Life jackets (Redningsvester)

There are three basic types of life jackets: permanent buoyancy life jackets, inflatable life jackets and buoyancy aids.

Permanent buoyancy life jackets (redningsvester) are the traditional type, and consist of a vest filled with blocks of plastic foam and fitted with a buoyancy collar and a harness devised to keep an unconscious person face-up in water. They are recommended for small children and general safety wear, as when working or fishing near water.

Inflatable life jackets (oppblåsbar redningsvester) are slimmer than permanent buoyancy life jackets and consequently are favoured in boating. The basic design resembles that of the life jackets on board commercial airliners and life jackets are available for manual inflation or automatic inflation (automatisk oppblåsbar) from a compressed carbon-dioxide cartridge.

Buoyancy aids (flyttevester) for active water sports are designed to help a conscious wearer stay afloat in water.

Up to eight sizes of life jackets are available, from baby (0-20 kg) up to large adult (over 70 kg). In buying, be sure that a life jacket has CE marking (Chapter 30), which indicates that it is manufactured according to European standards. There are four CE categories, according to the buoyancy force of a life jacket measured in Newtons (abbreviated N; 10 Newtons is about 1 kg):

• 50N buoyancy aid, suitable for capable swimmers; provides only support to a conscious wearer.
• 100N life jacket, suitable for swimmers; for use in relatively calm waters; not guaranteed to self-right an unconscious wearer in rough water.
• 150N life jacket, suitable for swimmers and non-swimmers in all but the most severe weather conditions.
• 275N life jacket, suitable for swimmers and non-swimmers in severe conditions when heavy waterproof clothing is worn.

Life jackets are sold by sports shops, boating supply shops and insurance companies as well as by some newspapers in connection with summertime water safety campaigns. Two of the leading brands are Helly Hansen of Norway and Crewsaver of the UK. If you seldom need a life jacket, you may consider renting one: in cities and towns along the coast, the fire brigade stations (brannstasjoner) have life jackets available for rental.

Light tracks and head lamps (Lysløyper og hodelykter)

The winter sun sets early, but cross-country skiers can continue to ski in the late afternoon and evening because maintained ski tracks are illuminated as are streets, with lamps fixed to poles. Many lead to woodland lodges that are open in the evenings and on weekends to serve refreshments to skiers, and all are free for public use. Accordingly, they are marked on local street maps as well as recreational maps, by red lines with small round dots at intervals of about half a centimetre. Not even the Norwegian Mapping Authority knows how many light tracks there are in the country, but some estimates place the total at several hundred, with a total length of several thousand kilometres. In surveys of the accessibility of leisure activities conducted by Statistics Norway, light tracks are as nearby as are swimming pools. For the average resident throughout the country, the nearest light track is no more than 6 km away, and for city dwellers, the figure is 4.3 km. The greater Oslo area has the country’s greatest concentration of light tracks, some 190 km in all. Skiers who wish to ski beyond the light tracks after dark can light their own way using battery-powered head lamps. Several models of high-tech head lamps fitted with tungsten-halogen bulbs are available in sport shops throughout the country; the two leading brands are Mila and Silva.

Marina (Marinaer, lystbåthavn)

There are innumerable islands and harbours along the coast, so you need not tie on at a marina for an overnight stop unless you need to be ashore for shopping, sightseeing, laundry, charging the batteries or visiting a restaurant. Marinas are found in coastal towns and cities where boat owners keep their boats. Boat owners are usually members of a båtforening (boat club). Activities at these clubs take place mainly during the week with sailing lessons and competitive races. Most boat owners live relatively close to where they keep their boats and the working day and long summer evenings make boating a popular evening activity during the season. At weekends boats leave the marina to spend the weekend at a favourite bay or just exploring. Rates and facilities at marinas with visitors’ berths (gjestehavn) vary with most supplying electricity, water, shower, toilet and laundry facilities. Look under foreninger og forbund (sport- og fritidsforneinger) for sailing clubs or marinaer in the Yellow Pages or alternatively ask the tourist information office (turistinformasjon) in the places you wish to visit for recommendations.

