Norway is always worth a trip! Or, as in my case, several.
I’m just returning from my fifteenth one! Norway stay this year and I’m writing these lines on the ferry. I must admit, the ferry crossing from Oslo to Kiel is always something very special for me. After a usually stressful and intense period, it’s like my mini vacation. Almost 20 hours with only restricted mobile reception - you are forced to switch off, in the truest sense of the word. But now back to the last few days, which I’d like to briefly tell you about.
The journey started in Oslo, where we carried out a thorough inspection and maintenance of the cooling system and the run-up track. If in two weeks the legendary Holmenkollen Ski Festival takes place there and the elite in women’s and men’s ski jumping and Nordic combined gather for a get-together, then everything should run smoothly.
We then repeated the same thing 500 kilometers away in Trondheim. Even though the facility was only recently built, everything meets the latest standard and is literally “top-notch”; the technology is well maintained and inspected.
Our further journey then took us back to Vikersund, to the largest ski jump in the world. A starting length of 136 meters and jumps over 250 meters characterize this human-made monstrosity west of Oslo. There we spent two days installing the ice, where we partially used new technologies and work steps. The process is significantly optimized and runs much faster. And before you know it, two weeks in Norway are already over.
In general, I must say that I have rarely seen Norway with so much snow. Everywhere there were stable snow conditions, and if the World Cup convoy cruises in two weeks toward Scandinavia, then athletes and coaches can look forward to a real winter wonderland!
In this sense, have a great time! I’m now enjoying the swinging of the ferry and the view of the open sea for another 18 hours :-)
Your Peter Riedel