the copenhagen/zurich group emerges from customs
3.30.2010
home!
All are safely home - after many hours in the Keflavik (Iceland) airport for some, and a long wait on the tarmac in Zurich for others. Many thanks to all the parents who met us (and all of our gear!) in Boston!
3.23.2010
The Trip Home
written by Emily and Isaiah
Yesterday morning we left Sjusjøen knowing we had obstacles ahead of us. We had learned of a volcanic eruption within 100 miles of the airport in Iceland and visibility was poor, and on top of that there was a mechanic strike which was preventing flights from arriving and departing Iceland. We arrived in Oslo and checked our baggage. But not without being warned that the plane had not yet left Iceland and we were due to depart in under two hours. That was only the beginning. We then spent about five hours wandering the Oslo airport while Scottie and Dennis madly worked on finding us another way home.
Finally after much waiting around we were informed that we would have to leave the next day and we were staying in a hotel that night. We collected all our luggage and got on a shuttle that took us to a hotel about five minutes from the airport.
This was a fairly upscale hotel, and for dinner we managed to work out a deal that was somewhat affordable. All throughout dinner we still had no idea how we were getting home.
We all then went to our rooms and waited to find out what would be happening the next day. Around 11pm the coaches had a plan. We were to split into two groups. Nine would be going through Iceland and leaving at 4am, and the other 4 would be going through Copenhagen, Zurich, and finally back to Boston. For both groups we were prepared for a long day.
Our group was going on a tour of Europe. Norway, Denmark, Switzerland, and the US.
We reached Copenhagen and all the snow was gone. Out the window we could see wind turbines in the bay and all over the coast. Throughout this trip we all decided that the US would be smart to take a hint from the European ways such as these wind turbines.
When we boarded we went outside on to the tarmac, which rarely happens in the US anymore. The same thing happened when we arrived in Zurich. In Zurich the airport was lined with chocolate shops, most giving free samples. Some major differences we noticed included the blatant “SMOKING KILLS” warnings printed on the cigarette boxes and security officers armed with automatic weapons and Tasers.
Yesterday morning we left Sjusjøen knowing we had obstacles ahead of us. We had learned of a volcanic eruption within 100 miles of the airport in Iceland and visibility was poor, and on top of that there was a mechanic strike which was preventing flights from arriving and departing Iceland. We arrived in Oslo and checked our baggage. But not without being warned that the plane had not yet left Iceland and we were due to depart in under two hours. That was only the beginning. We then spent about five hours wandering the Oslo airport while Scottie and Dennis madly worked on finding us another way home.
Finally after much waiting around we were informed that we would have to leave the next day and we were staying in a hotel that night. We collected all our luggage and got on a shuttle that took us to a hotel about five minutes from the airport.
fortunately, no one else was on the shuttle bus!
This was a fairly upscale hotel, and for dinner we managed to work out a deal that was somewhat affordable. All throughout dinner we still had no idea how we were getting home.
all the finest linens for the weary travelers...
any word from our travel agent?
We all then went to our rooms and waited to find out what would be happening the next day. Around 11pm the coaches had a plan. We were to split into two groups. Nine would be going through Iceland and leaving at 4am, and the other 4 would be going through Copenhagen, Zurich, and finally back to Boston. For both groups we were prepared for a long day.
Our group was going on a tour of Europe. Norway, Denmark, Switzerland, and the US.
the continental group waiting for the morning airport shuttle
We reached Copenhagen and all the snow was gone. Out the window we could see wind turbines in the bay and all over the coast. Throughout this trip we all decided that the US would be smart to take a hint from the European ways such as these wind turbines.
homework in Copenhagen - including Sam's, although he is in Iceland!
When we boarded we went outside on to the tarmac, which rarely happens in the US anymore. The same thing happened when we arrived in Zurich. In Zurich the airport was lined with chocolate shops, most giving free samples. Some major differences we noticed included the blatant “SMOKING KILLS” warnings printed on the cigarette boxes and security officers armed with automatic weapons and Tasers.
3.21.2010
Sunday
written by Caitlin, Emily, Sam M, Noah, George
Today we raced a race format somewhat forgotten in the US: the pursuit. It has a classic portion and a skate portion. For us, each loop was 3k, and there was an exchange zone to switch techniques. It took place on the same course as the Wednesday night race, but it was much bigger and more formal. We started with the 3k classic leg in a mass start by age group. Then, transitioned to the skate equipment in an often uncoordinated flurry, before heading out on the second leg. At the end of the race there was a grape/cranberry drink that was full of sugar. The awards ceremony was held in the main lodge where concessions were sold, the most popular of these was the waffles which every team member purchased and thoroughly enjoyed.
Overall the race was a nice end-of-the-year experience. I mean, the race was about a 40 minute drive from our apartments which are already pretty far from the center of town. The trails are on some old logging trails near an old mill. It’s called Veldre Sag (‘sag’ meaning ‘mill’).
