Lofoten, Norway – it’s all about location
68 degrees north in the Arctic Circle.
This trip was supposed to take place in 2020.
At that time, we (the BAM group) were due to go to Italy for a “chasing the snow†ski trip.
But Covid had different plans. Italy was the first country affected. So I searched for a location far away and found Norway and the “Northern Alpine Guides.â€
But the pandemic started, and a worldwide travel ban was instituted.
In 2021, Norway was still closed to travelers, so the trip was postponed—again.
Even in Feb 2022, it was not clear that it was a go. The country was open only to visitors from Schengen countries, and I received a notice that the trip was about to be canceled.
However, late February, Norway dropped all Covid-related restrictions: no masks, no tests, no vaccination card requirements.
It took four flights to get to Lofoten:
Atlanta to Amsterdam, then to Oslo, from there to Bodo (pronounced Buddh-a), and finally a short flight with a little prop plane to Svolvaer in Lofoten.
Lofoten is an archipelago with incredible scenery: dramatic mountains and peaks, open sea and sheltered bays, beaches, untouched lands, and multiple fjords.
All those fjords have names.
Fjords were created by glaciers. In the Earth’s last ice age, glaciers covered just about everything. Glaciers move very slowly over time and can greatly alter the landscape once they have moved through an area. This process is called glaciation.
Glaciation carves deep valleys. This is why fjords can be thousands of meters deep. Fjords are usually deepest farther inland, where the glacial force was strongest.
It is one of the most scenic places in a country that is already very scenic.
The archipelago experiences one of the world’s largest elevated temperature anomalies relative to its latitude, due to the Gulf Stream.
The views were incredible. Anywhere one looks from the top of the mountains, he’s surrounded by water—fjords and the Norwegian Sea.
It is one of the few places where I have skied (besides Antarctica and, to a lesser degree, Kamchatka) where one starts the climb by the water and ends it by the water.
There is no altitude to deal with—the highest peak is 3,700 ft—yet while on top of the mountains, the views seem like from the top of the world.
Despite the relatively low altitude, the peaks looked very dramatic. This is because they shoot up straight from the sea.
There is great infrastructure all around Lofoten, and wilderness is next door to civilization.
We stayed at the Lofoten Ski Lodge, in a very private location.
The accommodations were utilitarian yet comfortable. We had three cabins, each with two bedrooms with twin beds on the top floor and a living room.
Despite the relatively low altitude, the peaks looked very dramatic. This is because they shoot up straight from the sea.
There is great infrastructure all around Lofoten, and wilderness is next door to civilization.
We stayed at the Lofoten Ski Lodge, in a very private location.
The accommodations were utilitarian yet comfortable. We had three cabins, each with two bedrooms with twin beds on the top floor and a living room.
The most dangerous part of the trip was climbing down the stairs at night to go to the bathroom—super steep.
The food was very good. We ate lots of cod, cooked in all possible ways. After all, Lofoten is big in cod fishing. The world’s richest cod-fishing takes place every winter in Lofoten. For nearly 1,000 years, dried fish has been exported to Europe from here.
We had delicious bread, butter with whale fat, butter with bacon, dried reindeer heart, cod cheeks, and drank aquavit—Scandinavian liquor made out of potatoes.
And can’t forget the waffles with all the fixings at the end of the ski day.
Our guides were Eric and Vegard, American and Norwegian, respectively.
To be clear, the whole trip was about alpine touring. There are no ski lifts in Lofoten.
We climbed the mountains with skis, with skins on our feet and sometimes on our backs. At times, we used ski crampons.
We skied down powder, icy terrain, rocky terrain, crud, trees, bowls, chutes, over brush, and even on a frozen lake.
Every day, we drove around the island to a different location, parked the car, and started climbing. The objectives were different peaks, and they all had names.
The terrain has an unlimited number of ski options.
In fact, one day Eric, who has been guiding for seven seasons, and Vegard, who skied Lofoten numerous times, took us on terrain that was new to them!
One late afternoon, we went on a fishing boat. Keep in mind that the world’s richest cod-fishing takes place every winter in Lofoten. For nearly 1,000 years, dried fish has been exported to Europe from here. We actually saw the fish drying on large drying racks.
However, somehow we managed to catch… zero fish. But the experience was great. It’s OK. After all, the locals told us that in order to catch fish, one needs to be intimate with his wife…
We had a consolation prize—dinner at a local restaurant. We had whale carpaccio, cod cheeks, and skrei cod.
So what does it take to earn the name “Quality Labelled Skrei�
Quality Labelled Skrei must be wild-caught between January and April, fully grown (approximately five years old), caught in the traditional spawning grounds that line Norway’s coast, and in immaculate condition—no nicks, bruises, or damage.
The last day, we took a “RIB†boat (rigid inflatable boat) with our ski gear for a 45-minute ride to Trollfjord.
The location is approachable only by boat. We started our skiing tour right from the dock where the boat dropped us, and the boat returned to pick us up in the late afternoon. It’s quite cold and windy in the open water, so we were given a special suit, gloves, and goggles.
Vegard said that the terrain where we skied that day was as remote as possible for Lofoten, which in turn is pretty remote.
The sauna was used daily after skiing, and of course, we dipped afterwards in the Northern Sea.
We saw unbelievable sunsets and the Northern Lights and drank all the Scotch and Bourbon that we brought along.
Most importantly, the experiences of this trip were shared with our great group of guys:
Joe, Rob, Ed, Robert James, Lyle, Shel, Garett, Dima, Lou, Jeff, and me.
Skol!
