Amazing. Twelve days in the Lofoten Islands flew by so quickly. I won't bore you with our family vacation and will get straight to it. What do I think of the possibility of skiing in the Lofotens? It certainly would not be the traditional ski holiday, but that's exactly the point. I would relish the opportunity to ski in the Lofotens and...fish.
Sounds crazy, right? It turns out that fishing is a mainstay industry in the Lofotens. Every winter, cod migrate from the Barents Sea to the Lofotens to spawn. Commercial fishermen flock to the islands to harvest the bounty, and tourists do as well to experience the excitement. It's off-season, but we still gave it a try, on Trio II, a larger boat that can go further off-shore, operating out of Reine,
https://aqualofoten.no/en/fishing
Me and my kids were not very lucky, catching a few pollack. But, for the Good Wife, it was a different story,
14 kgs, about 31 lbs. The captain was spot-on when he called it. Despite its size, it was easy to reel it in; cod do not fight. In the winter, I was told that the cod is so thick that the lure doesn't hit bottom, it hits cod. Just drop the line and reel it up. I saw a photo of the deck of one tour boat, with 7 tourists, whose deck was completely filled with cod after two hours of fishing. And, yes, that is a one-piece suit she is wearing, provided by the tour operator and mandatory to wear. It can be cold out there and for-sure cold in the winter, though moderated by the Gulf Stream, which is what makes the climate in the Lofotens, above the Arctic Circle, special. The suit, and the layers worn underneath, keeps one warm and dry. The cost of our tour was 900 NOK per person, about 110 USD, for four hours, an hour each way out and back, two hours fishing. In the winter, the cost is the hiring of the boat by the hour; I've seen or have been quoted 2500 to 3500 NOK/hour. Crazy, right? Who in their right mind would go out in the middle of the winter, wear multiple of layers to stay warn, under bulky waterproof and windproof outwear, just to drop lots of lines. But, what about skiing? Let's get straight to it.
I would relish the opportunity to ski in the Lofotens and...snorkel or dive. I came upon this possibility while in Ballstad, because Lofoten Diving operates near the only restaurant in town that serves dinner,
https://www.lofoten-diving.com/kategorie/diving_packages
Researching further, I come across Lofoten's Skarberget Wall, "an extremely steep wall with overhangs and crevices that make this wall feel more like a mountain than a reef",
https://www.deeperblue.com/top-6-dive-sites-norway
Wow. But, how the heck does one stay warm in the cold winter waters? Lofoten Diving has it covered. No less than, "
dry-suits: URSUIT SOFTDURA - ...with Quick Neck system ... In combination with Ursuit XTreme underwear (made from breathable material and double insulation)". We had the opportunity to experiencing using a dry suit for our first time when kayaking with a guide provided by Hattvika Lodge,
Still, who in their right mind would expose themselves to 38F, or colder, wearing technical outer layer and underlayers, and also don goggles that may fog, then hurtle themselves over overhangs and descend steep faces. But, what about skiing? Let's get straight to it.
I would relish the opportunity to ski in the Lofotens and...surf. Apparently some of the best surfing can be had in the winter at Unstad. Surfing in Hawaii, or Southern California, I get that. But, every time I see someone surfing in a wetsuit, to stay warm, I wonder how it can be worth it. We decided to check it out, though none of us had ever surfed; the kids were psyched. Yup, it's cold. But, Lofoten Surfsenter,
https://www.lofotensurfsenter.no had us, ahem, covered. Thick wetsuits kept us warm and comfy. We took lessons and, in the end, the kids were able to stand up,
As for me, I won't embarrass myself posting any photos. The kids had such a good time, they wanted to do it again the next day, our last day in the Lofoten's, so that's exactly what we did. I looked up some videos of surfing in the winter and I liked this one.
But, for me, this one is precious as well, for the segment at 0:22 inside the tunnel.
Yes, that's a one-lane tunnel. The aforementioned narrow roads of the Lofotens extends to bridges, both traffic-light controlled and not, and to at least one tunnel. In Lofoten, there are no limits... except for speed limits (I'm told it is a US$450 fine for going over 10 km/hr). If you do head over to Unstad, drop in at Unstad Arctic Surf,
www.unstadarcticsurf.com
They also have rentals and lessons. But, they also have an awesome curry and coconut based "hot pot" fish stew. A nice change from the cream based fish stew served everywhere else. And, they have the absolutely best cinnamon rolls. So much butter, but what's another layer of fat if it will keep you a bit warmer.
