Retracing the steps of the saboteurs - with a little help from a kite.

One night in February 1943 a small force of Norwegian commandos bombed the Vemork heavy water plant in the Rjukan Valley of central Norway, then escaped onto the Hardangarvidda Plateau on skis. Some skied for more than 300 km into neutral Sweden whilst others eluded German patrols by moving around the immense plateau till the end of the war.

And so the technology of the A-bomb was put well beyond Hitler’s reach, films such as “The Heroes of Telemark" were born, and more than 60 years later we were inspired to visit the area and retrace part of this “Saboteur’s Route” using another innovation - the new generation of kite skis.

The Hardangarvidda Plateau is open undulating terrain, about 1000m above sea level, much of it now contained within Norway’s largest national park. In best Norwegian tradition the entire region is well served by beautiful mountain huts run by private companies and DNT, the national touring organisation, removing any need to carry heavy packs stuffed with sleeping gear and cooking supplies.

Access to the plateau is easy from the town of Rjukan, located in a deep valley about three hours west of Oslo. Just west of town the Krossobanen cable car whisks winter enthusiasts from the valley floor at 350m to 900m in just a few minutes. From there access to the plateau is a straightforward hour’s ski up well-laid tracks, with good snow pretty much guaranteed from December to April.

Without the pressure of German forces behind us, it was with light packs and a feeling of adventure that we set out, aiming to experience this historic route in a very 21st century style. Our kites were 4.5 and 6 metre ‘Little Devils’, recommended to us since they are relatively small and easier to get the hang of than the 9 to 10 metre models used by experienced kite-skiers when wind speeds drop.

At least I had the edge of having flown the kites before, albeit in warmer conditions, whereas my accomplice Mark was totally new to the sport, so we really had no idea how these things would perform with skis. A day of trials on the edge of the plateau soon put our minds at rest. Setting them up, launching them, flying them, parking them, and putting them away all proved a doddle, and even better, for their small size they packed a heap of pull.
Pleased by the first day out, and dreaming of an effortless cruise, we were keen to get back up to the plateau and get started on the route. The wind however had other ideas. For most of our trip the prevailing wind was from the north, meaning we had to ski under good old muscle power against the wind, until we’d gone far enough to turn round and use the wind to take us back to our starting position.

But all good things come to those who wait, and the terrain of the plateau turned out to be perfect for kite skiing. Open and rolling, with few trees or scarps, there was wide scope for tacking with the wind, and the world was soon zipping by at a very satisfying rate.

To control the kites we had a two bar system, one on the left and one on the right. Each bar had a steering and brake line and was simplicity itself to use. With larger kites it’s more usual to integrate these controls into one bar clipped to a waist harness to keep one hand free to wave to spectators as you cruise by.

From a ski-mountaineering point of view the responsiveness of the kites was impressive, particularly the ability to quickly de-power them in case of danger ahead. However this responsiveness can backfire in gusty winds when they really do want to fly, and feel like they might take you with them!

The crux and potential nightmare of kiting is the control lines. The four 25-metre control lines are made of 2-3 mm cord of a kernmantle construction rather like climbing ropes, a recipe for a tangle if ever there was one. And to add to the trauma, the inner strands can twist inside their sheaths making removing even simple tangles quite challenging. The key to avoiding difficulties is to systematically wind and unwind your lines. With a two bar control system you can wind all four lines in a figure of eight around the two bars together. With a tow bar system this is a little trickier, but in either case the most important thing is to wind in steadily, neither too tightly nor too loosely and to be prepared for a degree of frustration at the start.

A few high profile expeditions have already used kite-skiing systems for major ventures, such as Patrick Woodhead’s 2003 retracing of Scott’s epic Antarctic voyage. Invariably these expeditions also use pulks to transport their gear, adding another element into the system. It’s generally felt that the twin advantages of removing weight from your back and being able to load more weight into a pulk offset the inconvenience of dragging it, but this trade-off will be very dependent on the terrain being negotiated. Sharp slopes or rocky sections could make it unviable.

But if dragging a pulk, the possibility of carrying more than one kite is opened up. I have to admit that after years of minimising weight through such tactics as cutting the handles off toothbrushes the idea of carrying a selection of kites goes against the grain - but it does make sense. There’s not a huge overlap in the range of wind speeds that the different kites can accommodate, and even on our small trip we could have made good use of 9.5 or 12 metre kites in the lighter winds. A 6 plus a 9.5 or 12 metre kite should cover most wind conditions, and with each weighing around 2kg this would be easily managed with a pulk. Trying to get away with only one kite and thereby minimising weight is a bit like trying to get away with only middle size cams on your climbing rack – frustrating and ultimately counterproductive!

So the thousand-dollar question. Are modern kites likely to be useful additions to the ski-mountaineer’s usual gear? Will they pay their way in utility and fun? Our answer is a resounding yes. Models like the Little Devils are light, robustly constructed and easy to use. They’re also full of safety features that largely remove the potential worry of being dragged into a crevasse. Training and experience will be a factor, but the learning curve proved surprisingly quick to climb.

In the right conditions nothing beats skimming across the snowy landscape behind a bright, beautiful kite, and we won’t be going anywhere without ours in the near future. In fact I bet those Norwegian Commandos wish they’d had them too.

For smooth sailing with small kites the trick is to try and maximise pull.

Learn to tack them back and forth across the prevailing wind direction relatively low to the ground. There are two “sweet spots”, located around 30 – 40° off the prevailing wind direction and approximately 15 – 25 feet off the ground. Holding the kite in either of these positions give the best and most consistent pull.

Because of the phenomenon of “apparent wind” maintaining power sometimes does require tacking back and forth between these sweet spots.

If for any reason you need to suddenly de-power the kite, just let the kite go straight up into the air above your head where it will happily fly without providing much pull at all. Alternatively pull back on the two brake lines causing the kite to deflate and sink to the ground in only a few seconds.

More information - Our kites were supplied by Kite ‘n’ Sk8, 29 Silver Street, Dursley, GL11 4NA. Email alan@gruntys.co.uk.

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