Mountain climbing and walking (Fjellsport)

Three-quarters of the country is wilderness, much of it mountainous. Though as rugged as mountains anywhere, the ranges differ from those elsewhere in their lower altitude. The highest peak, Galdhøpiggen, which also ranks as Scandinavia’s loftiest, has a summit elevation of 2,469 metres, puny on the customary scale of mountain might. But many peaks tower 1,000 to 1,500 metres from their bases, which puts them on a par with the Alps of central Europe or the Rocky Mountains of North America. The advantage in Norway is that you can wander above timberline at elevations of 800 to 1,200 metres and enjoy scenery available elsewhere only at twice to thrice the altitude. Closer to timberline, in the surrounding valleys or along the railway lines that cut through the wilderness, there are thousands of cabins and lodges. The mountains are both wild and accessible, a paradise for walkers. There are 19,000 kilometres of marked trails, most with red letter “T” painted on rocks. The “T”s stand for Den Norske Turistforening (DNT), the outdoor wilderness recreation organisation that marks the trails that meet and meander between hytte, which translates as “hut”. But hytte til hytte, or “hut to hut” as Norwegians put it, doesn’t mean that you rough it. Picture a “hut” with 128 to 185 bunks in two-, four- and eight-person rooms, hot showers, toilets, a staffed dining room, a snack bar and several lounges, and you have four of the larger hytte – Finsehytta, Gjendesheim, Glitterheim and Rondvassbu – run by DNT. In all, DNT and its local associations have 411 hytter (the plural) in mountain ranges throughout the country, many open at Easter to lodge skiers on the some 5,000 km of mountain cross-country trails. Membership is not required for staying in DNT hytte, but is a good investment, as the cost is more than offset by the accumulated member discounts of two nights stay. For opening dates, prices, membership, addresses of affiliated associations throughout the country, addresses of membership agents abroad, contact DNT, Storgt 3, PO Box 7 Sentrum, 0101 Oslo, www2.turistforeningen.no.

National parks (Nasjonalparker)

Parks, preserves and other protected areas together comprise more than a tenth of the area of the country. There are 23 national parks, of which 20 are on the mainland and three are on the Svalbard archipelago. Nine of the National Parks have visitor centres.

The public right of access ensures that the Parks may be used for recreation. Indeed, the four in the south central part of the country – Hardangervidda, Jotunheimen, Jostedalsbreen and Rondane – are the principal mountain recreation areas. Brochures on and maps of the parks are available at nearby tourist information centres, and countrywide overviews are available printed and online from The Directorate for Nature Management (Direktoratet for naturforvaltning), Tungsletta 2, 7485 Trondheim, Tel: 73580500, Fax: 73580501, www.dirnat.no, click on “English”.

Private pilot licence (Privatflygersertifikat)

There are two types of private pilot licence (PPL), PPL-A for fixed-wing aircraft and PPL-H for helicopters. Both conform to the European Joint Aviation Requirement and Flight Crew Licensing (JAR-FCL) rules. The Civil Aviation Administration (Luftfartsverket) sets requirements and holds examinations for the licences. An examination for a PPL consists of a practical test of flying skills as well as a theoretical examination. Some 39 aeronautical sports clubs offer flight training for the PPL. You may also study for the PPL theoretical examination by taking a correspondence course offered by the Aeronautical Correspondence School (Luftfartsbrevskolen/NAK). For further details as well as an overview of aero sports, contact the Norwegian aeronautical clubs, Norges Luftsportsforbund/Norsk Aero Klubb, Rådhusgaten 5 B, PO Box 383 Sentrum, 0102 Oslo, Tel: 23010450, www.nak.no, nlf@nak.no.

Public right of access (Allemannsretten)

The public right of access is part of the cultural heritage of the country, embodied in law by the Outdoor Recreation Act (Friluftsloven) of 1957. It sets forth the relationships between recreational and commercial uses of land, and, with few restrictions, it permits the public to roam the countryside, the forests and the mountains even though much of the land may be privately owned. The restrictions distinguish between cultivated land (innmark) and uncultivated land (utmark). Cultivated land includes all tilled land, fields, meadows, gardens, house plots, farmyards and forest planting areas. These areas need not be fenced, but their owners control access to them. Uncultivated land is all other land. The public has the right of access to uncultivated land and, in winter, to frozen or snow-covered tilled land, fields and meadows. This means that you may walk or hike across the land in the summer and ski across it in the winter. In season, on uncultivated land, you may pick wild berries. You may rest, put up a tent, or camp overnight. You may swim, or travel by boat. The right also imposes obligations. You must not damage trees, land or other natural features or buildings, fences and the like. You may build a fire if you wish, but not between 15 May and 15 September, except in the mountains, above timberline. Dogs must be kept on leash from 1 April to 20 August. You can use off-road motor vehicles or snowmobiles only by special permit and not for recreation.

