SIV Kurs in Lysefjord - how not to deploy a reserve: Nurhan's take:

Nurhan's take:

Still plenty of snow in the mountains, this is from the reservoir road that heads in towards Langevatn STF cabin. Plenty enough to make a continuous ski trip above 900 m elevation - however it started to rain on the Friday evening when we arrived, and rained on and off the entire weekend. This was unfortunate as the reason for being in Lysebotn was to partake in a misleadingly called paragliding 'safety course', this is a course where you do most things that you never want to do with a paraglider, it's done over water with a rescue boat below, so if you screw up you should manage to throw your reserve parachute, land in the water and be picked up by the rescue boat.

Not the best picture but my mother was with us, course really wasn't her 'cup of tea' although I did ask her if she'd like to do the course as a passenger for a tandem pilot - surprisingly she declined (picture was taken on the way back on the Sunday when heavy rain had caused considerable meltage).

Above picture gives a pretty good idea of how the weekend was. We were staying in 'tentsville' with Per (who's previously looked after the little chap) doing a sterling job with organising a  kitchen tent. Kin slept in the boot of the car or on the grass, small tent below is mine, and I failed to get a picture of Kin standing (wet) inside my tent.

Landing was at the campsite which was cool. Sadly given the conditions most of us didn't manage much air time, plenty of paraventing.

For the other pilots who were wondering why I landed with a reserve parachute jamed between my thighs, I said if I had footage I'd post it. Things went pear shaped for me on exiting the full stall. On releasing the breaks, one arm whipped up and off we went. Now last safety course I should have thrown my reserve, this one I was way too early throwing as I had plenty of height to recover, but believing I was going to go into an unrecoverable spiral dive owning to twisted risers, I tried to throw my reserve, for the pilots amongst you spot the obvious error:

Please see link for how you should throw the reserve:

http://kin-newfie.blogspot.no/2011/03/reserve-packing-nurhan.html

See this is dead easy in the gym, with a whole 100 mm of air between your feet and the ground. SIV course was worth doing purely and simply that if I need my reserve I won't make this mistake again... still it saved me getting wet (well wet from salt water, anyway).

{Post script note, Arvid posted this: http://vimeo.com/44721634   which a link of everyone's flights on the SIV kurs from the ground}.

As stated, way more meltage on the way home:

Rotten snow, crap for skiing, but Kin loved it, complained when we drove by so had to stop and let him have a play.

Water Rescue Course - Nurhan's take:

Nurhan's take:

Last week was spent at a water rescue course in Bergen. Bergen has an environment for this which isn't just Newfies. Above picture is taken ten minutes walk from cabin that my mother and I were staying at, and sadly Kin wasn't allowed in...

This was as far as the scope of his lead let him get. He was fine outside but I'm used to having him about and was a bit worried having him sleeping outside in a new place, that said he was fine the two evenings that he slept outside, although on returning home he didn't want to go in the back garden if the door wasn't going to be open.

He was a bit skeptical on the ferry, which is a surprise as we've been on plenty. On the way back to Stavanger the little chap wouldn't get out of the car, but think this was more to do with the fact that he was tired. Lots of new experiences for him.

Sadly I don't have very many pics of him on the actual course, mainly owing to the fact that I was in the water training with him. Here I'm in the water trying to convince him to join me directly off the pontoon. Diving is something that he's never done before. Karma (my old Newfie) 'managed' it once, he was about four months at the time and was on a jetty and he was leaning out to inspect ducks (Karma inspected everything, he even once swallowed a stinging jelly fish...) and being only four months old he was a bit clumsy and over balanced and managed to land on his back in the water with all four legs in the air!

Shortly after the above picture was taken, Kin decided to join me:

If you look carefully you can see some black fur just above the water's surface, this was Kin's first ever dive!

Then I had to sprint, as Kin doesn't believe that I should be in the water and his response verges on panic until I am out of the water. Try to distract him as much as you like, but it makes no difference, he's totally focused on me and swims straight to me, claws and all, when he arrives he doesn't know what to do, so keeps pawing me, which as his paws are bigger than my hands and his nails are considerably longer, isn't the most pleasant of experiences.

What he should do is this:

This is another Newfie, Odin, towing Unni in.

Not sure which dog the above is.

 Above is a Newfie.

 This and the next three pics are the same Leon Berger

 The above and the below pictures are a Spanish Water Dog, had a Portuguese WD as well on the course.

 Never seen a German Shepherd, doing this but he was good.

 Next three are a Newfie.

 Below is another Leon Berger.

Amazingly enough did manage to get Kin to pass his SoR (Swimming and Rescue Test), amazing because part of the test is to rescue the owner; some creative thinking from the instructors, Inger-Anne, and Hanne actually managed to get Kin (reluctantly) to tow me in. Kin & I now have some things to work on.

