devadmin

Nordkapp. 82 days. 2533km. 566hrs of skiing. It has been a very special day. One of 82 very special days which form the most amazing journey of my life. I have always loved adventure and my work as a mountain guide has shown me how valuable adventure is in our lives. There are so many

Nordkapp tunnel to… 😉 Nordkapp! 😀🍾 48km 7hrs. I was on the road at 4.30am for the 2 1/2hr ski to Honningsvåg. I stopped at the gas station, swallowed a hamburger and two large coffees and hatched a plan. The ladies working there told me that Honningsvåg had been cut off for 10 days. The

Stohpojohka to Nordkapp tunnel. 🙈 62km 13hrs. What a day. Some days have so many diverse parts to them, so many aspects that’s it’s been almost impossible to describe briefly… I’ll try. The forecast suggested Thursday would be my best window to succeed in getting to Nordkapp. A famously windy place, with a LOT of

Skaidi to Stohpojohka. 32km 6 1/2hrs. A change in the weather demanded a change in the plan. I had hoped to stay on scooter tracks but wanted to get to an open shepherds hut tonight to break a potentially long day. Places to stay are decidedly less numerous up here in winter! That meant a

Snowhole to Skaidi. 65km 13hrs. I slept surprisingly well in my snowhole… I say surprisingly because normally I associate them with getting up for night navigation such as on my winter ML and Mountain Guides assessment. Last night there was none of that shenanigans and I got a full 10hrs of sleep. 😴😀 This was definitely my

Joatkajarvi to Snowhole above Stabbursdalen. 35km 6 1/2hrs. Tania says: Last night I got lots of information from Steiner at Joatka about potential snow conditions in Stabbursdalen National Park in the northern part of the Finmarksvidda. People are being advised not to go there due to deep and unstable snow. Fortunately I aimed to keep

Máze to Joatkajávri Fjellstue. 60km 11hrs. Today I skied deep into the Finmarksvidda on windswept and silent scooter tracks. I’m back carrying all my gear so the rucksack is heavy but it’s impossible to worry too much about that when you have such amazing views! No mountains except in the far distance but more sky

Kautokeino to Máze. 72km 10hrs. One of my reasons for taking a rest day yesterday was what was coming up next… the Finmarksvidda. I needed to get to Máze first. With no accommodation options in between that meant a big leap of 72km on scooter trails. My eyes widened as I swallowed that thought… not

Kautokeino rest day. After two long days I reached my final resupply package. I’m now fully stocked for my journey across the Finmarksvidda to the north. There are no mountains as such, but a rolling, open arctic plateau which is often featureless and exposed to the elements. Through this journey I’ve been trying to raise

Hirvassvuopio to Kautokeino. 50km 10 1/2hrs. When I arrived at the forest hut I was not alone. A forest service worker speaking pigeon English was there. He was sceptical about my plan and called my holiday “extreme”. I was keenly aware that I could be skiing into a dead end. If I couldn’t break a

Kilpisjarvi to Hirvassvuopio. 61km 11 1/2hrs. Maps don’t lie. Well not good maps anyway. Over a hundred kilometres separated me from Kautokeino. Despite the growing strength of the sun the snowpack was still in winter condition; comprising of largely unconsolidated facets, making for exhausting, if not impossible trail breaking. Staying on the scooter trails allows

Kilpisjarvi rest and planning day. It’s over one hundred kms from here to my next resupply at Kautokeino, with only one cabin in between and a section where the snow is likely to be… troublesome. I wanted to be sure that my plan was as solid as possible before I launched into battle. So today,

Råstojaure to Kilpisjarvi. 50km 9 1/2hrs. Sunrise lights up Råstojaure and slowly lifts frozen mist from the lake surface. The metal door handle to my cabin is lined with a hard frost and almost sticks to my hand before I quickly put on mitts. Last night the clocks went forward. A little irrelevant up here

Kamasjaure to Råstojaure. 36km 7hrs. The day dawned dull, grey and flat. When I opened the door to the shelter opaque low cloud veiled the southern horizon. Fortunately I was heading north towards a remote fishing village run by Sami, and a narrow strip of blue separating two flat grey worlds hinted at better things…

Torneträsk to Kamasjaure. 45km 8hrs. Starting out further along Torneträsk lake with a big day ahead, and in new boots always had the potential for trouble. I was hoping my preventive taping would do the trick. Another 10km of lake (How long IS this lake…?) and I leap ashore next to a Volvo winter hibernation

Abisko to Torneträsk. 45km 7 1/2hrs. It felt a little strange to ski out along the same small path onto Torneträsk lake this morning and turn east instead of west. So far my second start from Abisko has gone more smoothly than the first. Faultless weather and good skiing conditions on the lake allowed me

