Back From The Baltic... To Loften Land

I've been away much more than home in the past couple weeks and am just heading out now for a 1000+ km bike tour in the Lofoten Islands here in the Norway. Last week, Kim and I did a Baltic Sea tour by flying to Riga, Latvia, taking the bus up to Tallinn, Estonia, taking the ferry over to Helsinki, Finland, another ferry over to Stockholm, Sweden, and then a short flight back to Trondheim. It was nothing short of an amazing trip and now we are in for another one. Will post up picks as soon as I get back. Promise :)

TNO

Hiking Trip to Sylan

This past weekend, Kim and I decided to get out of Trondheim in search of some adventure and some sun. While we found the former, the later was harder to come by. We decided to get a car through our car co-operative and head over to a beautiful area called Sylan which is right on the Swedish boarder. The area is characterized by large rolling alpine mountains with low-lying vegetation in tundra type wetlands. What I'm realizing here is that Norway is essentially one very very large wetland... and if it rains things happen liking losing your boots or bike in mudpits. :)

We ended up driving into the Sylan area, parking, and then doing a hike into a Trondhjems Touristforening cabin called 'Ramsjøhytta'. Norway is filled with a dense network of cabins that you can hike to in the summer or ski to in the winter. It is really something else. You can literally hike around in the summer with virtually nothing on your back and end up sleeping in a bed, having a good meal, and drying all your clothes by the stove. Some are even full service with full meals being prepared and yes, showers. The cabin we went to was 26 person self-sevice cabin with a full kitchen and stocked food that you could buy on a per item basis.

River crossing on the start of the hike to the cabin.

High water in the river

While we had rain on Saturday, Sunday got continually better weather. So, we decided to hike up the highest peak in the immediate area (Fongen at 1441m). Unfortunately, the clouds would cover the peak and obstruct any view that we might have had.

Close to the top, we decided to take in what we had accomplished and make our way back to the cabin and then back to the car.

Going back to the cabin on the end of the lake.

Small private cabins with Ramsjøhytta in the background.

Ramsjøer Lake

REINDEER!!!

Fongen Mountain almost out of the clouds once we were leaving! :(

Hiking the way back

Sylan was a highly recommended place for us to go and it did not disappoint. While the trails were very wet and muddy, with a bit of sun and no rain, I'm sure it would dry up considerably. Just another amazing place in this gorgeous Country Kim and I presently call Home. :)

TNO

No Sun + Rain + Wetlands = Mudpits

To say I've been riding through mudpits a lot lately would be an understatement. While I have yet to have a complete mud faceplant, I've gone over the bars a number of times; mind you at slow speeds due to the amount of mud robbing any speed that you could generate. Most mud pits are not that deep and are still rideable. Occassionaly though, you hit that mudpit that devours your ride.

Here, I rode into this unassuming mudpit and stopped midway through. I literally got off my bike and Mr. RIP9 decided to not go anywhere.

Uh... yeah...

Ok, we have had some sun and the weather is starting to take a sharp turn for the better. Looks like we might finally have some full on nice weather for the next while. My RIP9 taking in the view.

TNO

Rain, Clouds, Wind and My Big Toe

In the past two weeks or so, the weather has unfortunately been less than par. We have had some rain and lots and lots of cloudy cold windy days. The summer is just not coming. Everyone who lives here assures us that this is not normal. Regardless, I can't wait for some nice weather again (especially with the gorgeous weather that the west coast of BC has been getting!).

Despite the weather, I've still managed to get in a good amount of biking although it is not always easy to make my way out the door. This week, I've also managed to get in two short runs. What I have neglected to say in the past few months is that I have still been recovering from a big toe injury that happended way back in December in the Stewart Mountain XC race. After having some good manipulation physio done, things started to feel better but I could tell that it still needed some good time to heal. I may have waited a bit longer than I needed but all I knew was that I had tried to run a couple of times since I have been here in Trondheim and both times I had toe pain following the run. However, this week was to see no pain after the runs and everything felt good (expect that my legs were wondering why they weren't spinning in their regular circle on top of a bicycle).

Despite taking my first run on the slow and short side, I definitely felt the effects for a good two days afterwards. Should be less so after this last run. Maybe I'll actually get to do some orienteering while I'm over here!

