Day 1... Out of my comfort zone

It began at 0600.... Paul, having offered to drive me to Heathrow, by some miracle, had crawled out of bed , showered and was ready to go by the allotted time. Miracle because usually us getting up early to go somewhere consists of me almost literally dragging him out of bed!

Once on the plane, I settled down with a book.... no it wasn't a novel... yes it involved Everest... and I was transported to a world of snow, ice, avalanches, and altitude for the very pleasant 2 hour flight. Every now and then I glanced out of the window and eventually saw snow capped forested hills and mountains with lakes, and rivers and everything required for adventure. I could sense I was going to like this country already.

I have been to Scandinavia... Denmark and Sweden to be exact and the bits I saw involved few mountains or areas of possible adventure. In fact I was a little disappointed as I had imagined something a little more wild. Norway, seen from a plane, looked more like I had dreamed. To be fair to Denmark and Sweden... I basically drove from Copenhagen to just above Stockholm so I'm probably not giving it a fair chance.

I met on the plane one of the 'group'... i.e someone going to the same place I was. Turns out there were many of the group who come back year after year and the bus journey was my opportunity to grill them about what to expect from the week ahead. David in particular offered some very helpful tips.
You mustn't put your skis on right outside the door, because its like an ice rink.
And my personal favourite....

'You know you are improving when you are able to choose which pile of snow to fall into!!'
Excellent tips!

Norway in winter is like being transported to a different world. Imagine a place that gets 50 cm of snow.... but the trains run on time.... there are no cars abandoned in the middle of the road... the road is clear of snow... and people seem to be able to make it into work!! I know.... unbelievable!!!

Seriously though, this place is beautiful. As we left the environs of Oslo, the forests of tall pine trees, their branches coated in  a glistening whiteness, the frozen lakes with the untouched pristine layer of snow... the fog rising from the unfrozen part of the lake, the stunning red sky over white churches with thin grey spires.

Dusk ... the moon out, the light bouncing of the pure white snow to bathe the entire view in a calming aura...

Then darkness and the beam of the lights lighting up the ribbon of grey through the purity of white....

Past Lillehammer and some downhill ski slopes, lit up by a row of lights to illuminate the night run, then turning off to rise above it all to a plateau and my home for a week.

I did wonder if I would ever feel my toes again after this week, as I stepped off the bus, into a large pile of snow.
Bags retrieved, in we went. Fortunately as half the group knew exactly where to go and what to do, for once I followed diligently, got my room key and went up the stairs to a nice little room. Perfect. I also nearly cried with joy at the heated bathroom floor... maybe my toes would be all right!!

Now those of you that follow my facebook page will know that I have several slightly tough challenges this year and along with starting to hit the gym... this week of cross country skiing was not only a possible opening to future CraZy plans, but also a stepping stone onto my lose weight, get back to fitness efforts.... so I'd better not mention the very fine buffet, that apparently is a staple of the days here.

Put it this way.... I had better do an awful lot of skiing this week!!

After dinner, we went down to the ski hall... where we got our skis for the week and found a pair of boots to fit.

Kit had been quite a difficult thing to gauge and pick out for this trip. Because I was buying items of clothing for this trip, but ones that could also be used for climbing Cotopaxi and the bike ride in September, I was worried that, in particular, the trousers and coat I had picked would be not quite right for either. But listening to one of the guides talk about  clothing and the opinions of the more experienced personnel in the group, I feel that my choices weren't so bad.... but only time will tell.

Essentially I bought a full set of merino wool baselayer (tops and bottoms), knowing that I have tested the tops practically to the point where they could stand up and walk away. I know for sure that you can wear a merino baselayer for 28 days straight.... and it still doesn't smell... no matter how much you have sweated.
For trousers, my lovely bro bought me some softshell trousers with an integrated waterproof inner, lots of pockets, and some braces! I think they will work well for both this and the Cotopaxi climb.

Having relied heavily on an Alpkit down gillet for my last 2 bike rides, I bought a full sleeve version. They pack very small and maintain a lot of warmth considering their pack size.

Paul also bought me some great gloves which together with the merino wool ones from my parents should do the trick, although apparently mittens are way better for warmth.

So thats kit
..
1st testing tomorrow. Its -7 here and given the fact that I'm a total novice so am not expecting to do any distance tomorrow... it might get a little chilly.  I did pay very close attention when I was advised (by the experienced group members) to hire a flask for the days ahead.... you leave it with reception at night... they fill it up with the required hot drink and leave it for you to collect at breakfast. Despite having suffered through many a very cold night with no flask of hot drink, I decided that if I could have this luxury, then I would take full advantage ... and duly rented a flask!

My spot tracker will be up and running tomorrow in tracking mode so if you want... tune in to the following link and you will be able to see exactly where I have gone, don't be surprised if its just round in circles.

Link to the SPOT page is:-

https://share.findmespot.com/shared/faces/viewspots.jsp?glId=0cY2h8mIpOWW2H7VFnrdoeZvsStvkD5KJ


And finally to explain the blog title...it's not about the skiing!  it is an unusual thing for me to be part of a group. Much of my adventuring is done solo, with only myself to chat to.... so it is a big leap out of the comfort zone to have people to chat to, ideas to listen to, advice to be heeded.  Its not where I'm happiest to be totally honest and takes a bit of getting used to, especially as many in this group seem to know each other pretty well. Despite that, everyone has been really nice, friendly and helpful.... but I don't think I will be making a habit of the group thing... I love the solitude too much... but it's nice for a change 😁😎

Can't wait... roll on tomorrow!