Skiing in the Dutch Mountains

A long time ago, between Christmas Eve and New Years Day we had a couple of days with decend snow. Where I live it means something between 15 and 20 centimetres. I all ready can people hear laughing that isn't snow that is noting. But still for Dutch standards is a lot. It was even enough to get my langlauf or backcountry skiing gear out. I never know how it’s called.

My skiing gear consists of the following parts and cost my less than 30 euros. It’s many used gear or surplus gear.

Shoes:
I got a pair of Alico full leather boots it is an older model similar to the current model skate. They where brand new and only costed my €10. I got them for my locale army surplus store. Maybe it’s not the ideal boot for longer trips because when they get wet and they will it will be hard to get them dry. But I hope I can solve this whit a Vapor Barrier Liner (VBL).



Binding:
I got a pair of Rottafela bindings I thought you can’t go wrong whit those I believe the model is the Super Telemark 75mm. They are simple and what I have read about it very reliable. I got the bindings witch a pair of 190 cm KARHU BARENKRALLE skies for a locale garage sale for the mere some of € 8,50.

The Skies:
The pair of Karhu skies where to short fore me. I believe the skies should be 15 cm longer then you are. Being 183 I needed skies that should be 200 cm. So I went to the used goods store and found there a pair of Fischer Crow trainee skies. After some negotiations I got them for € 8, 50.

The Poles:
The length of the poles is determined also by your length, they should be fitted under your armpit. The poles I had where too short I used the old walking stick from my father. But if it's starts snowing again I will get some nice new ones from Swix witch are very reasonably priced at € 29, 95.



How did it perform?
The set did perform very well, I noticed that it goes al lot faster then snowshoeing only the problem was that I didn't mastered the technique. So the small pieces downhill ended often on the floor.
So to master the technique I'm currently following a course in langlaufen. But living in the Netherlands and having only three days of snow in a year this course is held at loipe made of brushes. Which isn’t that good? But still it better then noting.

My instructor wasn't too nice about my set and called it a piece of antique, especially the shoes. And told me that they can't be used in prepared loipes in Austria I told him I didn't care about prepared loipes in Austria and that my goal is Scandinavia, the Hardangervidda to be precise.



To complement my course, I also ordered the following book "Allen & Mike's Really Cool Backcountry Ski Book", a review can be found here. It should be a good book, but I am still waiting for my copy, which still must be shipped by Amazon

Happy New Year!

Who knows tomorrow? At least I have a good start of the New Year. I won the backpackinglight.co.uk solo tarp raffle organisted by Thomas at goinglighter.blogspot.com



So who knows wat the future will bring. So have a happy New Year and all the best for the upcoming year!

North Sea Trail: Den Haag - Katwijk - Den Haag

The weekend before Christmas I hiked from Den Haag to Katwijk aan Zee, through the dunes and hiked back on the beach. This was my first "light" weight winter hike and I have made a lot of mistakes but learned a whole lot more. You can read about it on the internet but the realty is always different.

So the trip, it was quite hard to get to Den Haag, because of the snowfall. People were driving 50km on the highway. But when we arrived in Den Haag it almost stopped snowing. So we parked the car and packed our back. In the car we where debating if we should take the snow shovel or not. I taught it was quite funny so I strapped it on my pack. But it proofed quite useful.

So we walked to Scheveningen and started our hike at the pier of Scheveningen.


After a small section on the beach we continue our way through the dunes.


In the dunes hiking became more difficultbecause of the snow drifts witch made you sink in the snow knee deep. But some other walkers and skiers (langlauf) had made a compact path.


A fen that has not been frozen


The bar is open!



After we had opened the bar, we pitched our tents and we noticed the difference between the carbon fibre tent pole and the aluminium pole. The Aluminium drained all warmth from your hands. After we pitched the tent we cooked our dinner, noting special just boil in the bag dinners. Here again we noticed the difference between two products. Plain Coleman gas and Power gas from Primus. I put my Coleman gas canister it briefly in my pants to heat the gas, it was a new experience, not worth repeating. The Primus gas worked so much faster.

After the dinner we walked back to Katwijk for drinks. When we returned from the bar it began to snow.

When we waked up the next morning my friends tents looked a whole lot smaller. Normal size can be found here



My shelter was also a bit smaller but thank to its shape the snow glide of it. Some random pics:





So after breakfast we packed our gear and headed back to Scheveningen.



After a couple hours we did see the pier again.



So what did I learn?

My sleeping bag is to warm, I used it more like a quilt. Slept under it wearing only my boxer short.

I need some more insulation under my Neo Air. After one night I did melt all the snow under my shelter and I felt sometimes the cold rasing. A thicker EVA mattress will do.

A snow shovel isn't only funny but convenient for clearing your camp spot and digging your friend out.

Bring two pair of liner gloves.

If you are using open trail runners your feet will get wet but stay warm as long as you walking. Better is wearing waterproof socks. My sealskinz socks are worth their weight in gold.

Frozen shoes aren't the best way to start your day.

Discipline is very important! Discipline is very important! Discipline is very important! Put the things away after you used them and don't let them laying around.
Things will get wet and it is very hard to get them dry again.

And probably much more...

Everything Weighs Something.

I'm probably the worst lightweight backpacker ever. I have never and I mean never weight all my gear. Most people start by doing that but not me. So from today I break the ban and start weighting all my gear and start making gear lists.

This weekend I'm going to hike a piece of the North Sea Trail. I'm starting in Den Haag and I will see how far I get. It will be a two day walk and I'm hoping to cover 25-35 kilometres.

I included my packing list in this post, as well as an explanation why I carry certain stuff.



