It’s The Most Dangerous Time of The Year In Norway
And 6 tips to help you survive
This is my first winter in Norway. Before that, I lived 6 years in Denmark where it barely ever snowed. As I was enjoying the beauty of the snowy days in my suburbian Norwegian life, soon came the disaster of the frozen world. Where one moment of distraction, one moment of hurry can break you down.
As I was rushing out to the Oslo train for a good social moment with my friends, it hit me. Like a naive bambi, I started slipping on the ice of my driveway for a moment that felt like forever, trying to find my balance in vain and fell miserably on the icy ground. My 10 years of ice skating carrier did not help me in any way.
So if you are a newbie like me in Norway or a curious tourist ready to brave Norwegian winter, here my 6 tips to survive and avoid critical accidents:
1. Buy shoe spikes and walk like a penguin
Probably the most valuable item of your winter garderobe is a good pair a shoe spikes. Plug them in as you go out and plug them out when you go indoor again. It’s a no brainer: with spikes, you will feel like you can do anything. And trust me, don’t even try to find the best ‘non slip rubber sole’ for winter shoes. It won’t save you from falling. It somehow helps the norwegian kids not falling so much when they run around in an icy playground (yes, norwegian kids run confidently on ice without spikes, still a mistery that I need to crack) but they still fall.
I even slipped with my Sorels that I thought were ready for the winter war. They were not.
One thing to remember: wearing shoe spikes won’t make you fully bambi-fall proof so stay alert when walking outside in any circumstance. Learn how to walk like a penguin: small steps, lowering down your center of gravity and get your hands out of the pockets to help you keep your balance.
2. Layers, layers, layers
I won’t stress it enough, if you plan on living anywhere in Scandinavia and avoid getting sick: wear layers. And by layers I mean wool layers. At least the first one of two. I can say confidently that two layers of wool on top and one layer of wool under my jeans makes -10°C feel like normal temperature.
The good thing about dressing like an onion is that you can still take one layer off during the day when you feel warmer. If you are wearing inappropriate clothing, you will feel cold the whole day and will never manage to get warm (not dramatic at all).
3. Go outside
This tip might feel a bit counter intuitive but this is probably the best way to get acclimated to the rough winter in Norway. Everyday, go for a walk, get some fresh air in the cold or even try langrenn ski (if you want to feel like a true Norwegian). This will help your body getting used to the temperatures, get some exercise going and help you enjoy the warmth of your home even more.
After a trip outside, there is nothing better than wrapping yourself under the blankets in front of the fire with a warm coffee/cacao/tea.
I really can’t stress enough how the combination of exercise and natural light exposure will save your mental and physical health during the winter days (or nights I should say).
4. Take vitamins
This tip is particularly important as you enter the winter and also the one I struggled the most with. As the days are short and nights are long, the vitamins are your best allies. Vitamin D will help you deal with the lack of sun, vitamin C will help you pump your energy up, iron will help you feel warm and focused, magnesium will help you fight the winter depression and zinc will boost your immune system.
If you don’t want to/can’t buy supplements, you can always find those nutrients in food.
Vitamin D: fat fishes (salmon, sardines, swordfish, tuna…), liver products (the cod liver oil supplements is also a hit in Norway)
Vitamin C: red or green peppers, orange juice, grapefruit, kiwi, broccoli…
Iron: nuts, dried fruits, legumes (beans, lentils, chickpeas), tofu, oats…
Magnesium: seeds (pumpkin or chia is the best), almonds, spinach, cashew nuts, oatmeal…
Zinc: oysters, lamb, beef, crab, cheese (to some extend), almonds…
I’m not a doctor nor a nutritionist so a good habit is to go to your doctor and take a blood test before winter and see your levels and get some indications of your general health and what to focus on.
I met a doctor who once told me that the best was to take vitamins and other nutrients daily on each month finishing by -er. So, you can start as early as September, all the way to December to build a strong and healthy body.
5. Take care of your skin
This is the one we often forget and that can get really painful over time. As a psoriasis carrier, I got a awful loads of skin issues. Under very low temperatures, my skin is getting dryier by the day and starts cracking. It may seem futile but this is my skin to-do list for the winter:
- Fully dry your hands after washing or rinsing them
- Wear gloves when washing dishes
- Moisturize (face and hands) whenever you remember and when you go to bed.
- Wear gloves anytime you are outside
6. Protect your home and be extra careful on the road
This is one of the two reasons why almost broke my hip in my driveway (after not wearing spikes). We had tons of snow for two or three weeks and when it melted, it turned into a thick layer of ice, and we didn't protect our home straight away. As car accidents often happen in the 10 km around your home, because you are less vigilant, the same rule applies for wintertime slips and falls.
So here is how you can do it and avoid a critical fall around your own home:
- When it snows, shovel it away from the main path and start using gravel, salt, sand or coffee grounds to put over the ice.
- If it snows over it, repeat the operation whenever you can.
- Add handrails/ropes to make you feel more safe leaving/coming back home.
- Check that your staircase is not slippery, prevent ice from forming or add a metal step.
- Alternatively, melt the ice away using hot water (with soap) and brush the water away so it won’t ice again overnight.
Speaking of car accidents, winter time is also the most dangerous time of the year when you are driving. If you are unexperienced driver on snow/ice like myself, there is two capital rules: 1/Don’t break suddenly 2/Drive slowly and don’t accelerate when you are about to make a turn. This could avoid you to accidentally drive into your neighbour’s fence (for example).
So here it is, my 6 most essential tips to survive the winter in Norway. I hope they can save some of you from falling and hurting yourself badly. I will now go back to my educator life and brave the ice-covered playground for recess duty. Wish me luck!
