The BSF Pro Team and Comp Team have been training in Norway. Here's a mid-camp update from Comp Team athlete Maya Keefer.
Having followed the Pro Team across the pond to Norway, the Comp Team is a little over halfway through our two-week training camp. We started the trip the day after school got out, lugging incredibly heavy bags through airports around the world before eventually landing in Oslo, Norway. We picked up our rental vans, kindly nicknamed Bertha and Eddie, and drove to our hotel. We spent only a day in Oslo, the capital, but the single day was wrought with adventures and tourist activities led by Coach Pauline (who is from Norway). We visited the Olympic ski jumps in Oslo, the king’s palace, and the parliamentary building while trudging through a downpour in a desperate search for food. Despite the lack of sleep and Eddie’s windshield wipers not working (van issues quickly would become a theme for the trip), the beautiful view from our hotel and the delicious breakfast successfully sent us on our way to Sognefjellet for our week of on snow training.
Sognefjellet is most definitely one of the coolest places I have ever visited. The single lodge and the five mile ski loop are buried deep within the fog, jagged glaciers, and mountains, and it’s a famous ski location due to its summer skiing. While at Sognefjellet we were joined by the BSF Pro team, the Sun Valley team and various other skiers hoping to enjoy the summer snow. We got many great hours of snow training, focusing on establishing good technique and mostly doing volume practices. We did many beautiful long easy skis, technique work and intervals, memorably joining the Sun Valley team for L3 classic intervals. Our time in Sognefjellet was marked by the U18 boy’s ice bath, heated games of Uno, delicious Norwegian food, an unfortunate lack of wifi, cribbage tournaments, a quiz game with the Pro Team, the knowledge that Kleabo had been there only days before us, and the beautiful mountains and glaciers that were visible when the fog lifted.
One of the days while we were in Sognefjellet we loaded into Bertha and Eddie and drove a little over an hour down to the fjord. During the drive, brakes squeaking and windows open to avoid the van fumes, we all scrambled to take photos as the fog lifted and the descent from the snowy peaks gave way to the gushing river and numerous waterfalls and forests. Once we made it to the fjord (a fjord is essentially a long inlet from the ocean) we went on a run along the shore, played games and did strength with the Pro Team. We also all went swimming (if you can call very quick jumps under frigid water swimming) in the fjord and bridge jumping into the river.
After a few final snow practices we left Sognefjellet and began the drive to Lillehammer for the dryland section of the camp, stopping in Lom for pastries and shopping. Despite the seemingly numerous issues with the vans we successfully made it to Sjusjoen which is right outside of Lillehammer, surrounded by over 2,500 kilometers of ski trails. In Sjusjoen, which is where we are now, we have gone running and done intervals in the bogs, struggled to understand magic tricks by Andrew, visited downtown Lillehammer and the Swix store and ate Norwegian waffles cooked by Pauline’s parents. Later this afternoon we will go roller skiing and watch the national mountain bike races that are happening here right now.
So far, this camp has been an incredible experience for all of us, and the opportunity to train on snow during the summer and visit a place in which nordic skiing is so deeply integrated into the culture is amazing. We are excited for the remainder of the trip and stay tuned for another update!