Today’s weather was also an adventure. When we woke up this morning, it was very cold, snowing, and windy. But by the time we raced, it was quite warm and sunny, enough so that some of us got a bit sun burned and/or very tan. Coaches’ note: the quickly changing weather and variable conditions on the course also made for interesting classic waxing! Kudos to the kids, some of whom made do with skis that had no kick... while others could march up anything!
Birkebeiner (Spectator's Perspective)
written by Sam R
Yesterday we woke up to a beautiful day. We put on a layer of warm klister and got on our skis. We skied about 6K, up to the Birkebeiner trail and watched some of the elite racers go by. Since we were watching from about 35k into the Birki and Paco, Jack, Isaiah, and Rosalie started much later, we had time to go for a ski before they would come by. We went up to the top of a hill that was all wind-blown and bare, where we could look down on the Birki. From the top of the hill we could see 360 degrees of amazing Norwiegian landscape. We could also see the Birki trail far below, which looked like a line of tiny ants, marching through the woods. When we were too cold to appreciate the view any more we flew back down the hill to the Birki trail. After waiting for about an hour, we saw Paco. I skied behind him for long enough to find out that the wax was great and he had very bad blisters on his feet. Then we saw Jack, who was so focused that he hardly looked up. Soon after Isaiah and then Rosalie passed by. Then we skied back home to remove the klister so we could wax our skis for the pursuit tomorrow.
Yesterday we woke up to a beautiful day. We put on a layer of warm klister and got on our skis. We skied about 6K, up to the Birkebeiner trail and watched some of the elite racers go by. Since we were watching from about 35k into the Birki and Paco, Jack, Isaiah, and Rosalie started much later, we had time to go for a ski before they would come by. We went up to the top of a hill that was all wind-blown and bare, where we could look down on the Birki. From the top of the hill we could see 360 degrees of amazing Norwiegian landscape. We could also see the Birki trail far below, which looked like a line of tiny ants, marching through the woods. When we were too cold to appreciate the view any more we flew back down the hill to the Birki trail. After waiting for about an hour, we saw Paco. I skied behind him for long enough to find out that the wax was great and he had very bad blisters on his feet. Then we saw Jack, who was so focused that he hardly looked up. Soon after Isaiah and then Rosalie passed by. Then we skied back home to remove the klister so we could wax our skis for the pursuit tomorrow.
The Birkebeiner (continued)
written by Rosalie
What a day! It started at 4:45 a.m. when we woke up in darkness and headed to the Bus Station in Lillehammer. We saw skiers flock from every direction with skis and poles in hand, all heading to a common destination: Rena, the start of the Birkebeiner.
Our wave alone (wave 19 out of 26) consisted of about 900 people, which is larger than any ski race in which I had previously participated. But that was just the wave...the race as a whole was made up of about 14,000 skiers!
As Isaiah said, I lost sight of the boys pretty quickly...Paco was leading the pack, and Jack and Isaiah were not far behind. I was feeling pretty tired from the start (oh boy! it was to be a long 54k then...), so took the pace fairly conservatively. Plus, the first 20km were literally all uphill!
Each time a “summit” came into sight, I felt a glimmer of hope that it was the top of the mountain we were climbing. Yet each glimmer was shattered when more climbs lay hidden beyond the peaks. At one point, when I serioulsy doubted I could climb any further, I got off to the side of the trail, re-waxed my skis, had some water, and attempted to mentally prepare myself for the challenges that lay ahead. Finally, a big sign read “Mountain Prize Ahead 500m” and at that point I knew that that must be the high point of the course, the “mountain prize.”
What a day! It started at 4:45 a.m. when we woke up in darkness and headed to the Bus Station in Lillehammer. We saw skiers flock from every direction with skis and poles in hand, all heading to a common destination: Rena, the start of the Birkebeiner.
Our wave alone (wave 19 out of 26) consisted of about 900 people, which is larger than any ski race in which I had previously participated. But that was just the wave...the race as a whole was made up of about 14,000 skiers!
As Isaiah said, I lost sight of the boys pretty quickly...Paco was leading the pack, and Jack and Isaiah were not far behind. I was feeling pretty tired from the start (oh boy! it was to be a long 54k then...), so took the pace fairly conservatively. Plus, the first 20km were literally all uphill!
Each time a “summit” came into sight, I felt a glimmer of hope that it was the top of the mountain we were climbing. Yet each glimmer was shattered when more climbs lay hidden beyond the peaks. At one point, when I serioulsy doubted I could climb any further, I got off to the side of the trail, re-waxed my skis, had some water, and attempted to mentally prepare myself for the challenges that lay ahead. Finally, a big sign read “Mountain Prize Ahead 500m” and at that point I knew that that must be the high point of the course, the “mountain prize.”
