Simon
Good afternoon, and welcome to the final episode of this series of Snow
Business in Lillehammer. I am your host, Simon Westgarth, and in the room
with me is Bastian Elbern, Kibum Kim, Anna and Jill. And we have a host of students
here from all different parts of the world. We've got Germany, South Korea,
France, Netherland, there we go. Okay. Hey, and we've come to the end and
we're there just about to sit there exam on snow business and um so we can
come to our end of our time, winter's definitely over here. It's green and spring
has definitely sprung outside and there's no way left to ski, but can you tell me
a little bit about your whole journey about being here in Norway and how it's
gone?
Jill
Well, when I first came to Norway, the only thing we could see was like snow and
I was very excited because I came to Norway for the snow. And um yeah, I really
liked the journey. We've been through, like meeting the people, uh doing
different things than you can do in Netherland. So, yeah, far we happy.
Anna
Yeah, first is the same. I was like, when I come here, I was like one or two meters
of snow and I was like, wow. It's exciting. It's like minus 15. And very cold, but
very happy to be here. Um uh yeah, my suitcase is like very loud. I was like, shit,
what are you going to do with this? And yeah, I really love to be here in January
and the rest of my time.
Kibum
For me, first time It's kind of hard to adjust Norwegian reserved and shameful
personality and furthermore, I chose the dorm, which is only Norwegian is living
with. So it's kind of alone and lonely, but now I made a lot of friends, so now I'm
feel good um really good.
Simon
Definitely the Norwegians are in the word you’re looking forward with their
known shy. Shy people and takes a little get to know you obesity
Bastian
So it was for me, it was really, really nice from yeah, from when I got here with
the lot of snow and the cold temperatures to now, which is spring suddenly
outside, we already had a first barbecue of the season and sitting outside
without a jacket, just reading a book. So I enjoyed it all, basically.
Simon
Wonderful. The transition from midwinter when most of you arrived just after
New Year to now, which is on the cusp of May, definitely was quite obviously a
progression of warmth, no doubt. What did you like about the course and what
you did on the course here with snow business?
Jill
For me, the outing we did like to fight over and to Skeikampen were really fun
for me just to see what people do and how business are built. So I think that's
the part I like the most about the course, just doing something else and just
sitting and listening.
Anna
Yeah, I'm agree with that. Um, at the start of the year, I don't really like the class,
actually. I was like, yeah, it doesn't much really my expectation.
I'd know why. And after that we go to do a lot of site visit and I feel more
comfortable to your class. And at the end, I really like enjoy it and come to class
and yeah, I don't know, I'm more comfortable now since the January.
Simon
Yeah, I mean, the course content has its front loaded with a bunch of
theoretical stuff, and then when we go on the site visits, it's like applying that
theory and seeing how it's practical within the business space and at
destinations.
Kibum
Now, for me, only in the strict lecture in some place, not only there and we
just go site visit, sleep and drink as well, was as really practical and unnormal
for me, at least. So it was, yeah, really good experience.
Simon
Yeah, I think that the hands on and interacting with the different tourism
actors on the site visit is really kind of illuminates what we talk about and
discuss initially in the lecture theory. And you can see it's definitely a step
change from undergraduate students who have just done three semesters of
classroom based learning. So it's great to have some practical application
and liberty get out where it's happening rather than talk about how it is.
Bastian
Yeah, for me, also I am coming from a backup study the program that is already
pretty hands on and so therefore I really liked the excursions making discourse,
especially stand out from the whole lot of modules that we could choose from
and also because I'm very interested in Winter sports as well. I thought for me
this is the course that has to be, that I have to take because it just makes
sense.
Simon
I mean, it definitely popular with people who are Winters sport um, skiers or
snow boarders, they very much like their course. And um what would you like
to see again if you were ever allowed to do such a course?
Jill
I don't know, maybe some more site visit and more things to do other than
skiing or cross country skiing.
Simon
Coming from us hour, I certainly would like to talk about doing this course in
the autumn and a slight different way, where we would end up in a leaving, um
running into peak season for them or is in Levi, Finland and there's a lot of
offer for non-winter sports people with the northern light tourism and husky
dogs sledding, reindeers, snowmobile, snow showing, so this very much kind
of immersive winter, full winter experience that is away from your classic
winter sport product. Anybody else that they would like to do again that really
stood out?
Bastian
I really would like to go to Sjusjoen and I was there after our excursion was
unfortunately canceled, but the schedule that we received earlier, it uh yeah
received really, really interesting with the husky setting tours and stuff like that.
And just generally speaking, uh I’ve fell kind of a little bit in love with Cross
country skiing. I never did it before, but in Norway, the panorama wild cross
country skiing, the environment and you're going through is it was just so
beautiful and, yeah, so generally just going out in the excursion and doing a
little bit more cross country skiing.
