“How do people experience snow for those is busy with working or spending much time studying”? Or “are they proud of themselves that they are used to grow up in urban cities and have no earlier experiences”? These are rhetorical questions. They do not have particular answers in experiencing snow. When new visitors (most likely travelers or new students) are coming to Alta, several questions were raised. How is the experience of having snow? How do you find yourself in a dark period? How life in Alta gives you a sort of input? We should have 24 hour night magic for several months. We should challenge to go outside and have snow with all our different senses. Sensibilities are a part of the phenomenology. It comes with previous experiences.
The summer type of people feels more important to have safety not to have environmental risks and climate restrictions than authentic experiences, Heimtun (2015). It is a statement to convince “how summer people feel the snow, fantasize about experiencing the snow.” For the next two paragraphs, I am going to have illustrations related to experiencing snow and how I could experience snow from my point of view.
Finnmarkslopet, this dog-sledding competition, is the biggest race in Europe. Huskies are a bit excited to run the straight main street in the city scene while mushers pull the ropes to let them calm down. It was way too cold outside to see the startline; my body was freezing. When the race was kicked off, the first dog team was moving forward; dogs were energetic enough to run the snow paths. From that moment, I could learn how tourism in Alta is taken place. I could sense the snow from the actual dog-sledding tour too.
Video clip: Finnmarkslopet_1200 kilometer hundesledekjøring.
Back to considerations about how summer people evaluate experiences in winter and having snow, they are most likely to be offended by natural factors. Likewise, they feel unsafe to sacrifice themselves to being cold. When having a strong wind or snowstorm is coming, people feel more uncomfortable with having a winter season and snow too.
Video clip:
The sensation of snow or winter is vital to have such diverse experiences. The snowflakes are never be disappeared here in Alta in winter. Some people may be fed up with snow, or others feel a dilemma about going to school during the dark season. Some friends told me so. Yet, it is significant that a piece of winter can be discovered even in the city scene. For instance, there was an exhibition of ice sculptures and food fairs during the last winter period, December and March. Besides, we are possible to explore and have senses of snow like hiking. Even when we are walking around the city, it gives us emotions of respect to nature to have experiences of snow. Interestingly, we can leave our footprint on the snow. In this way, we would be able to have senses of snow, what winter is coming.
Photo: Walking tour from the Arctic Tourism Management class.