Skateboarding (Rullebrett)

In the late 1970s, when skateboards were first brought in, Norway became the only country in the world to ban their import, sale and use. That ban was rescinded in 1979, and skateboards now are commonplace. The Norwegian Organisation for Skateboarding (Norsk organisasjon for rullebrett) organises events and acts as a clearing house for information on the sport, PO Box 846 Sentrum, 0104 Oslo, Tel: 22098848, Fax: 22098846, www.norb.no/norb.

Skiing (Skisport)

Skiing is so much a part of the life and history of the country that there is no word that sets the sport apart in Norwegian: skisport literally means “the sport of skiing”.

Cross-country skiing is the basic sport, in two varieties: recreational ski touring (turskiløping) and racing (langrenn). Almost all cities and towns have nearby outdoor recreation areas with trails marked for summertime walking and wintertime cross-country skiing, in all about 30,000 kilometres in length. And there are some 2,500 illuminated trails (lysløyper) for skiing after sundown, which is early at the northerly latitude of the country.

Alpine skiing, the prevalent form of the sport in central Europe and North America is called Alpint to distinguish it from the more prevalent cross-country. There are now more than 200 Alpine ski resorts and slopes across the country, many illuminated for night-time skiing and the larger ones with snow-making equipment; check the www.skiinfo.no website for further details.

Ski jumping is principally a competitive sport, but children jump for fun. There are more than 600 ski jumps in the country, from small jumps for neighbourhood use to international-standard ski jumping and ski flying hills.

There are more than 150 ski playgrounds, which are areas specifically designed to let the terrain teach skiing skills. A typical playground will have a small jump, several slalom runs, a cross-country circuit and a mogul run. Children play in the area using ordinary touring skis, and learn skiing skills by negotiating its features.

Oslo unquestionably is the world’s leading capital city in skiing skills and facilities and the only major city in which Olympic Winter Games and World Ski Championships have been held. A large woodland recreation area adjoins the city. Known as Oslomarka (literally “Oslo’s fields”), it is an assemblage of nine contiguous woodlands totalling some 1,700 square kilometres (370,500 acres), about the area of greater London or twice the area of New York City. Here there are 2,500 km of ski trails marked with red painted slashes on trees and rings round sign poles at trail intersections. The total length of the summertime walking trails is even longer; they are marked in blue, the difference being that red-marked trails can cross lakes and marshes frozen in the winter, whilst blue-marked trails cannot. Some 110 km of ski trails are illuminated with their trail heads at car parks or tram stations for ease of after-dark access. All the illuminated trails, as well as some 500 km of other trails are regularly maintained with tracks set by machine. Trail use is free, as cross-country skiing is regarded as part of public recreation. Along the trails, there are some 20 staffed lodges with lounges, cafeterias and toilets; most are open on weekends and during school holidays, and some along the light tracks are open evenings. There are also 16 Alpine skiing lift hills and 48 ski jumps. In Nordmarka just north of the city, lies the Holmenkollen ski jump and arena, where ski meets have been held for more than 100 years. Skiforeningen, Oslo’s largest skier service organisation, has four of the trailside lodges, the Holmenkollen meets and facilities, including the world’s largest ski museum, and numerous programmes, including ski schools for children. For details, contact Skiforeningen, Kongeveien 5, 0390 Oslo, Tel: 22923200, Fax: 22923250, www.skiforeiningen.no, skif@skiforeningen.no.

Snowmobiles (Snøscootere)

Each year, some 3,500 snowmobiles are sold, mostly in northernmost counties and in the Svalbard archipelago in the Arctic. However, sales in the southern part of the country are climbing, despite restrictions on the recreational use of snowmobiles. There is a snowmobile sports magazine online at www.scooternorge.no.