Kim's also been having some injury troubles with an inflammed achilles which she is now seeing a physio for. Unfortunately, it has cut into what we have been able to do a bit (for bike rides and tours) but on the otherhand, the weather hasn't cooperated much either. Hopefully she'll be in good shape in a couple of weeks when we want to do a bike trip around the Lofoten Islands (one of the absolute highlights in Norway). More on this soon...

TNO

Hitra Island Trip

The last weekend, Kim and I rented a car to drive over to Hitra Island and do a bit of exploring. When I say we rented I car, what we really did was become part of a car cooperative so that we have access to a vehicle when we need it (without the worries or hicups of owning your own car). For us, it makes perfect sense as we are on foot or on our bikes almost all the time and only ever really 'need' a car if we want to get out of Trondheim to areas not serviced by bus or train. Actually, it is still cheaper to take the car, so we'll probably do that still unless we want to do a bike trip and take the train home. So far, the cooperative has worked out very well and is quite affordable.

Hitra Island is located out of the fjord to the west of Trondheim. The island is very coastal comprised of many surrounding smaller islands, big chunky rocks, lots of wetlands, small but steep mountains, and many small communities that are closely attached to the sea by fishing.

Small and quaint inlet

Coastal hike

A very nice coastal hike

Cairn Garden

Continuing along the coast

We did another hike up a mountain calling Tonningen and on the way had some nice views of the distance fjord mountains and some pristine blue lakes.

The way up Tonningen was quite steep up since the rocks that made up the mountain were like large rectangular polygonal lego pieces. We ended up getting cliffed out at times but managed to do some bouldering and succeeded in making the summit.

We had some really nice but cool weather and as we thought, there was a trail that would take us down another route and to where we started.

Tonningen Mountain

We ended up camping for one night and then heading back the next day. It was a short but fun trip. A great way to spend the weekend out of Trondheim.

TNO

1st Race of 2009 - Markatråkket Marathon MTB XC

I have finally done my first race of 2009 here in Norway. After finally working out how to sign up, get insurance, and all the particulars that go along with racing mountain bikes here in Norway, I finally got it together to race in the Markatråkket; a 60km mountain bike race through the trails out my backdoor in Strindamarka.

Since being in Norway, I have been struggling with what the mountain bike scene is really like here. As a bike fanatic, I constantly look at what people are riding whether it is a simple old steel singlespeed communter or a race bike, I'm looking. One thing I have noticed is that it is like stepping back in time when you see all the mountain bikes here (expect these ones have fancy new components and carbon here and there unlike the anodized aluminum of days of yore). In short, everyone is riding aggressive geometry hardtail race bikes with long stems, straight bars, big saddle to handlebar drop, and 80mm of suspension at most. When I first saw this phenomenon, my only thought was that the trails here are mostly untechnical and that the riding would be sub-par. However, after the snow has melted, I have discovered that this is just not the case at all. There are a number of very technical trails here interspersed among wide doubletrack gravel paths.

So, why is it that there are all these sweat trails and yet everyone has old school XC bikes? Is it that everyone is just really good on these things and they don't need rear suspension or higher or wider bars? No, I found out that that's not it.

People here just don't ride technical trails!

Yep. That's just how it is here. In fact out of the two races this past weekend, one would have been certainly called a cyclocross race back in BC. Yes, a cyclocross race that you must ride a mountain bike on. This was a sad sight as I watched the top riders holding the brakes down a steeper but not very technical slope and struggle over a rocky section (which was technical but the top riders were not even cleaning it). This, and the fact that the race consisted of nine 3.3km loops, really made me hold my head down in sorrow.

Now don't get me wrong, there are many really strong riders here that can easily destroy me on the bike... as long as there's a lot of asphalt and gravel paths. So, that's what people do here.

So, somehow, I talked myself into racing the marathon race on Sunday as there was going to be some singletrack, and at least I didn't have to go in loops until I got dizzy.


The start of the race had about 40 elite national riders start, then a 2 minute gap followed by over 200 general class riders. I was in this 2nd group and was determined to try to bridge the 2 minute gap so that I could hook onto a faster group for the 'road ride' that I would be faced with after some mountain biking. I was feeling strong, well rested (maybe a bit too much so) and thought I was ready to race hard. The gun went and before we knew it, we were off.

I pushed to the front and held on to the 3rd position until we started to get into the harder climbing. The start of the race literally had you start to climb, and you just kept going until you gained about 400m on a wider gravel road which got steeper and more washed out as you went. I went out a bit too hard and was started to suffer early on as I could just not get my heart rate down.

