Friluftsliv is a very special norwegian word. Its something etched into every norwegians heart and is so personal and serious that there is a whole philosophy, or one could say, ideology around the subject. Friluftsliv is a word that is un-translatable to any other language, it is a feeling, a state of mind and a way of life.
It all started with the noble savages of the mountains, the people living off and for the nature. Apparantly Norwegians are the last noble savages still living in Europe, and we will always be as well, because of Filuftsliv. Friluftsiv is the joy of being outside, the feeling of wonder that can be found and the learning processes that arrive from spending un-planned time without rules in free nature (nature that has no human interference). Friluftsliv is the anarchy of outdoor-life, and is not definable.
A lot of people all over the world love nature, love being in it and love the mystification that nature is, but none like the noble savage. The Danish love nature, but they dont care that theyre boat isnt made out of wood, and the beer they might bring is a sure sign that theyre only a poser, a fake. This is not friluftsliv. The noble savage knows this. He knows that Friluftsliv is a seriuos buisiness, not something you enjoy a cold beer while doing and that to become a true noble savage, the equipment used is of the biggest importance. (Of course, the subject is supposed to be un-defined, but every rule has a loop-hole and by defining what it isnt, one can get a picture of this un-defined-defined thing.)
The equipment is like i said, of the greater importance, because as a true norwegian and noble savage, only the purest and most natural equipment is allowed or approved. This means fibre clothing, cotton, wool and natural products like wooden skis. plastic skis will never come close to natural wooden skis and gore tex made from the dreaded oil that the same noble savages were the inventors of, is a NO-NO, windproof or not.
This is a part of the norwegian identity, the norwegian culture and heritage. No other place in the world are people born with skis on their feet, a love for brown cheese and friluftsliv in their heart. nine out of ten say so, its a fact. This is tree-huggers universe, Norway.
Of course there are ways of learning Friluftsliv, but like any education, one has to learn from a proper master. This being a CONWAYER, not a convayer, there is a huge difference. Con being the latin or spanish word for "with" and way, just meaning that exactly, "way". Put together you have a with-wayer, which is supposed to mean, "somenone to show you the way", in Norwegian its called a "Vegleder". Of course translating this is also very hard. At least an attempt has been made. The norwegian mind being as complicated as it is, its hard to express certain things in languages that just aren't as adequate. But back to the CONWAYER; his job is to pass on the knowledge, the philosophy, the life of this tradition to en extent that the "conwayed" becomes a noble savage, or as close to one as possible. It is a spreading movement started at the heart of this very long but un-populated country, however it is also a dying movement, as the amount of "free nature" is decreasing rapidly all over the world. We might, yet again, be stuck with being the country that invented the cheese slicer and oil.
The problem lies in all the unspoken rules attached to Friluftsliv; that man should be alone in nature, planning is ruining the moment, and the exclusion of a lot of activities. For example, once you have planned going from point A to B, it is no longer Friluftsliv, because of the time pressure.
Climbing is the holy grail of noble savages, it is the one true sport, no matter that today climbing is an equipment eldorado, and nothing near as pure as it once was. In comparison sports like surfing and downhill skiing are not Friluftsliv because of the wetsuit and skis used. Snowscooters should not even be used as a means of transport to get places because the noise may ruin another skiers experience as you zoom past. Experiences are ruined because of little uncontrollable things like a boat passing in the far distance, because the complete solitude is a must.
These rules dictate what in theory is a rule-free place. A sanctuary from the rules and conformities we experience in every day life. Most norwegians, be they noble savages or not, have a special kinship to nature, as most people on the planet. We are not special in that sense, all humans are drawn towards the natural, the ancestry notions of our past. Being outside, whether it is snowboarding whilst wearing gore tex, eating candy instead of an orange, surfing in a wet suit or climbing with heaps of gear, the factors are still the same. Human enjoyment in the outdoors. Of course it is important to stop and think over once in a while what our values are; why we are doing what we are doing, why we choose to wear what we wear and what words we choose to use. Surrounded by choices, money and time we have the opportunity to do almost whatever we please, whenever we please. the traditional Friluftsliv values might have something going for them, as long as one can put them in a context that fits in with the values one holds. Being "Conwayed" into thinking that this is the only way of experiencing nature, without using ones brain to mull it over, might be just as dangerous as being the ignorant equipment freak who cant experience nature without it.
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