The Birkebeiner (Racer's Perspective)
written by Isaiah
Today, or yesterday depending on what waking up at 4:45 is considered, the four Birkie skiers (Jack, Paco, Rosalie, and myself) and two coaches woke up to ski the focus of most Norwegians, the Birkebeiner. After a small breakfast consisting of oatmeal, yogurt, and the fixings, we loaded up into the “Silver Slug” to catch a bus from Lillehammer to Rena. On the course of the two hour ride Paco ended up making a new friend with an experienced “Birkie” skier from Wisconsin. In Rena, the parking lot was packed with tons of skiers, easily the most I’ve seen in one place. The main order of business was to see if Swix was recommending a kick wax to cover our klister medleys. It ended up being VR50. While the more organized three quarters of our group finished our ski preparation, Paco was finding the optimal sack weight or something similar. In an effort to secure good spots near the front of our wave the rest of us headed to the start, after of course reminding Paco to remember his ski stickers and brikke (timing chip). Shortly after the start us guys (unfortunately I have no clue what happened to Rosalie from this point on) found ourselves out in front of our wave and quickly catching the next one. The race course was packed, even with 8 lanes we had to sneak up the side of the trail to get by anyone. Obviously people were not observing the stay right except to pass recommendations. As far as wax, our skis had perfect kick (thank you Scottie and Dennis), which is fortunate because the first third of the race is completely uphill. Soon after the start Jack and I lost sight of Paco in the masses ahead. So we skied together for a good portion of the race, until the first downhill. That’s when I found out that my klister zones weren’t the most clearly marked. That combined with Jack’s impressive speed in and out of the feed zones left me skiing relatively alone amongst the thousands of other skiers. Eventually I stopped to scrape back some klister, actually twice. Good thing too because the second half of the race is mostly downhill and flat. In regards to feed zones, I was very impressed, there were usually at least two options including water and Powerade early on, and in the second half Coke, smoothies, bananas, and a plethora of European sports drinks and energy bars. Between feed stations there were often groups of people offering drinks or food unofficially, often companies promoting their one drink or families watching the race. However, the most impressive display of food was at the finish, the race organizers had set up all the afore mentioned in addition to chips, oranges, soup, bread, and the best apples I’ve ever chowed on. After meeting up with Paco and Jack on the outside world, we learned that lo and behold, Paco “lost” his brikke. As far as results, Jack was the only one to make The Mark, although he’s skeptical as to how he made it even while not making the Mark time, Paco may have made it but we’ll probably never know...
finding bags after the race
Jack wondering whether he really made the mark
Friday
written by George
Today we began our laborious task of repacking our belongings, and the nick nacks that we bought at the Birkebeiner Market. One thing that complicated the move from Lillehammer to Sjusjøen was that we had to move out of the apartment in Lillehammer by 12:00 PM, and the apartment in Sjusjøen wouldn't open up until 2:00 PM. When we arrived in Sjusjøen we decided to go for a ski in the surrounding area.
Where we ended up going for an exhilarating ski was through what seemed like the forbidden forest from Harry Potter, due to the dense unmoving fog that seemed to hang over the trails and limited sight to only around 50 meters, while the Birkebeiner skiers had a relaxing tour around the trails, some of our spring bucks decided to take off and find some challenging terrain.
Today we began our laborious task of repacking our belongings, and the nick nacks that we bought at the Birkebeiner Market. One thing that complicated the move from Lillehammer to Sjusjøen was that we had to move out of the apartment in Lillehammer by 12:00 PM, and the apartment in Sjusjøen wouldn't open up until 2:00 PM. When we arrived in Sjusjøen we decided to go for a ski in the surrounding area.
Where we ended up going for an exhilarating ski was through what seemed like the forbidden forest from Harry Potter, due to the dense unmoving fog that seemed to hang over the trails and limited sight to only around 50 meters, while the Birkebeiner skiers had a relaxing tour around the trails, some of our spring bucks decided to take off and find some challenging terrain.
Tour Near Sjusjøen, the Olympic Museum, and the Birkebeiner Market
written by Emily and Helen
Today we went on another classic tour. We started in Storåsen, then skied backwards on about 7 km of the Birkebeiner trail. It was located up in between two hills, but the trail itself was very flat. Then we went up over a knoll, where there was an amazing view, and then flew down hill. At the bottom, there were teams of dogs that were taking people on tours.
After returning to Lillehammer, some of us headed to the Olympic Museum, which covered the history of the modern Olympics from 1896 through 2008. The exhibits included the major aspects of each games and the progession of the Norwegian team. They started off very roughly, hardly medaling at all, even in nordic skiing. Then as the years went on, they got better and better and became what they are today.
Our next event of the day was the Birkebeiner Market. There were huge sales on many sports items. Most of them being nordic. There was everything a skier could imagine, hats, jackets, gloves, skis, poles, energy bars, wax, and much more. We all left with at least two items. This just reinforced how nordic skiing is a very large part of Norwegian culture, and it's really cool for us to see.
Today we went on another classic tour. We started in Storåsen, then skied backwards on about 7 km of the Birkebeiner trail. It was located up in between two hills, but the trail itself was very flat. Then we went up over a knoll, where there was an amazing view, and then flew down hill. At the bottom, there were teams of dogs that were taking people on tours.
on the Birkebeiner trail at Midtfjellet
dog team tours
group skiing back toward Storåsen
After returning to Lillehammer, some of us headed to the Olympic Museum, which covered the history of the modern Olympics from 1896 through 2008. The exhibits included the major aspects of each games and the progession of the Norwegian team. They started off very roughly, hardly medaling at all, even in nordic skiing. Then as the years went on, they got better and better and became what they are today.