As I haven't raced in awhile, I just wasn't used to pushing so hard off the line and I was paying for it.

Even still, I managed to top out the climb in about 10th in the 2nd group before we started the descent down to the road where there would be an aid station. I was feeling good at this point but knew that my main issue that I would face for the rest of the race would be with cramping.

The weather was full on blue skies and the temperature felt hotter than the 22 degrees or so that it was. I was sweeting a lot, was using some new fuel I had not tried before, and only had a limited number of Thermolytes that I had brought over from BC. When I filled up with the aid station energy drink and took a swig, I knew that this was not going to be enough.

The next section of the course consisted of rolling terrain along asphalt and gravel roads. It was very nice scenery but, we were on asphalt in a mountain bike race! What's worse is that the route was taking us over to some actual trails, but instead of going right there, we would wind our way around unnecessarily on pavement. It was ridiculous but, it was what it was and I just hung in with the pack I was in, took some pulls, and looked at a lot of peoples drivetrains while I drafted. Awesome!


By the time we hit a climb up at Vassfjellet mountain, I knew that my legs were going to start seizing up on me. It is a terrible feeling when you know you have the energy but without enough electrolytes, you are absolutely screwed! I had downed all my E-tabs at this point and with 1/2 a course left to go, I was going to be in deep trouble. I had to let the pack I was in go as I teetered with cramping in my inner hamstrings and calfs.

I topped out on the climb and started on some really nice technical singletrack going down. As I didn't have to pedal much, my cramping subsided and I started to let things go as I easily reeled in the next rider, passed them, and repeated.

Back on the road, we had to ride back to the first aid station that we hit, and then do the first section of the course in reverse. The road actually treated me ok as my cramps were mostly under control and I was able to put out a decent pace; albeit, by myself with no help from a group. I held off all the riders behind me which seemed to tell me that at this point, everyone is starting to hurt. While I felt a bit 'out of the race' since the cramping started, I couldn't help but think of Gary in the last MOMAR and how hard to pushed to make it back up to 2nd overall. I needed to push through this and finish strong. I upped my pace, hit up the aid station with some energy drink, and was off on the last major climb of the ride.

I started to pick off some riders and was feeling good as my cramping doing ok and I was able to maintain a good pace despite them holding me back a bit.

All was good, until I heard a loug snap...


My Gravity Dropper seatpost, which had held up so well over the time that I have had it, decided enough was enough and self-destructed. I got off my bike, looked at everything is disbelief, and then realized that I would now have to do the next 300-400 m of climbing standing.

What ensued next was what I expected would happen... although much, much worse! I got back on the bike and within a few hundred meters of seatless climbing my legs had had enough and turned to full cramped blocks of wood.

I had to walk every climb for the rest of the race and even walking at times I would be turned into a hopeless wreck of iron legs. At one point, I thought my inner quad was going to explode as it was so contracted and simply would not let go. I've only ever experienced cramping like this once before in my life and that was at the Robothem Ramble (Parksville). Obviously, my 'race' was over and now it was just a battle to get to the line in one piece. It literally took me 1/2 hour to move about 3 kms at the end of the race as even downhills would presesnt an issue since just the action of getting on the bike would put me into full cramp mode. I would never wish this on anyone. I finally finished the race is 3:40 minutes putting me back in 8th place in my division.

Another weird thing that happend, and has happend four times to me now, is that my aluminum nipples on my real wheel that I built are deciding to self-destruct just like my seatpost. The spoke is fine, it's just that the nipple head is snapping off in the eyelet. My spoke tension is not too high so I don't know if the nipples are just crap or what. This is literally the fourth nipple that has done this so it looks like I may have to rebuild using brass nipples.

So, my nipple, seatpost, and legs all self-destructed and turned my race into a slow motion finish. Can't do much about the bike mechanicals but for the legs, I will never, ever, race without a good electrolyte supply again. Being forced to slow down or stop due to cramping just sucks. Don't let it happen to you!

TNO

MOMAR Squamish Afterthoughts

Looks like the first MOMAR of the year went off well and ended up topping the 'hardest MOMAR race to date' from last years Squamish course. I think you outdid yourself again Seggs! From what I've heard, the course was mountain bike heavy with some gruelling trails and the repel off the Cheif was supposed to be unreal. Can't believe I missed it! Must have been super hard as just looking at the times, you can see that the mid pack was taking 6 1/2 hours with a winning time close to 5.