Backpack Golite Jam2: I removed the foambackplate and use the BW folding sleeping pad as a frame. The NeoAir I use for comfort.
Sleeping Bag Marmot Couloir is a bit of an over kill, the weather forecast is minus 5. But this is the only sleeping bag I have that will keep me warm. I have bought it for a trip to Norway.

The Six Moons Design Lunar Solo replaces my Coleman Rigel X2 tent. The Lunar solo I bought on Marktplaats (the Dutch EBay) and used it a couple of nights and I like it better then the Coleman. It isn't bigger but I like the fact that it is higher and that it has a small vestibule.
The Carbon pole I need to put up the tent because I don't use walking sticks.

The North Face Women's Venture Pants. I bought this rain pants sometime ago. I tried them on in the store and it fits fine. When I got home I found out that is was the women’s model.

Quechua Soft Shell Bionnassay. I got those at the Decathlon. The Jacket was €60 and the trousers €50. They are not the lightest soft shells but at that price there are the best. Clever design and very durable. I have them for over a year and they are like new. Washed them a couple of times and they still shed water like on day one. When I'm wearing my soft shell clothing I almost never use my rain gear.

Map and Compass you don't really needs those but I like to have a map with me and I use the mirror on the compass to put my contact in and out.

The reason I packed a saw is that I am hoping to make a fire and a saw is very convenient when your are gathering wood.

If you have any questions or comments about my list. Feel free to ask them.

The Alaska Experiment & Out of the Wild.

With a couple of centimetres of snow the Dutch society comes to a hold. Like Monday when we had the longest traffic jam ever. And yesterday the KNMI, the Dutch national weather forecasting service issued a code orange. Not because of the World Cup bid because the weather would be awful. Nothing happened and on the same day the code orange got repealed. I wonder how other country's cope with snow or winter for that matter.

So on advice of Her Majesty's weather forecasting’s service I stayed home and watched the Alaska Experiment. The story is quite easy a group of nine people gets dropped in the Alaskan wilderness and they have to survive and hike out. The funny part is when you seen what they take with them. Nothing says Ultra light more then a Dutch oven!!



Out of the wild is the second season of the Alaska Experiment the first season is harder to find. But still very nice. The first season is more bush craft then hiking oriented because the people stay in their shelters for three months and you see them preparing for winter.

And for all the Dutch and Belgian followers een fijne Sinterklaas (morgen) en om alvast in de stemming te komen deze klassieker.

Seven ways to pass the time of day

Being unemployed for al most 2 weeks really gets under my skin sometimes so my seven was to past the time of day:

One

Sleeping and getting out of bed.

Two

Go for a run, check my mail, check my favourite websites for news and stuff and check sites like Monsterboard for jobs.

Three

Doing things that should be done a long time a go. So here it goes: My review of the Optimus Crux Lite & Terra Solo Cooking System.

Many many moons ago I participate in het Optimus pass around organised by Hendrik of Hiking in Finland. After a fantastic review by Joe from Thunder In The Night there isn’t much I can add to it but anyway here are my thoughts on it.

The Optimus Crux Lite: What can you say about a stove? It works the way it should. The Optimus stove is faster then and lighter than the stove I was used to, the Markill Hotshot. But I found it harder to let the Optimus stove simmer, it was full on or off. Maybe it was because I wasn’t used to the Optimus. In responding I also didn’t like the control switch.

The Dutch magazine Op Pad reviewed some gas stoves some time ago and called the Optimus Crux as the test winner. You can find the movie which contain the results here.



The Terra Solo Cooking System: I found the pot too small for my needs, if you only use it to boill water it should be fine, but I used it to cook a cheap 5 minute pasta meal from the supermarket which requires 0,5 litres of water and it won’t fit in one go. The pot is designed to fit a 110 gram gas cartridge, but I found it quit hard to find a 110 gram cartridge, my locale outdoor store only sells 220 or bigger. I can’t blame the pot for that but. But still. The bigger cartrigdes are also cheaper to use and it reduce your waste. The lid of the pot is a nice options but I don’t think somebody will ever use it as a fry pan because it is way to small. I argee which Joe and I think it would be better if they make the pot bigger and dropp the fry pan lid.

So if it was the reall world and it was my own money I wouldn’t buy the set. For the same amount of money I would get Primus Litech one litre pot. It is a bit heavier but also bigger. I think it would be more usefull. Or save a bit longer and buy instead of the Primus Litech a titanium pot. The stove is fine I think you must getting used to it.

Four

Planning weekend trips, thinking about thru hiking the Pieterpad, the original Dutch long distance hiking trail and making and modifying my gear. Examples and trip reports will follow...

Five

Check mail, check my favourite websites for news and stuff and check sites like Monsterboard for jobs. Again.

Six

Cooking, since I'm home a cook a lot. Not only fancy things like Boeuf Bourgoin. But I'm also creative with couscous for when I'm out on the trail. And making other trail foods likes snacks and non couscous dinners.

Seven

watching this clip on YouTube and waiting...

GlobeWelt Köln 2010

Last weekend I went to the Globetrotters Globewelt in Köln. It was the first edition of this event. And I’m looking forward to next year.



I was hoping for an event like the outdoorshow in Friedrichshafen only a bit smaller, but it’s was al little too small for my taste. But anyway I had great time visiting the different stands. I didn’t go to any of the presentations, my German isn’t that good. But at the show I got a lot of information and inspiration for new trips. After visiting the Globewelt. We went to the Globetrotter store in Köln, six floor filled whit only outdoor gear. It was a gear junkie heaven. I had to controle myself and my credit card. And the end of the day I only bought A Primus MicronStove Ti that was on offer and a folding Nalgene bottle.

So all in all it was a great day indoor outdoor.