Monday 8 February 2010

Teenage Kick (and glide)

Just 12 hours after stepping off the train after a weekend in Ustaoset I was back at the train station to meet 28 teenagers and a teacher for five days of cross-country skiing, based at Mjølfjell Ungdomsherberge, a hostel nestled beautifully in the arms of a wonderful valley.

First job was to get the kids familiar with their skis, especially those who were using skis supplied by the instructors. Kids were shown how to wax skis and use the various different types of bindings before being given instruction on how to kick and glide across the flat car park. Basic 'ski school' drills were also practiced on a nearby slope to give those kids who had never skied before some basic control in going up and down a gradient. We practiced 'herring bone' and side stepping upwards before trying snow plowing to control speed going down. All of this was done with fun and games in mind and the kids were smiling despite the falling snow and chilly -15C.

We also took the kids on some short, flat tours around the hostel to allow them to practice their new found skills on gently rolling terrain. We stopped for lunch out on the trail and sat around a fire which is always good for keeping warm and spirits lifted.

The accommodation was great, beautiful views outside your windows and more than enough to eat. Each morning we made lunch packs from the extensive buffet breakfast. Kids soon learned you burn a lot of calories skiing and trying to stay warm and from two sandwiches on the first day we soon started seeing six and seven tier sarnies being constructed. My new favourite is the 'Basso Bar'. Named after the Canadian ski instructor and teacher who was leading the week it requires layers of crackers/Ryvita topped with jam, pate and cheese to deliver dense calories all day long.

The ski tours and skills lessons continued. One afternoon myself and another teacher led a small group on a tour down the valley in search of the sunshine that was shielded from the hostel by a mountain. The weather was improving every day, more sunshine and the mercury steadily climbed.

Every evening the kids returned from their day to a warm dinner and plenty of free time for them to socialise, watch TV, play pool or even the piano which a few of them did with real talent. The piano playing was also sweet relief from the Euro-techno that one of the German lads insisted on playing at ear splitting volume whenever he could.

One afternoon a few of the kids got to help one of the instructors erect a traditional Lapp Lavvu, which several of us would sleep in one the last night. Despite the cold temperatures the kids really enjoyed being in there and we ate popcorn cooked over the wood fire before getting into our sleeping bags and watching the stars through the hole in the top.

One of the days was spent on a fairly long tour up the valley to Upsete. The day started with a fairly long gradual climb before crossing a couple of frozen lakes. At the lunch stop we played lots of games and had a fantastic multi-lane slalom race.

The journey back to the hostel after such a long day was thankfully mostly downhill with the last few kilometres being particularly twisty and fast. I kidded myself as I ascended the final descent for the second time that I was just retracing my steps to ensure all the children got back safely, the truth was I just wanted to rip down the awesome trail one more time.

It wasn't all fun and games though. We also carried out some theory work with the kids including basic map and compass reading skills. This was followed by avalanche safety instruction. The kids got to see and use various avalanche safety equipment including transceivers and learn how to read the signs of potential avalanche terrain.

Back outside in the 'big classroom' we spent an afternoon building a bivouac area to protect us from the cold wind. The kids were then shown how to use an axe and knives to collect wood for use in the fire, for making benches and also utensils for cooking food.

I enjoyed the mix of skiing and back-country skills being taught on this course. The kids were taught a sense of being custodians of the environment and a lot of them commented how beautiful the area was and how quiet and smooth travelling by skis was.

The evening snowshoe trek was a hoot. We took several of the kids out with large candle/torches for a trek around the dark hillsides surrounding the hostel. We sat in a circle at one point and the kids started telling ghost stories. Somehow it all ended up with the instructors being chased through the dark by snowball wielding students.

The last day was taken up with the final tour, the students luggage was shuttled to the station while they made their way down the valley via the wonderful, rolling ski trail. Lunchtime was also a time for the final games of the week with the group splitting into teams to build emergency sleds, made from skis, poles and shovels, for transporting an 'injured' team mate. Good fun with a serious message. Right below the station the kids let off any remaining steam with a mass snowball fight before removing skis and heading home.

All told, it was a great success. It was uplifting to see the improvement in skills and confidence, especially by those kids that had never skied before. I got to try out some new skills too including skiing with pulk. We're never too old to learn. This is something I'd love to do again and I may get the chance soon. Watch this space...

8 comments:

Unknown said...

Good stuff being taught in Norwegian schools, me thinks! We never learned this stuff in Germany, but then again we had no snow when I was a teenager. So I am self-taught when it comes to survival skills and XC skiing, downhill skiing and snowboarding I learned in the Alpes. And you got even paid for this trip, how sweet is that!? I'm jealous =)

Great photos as well, good to see some sunhsine!

Nielsen Brown said...

A wonderful story, and great photos. I feel that being able to look out at the stars from inside the tent must have been something special. I always felt it was rewarding to be out with students and to see a different side to them than the one you see in school.

Take every opportunity you can.

Joe Newton said...

Hendrik - I never had a school trip like this either. I remember going to a bird sanctuary and a zoo but that was about it!

Roger - Thank you. Looking up out of the laavu (lavvu? lavuu?) at the stars was great. Watching the snow come in through the hole and settle on my down bag wasn't! Lesson learned, take the bivy next time.

Totally agree, it was great to bond with the older kids as opposed to the kindergarten kids I normally work with. Seeing them out of a traditional classroom was rewarding too.

Fingers crossed some similar work is coming my way in March...

Thomas W. Gauperaa said...

Great post (and pictures!). Looks like you all had a wonderful time.

Joe Newton said...

Thomas - I spoke to a couple of the kids yesterday, they were still excited about the week and what they learnt. What the kids don't realise is how much I learnt!

kate said...

wow, that's completely different to my school trips. an afternoon at 'big pit' national coal museum, buying rubbers in the shop and fighting on the back seat on the way home!

sounds like you enjoyed it as much as the kids. your enthusiasm really comes through, bet you're an ace teacher. i'm sure some of those kids will now go to have great adventures :)

Unknown said...

This realy brings a lump to my throat. You're sowing the future of hillsport. 25 years or so ago I was one of those kids who, under the guidence of willing souls such as yourself, got the opportunity to see what was beyong the city limits. Nothing as spectacular as this, walking and Orienteering in the lakes, Dales and Scotland was as far as it went in my case but the essence of the thing was the same. As far as I'm aware I'm the only one of the group who still gets into the outdoors but if you ask me one out of fifteen isn't too bad. You're a better man than me for giving up your time to this. Keep doing it!

Joe Newton said...

Dave - Thanks for your kind words. Just getting some of these kids outside of the city, or even ski resort limits, was rewarding. While a few moaned about missing their X-box or having to wear 'un-cool' gaiters, they all had smiles of unbridled joy on their faces in their unguarded moments. If just a few of them go on to have an affinity with wild places like I do then I'd consider it a job well done.

As for giving up my time, I would have done this trip for nothing but I got actually got paid so everyone was a winner!