Now a proud resident of the Kingdom of Norway, I see it as my duty to take part in all the crazy outdoor activities that the locals so enthusiastically tell me about. So, after just five months on Norwegian soil, I took part with my father in this year's Downhill Kick Sled World championship, as the only French representatives of the competition...
Called Spark in Norwegian, the Norwegian kick sled is a beautiful balance between utter flimsiness and aggressive ice carving, between old style traditional craftsmanship and modern minimalism.
So, with basically no training, we flung ourselves on a spark down 4.5km of icy winding roads on the hills of Hurdal at up to 40km/h, an honourable speed considering how little control we could exert on our trajectory. Here's an overview of our performance in all its helmet-cam glory:
Glad to have survived this trial, we will be starting the training for next year's championship as soon as the first snow hits the Norwegian hills.
