During the winter there are a lot of beautiful winter scenery and activities to enjoy, but there are also some challenges to meet. That’s way we wish to share some easy and smart winter tips:
Warmth: *Make sure to use a “såle/innleggssåle” in your boots. A “såle” is a warming layer (wool) that you put in your shoes. The “sale” isolates and keeps you extra warm, in addition to feel comfortable to walk an. You get them in any shoe shop, and they cost around NOK 50-80.
*Make sure to use wool underwear. This wool should be the nearest ing you have to your body. It makes the world of a difference for keeping warm outside. You get it both for your upper body and legs.
PS: Some people feel itchy when using it, but it is worth to try out. If you feel itchy, buy “superundertøy” (super underwear). It is not as warm as wool, but warmer than standard cotton. Price range form NOK 200-500 per item. You get them at Coop Obs!, sport shops and different clothing shops.
*Use a scarf, preferably wool; it contributes a lot to your warmth.
*Have large enough shoes. If your shoes feel tight, they will make you cold, no matter the quality. You should not wear too large shoes, of course, but some extra room (1/2 cm in the tip) is smart.
Safety: *If it is icy, wear “Pigger” or "Brodder" (spikes) for your shoes. You can get them in a variety of models that fits most different shoes, also many discrete ones. It is your best tip for not slipping on the ice. NB: Make sure to take them off before you walk indoors, don’t wear them inside shops either.
*If it was icy yesterday and just have snowed, be extra careful. Hidden ice under a thin layer of snow is the most dangerous walking conditions you can meet.
*Watch out for snow/ice falling down from roofs. Especially in the city centre, if it suddenly gets a bit milder, or if it has snowed a lot.
*Ice skating: Icy lakes are often popular places to go ice skating, but be very careful. It can often be tricky to know if the ice is thick enough, and this is very dangerous.
*Wear “Refleks”. They cost very little, and is the largest difference for if the drivers will see the pedestrians or not.
*Make sure to take a walk outside every day (5-10 minutes is a lot more than nothing). Even if it is cold, your body needs the fresh air. Sitting inside the whole day increases the risk of getting sick.
Economy: *The Christmas sale. Lots on deals right after Christmas.
*It can be smart to hat with wood as well as electricity, if you have a fireplace in your house. This is especially true if you have a thermal pump/heat pump as your main warmth source. These heat pumps (varmepumpe) are very economically and environmentally friendly, but if it gets under minus 10 degrees they are not as efficient any longer. Then it is good to supplement with wood.
*Make sure to get fresh air into your house/apartment. Many people only rarely open the windows during winter in order to save money on electricity. But this makes the air inside very poor and is a sickness risk. You need fresh air, but the trick is to open many windows at the same time, for only a few minutes. Then all the old air gets replaced with new, fresh air. And when you close the windows, the heat from all the furniture and the house/apartment itself will make it warm again. Both fast and cheap. The worst you can do is to have only one window open, and then keep it open for a long time.
*Make sure to treat your winter boots well. Waterproof them, and do this regularly. Get “impregnering” (the thing we waterproof and strengthen the shoes with) at any shoe shop. Good winter shoes cost money (often around NOK 1000+, for example GorTex-material), but quality is important to keep warm and dry. These expensive shoes can last for many years if you only treat them right. So make sure to waterproof and clean them, and do it extra often if it is mild and wet snow in the streets.
*If you have washed woollen clothes, make sure to dry them while laying flat. Wool stretches very easily, so if you just hang it up like regular clothes you will quickly end up with clothes that are too long (and remember to wash them on special woollen program, with special woollen washing detergent “Milo”).
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