Our next event of the day was the Birkebeiner Market. There were huge sales on many sports items. Most of them being nordic. There was everything a skier could imagine, hats, jackets, gloves, skis, poles, energy bars, wax, and much more. We all left with at least two items. This just reinforced how nordic skiing is a very large part of Norwegian culture, and it's really cool for us to see.
Climbing the Jump
written by Sam R
Last night on the way home from the night race we made a pit stop. Although we had talked about it at a meeting, it was a surprise to me because I had fallen asleep. I awoke to find the Lillehammer ski jumps in front of me. We all jumped out and ran around taking pictures. The jumps are sometimes lit up at night and are visible from miles away. Actually standing on the outrun and looking up at the landing hills was breathtaking. The jumps are big as the photo from the stands of our group on the outrun shows.
Last night on the way home from the night race we made a pit stop. Although we had talked about it at a meeting, it was a surprise to me because I had fallen asleep. I awoke to find the Lillehammer ski jumps in front of me. We all jumped out and ran around taking pictures. The jumps are sometimes lit up at night and are visible from miles away. Actually standing on the outrun and looking up at the landing hills was breathtaking. The jumps are big as the photo from the stands of our group on the outrun shows.
3.18.2010
Veldre Night Race
written by Paco and Noah
On Wednesday evening our group headed to the Veldre Ski Club's trails -about a 40 minute drive from our apartments - for a night race. Earlier in the day, the club had posted a welcome to us on their website:
http://www.veldreski.net/
The drive took us through rural Norway, characterized by sloping forests and bumpy, frost heave-infested roads. We were surprised to find the venue more or less in the middle of nowhere. The venue was pretty awesome though. We were met by several large advertisement boards endorsed by local companies who wanted to show their support, a biathlon range, a two-story timing building, and a club house complete with kitchen, bathrooms, and large common room. The race consisted of a longish 3k loop and a 2k loop making a 5k lighted race. Warming up we saw a hot shot Norwegian 14 year-old, or our host said he was “very fast”, he told us he was second at the Junior Birkie last Sunday (out of over 1700 junior competitors!). The biggest confusion of the race was how to deal with the “Brikks” that they told us we needed. For most of us, we didn't know we needed them until we got to the start line and the race volunteers began shouting at each other in Norwegian and putting them on our ankles. The “bricks” were simply timing chips they were testing out for a bigger race this weekend.
The race experience was like skiing in a tunnel. The lights had to be on and that meant you couldn't see the forest, only the trail. The start was individual and they were very casual about starting. There were so many little kids of all ages racing before us and there were all the older men racing as seniors. There was a very fun corner on the 3k loop that we all loved, and some steep uphills that forced us to herring bone. Paco won his age group and had the fastest overall time by 3 seconds.
Jack conversed with the organizers in Norwegian and translated the announcing for us. Throughout the race, the announcer talked about this Wednesday night race as being historic for two reasons: it was the first to include a biathlon race, and the club had visitors from the US!
Overall we had a great time at the night race and gained a lot of experience that we wouldn't have gotten from a domestic race.
On Wednesday evening our group headed to the Veldre Ski Club's trails -about a 40 minute drive from our apartments - for a night race. Earlier in the day, the club had posted a welcome to us on their website:
http://www.veldreski.net/
The drive took us through rural Norway, characterized by sloping forests and bumpy, frost heave-infested roads. We were surprised to find the venue more or less in the middle of nowhere. The venue was pretty awesome though. We were met by several large advertisement boards endorsed by local companies who wanted to show their support, a biathlon range, a two-story timing building, and a club house complete with kitchen, bathrooms, and large common room. The race consisted of a longish 3k loop and a 2k loop making a 5k lighted race. Warming up we saw a hot shot Norwegian 14 year-old, or our host said he was “very fast”, he told us he was second at the Junior Birkie last Sunday (out of over 1700 junior competitors!). The biggest confusion of the race was how to deal with the “Brikks” that they told us we needed. For most of us, we didn't know we needed them until we got to the start line and the race volunteers began shouting at each other in Norwegian and putting them on our ankles. The “bricks” were simply timing chips they were testing out for a bigger race this weekend.
The race experience was like skiing in a tunnel. The lights had to be on and that meant you couldn't see the forest, only the trail. The start was individual and they were very casual about starting. There were so many little kids of all ages racing before us and there were all the older men racing as seniors. There was a very fun corner on the 3k loop that we all loved, and some steep uphills that forced us to herring bone. Paco won his age group and had the fastest overall time by 3 seconds.
Jack conversed with the organizers in Norwegian and translated the announcing for us. Throughout the race, the announcer talked about this Wednesday night race as being historic for two reasons: it was the first to include a biathlon race, and the club had visitors from the US!
