PSA:dirt cheap Falketind xplore in Norway

[Jurassien]

If it's a legitimate offer then fair play to anyone who manages to snag a set before they're all gone. Judging from my very unscientific observations (i.e. superficial glances at the forests of planks parked outside the DNT cabins) I would reckon that hybrid skis are less revered by the Norwegians than by several of our honourable members here on this forum - but at that price the set is certainly a bargain.

Joachim Ronneberg.........was only in his early 20s when he commanded that mission.

I have his officer's report on the mission, written in April '43 shortly after his safe arrival in the U.K. It reveals remarkable maturity and judgement for a 23-year old. Amazing to think that his little group of 9 Norwegians, with just their skis and what they could carry on their backs, inflicted more damage on the heavy water production than the US Air Force in November of the same year, when they attacked with 143 and then again with 35 heavy bomber planes and bombed the shite out of everything but the target itself.

Have you ever been to Gaundalen or Gjefsjo fjellgard in the Snaasa area?

No, I have never been further north than Skjåk. I don't use a pulk, so in order to avoid lugging a ton of provisions in the rucksack I limit myself to the serviced/self-service cabins and, generally speaking, to the "blue lines" which connect them. Within that limitation I've covered a fair bit of ground over the many years since I "discovered" Norway.

I am one hour from the Dolomites.........

In the 80's/early 90's I went to the Dolomites every summer for at least 6 years in a row. I've done almost all the Vie Ferrate in Hüsler's two books, both in the Eastern Dolomites and in the Brenta Group - 136 routes all-told. I had planned to go again this past summer, but the exceptional drought put me off the idea. I can't imagine how the mountain cabins in a limestone region managed their water supply in those circumstances.

[randoskier]

@Jurassien How did they manage the water with last year's drought? They didn't, we all drank beer!
I began travelling to Norway about 15 or 16 years ago because the Dolomites and most of the Alps became so crowded in the summer it was getting on my nerves, so I looked on a map and thought where are there no people and an Airport- I flew to Bodo and walked for three weeks- SOLD!

I have walked in the Alps for about the same time period as you (the Jurassaic era?). GR5 from Lehman to Menton (near Nice), all over the French Alps, walked from Oberstdorf Bavaria to Merrano Italy, from Innsbruck to Brixen, Italy. We stopped climbing in 2008, that was our main passion, my wife was a NPS rescue-climber on Denali at the 4000m rescue camp for the 1994 climbing season. We still hit the ferratas but that is not really climbing though there a few I know in the Dolomites that you would not want to fall on! We are lucky because we have lived in the Cascades, Rockies, Alps, and Dolomites ) I still consider the Dolomites the pre-Alpes. I like France much better than Italy- for two reasons- the population density is WAY less than Italy and it is more polite and friendly (and they talk less and quieter).

Also please it's- Dolomitic Limestone, not "limestone" the locals would have a heart attack : ) I am going to PM you dfor some tour info if that is ok?

[JohnSKepler]

That's a good offer! Anyone has experience with these on frozen snow?

Isn't all snow frozen?







Sorry, I do know what you mean but couldn't resist the urge to be silly for a moment.

[Jurassien]

..........because the Dolomites and most of the Alps became so crowded in the summer it was getting on my nerves.......

The Dolomites might well be very crowded in summer, but the region is nonetheless exceptionally beautiful and the individual mountain groups look like sculptured works of art. I got around the problem of overcrowding by making early starts (5:30 to 6:00am). That solved the dual problem of stonefall caused by careless Ferrata scramblers and also avoided the frequent thunderstorms which tend to crop up later in the day.

Also please it's- Dolomitic Limestone, not "limestone" the locals would have a heart attack : )

Fortunately, the Swiss don't reciprocate and insist on Jurassic Limestone, even though that would be correct.

I am going to PM you dfor some tour info if that is ok?

Yes, by all means. Whether you're offering info or asking, you're very welcome to get in touch.

[TheMusher]

That's a good offer! Anyone has experience with these on frozen snow?

Isn't all snow frozen?







Sorry, I do know what you mean but couldn't resist the urge to be silly for a moment.

Haha I’ll give you your laugh..!

I’m thinking 21st century, melted & refrozen snow courtesy of Royal Dutch Shell & co.

Edit: still wondering!

[randoskier]

That's a good offer! Anyone has experience with these on frozen snow?

Isn't all snow frozen?

Hahah. I was just watching a US State Department press conference and the reporters kept asking things like- "Was the object downed over frozen water?" One of them even asked- "Why did they shoot the object down over frozen water, couldn't they have waited until it was over warmer water?"

Jaysus Christ. Ladies, ladies! It is called ICE! Also if you want to recover the object's wreckage one would think that it might be easier on the 3 meter thick "frozen water" off the northern coast of Alaska than at the bottom of the unfrozen waters.

After the presser I am sure they all went to a DC bar and had a Scotch with frozen water in it.

[randoskier]

[/quote]
I have his officer's report on the mission, written in April '43 shortly after his safe arrival in the U.K. It reveals remarkable maturity and judgement for a 23-year old. Amazing to think that his little group of 9 Norwegians, with just their skis and what they could carry on their backs, inflicted more damage on the heavy water production than the US Air Force in November of the same year, when they attacked with 143 and then again with 35 heavy bomber planes and bombed the shite out of everything but the target itself.

@Jurassien If you are interested in commando, history I have a lot of info/books on the subject.
Google "Skis and Daggers" You will get a hit on the web site of the CIA historian (on cia.gov). The PDF article entitled- Skis and Daggers is Major William E Colby's firsthand account of his ww2 OSS mission with a bunch of Norwegian commandos (recruited from seamen stranded in the US when the war began). They landed on my friend's lake on the Gjefsjo fjellgard which they used for over a month while repeatedly skiing 25km (with heavy explosives) to from the farm to the Nordland railroad to blow it up to stop the Germans from retreating to defend their homeland. Great read. Colby has some errors in this article- the Nordland Railroad does not go up to Narvik, it still does not go that far north. The Swedish Ore-line terminates at Narvik. They just finished renovating the Colby house on the farm, and the US Navy Seals recently jumped on the lake with the Norwegian Special Forces- just for fun and a ceremony. Christian owns 56 km2 of land! The neighboring Gaundalen farm is 76 km2. Holden farm in between the two has a self-service DNT cabin (beauty)- the farmers had no kids there so the Statskog has the property and the old farm since the early 80s. none of these farms are anywhere near a road.

Colby later became the Director of the CIA in the 1970s.

You should consider skiing the 3 mountain farms- I will send you a route suggestion to do it without packing much, you can can either do a short tour or a longer line finishing at Meraker train station (or Storlien, Sweden), there are several serviced DNT cabins that can be woven in. Or for a shorter tour finishing in a DNT cabin where you can access Steinjker station on the Nordland Railway. I think you would only have to carry food for one cabin along the route. Great skiing, the terrain is amazing. Train in and train out- I have figured out the connections from railroad to trailheads and the sens inverse. The pic is from Gjefsjo, Chrisitan the farmer took it the other day. His lake has the has the border with Sweden smack in the middle of it.

[Nitram Tocrut]

Was not that thread about a dirt cheap deal for FT X

This has to be the thread that wandered the most from the OP

Some people here have so much time in their hand... it's amazing

[Nick BC]

Welcome to the internet Martin

[Musk Ox]

Just as a quick note on topic, these kind of offers are actually super common from places like XXL and BraaSport, and 4000 NOK (ca. 390 USD) for skis + bindings is even on the less remarkable side! You have to scan the price comparison sites daily...