Meet our Sknow Experts: Åsbjørn Haualand — “…the number of skiing days you have is practically a measure of success in life”
Meet one of our Sknow Experts, Åsbjørn. He is an engineer by trade, but now works as a consultant in Bergen. Once living the dirtbag ski bum lifestyle, he is now proud to be a weekend warrior. Åsbjørn shared with Think Outside, “I am lucky to have work flexibility that allows me to take a longer weekend trip in the mountains when the conditions are good.”
Åsbjørn’s love of the outdoors started when he was a teenager, and he has continued to foster joy from the outdoors ever since. He doesn’t discriminate when it comes to the types of skiing he enjoys; he’ll go uphill, downhill, cross-country, fast and slow. “My friends and I have a saying, the number of skiing days you have is practically a measure of success in life,” Åsbjørn jokes.
Åsbjørn’s favourite skiing area is Sunnmøre. “I always end up taking several trips to Sunnmøre each year. The area boasts many alpine opportunities that offer that the peace and mental clarity you can only find in the mountains,” Åsbjørn says. “The area is becoming more popular, but you can still find areas of solitude and serenity. Plus, the people you meet from Sunnmøre are especially nice.”
Through his skiing experience, Åsbjørn has witnessed lots of bad weather and avalanches. “I don’t have one particular risky episode in mind, but when you travel with other large groups you hear about these memorable, scary events in the mountains.”
Åsbjørn has followed Sknow’s development through the start-up scene in Bergen. “[Sknow] is relevant to my work and aligns with my personal interests,” Åsbjørn shares. “I’m excited to play with a new product that could change my mindset as a skier. It’s especially cool that it changes my risk-management in the mountains, allowing me to measure and reduce my risk in a new way. It’s nothing like gadgets available today.”
Åsbjørn thinks the new data available is the most interesting part of Sknow. “[It would be great if] the data the users will generate could be open source such that they can complement other services offered by Varsom, Yr, and so on.” Åsbjørn is excited by the fact that Sknow is designed by alpine enthusiasts in Bergen. He thinks Sknow will be able to help the average skier make better-informed decisions according to own risk tolerance, before the accidents occur. But for this to be possible the Sknow technology must be user-friendly and be precise in its predictions, Åsbjørn emphasises.
Think Outside asked Åsbjørn for any advice he could share for safe travels in the winter alpine environment. Åsbjørn advises, “Go through the safety checklist. Know your ski partners’ experience and physical conditioning, make sure everyone has the correct equipment, check the weather and conditions, and have alternative routes planned if conditions change. Having all of these boxes checked will be the most important safety factor. Also, be aware of the cognitive biases that can affect skiers.” Finally, Åsbjørn says “Your touring group should have an open and honest dialog where everyone’s opinion matters, and I think that Sknow is an important enabler to make this easier.”
Think Outside is thrilled to have Åsbjørn as one of our Sknow Experts and is looking forward to a productive collaboration!