Congrats to Bart Jarmula who took his first overall win and of course, to Gary Robbins and Shane Ruljancich for taking 2nd and 3rd respectively. Seems like Gary had some tough times with the Nav but didn't give up and winded up pushing hard to the line to move up to 2nd. Team Helly Hansen/Vancouver Island must have been screeming out there to pull off 5th overall.

Looks like my pre-race picks were pretty close to the mark. :)

TNO

Fosen 350km Bike Trip

Kim and I just got back from a 350 km, four day bike trip around Fosen; an area on the north side of the Trondheim fjord. We had decent to great weather despite the weather news telling us otherwise. This was actually the longest bike trip I've done and I am definitely hooked. Can't wait for the next trip! We took a bunch of photos and they can all be found here. Here's a nice video I put together though which includes some photos and some videos that I took.

Enjoy!

TNO

Visit to Pompei and Roma

After Ischia Island, we spent the next three days we had to visit the ancient ruins of Pompei (the city that was covered in mud, ash, and other debris from the eruption of Mount Vesuvius). Being from Canada, I have never been exposed to very old structures, monuments, etc so, going to Pompei was quite the treat.


Even though Pompei was great, Kim and I were really glad that we first went there before we went to Roma. For those of you have never been there, visiting Roma was just something else. The grandeur of the ancient buildings completely topped anything from Pompei. The shrear scale of the buildings just made me wonder, the Romans were architectural genious. The best example of this was to see the Coloseum. This enormous arena held upwards of 70,000 people and, get this, took them only 10 years to construct it! How long did the Victoria arena take? Maybe not 10 years but in comparison, the Save on Centre is a piece of garbage compared to the engineering of the Coloseum.


Everything in Roma is so close that we were able to visit almost everything we wanted to on foot. All our photos can be seen here but the following is a sneek peak:

St. Peter's Square (we were very exited to be blessed!)

The Vatican was pretty amazing

Vatican Roof

Some old white dude

A really big sausage

Piazza Navona

The Pantheon

Fountain di Trevi

Monumento a Vittorio Emanuele II

A more recent building that is impressive but kind of ugly compared to the ancient structures that surround it. It's the 'ass crack of Roma' as one local put it.

Roman Forum (this and the Coloseum were the best places to go for me)

The Coloseum

S. Giovanni in Laterano Church

I think the scuptures in this church were the best to be found anywhere in Roma.

TNO

Ischia Island Tour

Kim had a conference on the island so we went together and while there, I had some time by myself to explore the island. I just put this video together from my trekking trip around Ischia Island. It turned into a bit more of an explore trip as you'll see but it was so worth it. A little long but I'm sure you'll enjoy it!

TNO

Italy Trip Into a Four Day Bike Trip and... MOMAR THIS Weekend!

Kim and I just got back from an amazing trip to Italy which included the island of Ischia, a visit to Pompei, and then to Roma. There are many, many great pics and they can all be found here.

Now, we are off for a four day bike trip starting tomorrow. I just realized a coupld of days ago that the first MOMAR of the year is already here! I just had a quick glance over the registered racers and here's my take:

Best Team Name: Forever Chasing Gary and Todd
Love this one from Martin Middleton and Tom Roozendaal but you'll only be chasing Gary during this one!

Don't see Team HH/Vancouver Island signed up there. They would have been my pick for team of 4 coed. Maybe they are late comers?!

I assume 'Renegades of Gunk' was a last minute name? :)

Sarah Seeds will once again rock the female podium.

I think the overall win for this one will be fought by the solo males with favourites going to John Markez, Bart Jarmula, Shane Ruljanchich and superman Gary Robbins. Depending on the complexity of the navigation, and where it is placed throughout the race, the better navigators such as Markez and Jarmula might shine through. If I had to put my money on it though, I think I'd go for Robbins and he'll be fast on his feet and knows how to completely suffer to the line (since he hasn't been on the bike much). Just don't forget about the map!

Looking forward to seeing the results!

Todd

Vassfjellet Mountain Summit and Tour

A while back, I did a 100km ride that consisted of pavement, dirt roads, trails, a bit of singletrack, and a 700 meter climb up Vassfjellet mountain. It was a great ride with over 2000m of elevation for the day.

