DATELINE / LILLEHAMMER : Skiing Over Snow Is Norwegian Way to Go

Little League baseball. Age-group swimming. Pop Warner football. Toddler gymnastics. Tiny-tot tennis. These are the sports Americans grow up with.

Here in Norway, it’s skiing. Cross-country skiing. It’s the national pastime here. The country’s most celebrated sports heroes are cross-country skiers Vegard Ulvang and Bjorn Daehlie, triple gold-medalists in the 1992 Winter Olympics at Albertville, France.

In the States, a dedicated but definite minority skis cross-country, and mostly recreationally. So, it’s small wonder that America’s best cross-country skier in recent years is a Norwegian.

John Aalberg, who left here in 1983 to attend the University of Utah, and became an American citizen in time for the Albertville Games, is enjoying every minute of his return home.

“It’s great to ski through the Norwegian pines again and to eat the food I used to,” he said. “I’m very excited to ski for the U.S. and try to beat some Norwegians.”

That doesn’t figure to happen for the U.S. though, because at 33, Aalberg is a bit beyond his prime, and because the other Americans have not had the benefit of his Norwegian training.

“Norway is the heart of the sport,” Aalberg said. “I started skiing in competition when I was 10 or 11. Before that, I was with my friends out on skis. Because of all the attention it gets, the best (athletic) talent goes to cross-country skiing.

“When I started racing, we had individual age groups and in some of those races we’d have almost 200 kids in each class. In the States, if you have 200 people in all age groups, that’s a big race.”

The reason for all of this?

“It’s the culture and tradition, something Norwegians have done for many years and maybe it has something to do with the Birkebeiner story.”

The story of the Birkebeiners--it means birch leggers, for the birch-bark leggings worn by the skiers involved--dates to 1205, when there was a power struggle for the Norwegian throne. The Birkebeiners were entrusted with getting the crown prince, 18-month-old Haakon, from Oslo to Trondheim, a long and perilous journey on skis. They did, and Haakon grew up, was crowned king in 1217, united the country and reigned until 1263.

“Other than that, it’s a good way of staying healthy,” Aalberg said. “It’s great exercise. And it’s something that’s easy to do even when you get older.”

Sounds like something Californians could get into.