How was the travel from USA to Norway for Kris and Carl? How long was the
trip – any problems?
Trond:
â€Both Kris and Carl had a very easy travel – all their bags and themselves arrived safely at Gardemoen, airport in Norway a little ahead (!) of schedule on Saturday afternoon November 15. They left the US on Friday November 14, Carl from Utah and Kris from the East coast. We then packed the car full and drove to Beitostœlen — the site for Saturday’s World Cup 15 kilometer freestyle raceâ€.
How was your trip? Â
“[Chris] Hall and I got to drive roughly 2100km. Our trip started in Munich, Germany with a rental car. We drove through Germany, then Denmark, Sweden and finally we were in Norway. We had more stuff than we anticipated, so we had to take all but one seat out when we picked up Kris and Carl. On the last bit from Oslo Airport to Beitostolen (a three hour drive) Hall had to sleep on top of some bagsâ€.
Where are you staying? Are there any other international teams at the same place?
“We are staying at Beitostolen Hoyfjellshotell (Mountain resort). Our “neighbors†are the Italians, Check Republic, Austrians, Swiss and an assortment of Norwegiansâ€.
How are Kris and Carl adjusting to the time change and Norwegian food?
“Most adjustments are going smoothly, but the time change is a little hard…most of us are sleeping well for a few hours and then lay awake for a several hours. Hopefully we will adjust within a few more days. A typical day is breakfast at 7:30, train from 9 to noon, lunch at 1, train again at 4:30 and then dinner at 7….the boys are used to Norwegian food, but most Norwegians would starts to cry when they see how the Americans eat their food…who mixes brown goat cheese, smoked meat, tomatoes and fake (tube) caviar on one sandwich?â€.
How is the skiing?
“The skiing is great…we got lots of snow the day we arrived. There is roughly 12 kilometer of good skiing. Nice tracks and about -1 to -5 degrees Celsiusâ€.
Are Carl and Kris ready to ski fast?
â€The boys are ready, time will tell what that means, but with a couple of starts under their belt they should be really goodâ€.
 and Carl are ready for the World Cup</font><BR></p>
<p>Who is on your support staff this weekend?</p>
<p>“Chris Hall and Roar Lillefjell as waxers, Trond as bus driverâ€</p>
<p>What is the race strategy for Saturday’s 15 kilometer race?</p>
<p>“Take it out hard, increase the speed as they go and then sprint in…..it is a pretty tough course so the actual race strategy is to take it a little easy in the start and then go hard for the last 10 kilometerâ€</p>
<p>Who do you consider to be among the favorites in Saturday’s race?</p>
<p>“Swedes, Germans and [Czech Republic's Martin] Koukal are probably among the favorites hereâ€.</p>
<p>Are you seeing more interest in Team USA this year compared to last year?</p>
<p>â€Definitely, people know who we are and our potential. Everyone has been impressed by what we have done and look forward to see what we can do…just read an article about a Norwegian boy with diabetes…Kris Freeman was his hero who had given him hope…his goal…to be as good as Krisâ€.</p>
<p>Have you had any boiled potatoes and brown sauce yet? Or fish-balls in white sauce?</p>
<p>â€Not yet, but we sure have had enough potatoesâ€.</p>
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