News from the Land of the Telemark

[Dru]

OSLO, Norway (AP) - Norwegians claim they are just about born with skis on their feet, but injury statistics from the Easter weekend suggest they need more practice.

 

So many Norwegian snow lovers broke bones over the Easter holiday that one hospital ran short of plaster for casts, a newspaper reported Tuesday.

 

Easter break begins when the Nordic nation shuts down at midday Wednesday and lasts through Monday, although many people stretch it to 10 days.

 

Just as the long, cold winter fades in the lowlands, Norwegians head to the mountains in search of more snow.

 

The Norwegian Red Cross on Tuesday said it assisted 1,230 people, mostly skiers, in the mountains during the holiday, an increase of more than 60 per cent from Easter 2004.

 

Ole Gladsoe of the Red Cross said Easter can be the first and only ski trip of the season for many, with neither the skiers nor their skis being up to it.

 

"One should not set out on a (cross-country ski) trek without training. One should not take off down an alpine slope without practice," he said at the start of the break.

 

At the Ringerike Hospital, which treats patients from some of the most popular ski areas in southeastern Norway, so many people - 278 - were treated for broken bones that doctors ran out of its most commonly used plasters for casts.

 

[thelawgoddess]

"One should not set out on a (cross-country ski) trek without training. One should not take off down an alpine slope without practice,"