Cold in Norway tonight

Well here is only 5 under. Had only 5 cms of snow and no wind. The higher you drive the warmer. Times they are a changing.

Currently minus 27 degree C in Geilo. That is really quite cold in the civilised World. Only plus 2 in Worcester ... Not remarkable ... 

ATB from George

Norway?  January?  Cold?  Who'da thunk it!?!?! 

Being a skier I like the cold weather. Coldest I have been is -38 C a few years back in Lake Louise, Canada. That is cold enough to freeze diesel.

Dozey posted:

Being a skier I like the cold weather. Coldest I have been is -38 C a few years back in Lake Louise, Canada. That is cold enough to freeze diesel.

But at least with Louise, you are protected on the runs by the trees if the wind whips up, not really the case at Sunshine. But at that temperature as long as the sun is shining... its all good.

When I lived in Utah we'd ski Snowbird, Alta, or Park City in -25C temps. One trip to Sun Valley, Idaho was -30C. I was pretty well conditioned to it, but impossible to keep the feet warm in plastic ski boots at those temps.

My graduate research project was another thing altogether. It involved ice-diving (SCUBA) in a 1,800-m elevation reservoir in temps as low as -30C. Two divers, a standby diver, and a line-tender. Logistics, over-planning, impeccable gear maintenance, and redundancy the key. Looking back on it some 25 years later, I must have been nuts.

First ski hol was in Norway. With two children, youngest 4, we stepped off the plane at Dagali airport into a howling gale and air temp of -25C. The arrivals hall couldn't hold all the people off the plane, so there was a queue outside - but with young children we were ushered into the building fairly quickly.

Resort (Hemsedal) was great, lovely people, fantastic snow. I once went to Tignes in alps in April, skiing through slush at the bottom and far too hot given the clothing needed for the glacier at the top - not nice. Best skiing is cold - but sunny and dry.

Alexander Armstrong is doing a wonderful series, Land of the Midnight Sun where he visits some very cold places and camps out in Greenland, swims in near zero water in Iceland and so on. Great to watch while tucked up in a nice cosy bed.

Innocent Bystander posted:

Best skiing is cold - but sunny and dry.

Best skiing is when it is actually snowing. Not too cold, best snow and fewer people.

Indeed. Some of my most memorable ski days started out not being certain the road up to the mountain would be open due to snow. Once up there, always the fear that the road down could get closed while skiing. Fortunately, I never got stranded on the mountain. Downside of skiing in the snow is the visibility and flat light, but conditions are usually forgiving. No lift lines is great provided the legs are in condition for it!

winkyincanada posted:

Innocent Bystander posted:

Best skiing is cold - but sunny and dry.

Best skiing is when it is actually snowing. Not too cold, best snow and fewer people.

It depends in part how good a skier you are: I struggle with flat light being unable to see bumps before I'm on them, while poor visibility not only makes that worse, but makes more dangerous especially for anyone who may fall and be invisible to other skiers until too late. But definitely fewer people, both on the slopes and queuing - which dictates avoiding school holidays. And mulled wine (gluwein) moderates against the cold...  (Yes, I know it's only psychological, physically quite the reverse, and the very significant added risk factor of drink-skiing)

Guy007 posted:

Dozey posted:

Being a skier I like the cold weather. Coldest I have been is -38 C a few years back in Lake Louise, Canada. That is cold enough to freeze diesel.

But at least with Louise, you are protected on the runs by the trees if the wind whips up, not really the case at Sunshine. But at that temperature as long as the sun is shining... its all good.

We seem to alternate weeks between Sunshine, when we stay with the "Outlaws" in Canmore, and Silver Star when we are in Vernon.

Funny how when the schools in Vernon close because of a heavy snowfall, the ski runs 20km away up the mountain at Silver Star are packed.........