Overall we had a great time at the night race and gained a lot of experience that we wouldn't have gotten from a domestic race.
the timing building
the race course - before dark!
start of the little kids' race
Sam R starting
Swix Factory Visit
written by Sam R
Did you know that all of the Swix wax that you have ever bought was made in Lillehammer, Norway? Yesterday, we took a private tour of the one and only Swix wax factory. After a five-minute drive from our apartments to the outskirts of town, we were amazed to see how small the factory was. However, they can produce 20,000 cans of kick wax and 10,000 tubes of klister in 8 hours. First we talked with the Swix product manager and asked him questions. Then he brought us to the production room and showed us the 3 different machines that make the hard wax, klister and glide wax. As we left, the manager gave us each 2 cans of kick wax and a pair of ski ties. THANK YOU SWIX!
Did you know that all of the Swix wax that you have ever bought was made in Lillehammer, Norway? Yesterday, we took a private tour of the one and only Swix wax factory. After a five-minute drive from our apartments to the outskirts of town, we were amazed to see how small the factory was. However, they can produce 20,000 cans of kick wax and 10,000 tubes of klister in 8 hours. First we talked with the Swix product manager and asked him questions. Then he brought us to the production room and showed us the 3 different machines that make the hard wax, klister and glide wax. As we left, the manager gave us each 2 cans of kick wax and a pair of ski ties. THANK YOU SWIX!
3.16.2010
Pellestova Classic Tour
Written by Rosalie, Emily, and Caitlin.
This morning we started our day early with a beauuuutiful classic tour to Pellestova, which is Scottie's dog's namesake. The tracks were firm and the snow was sparkling. The sky was blue and it wasn't too windy...we couldn't have asked for a nicer day for a long ski. We wound our way up for a while and then down, down, down through powder. We were skiing on a plateau, which is much different from any New England landscape...you could see 360 degrees of white with a few specks of evergreens.
Some members of the group were fortunate enough to ski to a cabin (the one that Dennis is photographed next to on the Ford Sayre website).
Eventually, we reached a café at Pellestova. Scottie and Dennis were SO happy, and even a wee bit nostalgic...this is one of their favorite places in the world. All of us enjoyed the lovely hot drinks and waffles that the café provided. We joked that more Americans would probably ski if it included a stop like this one.
We broke up into two groups for the second half of the ski. One group opted for a slightly longer ski around a lake and the other went back a different way. The terrain was mostly down hill and the tracks were blazing fast, so we accomplished our 8/12k in about an hour.
When we got back to our starting point, most of us chose to ski the 14k back to our apartments. It took us quite a long time to find the trail, but once we did, we were well on our way for more downhills. The trail included a bullet-proof narrow section where we prayed that we would make it around every corner. Our ski also included the last 7km of the Birkebeiner trail. We then returned to the Olympic Stadium and skied a few more kilometers downhill to the apartments. Five hours later, we were exhausted, but in a very good way. What a ski!
This morning we started our day early with a beauuuutiful classic tour to Pellestova, which is Scottie's dog's namesake. The tracks were firm and the snow was sparkling. The sky was blue and it wasn't too windy...we couldn't have asked for a nicer day for a long ski. We wound our way up for a while and then down, down, down through powder. We were skiing on a plateau, which is much different from any New England landscape...you could see 360 degrees of white with a few specks of evergreens.
(Philip, this map-studying is for you!)
Some members of the group were fortunate enough to ski to a cabin (the one that Dennis is photographed next to on the Ford Sayre website).
Eventually, we reached a café at Pellestova. Scottie and Dennis were SO happy, and even a wee bit nostalgic...this is one of their favorite places in the world. All of us enjoyed the lovely hot drinks and waffles that the café provided. We joked that more Americans would probably ski if it included a stop like this one.
We broke up into two groups for the second half of the ski. One group opted for a slightly longer ski around a lake and the other went back a different way. The terrain was mostly down hill and the tracks were blazing fast, so we accomplished our 8/12k in about an hour.
When we got back to our starting point, most of us chose to ski the 14k back to our apartments. It took us quite a long time to find the trail, but once we did, we were well on our way for more downhills. The trail included a bullet-proof narrow section where we prayed that we would make it around every corner. Our ski also included the last 7km of the Birkebeiner trail. We then returned to the Olympic Stadium and skied a few more kilometers downhill to the apartments. Five hours later, we were exhausted, but in a very good way. What a ski!
Grocery Store Adventure
written by Sam M
this evening we (Sam M, Kate, Helen, and George) went to the grocery store KIWI Mini Pris. We were sent on a mission for bread, eggs, spinach, flour and molasses. We were successful, for the most part. All items were found and purchased excluding molasses. We asked the KIWI employees, who were dressed all in green and resembled leprechauns, where we might find molasses. Instead, we discovered the lovely Norwegian product Lys Syrup or Light Syrup, the Norwegian version of a very thick corn syrup. Afterwards we walked back to the Birkebeineren apartments and showed off our new finding.
this evening we (Sam M, Kate, Helen, and George) went to the grocery store KIWI Mini Pris. We were sent on a mission for bread, eggs, spinach, flour and molasses. We were successful, for the most part. All items were found and purchased excluding molasses. We asked the KIWI employees, who were dressed all in green and resembled leprechauns, where we might find molasses. Instead, we discovered the lovely Norwegian product Lys Syrup or Light Syrup, the Norwegian version of a very thick corn syrup. Afterwards we walked back to the Birkebeineren apartments and showed off our new finding.
shout out to the Norway alums
Jack, Dennis and I were quite surprised to find the old hut-like cafeteria in Pellestova (that was all boarded up on our last trip) has been replaced with a very upscale hotel - and apartments for sale!