Five makes account for almost all snowmobile sales: Arctic Cat, Lynx, Polaris, Ski-Doo and Yamaha. Look in the Yellow Pages under snøscootere to find the nearest dealer of a particular make. In some parts of the country, such as in the Oslo area, few snowmobiles are sold and there are no separate listings in the Yellow Pages. Look then under motorsykler og mopeder. If you fail to find a dealer or seek a dealer for a make of snowmobile not advertised in the Yellow Pages, contact the Snowmobile Importers Association (Snøscooterimportørenes forening), which maintains an updated list of dealers, Lillosetervn 34, 0957 Oslo, Tel: 22163444, Fax: 22163445, www.snowscooter.no.

Spark (Spark)

In the countryside in winter, some children still ski to school, and many people go about their daily errands on self-propelled sledges. It is these sledges that mark the scene as Nordic in general and Norwegian in particular. More of them are made and used in Norway than anywhere else, and even city centre sport shops stock and sell them along with other winter sports gear. The full name sparkstøtting (“kick and stand”) is descriptive and tells how the spark, the usual abbreviation, is used. The user stands on one foot on one of the two runners and kicks rearwards on the snow between the runners to propel the spark forward. So abroad, the spark is sometimes called a “kick sled”. For kicking on hard snow or ice, the kicking foot can be shod with a small pad of spikes for grip, but otherwise, using a spark requires no special skills or additional equipment. A spark is steered just as is a traditional children’s sledge, by leaning to the side and twisting the handlebars. Likewise, it’s slowed and stopped by dragging the feet. Though a spark can be used for fun, it is no toy. It’s the ultimate simple, basic winter vehicle. It has spring steel runners and a sturdy birch frame fitted with handlebars and a combined seat and baggage platform. Its history is not known exactly. Sledges antedate skis by several thousand years; the oldest known, found in Heinola, Finland, dates from 6500 BC. A variety of types evolved; every village had its sledge maker, and sledges differed as much as did English carts and wagons. The spark probably evolved from simultaneous invention in different places. But most experts credit the first modern design to Sweden. Although the spark may have been invented in Sweden, its tradition has been best preserved in Norway. Two of the world’s four spark manufacturers are Norwegian: Nansen Produkter of Vegårshei and Norø Industri of Tynset. Together, the two make and sell some 30,000 to 35,000 sparks a year, about twice as many as the combined sales of motorcycles, motorbikes and snowmobiles, but only a fifth as many as the sales of new cars. Sparks are so much a part of the winter scene that one poster for the 1994 Olympic Winter Games, held in Norway at Lillehammer, featured the girl and boy mascot figures, Kristin and Håkon, gliding along on a spark, she kicking, he riding. Sparks are even exported in small quantities, to Canada, Germany, Sweden and the USA. Before cars became commonplace in Norway, sparks were sales leaders: in 1950, close to 100,000 were manufactured and sold, half again as many as the total number of cars then registered in the country. Like skis, sparks are made in sizes to suit the user. Size is stated in two ways. Fridtjof Nansen Standard sparks are sized in the traditional way, by the length of a runner, measured from the tail at the rear, along the straight section and around the front upturn of the bow. There are four sizes, stated in feet: 4 1/2, 6, 6 3/4, and 7 1/2 feet – the smallest for children and the largest for adult men. Norø’s traditional Rapp sparks and sturdy steel-frame Tarzan sparks are made in two lengths, 194 cm and 152 cm, but with four sizes of frame and seat, to suit adults and children. All models now made can be demounted and packed flat, for ease of transport and summer storage. The spark is basically a workhorse, but it can be a racehorse as well. Up to the late 1930s, sparkkjøring, a race between sparks drawn by horses, was a popular winter sport. And unofficial Norwegian spark speed championships are still held, on a closed road between Ustaoset and Geilo in the south central mountain range.

Typical spark.

Square dance

There are clubs devoted to American square dancing in six cities: Oslo, Sandvika, Haugesund, Horten, Stavanger and Trondheim. The clubs invite new members, hold dances and teach dancing. For further information and addresses of the clubs, view the Square Dance in Norway website at home.online.no/~lholland/SqDance/index-eng.htm.

