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Being an adept sailor is practically a requirement for the upper classes in Norway. The maritime culture is in the DNA of the country. The king himself is a wor

• tormeh 12y ago
  Don't forget walking fast on skis. It's a weird place...
  • arethuza 12y ago
    Also "walking fast on skis" and then shooting things: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biathlon http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biathlon
    • tormeh 12y ago
      I don't think that's a thing normal people do. Rich Norwegians don't shoot much with guns, neither for hunting nor otherwise. It's at best a lower-class or farmer thing. Combining it with skis is really only done in the military and professional sports.
      • reitanqild 12y ago
        > Rich Norwegians don't shoot much with guns, neither for hunting nor otherwise. Disagree, - some of them are well known for it. Unrelated to parent but still interesting: As far as I know Norway has (had?) one of the most well armed populations in the world. They learned a lesson after WW2 and until late 90ies weapons (G3-s at that time) and ammunition where stored in private homes (at least three of my best friends from childhood grew up with those in the house.)
        • arethuza 12y ago
          Per 100 people the level in Norway at 31.3 is slightly less than Sweden (31.6) but much less than the US (90) and much more than the UK (6.6): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Number_of_guns_per_capita_by_country http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Number_of_guns_per_capita_by_co... NB Not trying to make a point - just found your comment interesting, looked up the numbers and thought I would share them!
          • reitanqild 12y ago
            Thanks! I thought we were at about the same level as US so this was interesting to me as well.
            • wtbob 12y ago
              Average ownership rates don't tell the whole story, of course: there are a lot of Americans with many guns and a lot with none, whereas other countries might have a more even rate. Percentage of households with firearms would be interesting; median ownership would be interesting too.
  • dagw 12y ago
    Walking fast on skis is a requirement of everyone.
  • Dewie 12y ago
    It's more functional than "going down a slope on skis, fast", at least. :)
    • arethuza 12y ago
      Actually, don't the Norwegians have their own way of doing that as well? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telemark_skiing http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telemark_skiing
      • Dewie 12y ago
        Of course, since it predates modern carving skis for alpine skiing ;) I can't imagine skiing with stiff carving boots in the age before the ski lift.
      • danpat 12y ago
        The telemark turn is more stable than other methods, particularly in soft snow, when your boots aren't attached at the back, which is necessary for efficient movement on flat and uphill areas. The introduction of lifts opened up exploration of specialized equipment just for descending, leading to the fixed alpine boot and popularity of the parallel turn.