Skiing in Tromso, Norway

Skiing the fjords of Norway! I had seen the pictures and read the blogs. Yet I was instantly blown away by the endless maze of perfectly pitched peaks above the Norwegian sea. The plane landed on the small airport at Tromso, and I rushed into the rental car office and out to the nearest hill. April, and the ski season was almost over in most of Europe but here, it seems, there were no signs of Spring. I couldn't remember the last time I felt this mixture of awe and childish excitement. May be climbing in Moab for a first time. May be never.
I was also trilled to be above the Arctic circle. A meaningless landmark, considering that everything around me looked unlike anything I had seen before.



Marianne's House 

We stayed in a family house in the countryside, pitched like most houses on the seashore. It couldn't have been more perfect. The view from the window was that of a massive peaks raising straight from the water. Our host, the family of Marianne and Karl, made the legend of northern hospitality seem understated.

I got up with first light, as usual. Except, there was noting usual this time--it was still 4 am! The snowy peaks illuminated by the strange light made it seem more surreal.

The first day we skied the best looking peak off the side of the road. Fun powder in the trees even with the tiny race skis. We practiced some transitions for the next two days of racing and went to Tromso for pizza. The restaurant reminded me a lot to Dennis. Except, we paid a $100 for a large pizza, two salads and drinks. The views though, were still priceless. (and I didn't use master card) Considering that a week ago I was in LA, I felt like I have been mistakingly transferred from hell to heaven.

First Day of Racing (sprint racing)

It was a real fun to watch this, if a bit contrived, event of sprint racing. The new format in ski-mountaineering racing was developed to make the sport suitable for olympic games, and easier to accommodate spectators. The organizers made the event on the streets of downtown Tromso. What an awesome idea! It went flawless and everybody had fun. Even the town's mayor was there and watched the race from start to end with a genuine enthusiasm.
more race pictures

Second Day of Racing (individual race) up Blaatind peak.

This was the real big day. All two hours of it to be precise. There was a total of 1800 m vertical gain and three descents on the slopes of Blaatind mountain (the sleeping solder). Breathtaking views and perfect weather added to the flawless organization to make this event as memorable as it can be. And I got to line up with Kilian Jornet and the fastest French and Italian racers. The start and the finish were the two places where we overlapped, mostly. But I had a great race, swinging spots with a Norwegian dude. I past him 2 times on the uphill but he always passed me on the downhill. The descent was brutal: breakable crust on the exposed upper and solid ice in the lower tree section. Top racers were mostly straight-lining it, occasionally planting. I fell once or tw ice. If you didn't fall in this conditions, you know you didn't give it all. Overall a great race and I was happy to finish without problems. My time was 2h 20min, about 45 min from the top time and only a minute behind the Norwegian racer. Great fun!

The closing ceremony was again very nice with lots of good food, and prices for every racer! I got a giant piece of smoked salmon! A whole fish weighting 3-4 pounds! How did they know I love salmon?

The following day was stormy and there was some snow accumulation. I could not resist and after dropping off Ivona at the airport, I skied a mountain in a whiteout conditions.

Lyngen Alps and Holmbukttinden

On my last day weather was nice again and I went skiing in the Lyngen Alps. This range is below 2000 m but is absolutely spectacular and indeed very alpine in character with glaciers and steep ridges. Considering that the start is from sea level the vertical gain is solid. In the morning while driving to the trailhead I missed the pullout and kept on going. In 25min I've reached some sort of sediment mining plant, and the road just ended. There was nothing after that, just views of sea and islands spanning further north. I had reached the closest I have been to the end of Earth!

Back on the trail to Jiehkkevarri peak: a classic alpine climb starting off a glacier drainage and following up a steep valley leading to cirque with a narrow passage to a col. The climb then followed a steep, and at times fairly exposed ridge to the summit of Holmbukttinden (1666m). The views were outrageous and the weather crisp. A steep alpine range on one side with a wealth of possibilities for ski traverses, and a maze of snowy peaks raising from the Norwegian sea on the other side. For some reason I thought I was on the neighboring Jiehkkevarri peak. I also managed to confuse Laetitia Roux about the false summit. She was up there by herself, and we skied down together. Now that was a ski lesson I wont forget. Laetitia went down with confidence, speed, and grace, picking up what looked like the most fun line. And I struggled to keep up with legs burning. About midway down we skied a stash of fresh powder. What a perfect way to finish this trip!

More pictures from Norway!

Special Thanks to organizers and Steinar Sørensen who got me on the race list in the last minute!