|
|
Post by thetravelingyeti on Mar 2, 2015 22:22:28 GMT
Hello again. Next up in my onslaught of footage is a video of my most recent trip - Oslo. We were there for 5 days in the beginning of February, and sledding at "Korketrekkeren" was a major highlight. It's actually a retired bobsleigh course that was built for the 1952 Winter Olympics in Oslo - following the Olympics, it was converted to a 2km sledding course and opened to the public. The best part is, once you get to the bottom of the run, you simply walk a few feet to a metro platform, hop on a train that takes you back to the top of the run, then do it again! The Norwegians have really got this winter thing figured out. Enjoy!
|
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Mar 4, 2015 5:16:35 GMT
That looks really really cold even with the glorious sunshine. I refused to sled down a mountain last year with friends in Switzerland because I was too afraid of losing control of the damned thing, and there were some pretty sharp curves with very steep snowbanks dropping off to prime leg-and-head breaking places. Call me a wimp.
|
|
|
|
Post by bjd on Mar 8, 2015 8:02:49 GMT
Just saw this. It looks like fun, although perhaps scarier when there are a lot of people on the course.
|
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Mar 8, 2015 12:55:58 GMT
That looks very cool!
My only concern would be as BJD mentioned about the number of people and the potential for collisions with other sledders.
Are there any rules?
As an avid cyclist one of the biggest hazards is people clogging up the bike lane, and judging by the video it appears that there are numerous clogged up areas.
I love, love sledding. Many a fond memory of sledding at night (torch lit) on one of the very few hills that we had.
|
|
|
|
Post by thetravelingyeti on Mar 8, 2015 22:10:26 GMT
Since we were there on a sunny Sunday, it was very crowded most of the time, and at the risk of sounding a bit reckless, it actually added to the thrill (in some ways). I was actually rather surprised that there were no "rules" or monitoring or policing or any kind on the course. But somehow or another it all seemed to work really well. On one end of the spectrum there were people absolutely flying down the hill - on the other end there were families with really young kids doubled an tripled up on sleds. I saw a couple people with dogs running beside them, and there were even a few snowboarders. It's the perfect recipe for sheer lunacy; while there were more than a few bails/wipeouts and minor collisions, I didn't see any evidence of injuries throughout the entire day.
And this, I think, is one of the things I like most about Norway (based on my limited experience): it's not overly-regulated or sanitized like so many places nowadays. They don't have regulations and safety warnings on every single thing that restrict everyone to the lowest common denominator of intellect or physical capability. You need to think for yourself and exercise common sense. In most simplistic terms, it's a place where you can easily hurt yourself if you're dumb or reckless enough, and I think that in general, that makes people smarter and more self-aware. I doubt everyone will agree with me here, but I love the idea of both needing to, and having the freedom to think for yourself, as opposed to living under the micromanagement of "health and safety"or the "Nanny State" as I believe they refer to it in the UK.
It felt like a throw back to the good old days when your parents told you to go play outside - and you did, until it was dark and you were frozen and bruised and late for dinner because you were busy getting lost in another world...
|
|
|
|
Post by nycgirl on Mar 18, 2015 2:14:19 GMT
Wow, that looks really fun (albeit a little terrifying). Sledding makes winter almost agreeable.
I flew into Oslo for my Norway trip but didn't get to see it. Even though my objective was to explore nature, I wish I could have spent a day there. It looks like a lovely city.
Great video!
|
|