Sun, No More Snow, My Good Friend RIP9

Again and again, I just can't seem to keep my blog updated. I think my problem is that everytime I think about it, there are just too many things to update that I get put off by the task and the list just grows bigger everyday.

Take the Centre Line

Trondheim has been nothing short of amazing. The mountain biking here is simply world class. Needless to say, I have logged over 1000km on my RIP9 in the past while and am continually impressed with this bike. I thought that the RIP9 might be too much of a bike for the terrain here but once the snow melted and I really saw what the trails had in store, I am smiling from ear to ear. Yesterday, I went out for a 80km ride where I explored some new terrain. I got onto a particular trail that is part of a network called the 'Pilegrimsleden' or the old Pilgrim trails that would connect Oslo to Trondheim. The trail was barely rideable. Read this as roots like cumberland over a vast open marshy area with intermittent rock faces, mud pits, and wooden logs placed over mud pits. Basically, you had to get it your all just to not fall over sideways. I think I averaged less than 7km/hour. Slow and extremely difficult... my kind of trail.

Cumberland Anyone?


Road Ride on the Mountain Bikes Around Bymarka

Of course, it hasn't all be biking. There was a national holiday here on May 1st that is the European version of the Canadian 'Labour Day' in September. This time of year is typically the first warm burst of spring and this year was no exception. With temps in the low 20s and a hot sun, it was hot enough of shorts only weather with some frisbee and some barbacue action at the 'beach'. This is actually what what Norwegian's do so our large group (consisting mainly of immigrants from Italy and France) were in midst of a sea of others enjoying their day off and having a cold brew in the sun. Yes, you can drink outside pretty much anywhere as long as you're not being a nuisance.

1st of May - The National Day

Barbacues, Rock and Ocean

One tradition that happens in Norway is something called 'RUSS'. Russ is the celebration of finishing high school but instead of just happening for a night or weekend, it lasts over at least two weeks and is filled with alcohol, booze, beer, liquor and alcohol. Oh, and while drinking they all dress up in primarily purchased 'Russ wear' that is decorated with the Norwegian flag and colours, and has the word 'Russ 2009' all over it. It is quite the sight... in a bizarre kind of way. They also make up these cards that they write slogans on or other words of wisdom and while strutting through the town, kids will run up to them to get a card and will try to collect as many as possible. The kid with the most is super cool! They literally wear this stuff everyday, puke stains and all, and... get this... after two weeks, THEN they write they're exams!

This was unfortunately the only RUSS photo I got

Kim's boss at work took us out to a local 600m mountain to climb. We drove part way up only to be faced with thick snow cover on the road. We pulled over, parked, and hiked up the road to the summit. The day was hot and with shorts and no shirt on, it sure felt good to feel spring on the skin. The top afforded great views of the entire area and we were lucky enough to have some paragliders taking off. Looks like a lot of fun!

I ended up doing a small trip up the fjord with the wife of one of Kim's previous collegues. There was a big conference going on in Trondhiem, so, we rented a car and did some exploring. We ended up going over to Tautra Island which is home to a small community and bird sauntuary. There was an old monastery constructed here with some of the remains still standing.

Monastery Remnants

Through Kim's conference, there was a field trip up to Røros which I participated in. This was our 2nd trip there and it was quite nice to get to visit the Mining museum this time and see the place with no snow. It was still freakn windy though. I don't think the wind stops blowing here!

400 Year Old Homestead in Røros

Check it out! An unpainted plastic Car!

Norway Update

I was going to start this post with a... I know, I suck, where's the updates, and then I thought, you know, I've been doing lots and have just been too busy to blog. One adventure leads to the next and the amount of content builds too high that you don't want to dig your way into it. Regardless though, I still started my blog with a crappy apology since I've been off line for a whole month since my last update. So, here we go! We have lots of photos and Kim has posted them on Picasa so check them out by clicking on the title links (especially the Bergen pics!)


Climbing at UTE

I've been hitting up the indoor climbing wall a couple times a week and am building up my forearms once again (used to climb but if you don't use it, you truly do lose it). I've been progressing quite well and am starting to be able to do some of the more difficult routes with more overhanging sections. I've got a makeshift pull-up area at home as well and by using this a few times a week, combined with a crossfit style workout involving pushups, ab work and squats, I've feeling stronger in my upper body than I ever have before! My forearms are definitely still the weakest link though as I can be done a climbing session (can't hang on anymore) but can go over to the rings and still manage to do 15 pull ups. Go figure. The climbing centre also has two slacklines set up and while I still have a ways to go, I've managed to walk to the halfway mark which is much better than I did at first!