Simon
Don't need to tell everybody how good it is. Yeah, I mean one of the main
attractions for me with cross country skiing is that because on the mountain
plateau and almost every five minutes there is a different view. And so, um and
you can descend you can just go far and lost in your thoughts or listen to a
podcast or whatever driving is your passion, you can just experience that then
the high plateau whole mountain plateau in a certain way is quite unique
compared to other cross-country ski destinations.
Kibum
What I gain from there?
Simon
Anything you would like to do again if you could or anything different you
would like to do while you're here?
Anna
It's a good question. I’m trying to find something.
Simon
they're lost in their thoughts. Let's think about is anything you rather not do
again, what you didn't like.
Jill
We have one lecture. It was four hours. I didn't like that. It was four hours, you
speaking and I was like, it was from I think 12 till four and It was like so full at
the end of the lecture.
Simon
And that was so empty., you know what, the secret is? Coffee.
Jill
But I don't drink coffee. I don't like it.
Simon
There we go. Now I am joking. Yeah, sometimes the schedule gets a bit
compressed, and we end up having to do double lectures. I tried to avoid this,
but I'm not the arbitrary everything. Um especially because in a way I like to
manufacture the schedule that we can and we can go skiing and people can
go ski in their spare time basically. so if something gets canceled it ends up
getting pushed where we can have often the lectures here are known as
double lectures, but you had a double, so and sometimes I can tell you from
my point of view, it’s I have to you see the way I am and I kind of animated it
when I think and I'm thinking on my feet and I have to really delve deep
sometimes. But it's fine. I like it. I enjoy the process. Anything different you
would like?
Kibum
Everything is good. Nevertheless, I remember when we supposed to go site
visit to somewhere, I don't remember exactly the place. Maybe. But the bus
was canceled at the morning, because I woke up at seven or six, very early
morning, because I really wanted to go there. So I came here, but the bus was
cancelled, it was really sorrowful.
Simon
Yeah, I mean, that was a bit of a shame. There was these things do happen,
and uh unfortunately, we couldn't go different date, um because the tourism
actors we wanted to see were unavailable. It seems to be a vexing trip if I was
to tell you the truth as the years go by. That's why we went to Vandue instead
and for me was actually very much liked it because we really delved into just
really two people's business, two different business plans and what they did
and what their offer was and we can really see it almost of that microscopic
level rather than going to a destination and seeing it more holistically and
then critically analyzing particular tourism actors, like we did in Hafjell or tried
to get like Beitostolen. Anything else? so you would like anything you would
like to do that was different? Would you like did the course completely and
your experience here in Lillehammer did it fulfill your hopes and aspirations?
Jill
For me, yes. Yeah, I expected to ski a lot to see northern lights. To get, how
do you say? to take care of yourself and I think a lot of things, you learn a lot
about yourself when you're living in a different country and you have to do
everything on your own, making new friends, and I saw the northern lights. So,
yeah. I'm very happy.
Anna
Yeah. imagine like my expectation, like, very well. I and I was like so scared of
like, don't make friends, be alone like whole time. And I learn to be with
myself, and enjoy like everything, only like just the sun with the snow, uh, just
like the center, go out with friends or something, and yeah, you really much
make expectation and yeah, I really love this experience.
Simon
Like another step in adulthood. That's great.
Kibum
For me, I expected to go to other Norway place, but it's still expensive than to
go other Europe for me. So I chose, it’s better to go to other Europe countries,
so I never been to other Norway city, except Oslo. Yeah, so it was regretful of
me.
Simon
I mean, I understand the yourself and coming from the South Korea, you took
the opportunity to use the different budget airlines we have here to travel to
within Europe, you went to London and to Estonia. Yeah, so um and that's cool.
is great because Lillehammer is relatively well connected to the main airport
hub in Oslo. And so you got to see more of Europe, which is great. And of
course, I understand some of the cohort went to Tromso and Budo up north to
see Northern lights and do other things there. So I got feeling that there as a
cohort lots of people would skied a lot. Other people went to the Arctic and
like yourself, you had to the opportunity while you were here in Europe to see
other parts of Europe. And I'm sure that was great, yeah. And that's really,
really cool, but let’s see how you get down to the nitty degree. What did you
actually really, really learned on the course? What's the main here? I know, you
got your exam next week, so no pressure now. But what did you learn on the
course? What do you come away with the great I appreciate you had the great
experience, you enjoyed Norway, are those you ski really enjoyed it, learned
cross country ski and the alike. But what did he actually learn? What's the meat
on the bones of that experience?