Now despite the sun, it wasn't hugely hot, which can amply be seen by the choice of summer garment Unni is wearing:

My wardrobe is definitely missing one of these fine garments! Says he typing this up in the evening when it's a sweltering 6 deg C outside (not including windchill...).

Now all Newfies are cute, but I really wanted to bring this little lady home:

Nina, I think is four months old - this colour of Newfie is known as a Landseer, after a British painter of the same name who had this coloured Newfie's and was good at getting them in his paintings (as opposed to most Newfies who are good at being painted - wooden houses in Norway need regular painting on the outside, and  Newfies being naturally curious isn't always the best combination!

I'd like to say a big 'thank-you' to the instructors and the participants (two & four legged) who made this so much fun.

This is Kin relaxing after a hard day of trying to keep me out of the water!

Skiing to Kjerag, grating, everyone has an opinion, carry bags, Nurhan's take:

Nurhan's take:

We had a week of sweltering weather, that ended on the 28th of May. This picture is taken by Espen, of me on the 27th of May where the temperatures down on the fjord (1000 m lower) is in the region of 26 deg C. Sun burnt calf muscles!

At this point Kin was excavating new holes in the garden, await Jan to come and take him out for his third walk of the day. Above trip was 15 km ski trip:

with David, May, & Espen (from foreground to background). We skied from the road, 

Over three lakes.

still plenty of snow. 

And right up to Kjerag:

Boulder is just in the crack by my left arm. Man on right is taking the 'classic photo' of someone standing on the boulder. Man is on rotten snow, which gets worse as the season goes on, and in my opinion is approaching the same level of danger as standing on the boulder.

Which is an easy step. Thanks to Espen for the above three pictures.


And no write up of a trip to Kjerag is complete without mentioning Pluto. Pluto was a Spaniel who had been taken to Kjerag with his Mistress. Pluto managed to fall down a crack, and could be heard, but not seen. Attempts to reach her failed. Her distraught owner could do nothing, and had to return to Egersund. There was speculation in the paper that folk would hear the dog barking for many years and in all likelihood the dog was dead...  She wasn't. After 13 days two folk reached her and rescued her; she was checked by a vet and found to be well (water running down the crack, and people who had heard the barks had thrown food down). That evening they knocked on the lady's door and you can imagine that scene! This link is by one of the persons involved in the rescue and has links to Norwegian sites for more details, great story, with a great outcome:


http://marek.vokac.org/Pluto/Pluto_Story.htm

Shorts have gone back in the cupboard, which Kin doesn't like as it means no naked flesh to lick, but he does like as it means that the temperature is colder, six degrees C on taking him out this morning, add in wind chill and that makes it not at all warm.

Now Kin has passed 18 months, I'm trying him with this rucksack for easy trips. Plan on taking a small walking tour with him and camping out somewhere. This trial has so far not been so effective as you put these on and he then runs into things to try and get them off, lots of rolling around on his back, will have to have a think as to how to get him happy about wearing these.

This pic does not capture the place were we are, there is a 1/2 moon above his head which you completely miss, and the great thing about this is it was a short drive after work with some folk from work to go climbing. Today I was about as good at climbing as Kin was, I managed to make it up the access path and that was about it! Kin is very agile, but I regretted taking him up the access path as there were lots of sections with scree, and he could get injured trying to negotiate these sections. Still he was very happy to try, unlike:

This grating bridge, he could see through the bridge and he completely freaked. We didn't manage to cross it, and the next bridge we came to (that wasn't a grating bridge), he freaked on principal! 

Years ago we took Karma, and Xo on a trip of Norway, and on the way back on the first ferry from Bergen, both dogs were quite happy to go up the grating steps (because they weren't looking down), on the way back Karma was quite happy... but NOT Xo who got to a mezzanine level and then refused to go up or down. By this time we were almost at Stord, and didn't have much time before we had to get off the ferry. Tied Karma up a the bottom of the steps. Xo was barking which set Karma off. I went back up and picked all 70 kgs of Xo up and then staggered down the steps, much to the amusement of a group of motorcyclists (who have the only photographic evidence of the event!). Because both dogs had been stressed, I gave them both treats and the motorcyclists pointed out that it should be me having the treats not them! Kin like Karma hates being lifted, Xo was quite happy, pick him up and he'd just go to sleep, which is the reason why I could carry him down the stairs. This coming weekend Kin, & I are heading to Bergen for a water rescue course, I don't think I'll be taking him up the steps on the ferry!

I like bringing Kin to as many places with me as possible. Brought him down to the boat as I had to do some work on her, and here he is 'supervising' the work - and being quite opinionated, didn't manage to get a picture of him when he had all four paws on the cat's (catamaran) trampoline.