Skarverennet survivors!
The race below the beautiful Hallingskarvet mountain, Hardangervidda, Norway
We survived our first mass cross country skiing race – the Skarverennet - taking part alongside 12 500 Norwegians who make cross-country skiing on long skinny plastic skis look very simple………The only thing I was first for……was breakfast!!!
Herringboning up the first hill
It would have been hard to rush through 38 km of breath-taking Hardangervidda scenery anyway, and I HAD to take a few pictures.
Robin kindly waxing his skis and mine, so that no sticky gloopy Klister got anywhere near my camera....
The winners arrived six hours before we did and got a lot a lot more beers in!!! Robin and I were there with a group from BG Norway, mostly British expats with a Dane in charge, which made me wonder what all the Norwegian oilmen knew that we didn’t!!
Team BG
The scariest part was skiing downhill – wondering whether you would fall over, or be run down by the overtaking hordes – not all of whom were entirely in control of their skis. Sensible folk took their skis off, to avoid bloodied arms and noses which were plentiful by the end of the day.
War wounds!
And a sore finger that didn't make the previous photo!
And the girls escaped injury!
At one point a helicopter was hovering above a steep slushy hill with a cameraman hanging out to film the carnage. I thought of lemmings going over cliffs. The Norwegian red cross posts were all situated ominously like vultures at the bottom of each slope which wasn’t a good sign………..
Even a dog was enjoying the sunshine on "Champagne" mountain - all downhill from now so may as well start celebrating straightaway!
We made it!
There was some serious partying at the end to look forward to – 12 500 Norwegians get through a lot of beer. Luckily the hotel ran out of water, but not alcohol……….
"I won't drink both of them..."
And then 12 500 people had to find their way onto a train to carry on the party elsewhere…….
Sunbathing at Ustaoset train station
Racing for the trains back to Oslo and Bergen
