Page 59 - Wish Stream Year of 2018

temperature was in the minuses. We learnt the basic technique and theory behind Nordic ski- ing, such as turning and putting the skis on. By the end of the day we had progressed onto navigating down slight gradients just to become accustomed with the feel of moving in the skis. That night in the cabin we had a couple of theory lessons.
Day two – Having mastered the general tech- nique of diagonal stride and a feel for movement on the snow, we picked up the skill level. After learning how to move up and down the slopes in a variety of ways, the instructor moved onto turn- ing. This led to the hypothetic brick wall making a cameo appearance as many of us kept wiping out and struggled to nail the technique. How- ever, by the end of the day the team were rela- tively proficient in the diagonal stride and turning by the time we headed back to the
cabin. We had the remainder of the lectures that night, which included lessons on avalanches and how to build shelters.
Day three – Having nailed the tech- niques so far, we moved onto exiting and entering the parallel tracks called loup on the slopes, which proved
Despite a few wipe-outs it was clear that everyone was progressing at relatively the same rate.
difficult especially at speed. Once mas- tered we were taught the snowplough technique, which could be used to control acceleration and deceleration, as well as a more controlled method of turning. Once nailed we skied around the Nordic Skiing stadium and had a refresher on all the techniques used so far. Despite a few wipe-outs it was clear that everyone was progressing at rela- tively the same rate.
Day four – On this day, with confidence high and morale booming, we cracked on with the final skill-based movement, skating. The technique was the most advanced form of moving on any gradient. A lot like ice skating, it was a pendulum movement which helped pick up speed rapidly. However, with two-meter-long skis on your feet it was obvious that the group would struggle not to fall at first. Again, once this was completed and the instructor was happy, we had a confirmation ski for an hour or two and then finished off with a few fun games like stick in the mud and sprints. That night we planned our final day expedition.
Day five – We were heading off on our final expe- dition, eager and keen to put all of what we had learnt into practice. We skied through villages, were overtaken by numerous locals, and had a spot of lunch in a natural snow cave that had formed around a few trees. The whole experi- ence was challenging, enjoyable and delightfully picturesque. Having completed the final day of skiing we returned all our kit to the rental shop and received a debrief from the instructor.
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