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Lofoten, Norway • Ski Touring • April 3 - 8, 2018
Our arrival came at a time when some rather tricky snow was beginning to gradually settle down. Stability was not great, so caution and margin for error were the order of the day. But that left plenty of terrain to enjoy, if one picked one's battles wisely. Here, a view of the small inland fjord near the lodge. |
Day 1, heading up toward Varden on a warm morning. |
Sun, sea, and sky. This is what we came for! |
A summit beckons, and we answer the call. |
Chris on top of the world! |
The way down! |
Another day, another fjord. Skinning up to Pilan. |
And another creamy snow descent to the sea. |
A birthday party, I wonder whose? |
Paul's! |
Day three, we head off for another adventure, the weather looking great to start with. |
We're headed for Rundfjellet, and we are not alone! |
Looks like there's plenty of space though. |
Pausing to take in the views, sea on both sides and rugged peaks in the middle. |
As we near the summit, the kick turns get rougher and the views more expansive. |
And more exciting! It's getting pointy out! |
Almost to the top. |
On the way down, picking our line carefully. |
And busting loose when the terrain allows. |
Another short skin back up over the ridge. |
And a final glimpse back over our shoulder at this amazing landscape. |
Meanwhile, back at the ranch... It's apero hour! |
A view of the lodge exterior, a cleverly re-purposed boat house and fish processing facility. |
And what luck! A clear night and Northern Lights! Extra bonus. |
Another day, another voyage of discovery. We headed north to Viktindan. |
Luminous snow under gathering clouds. |
At our high point, the light is still there, as are the clouds. |
Fantastic snow on our long descent. |
Back in town, we make a brief shopping foray into nearby Svolvaer. It's the melting season! I see a market for high fashion rubber boots. |
Wait! Stop! Don't even ask me what this sign means, but on this day our weather was really quite unmitigatedly bad. We headed up anyway, to the top of a peak called Baken. Once again, the snow was great, but visibility.... not so much. |
Thank goodness for 21st century navigation devices! Considering our options... |
We opt to soldier on! Nearing the top of Baken. |
And still managing to enjoy the snow, by braille or otherwise. |
To quote a cliché which is particularly apt for Norway at this time of year it seems, if you don't like the weather, wait 5 minutes. Or move over a few kilometers. We took an afternoon detour to the nearby fishing village of Henningsvær. A totally different feeling, just a short distance away. |
Fish drying on racks, a ubiquitous sight. |
And back again at the lodge, it's dinner time! The international staff do an amazing job with the food, and everything else for that matter. |
A typical house, in one of the three dominant colors of house paint we've seen: red (classic), mustard yellow, and white. Oh, I exaggerate, as usual, there were some blue-ish, gray-ish ones as well... |
On our last day, we went to a "secret spot" whose name shall not here be revealed. On a windy, cloudy day elsewhere, we were lucky to have some sun breaks, and mostly sheltered snow. |
A cold and remote feel on the approach. |
Breaking out into the sunshine, but the wind is howling through here! |
Higher up, threatening looking wind-slab conditions made this seem a sensible high point. |
One can always get just a little bit higher though! |
Oh, that light! |
The team celebrate their last high point of the week! |
And the descent deserves some celebration as well. |
Looking back on a terrific week, once again it's hard to head back out of the wilds. |
But home beckons. Thank you Lofoten, and all our friends, for such a great week! We WILL be back! |
All images, layout and text ©2018 Cosley & Houston Alpine Guides, All Rights Reserved
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