Stamp collecting (Frimerkesamling)

There are more than 100,000 stamp collectors in the country, some 30,000 of them as earnest hobbyists or professional collectors. There are more than 50 stamp shops in the country, from larger international dealers to small counters at newsagents, and stamp collecting is a leading indoor hobby. There are stamp clubs in all cities and most towns. For details, contact the Norwegian Philatelic Association (Norsk Filatelistforbund), PO Box 875 Sentrum, 0104 Oslo, Tel: 22208053, Fax: 22208054, www.filatelist.no, nf@filatelist.no.

The Norway Post philatelic service (Postens frimerkertjeneste) sells collectable Norwegian stamps, mostly mail-order, regularly publishes brochures on them, with texts in Norwegian, English, French and German and also issues a periodically updated CD-ROM catalogue of Norwegian stamps, www.posten.no/Portal/Privat/Samlefrimerker.

Tall ships (Fullriggere)

The three Norwegian fully rigged steel sailing ships are the Statsraad Lehmkuhl, the Sørlandet and the Christian Radich. All originally served as maritime cadet training vessels, are now owned by foundations that offer sail training and have taken part in international tall ships races, including the famed Cutty Sark Tall Ships race.

Statsraad Lehmkuhl is the oldest and largest of the three ships and one of the world’s oldest sailing vessels still in service. She was launched in 1914 as the Grossherzog Friedrich August, a training ship for the German merchant marine. In 1923, the ship was bought by a Norwegian group and named after Minister (Statsraad) Kristofer Lehmkuhl, who promoted the use of training ships. Bergen is her home port, Slottsgt 1, 5003 Bergen, Tel: 55301700, Fax: 55301701, www.lehmkuhl.no.

Sørlandet was launched in 1927 as a maritime training vessel. In 1933, she became the first Norwegian training ship to cross the Atlantic, when she sailed to the World’s Fair in Chicago. Kristiansand is her home port, Gravene 6, 4610 Kristiansand, Tel: 38029890, Fax: 38029334, www.fullriggeren-sorlandet.no, stiftelsen@fullriggeren-sorlandet.no.

Christian Radich was launched in 1937 as a replacement for Statsraad Erichsen, then 79 years old. In 1956 she was chartered for six months for the filming of Windjammer in Cinemiracle, a cinematic system using three synchronised cameras, and is still remembered by many as the film-star tall ship. Oslo is her home port, PO Box 666 Sentrum, 0160 Oslo, www.radich.no, postmaster@radich.no.

Veteran cars

There are clubs for almost all marques of older cars and vehicles, as well as a countrywide organisation of them, Landsforbundet av Motorhistoriske Kjøretøyklubber, LMK (“National Association of Historical Motor Vehicle Clubs”), PO Box 6710 Etterstad, 0609 Oslo, Tel: 22670795, Fax: 22670795, www.lmk.no.

A magazine, Norsk Motorveteran, (PO Box 210, 1450 Nessodtangen, Tel: 66910656, Fax: 66910657, norskmo@online.no) is published 10 times a year and sold by newsagents and on subscription. It is devoted to all veteran vehicles, and regularly carries advertisements of firms specialising in parts, restoration and import of veteran cars, motorcycles and other motor vehicles.

A veteran vehicle is defined as one which is more than thirty years old; it may be imported free of import duty and may be registered on “historic” number plates (one letter plus three or more numerals) and is not subject to annual number plate fees. Insurance companies, some in association with LMK, offer veteran car insurance at discount rates, contingent upon limited driving per year. There are more than 100 veteran car and vehicle clubs in the country, all listed on the LMK website.