Bastian
I think it's very interesting, especially as a skier to take a look behind the
organization of what is going on the ski mountain and also critically thinking
about the current threat trends and also threats for such mountain
destinations that we were very much concerned within this course and that
was a part that I really, really liked and I that I really learned a lot from like
what are the current trend in threats in the skiing industry and how is such a
mountain destination managed in a way that it can sustainably be kept
running for the next year, especially considering less snow and more difficult
winters with which makes program for non-skiers and just program that is not
basically dependent on snow more important.
Simon
Was a little bit like the Wizard of Oz you finally got to see behind the curtain
how it all is rather than be the tourist on the lift and on the slips. Cool, and
then what did you learn from the course?
Kibum
Actually I didn't know about the very variety of ski kind, ski sort, like cross
country, alpine, and what was the name? I don't know, Norwegian traditional
ski. Like this. Telemark yeah, I never heard about. Yeah, and the Olympic of
the TV show, there's the big scale of the Olympics as well. Yeah. It's not from
our class, but still I learn in Norway, but yeah.
Simon
And then?
Anna
Um, I think when I come here, I didn't know nothing about skiing. I never wear
ski in my life. So I really like the part when we learned the story of the skill,
like seeing the start and now. And, for me it's I really love this sport and I
think it's my favorite. I learn a lot about this and it's interesting.
Jill
I also think um our learned that the skiing and snowboarding is becoming
more like a niche, uh and that we have to protect it and not a lot of people are
going anymore because they don't want to pay for it. And as also Bastian said
the winters are getting like more soft, so the season is getting shorter. so they
are um doing other activities like in soft and hard forms. so everyone can do
something at the mountains and that's why they want to do like the four
season destination. so they can open as well in the summer as in the winter,
so they can make money all year around. I think that's also something I
learned from the class.
Simon
Yeah, it's very much the trend that ski hills becomes ski resorts to ski
destination, and then they slowly move towards a mass market appeal to be
open year round to have we have a robust business model, really, and not to
lose seasonal staff, to try and keep them on with summer and with a summer
offer, but the and at the moment we're moving, looking at Skiiers with that's
summer's been successful of that, that progression, and others are in the
process of that. And most grade in my time here at Lillehammer is that Hafjell
is gone from ski hill to ski destination, and now it's slowly positioning itself to
become a four season destination. and this is to try and weigh it. Of course
you have better return on an investment if you're an investor, but more to the
point it makes that you start employing more local people rather than have a
waves of seasonal workers come and go. And have this resilience and is
interesting point you said there where there is this move, especially in the
winter to more product for non-winter sport people in normal tourists and
where there could this something there for them to do, you know, rather than,
if we don't ski, no need to come, you know, and how you do that, how you
successfully go about offering that product is as a puzzle one that some
places have solved like Levi in Lapland, and they've done a great job it in in my
view, and yet other places they so focus on their winter sport tourists that
they're not really thinking about this wider mass market of people who could
come and do other things. What could they do? What could you offer them?
There isn't support related, really. there is a trend that there's more urban
offering such as aqua Park on the mountain like in Blackham, part of Whistler
or all that kind of spiel pub we had in Beitostolen, here it's like pub games in a
pub that's on the side of the mountain, so if it's a poor weather day, you have
there's something you could do, but it's kind of very urbanized these these
non-winters sport offer sometimes can be but other places they've done well
to offer something more unique that is outside. After all, that's what you go
there for or not to be inside. Okay, your final thoughts of being here, and on
the course.
Bastian
Of all, I really enjoyed being in this course, learning a lot and of course, the
excursions as previously mentioned a lot were the main part of yeah, if
interest to me, and I think also to the most people, and I think that they were
really conducted very nicely, and the course in itself was a round package to
make everybody to inform everybody about the most important things.
Kibum
Yes. I think these classes made us good opportunity to meet other exchange
students and the experience in the Norway great tradition of ski resort and
sports.
Anna
Yeah, um. I think it’s a good class for like, everyone, if you are interested to
skiing or winter activity, you can be interested. But if you don't really like it,
you can be interested as well. It's like an accessibility you'll access you really
class. And yeah, the site visit is like easy for like more concrete, everything,
it's more easy to understand what we learn in class. So, yeah, it's a good thing.
Jill
I think the only thing I want to add is that how nice is it that you can say, I
went to school today and after I went skiing, so that's just a nice thing to ask.
Simon
Yeah, yeah, there's definitely outside, just jump on the bus and it's just there
in like 15 minutes time, so that's great. Well, thank you very much for coming
for this final episode. Enjoy the rest of your time here Norway. I hope the
exam goes very well. I hope you've done the work and we shall see later on. So
with that the final note, goodbye. Thank you