No, really, what about skiing? There's a lift at a little place in Svolvaer. Two lifts, 235 meter (about 700 feet) vertical. But, you don't come to the Lofotens to ride lifts. You come to get out and experience the islands and the scenery. One option that I found are "Ski Stadions". Along E10, the (highway?) that runs through the islands, I noticed signs for two or three of them. Driving up to one, I came to a parking lot. At the other end was a dirt road with street lights. A woman happen to be walking out of that road, into the parking lot. She explains, it isn't a road. It is a cross-country trail that is lit at night. Oh right! It gets dark early in the day during Winter. Sorry, I failed to take a photo. A web search for cross country trails in Lofoten comes up with very little, but one that does come up is,
https://www.kabelvag.com/en/activities/ski
The one I drove up to was indeed in Kabelvag.
Outside the ski area and the cross country trail, there is , to me, pretty easy access to some spectacular views and alpine skiing. On our first day, we engaged a guide from Hattvika Lodge to select and take us on a couple of hikes and to give us some tips for the rest of our time in the islands. First hike up, how's this for an "Infinite Trail",
Want to ski something steeper? Pan left,
Looking up, easy skin.
Here's a view from, I think our second easy hike, from about 350 meters.
Others were also enamored by the view,
Yes, a sub-alpine and alpine environment, one that plunges into the sea, at 1500-feet, not 8000-feet. Don't know about you, but I live pretty much at sea level and I would really be struggling, bootpacking and skinning at the higher elevations. And, my wife would be dealing with altitude sickness. Here, in the Lofoten's, we can do it, no problem. I saw endless opportunities for easy to moderate tours.
Here is where did our first hike, Fatmapped,
Want to do a more ambitious tour? Maybe backcountry tour to Munkebu Hut. It took us a leisurely 3-hours to hike there, stopping for photo-ops and snacks. Here is the hut, Fatmapped. Trailhead is at Sorvagen. I'd go with a guide if ski touring.
Here's the hut,
View from the hut. Would be cool to lunch at the middle of one of these lakes when frozen. The tallest mountain in the Lototen's, Hermannsdalstinden, 1029 meters, is hidden in the clouds.
Asking how one can overnight at the hut, I discovered DNT, the Norwegian Trekking Association. Membership entitles one to hut keys which, for Munkebu Hut in the summer, are picked up at the Tourist Information office at Moskenes. DNT has a few huts in the Lofoten's, listed here,
Not sure what the winter situation is; one would have to check with DNT. DNT membership costs 680 NOK, less that $100US,
https://english.dnt.no/join/
The DNT website is definitely worth perusing, to understand the touring possibilities in Norway. I digress. Back to the Lofoten's, Where would one stay? I was wrong when I said that there didn't seem to be any all-inclusive tour operators. The last four nights, we stayed at Lofoten Apartments in Hopen, just outside of Kabelvag, with Svolvaer, where our arrival airport is, just beyond that. Across the water, I noticed a large red building and went to check it out. In the winter, it is the Lofdoten Ski Lodge,
http://lofotenskilodge.com/,
that operates in tandem with Northern Alpine Guides, offering the services of IFMGA guides
http://www.alpineguides.no
How I overlooked that in earlier web searching, I can't fathom, because their Google search presence if excellent. Not only do they have their own guides, but other non-affiliated guides also use Lofoten Ski Lodge as a resource. I asked the Argentinian guide, who is leading a tour I'm doing down there in September, if he knows of any guiding services in the Lofoten's. Turns out he takes clients there every winter. He either makes lodging and board arrangements at Lofoten Ski Lodge or at self-catered apartments. Web searching also yields British, French, and Swiss ski tour operators that organize tours to the Lofoten's. Then, there are operations that I would loosely call all-inclusive.
Hattvika Lodge, where we stayed the first three nights, is one of them.
https://www.hattvikalodge.no/
They have a staff of skiing guides, led by the owner, Kristian Boë, a native of the Lofoten's. I say loosely all-inclusive, because board is something that needs to be pre-arranged, separately from arrangements for lodging. Units have kitchens, so one can self-cater. The best way to describe it is á la carte lodging, board, guiding, as well as arrangements with nearby fishing and diving operations. Another that seems to be similarly á la carte is Nord Norsk Klatreskole, the North Norwegian Climbing School,
www.nordnorskklatreskole.no
I came across this as we strolled across beautiful Henningsvaer village. Like so many establishments in the Lofoten's, whether they be skiing, fishing, surfing operations, they have a very low web profile, at least at Google. (Lofoten Surf is an example. Another, a captain of a fishing tour boat told me to find them on Facebook, not Google.) However, their skiing creds are clearly posted,
Looking at their website, this is another place where you can hire an IFMGA guide for some serious, technical stuff, as well as more moderate stuff I am sure. They set folks up with lodging. They have a café with music. And, around Henningsvaer, there are a number of restaurants open, catering to tourists that are here to ski, fish, dive, and oh-yeah, view the Northern Lights. How did I fail to mention that before? More on that later. In fact, Henningsvaer seems to be a place where intrepid hikers, and I presume backcountry skiers, gather and seek each other out. Check out the message board at Nord Norsk Klatreskole.
