Downhill biking for a 37th birthday...
... and some sightseeing. Crazy ideas should be realized as long as you're young! Downhill biking was such an idea that Micha had on his bucket list, and which day could fit better than an mid-to-end-30s birthday?! Also - on any other day he just could't convince me. But who can say no to a honest birthday wish?
The largest bike park around Oslo is about 2.5 hours north, close to Lillehammer: the Hafjell bike park. Proper sturdy downhill bikes and an all-body-protection armor (which you really wanna have!) can be rented at the park. Two lifts bring you to the top of the several km long downhill trails, with difficulties reaching from super easy all-family trails to expert-level world cup trails.
We preferred the intermediate trails, which were the perfect mix of sufficient adrenalin but no death-wish feelings. I was very surprised to realize which difference a proper downhill bike makes compared to my normal hardtail. Several times when a stone, log, or a sudden bend was unexpectedly in my path I thought that this is the moment when I kiss the ground. But funny enough it never really happened - the bike just handled the situation and I continued rolling downhill. And admittedly - it was a lot of fun! However, similar as with downhill skiing - having a lift transporting you up the mountain does't mean that just going downhill is not exhausting. After a couple of hours my arms started to weaken and my neck began to hurt. Before a real crash happened, we called it a day - a very successful day! Downhill biking won't be my favorite sport from now on - but I may go again, maybe for my 37th birthday ;)
As it happens, my parents were in Oslo for a visit around the same time, so we combined the downhill biking with a little sightseeing tour to the west coast. Of course - my parents are well past the point where they were young enough for downhill biking, so instead they explored Lillehammer during the time when we were biking. ;)
To recover from a long day, we spend the night at the more than 100 year old "fjell hotel" Hindsæter, a lovely place with a splendid beer selection (and similarly magnificent beer prices as my dad discovered after he generously invited us).
The next day we drove past the Stavkirke "Lom", a traditionally wooden church that dates to approximately the second part of 12th century, across the Djupvatnet pass, down to the famous Geiranger fjord, and in the afternoon we reached the picturesque town of Ålesund. We meandered through the streets lined with Art Nouveau architecture and climbed to the lookout on Aksla mountain.
The second night we spent close to one of Micha's and my favorite Yeti overnight-parking sites. We discovered this awesome spot during one of our previous tours, but with four in the car we had to pick a hotel close by in Fosnavåg. Nevertheless we came back to this wild place at the coast to share a bottle of wine as a nightcap.
From Fosnavåg we picked the most scenic route via the mirroring Jølstravatnet and the "Borgund" Stavkirke back to Oslo.
... and some sightseeing. Crazy ideas should be realized as long as you're young! Downhill biking was such an idea that Micha had on his bucket list, and which day could fit better than an mid-to-end-30s birthday?! Also - on any other day he just could't convince me. But who can say no to a honest birthday wish?
The largest bike park around Oslo is about 2.5 hours north, close to Lillehammer: the Hafjell bike park. Proper sturdy downhill bikes and an all-body-protection armor (which you really wanna have!) can be rented at the park. Two lifts bring you to the top of the several km long downhill trails, with difficulties reaching from super easy all-family trails to expert-level world cup trails.
We preferred the intermediate trails, which were the perfect mix of sufficient adrenalin but no death-wish feelings. I was very surprised to realize which difference a proper downhill bike makes compared to my normal hardtail. Several times when a stone, log, or a sudden bend was unexpectedly in my path I thought that this is the moment when I kiss the ground. But funny enough it never really happened - the bike just handled the situation and I continued rolling downhill. And admittedly - it was a lot of fun! However, similar as with downhill skiing - having a lift transporting you up the mountain does't mean that just going downhill is not exhausting. After a couple of hours my arms started to weaken and my neck began to hurt. Before a real crash happened, we called it a day - a very successful day! Downhill biking won't be my favorite sport from now on - but I may go again, maybe for my 37th birthday ;)
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As it happens, my parents were in Oslo for a visit around the same time, so we combined the downhill biking with a little sightseeing tour to the west coast. Of course - my parents are well past the point where they were young enough for downhill biking, so instead they explored Lillehammer during the time when we were biking. ;)
To recover from a long day, we spend the night at the more than 100 year old "fjell hotel" Hindsæter, a lovely place with a splendid beer selection (and similarly magnificent beer prices as my dad discovered after he generously invited us).
The next day we drove past the Stavkirke "Lom", a traditionally wooden church that dates to approximately the second part of 12th century, across the Djupvatnet pass, down to the famous Geiranger fjord, and in the afternoon we reached the picturesque town of Ålesund. We meandered through the streets lined with Art Nouveau architecture and climbed to the lookout on Aksla mountain.
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The second night we spent close to one of Micha's and my favorite Yeti overnight-parking sites. We discovered this awesome spot during one of our previous tours, but with four in the car we had to pick a hotel close by in Fosnavåg. Nevertheless we came back to this wild place at the coast to share a bottle of wine as a nightcap.
From Fosnavåg we picked the most scenic route via the mirroring Jølstravatnet and the "Borgund" Stavkirke back to Oslo.
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