Ski hills and BBQ's

Every nation has its own little habits.  Things that they only do and that they think are absolutely normal. It often takes a foreigner to notice and point out, that this activitiy or tradition is unusual.

I experienced one such cultural norm last week and I have to confess, I adored it.  At first it seemed such a strange thing to do, but then again it's actually not, when you understand and experience it. 

The tradition I am referring to, is that of Norwegians to have a charcoal BBQ on a mountain during the lunch break of a a ski day.  

This is how it looked like. In the morning we would pack up the coal, the matches, the flasks of hot drinks and the all important (moose or reindeer) sausages. We would then take the gondola up the mountain, ski half way down, leave the rucksacks by the designated BBQ drums and ski away. Around noon, we would ski by the place again, and get the charcoals burning.  Some of us would then do one more run, and by the time we came by again, the sausages were ready to go on.  We would then enjoy a wonderful hot lunch of lovely grilled sausages, in the sunshine, with no queuing and no overpriced average food.  What a sensation!

Many people were doing it and it just looked terribly normal.

I loved it. And we did it multiple times.

I am not sure this would take off anywhere else and why should it? This is their tradition. Norwegian and wonderful.  

Sausage anyone?

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