At a youthful 44 years old I decided to learn to ski. Inspired by the story of the Telemark Heroes, British Norwegian Special Forces in WWII who parachuted onto the Hardangervidda plateau, survived by eating moss for a couple of months before blowing up a power station thus reducing the Nazi’s race to develop nuclear power, I decided to learn to cross country ski.
The timeline of my efforts goes a bit like this:
- Jan 2017 – sign up to an unsupported expedition across the Hardangervidda
- March – change plans to Stabbursdalen in the North (to see northern lights).
- April – try to convince mates to come along
- May – fail to convince mates
- July – take 1 lesson on local dry ski slope.
- August – use dry ski slope three times.
- September – realise I’m not very good and ask wife if she would like to go instead
- October – drop out of expedition. Take wife to dry ski slope
- November – buy map.
- December – start training.
- January 2018 – stop training due to flu
- March – buy skis and boots for the both of us from eBay for a total of £30.
- April – go to Norway and hope for the best.
Next – how not to learn to ski.
Danny Brown Physio 