The hot chocolate/coffee/waffles/cake were excellent, and we had fun reminiscing about our tours on the plateau with all of you!
3.15.2010
Lillehammer!
written by Rosalie
Yesterday we arrived in Lillehammer, a ski town about 3 hours north of Oslo. Today we enjoyed a skate ski at the Olympic Park, where Norwegians claim "the best Olympics ever" were held. The stadium was an ongoing flat surface that made the stadium at Oak Hill seem tiny. The trails were extremely steep and technical that made for very little rest. Some of us skied longer than others...those who felt fatigue kicking in from the past few days went back to the stadium to practice some V2. Dennis and I headed over to the biathlon range where we watched a practice relay that the junior national team was doing. Then we skied back to our apartments...it was all downhill!
We had lots of free time this afternoon so we headed into town in small groups and wandered through the pedestrian street. Helen, Caitlin, Emily, and Kate enjoyed a typical Norwegian waffle and some of us bought ski gear. You parents will be happy to know that laundry was part of our afternoon agenda as well...
This evening we ate a Ford Sayre dinner that beat all Ford Sayre dinners: Norwegian salmon, rice, stir-fry veggies, and Scottie's famous cookies.
We look forward to a long classic tour tomorrow...
Yesterday we arrived in Lillehammer, a ski town about 3 hours north of Oslo. Today we enjoyed a skate ski at the Olympic Park, where Norwegians claim "the best Olympics ever" were held. The stadium was an ongoing flat surface that made the stadium at Oak Hill seem tiny. The trails were extremely steep and technical that made for very little rest. Some of us skied longer than others...those who felt fatigue kicking in from the past few days went back to the stadium to practice some V2. Dennis and I headed over to the biathlon range where we watched a practice relay that the junior national team was doing. Then we skied back to our apartments...it was all downhill!
the crew in Birkebeiner Stadium
We had lots of free time this afternoon so we headed into town in small groups and wandered through the pedestrian street. Helen, Caitlin, Emily, and Kate enjoyed a typical Norwegian waffle and some of us bought ski gear. You parents will be happy to know that laundry was part of our afternoon agenda as well...
This evening we ate a Ford Sayre dinner that beat all Ford Sayre dinners: Norwegian salmon, rice, stir-fry veggies, and Scottie's famous cookies.
We look forward to a long classic tour tomorrow...
Frogner Park
written by Kate and George
Yesterday, before we left Oslo, We did some historical sight-seeing. Our first stop was Vigeland Sculpture Park, a park famous for its central attraction, a series of scupltures that depict the stages of life and death. These scupltures were scuplted by Gustav Vigeland, there are 212 bronze, granite, and wraught iron sculptures in the 80 acre park. All of the sculptures werre crafted by Gustav. When we arrived coach Dennis posed a trivia question that we would have to discover while in the park. Which of the 212 sculptures was his favorite? We spent quite a while wandering the paths and terraces of the park, we had an educational moment when coach DeFrancis explained the workings of a sun dial located just in front of the monolithic sculpture of hundreds of bodies. In the end we found out that Dennis's favorite sculpture was the one of a child having a temper tantrum. When we left the park we had a great tour of Oslo that included the royal palace, and the opera house near the harbor. We then proceded to leave Oslo behind for Lillehammer, which for those of us who weren't born yet was the host to the “best Olympics ever” and the 1994 winter olympics. We had pesto pasta for dinner which was a new twist on the traditional, “red” pasta sauce.
This is a picture of Coach Dennis's favorite sculpture in the whole park.
another sculpture in frogner park
opera house
Jumping and Seeing Liz
written by Sam M
On Sunday morning, the team split into two groups. One group went to do a long ski, and my group went and watched the ski jumping portion of Nordic combined. First we drove over to Holmenkollen and parked the car in a special reserved spot, and then we ran down to the stadium. But on the way we saw two very special people. The first being Harald V, King of Norway, who promptly arrived to watch the event when we did. The second was US Ski Team skier Liz Stephen, who was on her way to the race when she saw us walking, and hopped out of the van to say hello. We walked down to the stadium with her and we watched the jumpers fly.
warming up after the jump
On Sunday morning, the team split into two groups. One group went to do a long ski, and my group went and watched the ski jumping portion of Nordic combined. First we drove over to Holmenkollen and parked the car in a special reserved spot, and then we ran down to the stadium. But on the way we saw two very special people. The first being Harald V, King of Norway, who promptly arrived to watch the event when we did. The second was US Ski Team skier Liz Stephen, who was on her way to the race when she saw us walking, and hopped out of the van to say hello. We walked down to the stadium with her and we watched the jumpers fly.
