Viking Magazine - Jan/Feb 2024 - 31

AMBASSADOR INSIGHTS
Winter Thrills
BY ANNIKEN KRUTNES
R
umors are fl ying that the
District of Columbia is in for
an eventful winter! News articles have
been passed around the offi ce predicting
the most snow in fi ve years,
apparently driven by El Niño. Time
will tell if this turns out to be true, but
if it is, I'm looking forward to it-even
if it still isn't quite what we're used to
back home in Norway.
Skiing, of course, is a big part of
the winter season for many Norwegians-and
not just downhill skiing,
as it tends to be most common in the
U.S. Every possible type of skiing has
its fans. One that is currently rising
in popularity is randonnée, or Alpine
touring, which is a type of backcountry
skiing that allows participants to
ski uphill before gliding back down.
And cross-country skiing is beloved
enough that several of my colleagues
even try their hand at it in D.C.'s
limited snow!
Because skiing is such a way of life,
it naturally follows that Norway is
home to some incredible athletes.
Echoing the close relationship between
Norway and the U.S., Norway did
particularly well at the 2002 Olympics
in Salt Lake City-I'll never forget
watching gold medalist Kari Traa's
moguls victory. Ahead of the 2026
Olympics, Norway holds the record
for the country with the most-ever
winter medals. Th e current count is
148 golds, 133 silvers and 124 bronzes.
Norwegian athletic heroes cover a
vast range of winter sports, from ice
hockey and luge to (of course) every
variety of skiing. Some you might have
heard of before include alpine ski
racer Aksel Lund Svindal and crosscounty
skiers Johannes Hosfl øt Klæbo,
Th erese Johaug, Simen Hegstad Krüger
and Marit Bjørgen. In the U.S., Norwegian
ice hockey player Mats Zuccarello
has played for the Minnesota Wild
@sonsofnorway
for the past four years, aſt er a varied
career in Norway, Sweden and other
American cities.
If you're a fan of sledding, Norway
off ers plenty of that, too. In Oslo, one
of the most exciting snowy outings
is a visit to Korketrekkeren (pictured
above), or " the corkscrew " in English.
It was once a bobsledding and luge
track but now plays host to Oslo's
most popular toboggan run. Easily
accessible via public transportation,
it's an impressive 1.2 miles long and
takes nearly 10 minutes to complete.
And because it's located on a public
hill, it's free of charge as long as you
bring your own sled. (It also off ers sled
rentals for a relatively low price).
A totally diff erent kind of sledding is
sparkstøtting, known as " kicksledding "
in English. Th is activity is oſt en used
as a mode of transportation, especially
in the countryside. It is propelled by
foot (as you might have gathered from
the name), and children oſt en like to
hitch a ride with their parents. While
this is a more old-fashioned pastime,
it still has lots of proponents!
Th ere's also snowkiting-a thrilling
sport in which participants use a kite
and the power of the wind to help
them glide over snow and ice. In 2022,
H.R.H. Crown Prince Haakon crossed
the Greenland ice sheet on an expedition
that used snowkiting as a method
of transportation.
If you live in a place that is anticipating
snow this winter (or in our
case, hoping for it!), I hope that you
are able to take the time to savor the
experience, whatever that means for
you. Enjoy the beginning of 2024!
ABOUT THE
AUTHOR
Anniken Krutnes
is Norway's
Ambassador to the
United States. An
expert in security
policy, the law of
the sea and Arctic issues, she has previously
served as Deputy Director General of the
Department of Security Policy, as Norway's
Ambassador for Arctic and Antarctic
Aff airs and as Norway's Ambassador to
the Netherlands and Luxembourg.
facebook.com/
NorwegianEmbassyinWashington
@NorwayAmbUSA
Jan/Feb 2024
31
ILLUSTRATION RANDALL NELSON PHOTO VISIT OSLO/DIDRICK STENERSEN
http://www.facebook.com/

Viking Magazine - Jan/Feb 2024

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Viking Magazine - Jan/Feb 2024

Viking Magazine - Jan/Feb 2024 - 1
Viking Magazine - Jan/Feb 2024 - 2
Viking Magazine - Jan/Feb 2024 - 3
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