by Michael Mastarciyan
If Ernest Hemmingway was alive today his favourite skier would likely be Norwegian alpine wunderkind Kjetil Jansrud - as both are in some ways kindred spirits.
Hemingway, a literary giant and the ultimate Renaissance man, was renowned for his incredible abilities as a wordsmith and storyteller and his adventurous polymathic personality that enabled him to master a wide assortment of pursuits such as boxing, sailing, hunting and fishing.
Jansrud is, on the surface, a mild-mannered Clark Kent-looking Norwegian who just happens to morph into Superman every time he straps on his skis - but there’s more depth to this 25-year-old Olympic silver medalist than seen on the slopes. Like Hemingway, Jansrud is a polymathic master dabbler in a wide assortment of pursuits off the mountain outside his zone of expertise - constantly thirsting and searching for knowledge, experience and adventure - be it real or, as is this case so often in the cyber-rich 21st century - virtual.
Here are five things about Mr. Jansrud (in his own words) that I’m sure Mr. Hemingway, and hopefully the readers of this article, might find appealing, interesting and educational on an athlete who is both an alpine giant and 21st century Renaissance man.
1. KJETIL JANSRUD IS AN AMATEUR LUMBERJACK AND THAT’S OKAY!
“First of all, I will need to clarify that this was a question from the author of this little interview. My parents live in Vinstra, Norway which is a remote little town an hour north of Lillehammer. It's not rural in any way, but the winter is cold, and we do NOT buy the firewood we need. We cut it ourselves. Thus, when being home for a few days I often help my Dad fetch some wood for the winter whilst helping out a neighbor who seems to always need some trees cut down - so it’s a win-win situation for all. Now, since we don't live in the 1850s anymore, I like to fire up the chainsaw. To be perfectly honest with you, fooling around with a chainsaw is probably THE most manly feeling you can have. Just running around chopping off everything that can be chopped - good times!”
(Author’s & Mr. Jansrud’s note: KIDS PLEASE DON’T TRY THIS AT HOME WITHOUT PROPER ADULT SUPERVISION!)
2. KJETIL JANSRUD IS A MASSIVE LIVERPOOL FC SUPPORTER!
“Being a Liverpool fan started out pretty early for me. In Europe soccer (football) is a huge sport, and from an early age there is almost a demand for having a favorite team. One never really knows where your favorite team originates from, but in my case I believe it was through a good friend of mine, at the age of around seven. He was a huge Liverpool fan and a couple of years older than me. His father was a soccer fan too, and he had bought all the TV channels that broadcasted Premier League. I remember ‘growing up’ with Steve McManaman, Bjoernebye, Robbie Fowler etc. It was a great team, and despite Liverpool’a struggles these days, I am positively sure we will emerge stronger than ever and aim for the title soon.”
“How big of a fan am I? Well, I am not hardcore in the sense that I need to attend every match, and have a season ticket at Anfield. But I do try to stream every game I can over the internet when I am out traveling (legally of course, what are you thinking?). Last spring I visited Anfield for the first time in my life, and let me tell you this - if you are a soccer fan, regardless of which team you side with, you should visit Anfield during your brief lifetime on earth. The atmosphere is phenomenal and I was literally standing with goosebumps during the whole 90 minutes of the match. I watched Liverpool vs Athletico Madrid in the Euro League and Liverpool vs. Chelsea in a Premier League match.”
3. KJETIL JANSRUD IS A LOVER OF LAS VEGAS!
“I guess one would think that traveling 250 days a year skiing all around the globe is exhausting.
Well, in a sense it is - but then again, we usually never get the time to actually look around. We spend mostly the day either training on the slopes or sleeping in our room. Yes, it's really that boring. Anyhow, this spring Truls Karlsen (a team mate) and I figured we would do the ultimate ‘man-trip’ (note that I didn’t say ‘boy’) to Vegas. We flew over to Denver, rented a car and traveled through Colorado, Utah, Arizona and Nevada to Las Vegas and experienced such things as Monument Valley, The Grand Canyon and The Hoover Dam.”
“It's one of the things I will never regret doing. You can say a lot about the U.S., but their nature is breathtaking and the roulette tables in Vegas WILL suck out your very last penny. We had a blast in Vegas, and actually managed to get a few parties into our schedule. As athletes we almost never have any social activities you can call a party, and springtime is the only time of the year where you can actually defend doing those things - though, you have to keep it civilized. To make a long story short - we left Nevada with huge smiles on our faces. Vegas definitely delivered - and as they say - ‘what happens in Vegas...”
4. KJETIL JANSRUD IS A GUITAR HERO ON REAL GUITARS!
“Well, as this comes as close to boasting as one can come, I will not elaborate too much on this subject. I have an acoustic electric Taylor guitar for the late hours in front of a fireplace, and a vintage Gibson Les Paul standard, for the times when you want to up the amplifier to 11 and play ‘Crazy Train.’ Being serious though, it is actually a pretty good way of relaxing your head. Pick up the guitar, immerse yourself in music and forget about the world of skiing for a short period of time. It doesn't matter if you are not the new Stevie Ray Vaughn, you play for your own benefit, and that is actually the most important thing of it all.”
5. KJETIL JANSRUD IS A GAMER!
“Wow, yes, I know - computer gaming is bad for you. Your Mom might have said it, and the newspapers most definitely will have too. Ever since we got our first 64bit Nintendo in the house at the age of six I've had something for moving pixels on a screen. But it wasn't until we got our first computer that things really started to kick off. I don't necessarily know if it's a ‘boy-thing’ to do, but we tend to like the stuff. Nowadays I usually play online with my friends, and even though I have tried a lot of different computer games, I am heavily focused on a game called Heroes of Newerth which is basically what you could call E-Sports. Its five vs. five on a map and there are tournaments going on throughout the world and you can win tens of thousands of dollars in prize money. No, I have not won anything yet. It's still a recreational tool for me. But well, I have a hard time sitting for hours at a time playing normal games with myself. But add the online capability, competition from real human players, and things start to get interesting.”
“But as I like to say (if there are a couple of athletes reading this) The order goes like this: school first if you have it, then training, then eating, then relaxing your muscles...and then and ONLY then, you can turn on your computer. The hours run by fast, and if you ever want to make it as an athlete, training will always have precedence over your computer gaming!”
“And finally, a challenge from me, if you have a Playstation, and you own FIFA 11, my network name is k-jansrud. I will accept your challenge, just name the time and date.”
