul ball” continued with what, to my knowledge, is a uniquely Scandinavian tradition. I had previously thought it existed only in cartoons and Dr. Seuss. There were about 150 students and staff in the gymnasium and we all gathered in circles around a tall Christmas tree. We sang carols as we walked and ran and jumped and clapped and spun around the tree in what was at first, true Christmas spirit. There were three or four circles going around the tree in alternate directions. It was nice to experience Christmas from a slightly different perspective but by the time we started singing the twentieth song, I conveniently remembered that my only set of bedding had been forgotten in the washing machine! Not wishing to wet my bed, I mean not wishing for a wet bed that night, I ran down to the laundry room, hoping to make it before they locked the doors for the night. On my out, I was greeted by many Norwegian Grinches, who had also left the celebrations, clearly tired of the Whoville atmosphere. One friend commented:
”It’s fun with little kids. But when there are over 100 people dragging their feet around the Christmas tree, hanging their heads [like empty stockings], and no one is singing, its just…” [When I actually come up with a good simile I can’t help but use it!]
For the record, many people were singing, as I was one of them!
The event-planners took a blind-date approach to the evening, and I had been set up with Hillegonde, a girl from Holland. We had a good time and I sent her home with some poetic words (of the type only a non-native English speaker could appreciate) accompanied by a rose and some guitar. Turns out lameness is cool after all! Oh yes, I almost forgot to mention that we were named King and Queen of the night! In reward we received two Norwegian “crowns”. Fitting, but not enough to buy half ‘ a chocolate bar in Norway.
I’ve also been out dog-sledding again. This time we took it off-road! Or off-piste I should say. There wasn’t yet a ton of snow, so it was a bumpy ride, but it was incredibly fun and exhilerating. The dogs love to pull and the sled miraculously held up to numerous tree stumps and clumps of earth protruding up through the snow. I’m no expert and I still find it quite difficult to steer the sled or direct the dogs (okay, I’ll be honest, I can’t direct the dogs in the slightest!) but we had a blast. 
It’s been mostly things like this keeping me busy lately. As for the “blog-ly” Norwegian-progress update, it still seems to be improving, and I’m feeling more and more confident in conversations. I’ve decided for myself that at the ski resort, every time I sit with someone on the lift, I have to spend the entire seven minute journey speaking Norwegian. It is actually a fairly helpful tool, because it’s in short chunks, which makes it easier, and it adds up to quite a large amount of time when you ski two full days every weekend. I’m speaking Norwegian more and more often now, but it’s good to give myself some mandatory practice.
One thing I’ve been missing is hockey. It’s never on TV and no one talks about it. Aside from myself and a friend from Sweden, it doesn’t seem as though there are many who play very much. Over the holidays, they are supposed to be flooding a rink at the school, so I will be looking forward to it when I get back. Go Habs Go!
I have been out skating once though. Some friends and I went down to the lake and skated amid falling snowflakes- at two in the morning! We had a great time and it felt nice to finally be back on skates. We glided through the snow for a solid hour and a half before unlacing and trekking back up to our dorms for a couple hours of sleep! We may have been later if we hadn’t noticed a particular sign in the middle of the lake.
”What is that sign there?”
”I dunno. Let’s check it out.”
”It looks like a person swimming.”
”No, isn’t he drowning?”
”No, he’s breaking through the ice!”
I realise that this is a serious matter, especially at two or three in the morning, and that we may have been lucky, but what’s done is done, and what is there to do but laugh? I guess next time they should think about putting the sign nearer to the shoreline so that you don’t have to go all the way out to the middle of the lake to read it!
I hope you have all been enjoying the holiday season. I wish a belated Merry Christmas to everyone and a Happy New Year! I’m currently celebrating with relatives in Denmark and I will be heading up to Sarpsborg (Norway) for the New Year shortly. Next time I will give you all the low down on what has, so far, been a very enjoyable Christmas!
And to finish, here is an updated picture of the wooden skis that I made so long ago. Varnished, signed and refitted with new bindings (after they broke as I was putting them on for their maiden voyage).
Happy skiing!
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