On our week-long ski excursion up in Lifjell. We stayed for a week up in the mountains under what most Americans would consider "primitive accommodations," i.e. no running water, outhouse, cook your food on either a bottled gas stove or a wood stove (the latter also served to provide heat), no electricity, melt snow if you want to wash up (or take a "snow bath")....it was great fun! The weather coöperated so we were able to go skiing every day. As you can tell from the photo, I carried quite a bit of gear on my back, as did everyone else, since we needed to bring with us provisions and whatnot. The thing though about having so much weight on your back is that it shifts your center of gravity, something to which you are unaccustomed. The others managed to deal with it, but me being a gringo from the flat Midwest had some trouble negotiating the turns. And once you fall in deep snow, it is rather a chore to get back up again. If it weren't for the assistance of my teacher, I would probably have remained lying in the snow until the spring thaw...

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Last modified: Sat Dec 11 01:32:04 1999