International (Europe/Japan/Southern Hemisphere) Norway

[karlo]

So, with his post about offpiste skiing videos in Ski School section, @jmeb has gotten me re-addicted to YouTube ski videos. I came across these



OMG, I have to go!

 

[Jellybeans1000]

Beautiful! I've heard from some people that Svalbard has good ski touring. Kinda part of Norway.

 

[dbostedo]

Here's a good one from Chris Davenport's "Face of Dav" series where he skis Svalbard :

 

[fatbob]

Some trip reports here

http://snowheads.com/ski-forum/viewtopic.php?p=2877133&highlight=codfather#2877133

http://snowheads.com/ski-forum/viewtopic.php?p=2513408&highlight=codfather#2513408

http://snowheads.com/ski-forum/viewtopic.php?t=131507&highlight=lofoten

 

[TonyC]

Beautiful! I've heard from some people that Svalbard has good ski touring. Kinda part of Norway.

As long as you carry the required rifle in case you encounter polar bears.

 

[dave-o]

As long as you carry the required rifle in case you encounter polar bears.

Yep, I know of two incidents in the past few years , a British kid and Norwegian woman were killed.

 

[karlo]

I checked out a few things. About $550 roundtrip on Norwegian Airlines from New York, weekday travel, end of Feb. A 2-3 hour ferry ride to Lofoten with beautiful views. Peak season is end of Jan to early March, in order to catch views of auroras. More consolidated snow end of March and April (less powder, spring conditions for sure lower down), but longer days. Me, I would go for the skiing, not the auroras, and would be happy to go off-peak. Plus, I can use the longer days, to hike up farther and more slowly (ahem, more leisurely)

 

[TonyC]

Peak season is end of Jan to early March

No way. The Lofoten archipelago is at latitude 68 above the Arctic Circle, thus with inadequate daylight during that time frame. The noted ski touring operation in northern Norway is Lyngen Lodge. The season is from sometime in March through end of May. https://www.lyngenlodge.com/seasons/ Peak aurora is around the equinoxes.

We were at Arctic Heliskiing in Iceland around latitude 65 last week of March 2015. We did have some aurora activity. Peak time for skiing is April/May. Having 18+ hours of daylight is a valuable asset when you're touring.

 

[Daniel]

Although not ski or ski touring related, my wife and I have independently bicycle toured in many, many countries/destinations around the world totaling over 3 years of travel. Riding in the Lofoten and nearby Vesteralen Islands gets my vote for the most visually stunning experience I've had touring by bike. As a very keen skier and snowboarder, I can testify there is a plethora of excellent-looking riding/skiing terrain throughout these incredible islands. Make sure to bring lots of money: Norway is also exceedingly expensive!

 

[karlo]

No way. The Lofoten archipelago is at latitude 68 above the Arctic Circle, thus with inadequate daylight during that time frame

That makes sense. I think they were saying end of Jan to early Mar from the perspective of best snow and best opportunities for viewing aurora (more night time; maybe earlier viewing for families with kids?). Definitely more to research.

 

[TonyC]

Lift serviced areas in Iceland and presumably Norway operate in winter with lights. But I'm not buying that any touring operation would be viable before March. Alaska backcountry ops start in late February/early March and they are not quite as far north as Iceland/Norway.

Lyngen is open in winter for aurora viewing.

 

[karlo]

Norway is also exceedingly expensive!

Yes, I heard that it is. Got a reply this weekend from an outfit.

"full board lodging with delicious local food, nice cabins, sauna, transport to the skiing, access to all the facilities at the lodge and a guide.
open groups are 7 days with lodging and 6 days of skiing.". The skiing is open groups with a guide. $2775. Not bad for the experience. Might not be a group that comes to the highest summits though. Still, I'm thinking it would still be spectacular.

 

[DanishRider]

Try ordering af beer in Norway - Don't be surprised if you end up paying 20$ - The prices there is obscene - even to us from Denmark!

 

[neonorchid]

Try ordering af beer in Norway - Don't be surprised if you end up paying 20$ - The prices there is obscene - even to us from Denmark!

I would love to ski/ski tour Norway, videos posted in this thread look amazing

...although now that we're in the off season I figured it's a good time to point out that the $20 beers seem to be the least of Norway's marketing troubles -

 

[DanishRider]

I would love to ski/ski tour Norway, videos posted in this thread look amazing

...although now that we're in the off season I figured it's a good time to point out that the $20 beers seem to be the least of Norway's marketing troubles -

Pretty much depends on what fuel you run on - Mine is rye and beer On another note - Norway is beautiful!

 

[neonorchid]

^The "unavailable video" -

 

[weatherman]

Can confirm first hand that it is snowing in Norway. Posted photos.