WORLD CUP 50KM CLASSIC SKI

Kim and took a long walk over to the ski jumping and stadium area in Bymarka (the main ski area close to town) and attended the mens World Cup 50km classic ski race. It was the first time that either of us had seen a real ski race and man were these guys moving! What made the event extra exciting was the fact that there was a Canadian racer in the top 10 who slowly moved up to top 5, then four, and then pushed over the last few kilometers and took 3rd place! This was the best placing for him ever and it was great to see how the Norwegian commentator was showing his support and excitement for his effort.

TRIP TO BERGEN
Kim had to fly down on a Friday to Bergen for a work session and so we decided to make a weekend out of it and I came along. Thanks to a local deal, we stayed right in the heart of the downtown for quite cheap. Bergen is... well, it's probably the most beautiful city that I've ever been to (and that says a lot coming from a place as nice as Victoria). The city is old and steeped in history. Think cobble streets, small multi-coloured homes situated in all directions, tight quaint walking streets between buildings and a vibrant downtown filled with people at all hours of the day. This, combined with kilometers of shoreline, surrounding mountains and the smell of the sea, and you have a northern paradise. The only big downfall to this city that is "The gateway to the fjords of Norway" is that it rains... a lot. So, much so that it is also called the "City of Rain" or for Canadian reference, "The Vancouver of Norway" (although worse). Annual percipitation is around 2.25 meters. Yes, 2.25 METERS.


We got very lucky with the weather as the sun shone down on us most of the weekend and allowed us to take an absolutely phenomenal local mountain hike. There is a bus tram that takes you up to restaurant overlooking the city. There is also a cable car that takes you up another mountain called Ulriken. Well, if you hike up to the restaurant, you can continue upwards and then follow the high plateau in a horseshoe curve over to Ulriken and back down to the City. All told, the hike is in the 25 km range with a start and finish right in the City centre. Check out the video clip I put together to get an idea! I could say more but the photos we took really do speak for themselves.

We mostly just toured around Bergen by foot and we also went to the Natural History Museum which housed a large collection of rocks and minerals, many taxidermied animals, and a good collection of whale and dolphin bones (hung together of course). Overall, this was a great trip and I would love to go back... when it's not raining!

SKIDAG

Kim's work hosted a skiday at the local ski hill where you could do some downhill or cross country skiing. A group of us got dropped off at a trail entrance before the skihill which let us ski for 12 kms before we arrived (rather than arriving and doing the local trackset). This turned out to be a great idea as we had the most perfect day you could ask for. The sun was shining down and the temperature was about -6 degrees which made for perfect blue wax ski conditions. We ended up climbing right up to the communication tower at Vassfjellet (the ski hill) and then tried to ski down without falling. For me, this has not been easy as I have never been a skier having been a snowboarder for the past 12 years. Also, having relatively narrow cross country skies doesn't help much either! I'm learned how to telemark but I still have a long way to go! If only all the trails could be uphill :)



IGLBU HYTTA TRIP

Kim and I have become friends with a French couple and an Italian couple and we ended up going on a ski trip to a hut called Iglbu for a long weekend. It was a about an 8 km uphill trip to the cabin where we stayed for two nights and would do day trips from. The thing about Norway is that there are literally huts everywhere. This allows you to travel nice and light and then stay in a comfortable cabin with a cozy wood stove and parafin for lighting. You end up getting into the life of collecting, cutting, and chopping firewood, stoking the fire, melting snow for water, and living a simple life for the weekend. This was both Kim and I's first real cabin trip and I tell you what, this is definitely the way to go. No tent, mattress, stove, pots, utensils and dishes required. Bring some clothing and food and you are good to go. What I really realized on this trip was that ultra-light mountain biking trips would not only be a possibility, but an absolute MUST DO! I have been dreaming of this ever since. And when I mean mountain bike trips, I don't mean riding man-made buff singletrack; I'm talking really about riding up and over mountains... basically where every you want. The thing about Norway versus the West Coast of Canada is that the forests are much more open and the landscape is more rolling and glaciated which allows you to literally pick a direction and go. This might be heaven...




This past weekend, over the Easter break, I did a great ski trip to Trollheimhytta... will post pics and update soon!

TNO