Oslo 2011: Folkefesten, Kollenbrølet and the Spectator Experience

The FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in Oslo, Norway have come to a close. This is the Super Bowl of Nordic skiing. Some athletes would put it on the same level as the Olympics. Cross-country skiing is a somewhat obscure sport (or well kept secret, depending on how you look at it) in the United States and is easily shadowed by mainstream sports like football. But the story is much different in this snowy Scandinavian nation- Norway is the birthplace of the cross-country skiing and the Norwegian people whole-heartedly embrace the ski culture.

I came into the World Championships from an interesting perspective. Although I've lived in Oslo for six months, I still consider myself to be a foreigner to this scene in many aspects- I wasn't born here, I have only minimal Norwegian language skills, and I have never been to a professional cross-country ski race before a month ago. In other ways, however, I feel at ease- I have spent a lot of time skiing on the trails that the athletes were racing on, I can easily navigate the city to find the in-town events, I'm able to understand enough Norwegian to get the gist of directions or announcements, and I can recognize the Norwegian athletes and know their racing histories.

"Folkefesten" was the buzzword of the week. The translation isn't too difficult; it means "festival of the people." The term incorporates that atmosphere along side the race course, in town during the medals ceremony, and in the woods, where thousands of people camped out. "Kollenbrølet" is another term that was thrown around during the competition. It refers to the roar of the spectators at Holmenkollen, and it's no myth. In fact, when the wind was just right, the Kollenbrølet echoed off the buildings of the student village where I live, 4 km away as the crow flies. Don't believe me? I wouldn't have either before I was part of it.

There is no doubt that the events at Holmenkollen during the FIS Nordic Ski World Championships were incredible. Let's take a look at the numbers:

• 2,000+: The number of volunteers helping to coordinate the events
• 20: The number of medals that host country, Norway, earned over the course of 11 days
• 10: The number of medals that the runner-up country, Austria, earned over the 11 days

• 275,000: The number of tickets sold for the championships.
• 300,000: The number of spectators who watched from the forest.
• 650,000: The number of people who attended the Medals ceremonies during the course of the competitions. (Twice the number that organizers expected!)

• 2 hours, 8 minutes, 9 seconds: The finishing time of Petter Northug, winner of the 50K skate competition
• 44 seconds: The amount of time that Therese Johaug won by in the 30K skate, besting teammate Marit Bjørgen. This was Bjørgen's only loss of the entire championships. She came home with 4 gold medals and one silver.

The scale of the event really sunk in when I was standing beside the trail last Saturday. The crowd had continued to grow since I arrived and secured my spot, and I watched the enthusiastic Norwegians find their places along the race course. I was shoulder to shoulder with Norwegians, all of us trying to keep warm with thermoses of hot drinks. The slope opposite from me was completely covered, with only specks of white snow peeking through through the sea of Norwegian flags and snowsuit-clad, face-painted children. You know that you are part of something incredible when the athletes who are previewing the course come by taking a video of the crowds!

When NRK asked Norwegian readers what the most memorable moments of the Championships were, there were only two complaints: Tåte and T-bane (translated: Fog and Metro). The foggy conditions made headlines but didn't cancel any of the events, even the ski jumping. It didn't make the best spectating conditions, but that didn't stop fans from heading to the woods! Below is a video of the leaders of the women's pursuit race on one of the foggiest days at Holmenkollen.

Ski parking at Frognerseteren

The T-bane made the list because the transportation network struggled to handle the flood of spectators. It's no small job to accommodate for half of a million visitors while trying to keep the rest of the city running as well! Overall, my experience with the transportation sector was fine- there were some delays and packed T-bane cars, but nothing outrageous. That wasn't the case for everyone. Some people missed the competitions that they had tickets to because the subway was so overloaded. My solution- ski to the events! But others had figured that one out. The trails were almost as busy as the T-bane lines, but at least we were breathing fresh air and had some elbow room...

It was an incredible experience to be part of the World Championships, and to have it hosted in Oslo made the experience that much better. I savored every moment that I was standing along the course, commuting the the race via ski trails, and sipping hot chocolate with fellow Norwegian fans. It was not only the athletic performances that stand as memorable moments but the atmosphere and enthusiasm of the Norwegian spectators. I will look back fondly on this experience for years to come!

Additional Links:

FasterSkier's spectator experience article
NRK's picture slideshow