Another option I found is Reine Adventure, in Reine,
http://www.reineadventure.com/175271263,
another website that needs improvement. Note the ski-by-boat option, which others above can also set up. The ski guiding is a good resource. I don't know about live-aboard on Trio though, a former commercial fishing boat. However, I would highly recommend this boat and its captain for a fishing tour.
Speaking of ski by boat or ski-n-sail, I had looked into chartering a yacht for this trip, as an alternative to renting a car. I could not find a chartering company that charters in the Lofoten's. All I could find were small-boat rentals. The captain of Trio II set me straight,
http://seilcharter.com/seil_ski_i_norge_eller_seile_i_utlandet
No English pages. And, it's spelled s-e-i-l, stupid. See what I mean about web presence? Re-energized, I searched a little harder and came up with Boreal Yachting,
http://boreal-yachting.com/ski_sail/
One must provide one's own ski guide, and bareboating is not available in winter and spring. Skippered charters only. Though, now that I have seen the air, I would suggest a skipper even in the summer and fall, unless one is comfortable handling the currents and downdrafts from the mountains. I was driving along a fjord. Beautiful day. Puffs of air could be seen rippling across the water. Then, suddenly, incoming. A blast of air, sweeping down from the mountain, wiped away a nice puff. If you aren't prepared, the boom will take crew overboard and your boat will be knocked down. Yeah, just like that and end of a nice vacation. Glad I didn't find those websites earlier.
Nightlife, social scene? I think it's bring your own. Closest thing I saw, for skiers, was the café at Nord Norsk Klatreskole. Though, there must be establishments that locals haunt - maybe at the Ski Stadions. Then, there is the Leknes Ski Club. Wonder where they mingle. I called to learn more and the guy hung up on me - was it my English?
Oh, the Northern Lights. From a latitude point of view, Lofoten is ideal for viewing the Northern Lights. However, the weather is highly variable, and wet. The Gulf Stream moderates the temperature, but it also brings in a lot of moisture. I was told that, in the course of a month, there might be 10 nights when the Lights can be seen. Over a week, perhaps one or two nights. However, when they can be seen, they are spectacular.
Lofoten is certainly a most intriguing ski destination. It’s low elevation, no altitude sickness here. Temperatures are moderated by the Gulf Stream. Plenty to do for both those who ski and those who don't. Spectacular views. I hope to go some day, to ski, fish, snorkel/dive, surf, and to view the Northern Lights.
a word about Fishermen Huts: Here is what I learned from some locals. As I said, for centuries, cod has been a mainstay of Lofoten industry. It still is. But, before motorized boats, fishermen went out in teams, using row boats. They would return to huts, to dine and to sleep. In the 50's, the huts were abandoned as fishermen began using larger power boats that made them self-sufficient at sea. These huts now serve as tourist accommodations. Rorbuers are establishments that run a group of huts. A rorbu is a hut. Here is a lovely hut seen outside Reine,
They can be very updated, like the one we stayed in at Hattvika Lodge, in Ballstad,
or, they can be rustic, like one we stayed at in Reine, Reine Rorbuer,
http://www.classicnorway.no/hotell/reine-rorbuer/
The things that the two had in common is that they were both on the water, they both had kitchens, and both establishments had washers, but no dryers. I guess, in a place where tons of cod are hung to dry every year, the assumption is that clothes are also hung to dry.
a word about Reinebringen:
the stunning scenery to be enjoyed in all directions. We ascended Reinebringen in late July or early August 2000 and the descent was quite treacherous. It looks like this very steep trail has since been upgraded significantly.
The upgrade is not completed. Signs are posted prominently at establishments around Reine, and even at the village A. Folks are discouraged from hiking up for fear of harm from falling rocks, and for fear of harming others, those equally crazed to get that iconic selfie, with rocks that one dislodges. We were content with other activities at Reine - like hiking to Bunes Beach,
Edit:
I forgot about one other guiding operation I discovered with a deeper Google search, one that seems to promise a very personal experience with the proprietors.
https://www.alpineadventures.no/easter-week
One lodges at their apartment listed on AirBnB, which is also available to non-skiers.
https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/19872386