King Harald V
warming up after the jump
link to Greg's photos
Greg's photos from Holmenkollen can be found here:
http://gallery.me.com/gdefrancis#100173
http://gallery.me.com/gdefrancis#100173
3.13.2010
Staying Warm at Holmenkollen
By Helen and Kate
While we were cheering at the 30/50k races we (Helen, Kate, and Rosalie) were very cold during the women's 30k race. With hours left at the race site we were jealous of the Norwegians' nice warm fires and tents. They were completely prepared for the day which we had thought would be sunny and warm the entire time. Finally, we decided to ask one of the groups if we could warm up by their fire. We were obviously Americans to the Norwegians; we could tell because without saying a word they would start talking in English to us. Shivering and glancing longingly at the fires we finally came up with the courage to ask. To our surprise they warmingly welcomed us and we quickly took up seats by the fire. They must have thought that the Americans were very funny because they pulled out all of their cameras and got pictures with us. We felt like celebrities. After drying out our things and thanking them again and again ( in Norwegian “takk” means thank you), we departed from the fire before we overstayed our welcome. In this visit we discovered how nice and welcoming the Norwegians can be.
While we were cheering at the 30/50k races we (Helen, Kate, and Rosalie) were very cold during the women's 30k race. With hours left at the race site we were jealous of the Norwegians' nice warm fires and tents. They were completely prepared for the day which we had thought would be sunny and warm the entire time. Finally, we decided to ask one of the groups if we could warm up by their fire. We were obviously Americans to the Norwegians; we could tell because without saying a word they would start talking in English to us. Shivering and glancing longingly at the fires we finally came up with the courage to ask. To our surprise they warmingly welcomed us and we quickly took up seats by the fire. They must have thought that the Americans were very funny because they pulled out all of their cameras and got pictures with us. We felt like celebrities. After drying out our things and thanking them again and again ( in Norwegian “takk” means thank you), we departed from the fire before we overstayed our welcome. In this visit we discovered how nice and welcoming the Norwegians can be.
Holmenkollen Races
by Emily and Caitlin (with help from Kate, Helen, and Rosalie)
Today we watched the 30/50k World Cup races at Holmenkollen. There were many fast racers including Olympic medalists. After yesterday's preview of the course we found ourselves near to the top of one of the biggest hills on the course. We thought Oak Hill was hard...
There were three Americans in each race, including Liz Stephen, our fellow New Englander.
Petter Northug took first in the men's, and there was a Norweign sweep on the women's side with Marit Bjoergen taking first. Yesterday when we skied up this hill, I think it's safe to say we all were having some trouble. But today, we watched as both the men and some of the women V2ed up the same hill at unreal speeds and were thankful that we didn't have to race it six times ourselves.
Although it was amazing to see these racers, perhaps the most intersting part was the spectators. The course was lined with tents, camp fires, and patriotic Norweigns. Hundreds of people had camped out last night to ensure a good viewing point. By the time we got there it was a total scene; and we weren't even in the stadium. Faces were painted, beer cans, flags and tents crowded the sidelines. Whenever a Norweign athlete skied by, the crowd erupted with cheers.
Getting there was quite a challenge too. We parked the vans down close to the city and skied 4k uphill to reach the top of Holmenkollen. We thought, as we were driving there, that our approach wouldn't be a popular way. But the trails were packed with people of all ages and skiing back down meant dodging all of them. Overall, today, we learned just how important nordic skiing is to Norwegains, along with partying and screaming at their home-town heros.
Today we watched the 30/50k World Cup races at Holmenkollen. There were many fast racers including Olympic medalists. After yesterday's preview of the course we found ourselves near to the top of one of the biggest hills on the course. We thought Oak Hill was hard...
There were three Americans in each race, including Liz Stephen, our fellow New Englander.
Liz Stephen
We cheered the 6 US skiers on with our “Go USA” banners
Petter Northug took first in the men's, and there was a Norweign sweep on the women's side with Marit Bjoergen taking first. Yesterday when we skied up this hill, I think it's safe to say we all were having some trouble. But today, we watched as both the men and some of the women V2ed up the same hill at unreal speeds and were thankful that we didn't have to race it six times ourselves.
Although it was amazing to see these racers, perhaps the most intersting part was the spectators. The course was lined with tents, camp fires, and patriotic Norweigns. Hundreds of people had camped out last night to ensure a good viewing point. By the time we got there it was a total scene; and we weren't even in the stadium. Faces were painted, beer cans, flags and tents crowded the sidelines. Whenever a Norweign athlete skied by, the crowd erupted with cheers.
tents up the hillside
Getting there was quite a challenge too. We parked the vans down close to the city and skied 4k uphill to reach the top of Holmenkollen. We thought, as we were driving there, that our approach wouldn't be a popular way. But the trails were packed with people of all ages and skiing back down meant dodging all of them. Overall, today, we learned just how important nordic skiing is to Norwegains, along with partying and screaming at their home-town heros.