Veteran railways (Museums jernbaner)

Veteran railways operate at many locations. Some are narrow gauge, which means that the distance between the inner heads of the rails is less than the normal 1,435 mm, the standard in most countries in Europe and in North America. Three veteran railways offer scheduled rail excursion services in the summertime:

• Gamle Vossebanen, the first part of the original Bergen Line opened in 1883 and now trafficked by steam locomotives drawing teak carriages on a normal-gauge line near Bergen; PO Box 638 Sentrum, 5807 Bergen, Tel: 55917780, www.njk.no/vossebanen.
• Krøderbanen, steam locomotives draw teak carriages on a 26 km stretch of line that was part of the main rail network from 1872 to 1985, between Krøderen and Vikersund southeast of Noresund in Buskerud county; 3537 Krøderen, Tel: 32147603, www.njk.no/kroderbanen.
• Setesdalsbanen, steam locomotive draws teak carriages on a 15 km stretch of 1,067 mm narrow-gauge track at Vennesla, 15 north of Kristiansand in Vest-Agder county, Grovane; 4700 Vennesla, Tel: 38156482, Fax: 38156721, www.setedalsbanen.no.

Moreover, the Norwegian Railway Club (Norsk Jernbaneklubb – NJK) operates Heritage Trains (Museumstog) jointly with NSB railways, the Norwegian National Rail Administration (Jernbaneverket), the Norwegian Rail Museum (Norsk Jernbanemuseum) and the Technical Museum (Norsk Teklnisk Museum). These trains may be chartered for excursion trips. For details on them, as well as on all veteran railway activities, contact the Club, PO Box 1492 Vika, 0116 Oslo, Tel: 22270010, Fax: 22271600, www.njk.no, post@njk.no.

Veteran steamships (Veteran dampskip)

Understandably, veteran steamships are a part of the living culture of maritime Norway.

The Skibladner is the world’s oldest paddle steamship still in service. Named after a sailing ship of Nordic mythology and built between 1854 and 1856 by the Motala Shipyard in Sweden as a passenger launch, it entered service in 1856 on Lake Mjåsa, as an extension of the railway which then ended at Eidsvoll. It has been restored several times, most recently in 1983, is 165 feet long and is registered to carry 230 passengers. It now has regularly scheduled tours on Lake Mjøsa six days a week in the summertime. For information and schedules, contact Skiblanderkontoret, Jernbanegt 2, 2802 Gjøvik, Tel: 61144080, Fax: 61144081, www.skibladner.no.

The Engebret Soot is the world’s oldest propeller-driven steamship still in service. Named after the man who designed the canal system branching out from Halden and built between 1861 and 1862 by the Nyland Shipyard in Norway as its No. 1 ship, it entered service in 1862 as a tug towing timber on the canals. It was fully restored in 1989-1994, is 79 feet long and is registered to carry 50 passengers in its new configuration as an excursion launch. It now has periodic tours on the inland lakes around the Halden Canal system locks at Ørje on the El8 highway close to the Swedish border, starting from the locks just east of town and south of El8. For information, contact Soots Brygge & Café, 1870 Ørje, Tel: 93066444, Fax: 69811511, www.haldenvassdraget.no, turisten@halden.net.

Water skills (Badevett/båtvett/sjøvett)

Many outdoor activities are on or near water, so water skills are vital. Each year, some 150 people drown. That figure is doubly tragic, as almost all drowning can be prevented by learning basic water skills and observing simple water safety rules, including:

• Learn to swim and observe swimming safety. Most swimming pools, listed under svømmehaller og bad in the Yellow Pages, teach swimming, as do many schools, children’s summer camps and the like. The sports consultant (idrettskonsulent) in your local municipality will have the details.
• Learn and practise artificial respiration; first aid courses (Chapter 21) teach it.
• Don’t take alcohol or drugs, before or when swimming or boating. About a third of all adult men who drown are inebriated.
• Be careful on ice in the wintertime; learn to recognise and avoid dangerously thin ice.
• Watch small children; they love to play in water, but have yet to appreciate its dangers.
• Learn boat safety rules.
• Wear a life jacket if you cannot swim, if you are in a boat or if you fish alone from shore or a pier.

For more information, see the water safety publications by Norwegian People’s Aid (Norsk Folkehjelp):

• Vi og vannet (“Us and Water”), a well-illustrated colour brochure on water skills, in Norwegian, Arabic, English, German and Serbo-Croatian versions.
• Jeg og vannet (“Me and Water”), an illustrated primer on water skills for asylum seekers and refugees with no previous water experience.

The brochures, as well as other Norwegian People’s Aid publications on water safety, are available free at municipalities, refugee reception centres and water sports organisations, as well as online at ips.idium.no/folkehjelp.no.