Oslo 2011 World Cup Nordic Ski event

Oslo is still partying but we are ready for bed. We spent the day at Holmenkollen in the hills above Oslo at the World Cup Nordic Ski Championship. Canada took gold in the Mens Team Sprint - their first ever. (Congratulations to Alex Harvey and Devon Kershaw) We were at the awards ceremony (as were Prince Daniel and Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden) and the crowd cheers for our athletes were loud. The kids thought it was exciting. Peter sang Oh Canada at the top of his lungs (slightly off key). People in the crowd congratulated us on "our" win as they walked by (because they had heard Peter's singing and cheering).

The entire day was a nordic snow party. We took the tram up to Holmenkollen this morning - car was packed full of spectators AND a 4 part choir who serenaded us all with norwegian folk songs on the way there. We followed a school group through the ticket gate. Now, there's a cool field trip - hey kids let's go to a world cup skiing event. We went to watch ski jumping - this was the prime directive and fortunately we got more than we thought we would because the first event of the day was the mens' nordic combined. Ski jumping landing areas look flat on tv. Holmenkollen's is a bowl - the landing ramp is really steep and the run off goes back uphill. They poke everygreen branches into the hill as distance markers and targets for the skiiers as they're coming in to land. It was incredibly foggy. You had to listen for the swoosh of the skiiers leaving the jump farther up, then wait for them to appear out of the fog for their landings. Man could they fly! Meanwhile, there's music over the loud speakers and every 5 jumpers or so, the announcers do a 7th inning stretch to keep us all warm and perky. (New lyrics to Everybody Dance Now - VM ski i Holmenkollen - sounds odd, but it worked, after we all Got Down On It)

There was X-country skiing too. We found spots at the finish line and watched the Canadian women miss out on the final (they were 4th in their heat of the team sprint semi), saw Harvey and Kershaw's finish, and saw the frenchman take the gold for the nordic combined. Such athleticism - they collapse at the finish line, literally on the ground in the snow, because they're completed épuisé.

The big event of the day for me was supposed to be the qualification round for the Mens large hill ski jump, but they had to postpone it because of the weather. As disappointed as I was (am) to have to miss it because they're running it tomorrow afternoon, I wasn't surprised. The wind picked up about 4pm and they were due to jump at 6. Apparently they can jump through fog safely (?!) but not wind. Talk about a leap of faith.

I love Norway.