Welcome to Fjordland Part 1: Party on the Mountain

I have reiterated just how beautiful Norway is over and over and will continue to do so in this particular article as well. I am in constant awe as I drive around Oslo because the city itself is set on the edge of a fjord and surrounded by wooded hills and small mountains. Commenting on the beauty of this city to Norwegians is always met with a scoff. Every Norwegian tells me Oslo is ugly and that I need to get out and explore more of Norway. After hearing this for the last four months I decided to take their advice. On Dec. 17, one of my best friends, David Blue, came from North Carolina to visit and join me on an expedition through Norway.

I was extremely excited to spend the holidays in Norway, but I was even more excited when David booked his flight to spend eight days with me in this magical Nordic land. David arrived the afternoon of the 17th, just a few hours before my last game before a holiday break. That game was all that was separating me from my planned adventure and a much-needed three weeks off.

For the first part of our road trip, I had planned to head north into the mountains for a weekend of skiing. Usually skiing is a big "no-no" for a basketball player and oftentimes not allowed either by the coach, club or in the player's contract. However, living in Norway where everyone is practically born with skis strapped to their feet, I was given the ok with strict instructions to be careful both on mountains and the roads.

An early 6:30 a.m. start to the day and we were off on our adventure. Joining us on our ski trip was my friend Knut, who was one of my first friends upon arriving in my new home. The drive north is about two hours and the driving conditions were dark, foggy and wet. Daylight slowly started to creep into the sky around 8:40 and we finally saw the sun pop up as we arrived into the ski town of Hemsedal. After getting settled into our apartment and getting all our equipment, it was time to hit the slopes.

Knut being Norwegian has his own gear and has been on a mountain every winter since he was able to walk. David started snowboarding at in high school and lived out in Colorado for a few months. They were my guides and my lifelines, as I had not been on skis since I was 10 years old and really had no idea what I was getting myself into. Putting the skis on was a bit of struggle, and as soon as they were secured, I looked like Bambi on ice. It took me all of 20 seconds to lose my balance and fall flat on my backside. I continued to make every newbie mistake possible; forgetting my lift pass, falling on the T-bar lift, dropping a pole on the chair lift and having the general look of giraffe on roller skates.

After a couple hours of struggling, my "natural athletic" abilities took over and I was able to control where I was going and even t-stop. By the time I really got the hang of it, it was time to head in for lunch. After a nice meal with the boys, we made our way back out for a few more runs down the mountain and to experience our first After-Ski.

For those not familiar with ski culture, After-Ski is a social gathering with food and drinks that comes directly after a day on the mountain has concluded. Depending on where you are in the world, After-Skis usually consist of some food, a couple of adult beverages and then everyone heads home to relax after a hard day on the mountain. In Scandinavia, After-Ski is a time to eat, drink and party, which is exactly what we did.

It was about 3:30 p.m. and the sky was now very dark, as my two friends and I removed our skis and walked into the first pub located halfway up the mountain. Upon entering, we were hit with the sounds of a live band rocking out in a foreign tongue, and several Swedes and Nords happily bobbing their heads and sipping on beer. Everyone was still in full ski gear with beaming smiles because they are in their natural habitat. The afternoon was filled with lots of laughter, drinks and dancing -- both on the dance floor and the tables. I have been known to enjoy shaking my oversized ginger booty from time to time and joined in the good time that was being had by all.

After what seemed to be several hours of dancing, David, Knut and I decided it was time to make dinner and recover. That evening we enjoyed a nice, relaxed evening out at a couple of local bars in this small mountain town and hit the sheets relatively early so we could start bright and early the next morning.

The mountain was relatively quiet since we were still early in the season but it was considerably more crowded our second day on the hill. Thankfully, I got my ski legs under me and made all my newbie mistakes the day before. After a full day of skiing, Knut left due to family obligations, while David and I found ourselves at the same watering hole as the previous night. Everyone was in full ski gear and in full party mode. Dancing, drinking, and an all around good time was being had by all, as the sun began to set over the mountain at 3 p.m. After one last round of drinks people began to pile out of the bar and strap on their skid and head to Church.

Church is one of the best After-Ski clubs in the world and for good reason. It is a full-blown nightclub at the base of the mountain. Everyone of course is still in their ski gear as they all pile into the club. There is no need for a dance floor as the whole place is filled with tables and benches that are reinforced with thick steel to hold the weight of hundreds of people standing on them. Beautiful Nords and Swedes are stomping on the table, beer is being thrown everywhere and it is a complete mosh pit of Scandinavian happiness at 5 in the afternoon.

Things began to slow down around 7, as people were now hungry and needed a small break. David and I took a short walk back to our lodgings and enjoyed a great meal and recapped the unexpected craziness that we partook in that afternoon. After dinner we befriended our neighbors and got a few great suggestions on places we should see and roads we should take over our next three days of running around Norway. Once again we stepped out to enjoy a little more partying, which ended around 2:30 in the morning. Upon return, pizza was made and then it was off to sleep, for we had some ground to cover the next morning.

Since my days at Madison, I really only let loose a few times a year. Norwegian After-Ski is legendary and despite being a very low census weekend, it completely lived up to the hype. If you are looking for some holiday fun on the slopes, I highly recommend skiing in Scandinavia. The people are beautiful, the slopes are amazing and it is one the few places where Norwegians come out of their shell.

On my next blog I will take you through the next three days of our adventures through Western Norway and how we almost did not make it out alive.