So apparently there’s a good reason why skiing is Norway’s national obsession — they actually invented the sport, as evidenced by a 6,000-year-old cave carving found in Northern Norway that depicts a man on skis.  I have to admit that despite growing up near the Cascade Mountains, I’ve never strapped on a pair of skis in my life.  And what I do know about the sport of skiing has more to do with mein Schatz‘s endearing relaxing, Sunday afternoon habit of watch Nordic skiing competitions.

So before hitting the slopes myself (maybe next weekend, if conditions are right!), I decided to see what all the fuss is about at the FIS World Cup of Nordic Skiing, held right here in Oslo’s own Holmenkollen.  Three days of competition in the hills of Oslo, only twenty minutes by Metro from the city center?*   How could I resist?  I bought myself a ticket for Sunday, bundled up, packed my camera and head off for a little adventure.

I arrived during the women’s 30 km cross-country competition, and quite honestly had no idea what to expect and no real strategy for watching.  The day-pass that I bought included a seat in the ski jumping tribune, but not in the cross-country tribune.  So I just followed the crowd until I came upon a decent spot along the course to take photos.  It wasn’t a very good vantage point for keeping track of what was happening in the race, but the skiers did race by the spot several times, so it worked out fine.

The crowds of spectators were pretty outta sight.  The Norwegians clearly knew what they were doing — decked out in their own ski pants and ski suits, down jackets, and hiking boots fit for climbing Mount Everest.  And the crazy amount of Norwegian flags being waved made for a nice contrast to the gray skies heavy with snow.

After awhile the bitter cold and my waning attention span got the best of me, so I wandered around exploring until the ski jumping competition started in the afternoon.

I staked out a pretty sweet spot with an awesome view of where the ski jumpers land after barreling down that crazy hill and launching themselves into the air. Sunday afternoon was the final jumping competition for both men and women — there were over 30 female jumpers and 50 male jumpers, and they all got to jump twice. Despite myself, I actually recognized a few of them — Lindsey Van from the US and Martin Koch from Austria. It was unbelievably impressive to watch the jumpers fly through the air and land so gracefully and with so much speed.

I stood during most of the competition, mostly because it was easier to stay warm if I was up and moving around.  Thanks to all the crazy layers I had on, I was pretty toasty — except for my feet, that is.  They turned into frozen blocks of ice by the late afternoon.  But before returning home to thaw them out, I stayed long enough to see 18-year-old American Sarah Hendrickson win the Women’s Ski Jumping World Cup.  Pure awesome, that was.

All in all, I had a pretty great time.  Next time, though, I’d make sure to bring something warm and snow-proof to sit on.  A lot of the Norwegians had thin sleeping pads for camping, and they looked very cozy picnicking on the snow.  Which brings me to my next point.  Although I brought my own food, I was very envious of the Norwegians’ thermoses full of hot coffee that they packed with them. Sure, I could have stood in a long line and bought a cup of coffee, but it’s not really the same.

But I guess since I’m already thinking about next time, this won’t be the last time for me!  Guess that means I’m hooked?  Maybe we can talk more after I give cross-country skiing a try.

* On a “we’re not in Kansas anymore” note, as an alternative form of transportation to Holmenkollen, the organizers also suggested just hiking up the 6+ miles:

Are you a big fan of winter sports?  Have you every bundled up and braved watching a competition live?