A Skaters Guide to Hiking with Adelaide Norris
Next up in the ‘A Skaters Guide to’ series—a series where I talk to a skateboarder about nothing to do with skateboarding—is Pass~Port and Vans am Adelaide Norris.
Adelaide is a master of all trades. She’s an amazing skateboarder, she has filmed some great videos, she shoots photos, she designs amazing graphics, and even has her own wax company, Wax Woes. Over the last few years, she’s been super busy, getting introduced to Pass~Port, going on trips and filming for Vans’ Nice to See You video, among a number of other projects—including some that are yet to come out, so stay tuned for those. She also just came back from the most recent Vans ‘Make Impact’ trip, a two-week mission from Sydney down to Melbourne via Canberra with the international Vans team.
And we could talk about all of that, but instead, we are going to talk about one of Adelaide’s favourite hobbies: hiking. I had a chat with her about all things Hiking, and got an insight into what you need to know before you go for that long, scenic stroll.
Photos: Shari White, Bryce Golder, Adelaide Norris & Adam Norris
What is hiking?
It’s camping with a long stroll.
When did you get into hiking?
A couple of years ago.
How did you get into hiking?
My dad got me into it. He was like, ‘Let’s go to the highest mountain in Tasmania,’ so we hiked Mt Ossa. Ever since then, I have been hooked on hiking. It was the best experience I’ve ever had.
Is there an ideal hiking outfit?
Gorpcore (laughs).
What is gorpcore?
It is hiking gear that’s trendy (laughs). Gorp stands for ‘Good Old Raisins and Peanuts’, which is trail mix or scroggin, as my dad would say. But gorpcore means wearing outdoor apparel, like raincoats and cargo pants, and hiking shoes.
Why is gorpcore so crucial when hiking?
It’s not.
Are the Gore-Tex half cabs gorpcore?
Definitely! Anything Gore-Tex is gorpcore, but I wouldn’t recommend wearing them on a hike, but I would recommend wearing them when you go skate!
What do you need to bring in your backpack when you go hiking?
Sleeping bag, tent, food, toilet paper, sleeping mat, clothes, socks, bug spray, water bottle, first aid kit, headlamp, a portable stove, and a knife. I always bring a knife and a pillow; I have a little inflatable pillow. There is more too, but you can’t really bring too much though. That’s the beauty of it, you don’t bring much. Simplicity. Minimalism (laughs).
What are you cooking while you’re on a hike?
Ramen. I have a little fry pan that someone bought me, and sometimes I bring veggie sausages. I made Bacon and Eggs once; you can do it all.
Wait, so you brought eggs in your hiking bag?
Yeah, I got this plastic egg holder, it didn’t break them. I put some toilet paper around the egg for protection, it was risky, but it worked out and was chill.
What do you need to look for in a pair of hiking shoes?
I look for comfort. It has to be comfortable; I want to be able to jump, I want to be able to run. They also have to be swaggy. I want to be gorpcored out (laughs).
Do you use hiking poles?
No, but they say they’re good.
What do they even do?
You can balance so much easier; you’re not using as much core strength to stay balanced the whole time. You’d be shocked at how hard it is to keep your balance when you’re tired. When you’re going uphill, too, it is easier to use something to leverage you up.
Where do you go hiking?
Anywhere. I usually try to go to places with water or a really good view. Mostly, with places with nice water because I like to swim while I’m hiking. There are heaps of places you can go. I like to go to Tasmania a lot, everyone says it is one of the best places in the world to hike, and it feels like it.
When is your favourite time of the year to go hiking?
Late summer or late winter. Just not in the middle of summer or in the middle of winter. It’s best when the weather isn’t too extreme, whether it be too hot or raining heavily.
What are some hiking do’s and don’ts?
Do’s always bring blister pads, bring more than enough food and a raincoat. One of my good friends, who I go hiking with a lot, Mel [Lasslett], bought a pair of $10 hiking shoes off marketplace and brought them on a three-day, 60-kilometer hike, and they fell apart on the first day. She had to use my sports tape to keep them together. That’s a massive don’t. Don’t buy cheap hiking shoes. Definitely bring blister pads, that’s a big do.
How likely are you to get blisters when you’re hiking?
Pretty likely. It depends on what you’re doing, though. If you’re going uphill heaps, on your toes the whole time, you’ll get a blister on the bottom of your toes. It’s not really like you can put a blister pad on that, but it’s better to be safe than sorry because if you get a blister in the middle of a 40-kilometer hike, you don’t want to be stuck like that.
Is there a Tony Hawk-like figure in the hiking world?
My dad (laughs).
Does hiking help you skate?
Yeah! I come back from hiking and I feel really energetic, healthy and strong. I feel very, very good physically and mentally, I really want to go skate after, it helps you in everything, I think, it’s a good little refresh. You use so many parts of your body when you’re hiking and in long consistent ways rather than short repetitive bursts like skating. So, your legs feel so much stronger overall.
Are there any similarities between hiking and skating?
The one thing I’ve noticed, which is another reason why I think I love hiking so much, is I think skating really helped me get up hills. I really love inclines because it’s really easy for me, just from doing all those motions in skating, like pushing and popping, you’re doing that in strong short bursts. So, I feel like I can run up a hill, which is so sick. It makes me feel really fit (laughs). I don’t know about doing tricks or anything like that, it’s completely different.
Do you have a favourite hiking moment?
Yeah, it was with my dad on that first Mt Ossa climb. My dad was using a tent bag as a backpack for the day, which is one of my favourite things; he doesn’t give a fuck he just wears whatever hiking, which I love. He also doesn’t camp in the designated areas; all the rangers don’t care because they all know him and love him, he's always in the overland area. So, we were at the bottom of the mountain, it was the day we were climbing it, and we woke up kinda late. Everyone was like, ‘Don’t go up there—it's fucked. You won’t be able to see anything anyways, it’s raining and stormy, it’s just really dangerous.’ It was really dangerous to climb up there, but we did it anyways. When we got up there, we couldn’t see anything, it was so cloudy. Then we were just walking around up there eating lunch, and all of a sudden, all the clouds disappeared, and we are the only ones at the top of the mountain, and we could see all of Tasmania. It was insane.
What advice would you give to a budding hiker?
Go for a walk. Give it a shot. Go for a swim. Take a hike. I don’t have any funny quotes for this one you put me on the spot (laughs).
