We came here for a white Christmas, and it didn’t disappoint. Sand and sea made way for snow and skis!
Cross Country Skiing is Norway’s national sport, so it would have been remiss of us not to give it a go. Emma, Alex and I have never skied, while Andrew’s last expedition downhill skiing was pre-MCG days. Too many horror stories of torn joints and broken limbs have put me off!
We met our guide donned our ski boots, and headed up to ‘Vinterløypekart Tromsøya’, a ski trail that runs the length of the island that Tromsø is set on. Apparently, some locals use the trails to commute… I guess it’s the equivalent of running or riding to work in Brisbane!
Cross country skiing has both the open snow, and the ‘rails’ which run close and parallel. To kick off we stuck to the rails, learning how to move forward, brake, get up and down hills, and get up if we fell. Our guide, Sina, was incredibly calm and patient, and full of great tips.
My level of confidence in my ability was about a 3/10. I figured it was like many of the other things we’ve tried over the years… Andrew is a natural, girls get the hang of it, and I muddle my way through. Turns out that on this one it was the opposite with only 1 fall near the end for me, while the others were constantly dusting the snow off their butt and belly!
Morning tea was warm blackberry juice and a ‘Lefse’, a little square of cinnamon yumminess. We might have to find some of these…
Throughout the morning the snow plough would come through to regroom the tracks and reset the rails after people had fallen and broken the edges. It’s a pretty amazing resource for the locals.
We also saw plenty of locals out, for some it looked like their equivalent of their long run for the week – backwards and forwards along the 8km stretch. It would be a pretty cool way to train. There were also plenty of people skiing with their dogs, pulling sleds with sleeping babies, snow biking, and running. In the summer it becomes a mountain biking and trail running park. Great place to get active!
Back to our apartment for a nap before we head off for the first of our adventures to the Northern Lights. This really will be a Christmas to remember!
Love M & theBunch x
Sun: Down all day, Civil twilight: 9:32-13:56
Temperature: 0-2, wind 8km/h
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