Northugg
Meeting the Bærums Verk ski team
by Sam R
Yesterday afternoon we loaded our vans and drove for an hour. However we actually “drove” for about half of an hour because most of the time we were stopped in traffic. Finally we arrived and were greeted warmly by Jon, one of the coaches. We all introduced eachother and went for a ski. We wound up to the top of the hill where they showed us their beautiful view of Oslo. After some Awes we continued down the other side and had a race to the bottom. Then we did some sprint relays and tried skiing with one ski over our heads. When we had all had enough skiing, they showed us their club house and we contrasted our countries' cultures over pizza. We also had the chance to meet the world junior champion and watch some of their ski videos. It was an awesome afternoon and we were all very impressed.
Yesterday afternoon we loaded our vans and drove for an hour. However we actually “drove” for about half of an hour because most of the time we were stopped in traffic. Finally we arrived and were greeted warmly by Jon, one of the coaches. We all introduced eachother and went for a ski. We wound up to the top of the hill where they showed us their beautiful view of Oslo. After some Awes we continued down the other side and had a race to the bottom. Then we did some sprint relays and tried skiing with one ski over our heads. When we had all had enough skiing, they showed us their club house and we contrasted our countries' cultures over pizza. We also had the chance to meet the world junior champion and watch some of their ski videos. It was an awesome afternoon and we were all very impressed.
looking at the view
the Bærums Verk stadium and clubhouse
3.12.2010
Holmenkollen Preview
This morning we had the oppurtunity to ski the 8.3k Holmenkollen race course that will be used for tomorrow's 30/50k freestyle World Cup. This was another eye-opening experience, because we were skiing directly with the likes of Marit Bjoergen, Therese Johaug and Emil Jöensen.
The course was absolutely awesome. It had some challenging corners (enough for Isaiah and George to fall on), and also very skiable hills. Its gonna be a really tough race there tomorrow. Here are some pictures of the team on the course.
The course was absolutely awesome. It had some challenging corners (enough for Isaiah and George to fall on), and also very skiable hills. Its gonna be a really tough race there tomorrow. Here are some pictures of the team on the course.
The team on Sat's course, Therese Johaug had just passed
Merrens enjoying some cereal with this straight-up wierd, curdled, delicious milk
-Paco, Noah and Isaiah
Newell Final Video
Andy Newell skiing in the finals at the Drammen World Cup Sprint.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UpWEYUzkasg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UpWEYUzkasg
continued Newell excitement and skiing on the world cup course
Written by Rosalie.
Yesterday we walked off our jet-lag in the city of Drammen where we were able to get extremely close to the finish line of the World Cup classic sprints. Every time Andy Newell skied by or appeared on the large screen TV, we cheered our hearts out. We managed to make it on national TV as the proud Americans in a sea of even prouder Norwegians. When Newell got third in the final round of sprints, it was amazing to see a podium composed of a Norwegian, a Swede, and an American. As we all know, this doesn't happen very often...
Today's ski was just a surreal as yesterday's world cup adventure. We skied around the Holmenkollen course as our heros skied by, including Marit Bjoergen. No big deal...
The course was fantastic! As wide as a highway, perfect powder, twisty downhills, and ongoing uphills. All of us were thinking, "How come we, random Americans from Hanover, NH, have this privilege?" We skied around with pride and awe, knowing how lucky we were, and what an honor it was to be in our position.
We look forward to ski practice this afternoon with a local club, and watching the 50k in Holmenkollen tomorrow.
Yesterday we walked off our jet-lag in the city of Drammen where we were able to get extremely close to the finish line of the World Cup classic sprints. Every time Andy Newell skied by or appeared on the large screen TV, we cheered our hearts out. We managed to make it on national TV as the proud Americans in a sea of even prouder Norwegians. When Newell got third in the final round of sprints, it was amazing to see a podium composed of a Norwegian, a Swede, and an American. As we all know, this doesn't happen very often...
Today's ski was just a surreal as yesterday's world cup adventure. We skied around the Holmenkollen course as our heros skied by, including Marit Bjoergen. No big deal...
The course was fantastic! As wide as a highway, perfect powder, twisty downhills, and ongoing uphills. All of us were thinking, "How come we, random Americans from Hanover, NH, have this privilege?" We skied around with pride and awe, knowing how lucky we were, and what an honor it was to be in our position.
We look forward to ski practice this afternoon with a local club, and watching the 50k in Holmenkollen tomorrow.
Newell Third!
We arrived in Drammen in time to see the quarterfinals - Andy advanced on a photo finish, skied a clean semi, and finished 3rd in the final for his first classic sprint podium!
The flower ceremony is in the lower left - much easier to see on the jumbotron!
Video of the finish is here: men's final finish
The flower ceremony is in the lower left - much easier to see on the jumbotron!
Video of the finish is here: men's final finish
3.10.2010
Busy first 4 days
The sun is shining in the Upper Valley - a good omen as the group is about to depart for Logan. Anticipation is running high for the first four busy days: Drammen WC Sprint, ski and visit with Baerum Ski Club (Klubb) juniors, Holmenkollen WC 30/50k and sprints, drive to Lillehammer. Web cam from Sjusjoen (on Birke trail) shows lots of snow in the mountains.
3.08.2010
Norway-bound!
Ford Sayre Junior Nordic Team departs Wednesday for Norway for ski training, racing, and spectating.
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