Abisko – The weather was beautiful yesterday, whispering me frustration about this enforced stop. What to do… a solution clearly required flexibility and imagination. So many friends have stepped up with solid help and suggestions 🙏, focusing me on solving the problems now faced. I have a temporary repair to my boots (!) which will allow

Abisko to Abisko. 42km 12 1/2hrs. Today there have been some unforeseen problems… some setbacks. I’m not sure how long it’s going to take for me to find a solution and get back on track. It’s been a long day and ultimately I’ve gone nowhere, I’m back in Abisko. Tired, a little disappointed and trying

Rest day Abisko Mountain Lodge. I sit on my rucksack and hang forward, glad to have the weight off my shoulders and be off my feet. I’ve been skiing so many hours these last days, almost without pause that it feels strange to stop… like the pulse of time itself skips a beat. I look

Alesjaurestugorna to Abisko. 35km 5 1/2hr. By the morning the weather had changed. I heard the wind pick-up through the night and had to hope it wouldn’t reach the 20m/s predicted by the hut guardian. Thankfully it was barely half that, but as I set off across the lake northwards it really felt like the

Hukejaure to Allakasstugorna. 47km 9 1/2hrs. Last night I was the only guest at delightful, remote Hukejaure. Tired, but content the lovely couple who have managed the cabin for the last 20 years welcomed me with hot tea and homemade almond cakes. Under a cold, clear sky I watched the best display of the northern

Akkastugorna to Hukejaure. 52km 9 1/2hrs. Akkastugorna was the first manned mountain hut of my journey. I’m nearing Easter and cabins are officially opening. After three nights alone the handful of people at the cabin made it seem busy. My friend Håkon had told me that the Swedish do discipline very well, remember the Karoliner

Arasluokta to Akkastugorna. 45km 9 1/2hrs. I didn’t want to get up. The cabin was cold, minus 28C outside and no wood stove only an ineffective gas heater. But what to do… bad weather in four days and two hundred kilometres to Abisko. My legs felt wooden and I wasn’t looking forward to another day

Sorjoshytta to Arasluokta. 42km 9hrs. An immaculate dawn over the Sulitjelma peaks gave me a boost on my way today. I have five good days before the weather turns against me with snow and strong winds forecast. So my plan is five big days out in the wilderness to Abisko. Each day between 40-50km. 😱

Sulitjelma Fjellandsby to Sorjoshytta. 25km 71/2hrs. Yesterday I ran out of maps. I had not been concerned because I’d thought they were in my resupply box, but alas no. I researched options furiously last night, with some local help from @hansrichardbrathen 😉🙏 In the end Erland who runs @sulitjelma_fjellandsby came to the rescue by ringing

Balvashytta to Sulitjelma. 25km 4hrs. This morning dawned clear of any lingering frustrations over yesterday’s snow. A dusting of new snow gave the icy lake surface enough grip to enjoy the view of Saulo over the border in Sweden. A sociable breakfast with the boys and 9km across the lake brought me to the Coarvihytta

Lønstua to Balvashytta. 38km 10hrs. I knew today had the potential to be complicated, a lot of terrain to cover, and numerous hidden features hinted at by the contours on my 1:100 000 map. I started early across a small suspension bridge following the summer path towards a place called Graddis. A chaotic maze of

Bolnastua to Lønstua. 32km 6hrs. Today I crossed the Arctic circle! A wonderful feeling… a real milestone in this journey, and one that I wrote about in various articles before starting. Remarkably I cross it pretty much to the day that I estimated… I have now skied 1525km during 368hrs in the 55days since starting

Virvasshytta to Bolnastua. 24km 5 1/4hrs. Last night I saw the northern lights! 😍 The clouds had been blown fast away by sunset to leave a clear sky which inhaled all remaining warmth as the stars appeared one by one… The only upside I can see of an outdoor toilet when it is -25C is

Kvitsteindalstunet to Virvasshytta. 22km 5 1/2hrs. From the warmth of the cabin I heard the wind ease slightly in the early hours of the morning. It was enough to encourage me out of bed… Oatmeal and coconut milk thanks to @thecoconutcompanyco fired me up ready to brave another day. I put all my clothes on,

Umbukta to Kvitsteindalstunet. 26km 8hrs. Wind; Tireless, tiring, unrelenting wind. I wake and I’m excited about the day ahead. I feel rested, and the quiet hunger that sits within me these days is silent, sated. I’ve heard wonderful things about the Rana cabins, and the next few weeks should be very beautiful. As I shoulder

Rest day at Umbukta Fjellstue. What a wonderful sensation to wake up with the sun shining through the curtains and know I’m not skiing anywhere today. I peek outside and see the Norwegian flag beating fast against the flagpole, it’s very windy… but nice and warm and snug inside. I pull the duvet up and

Steilvasselva to Umbukta. 33km 9 1/4hrs. Only one thing is constant in life; change, and the weather has changed. I looked at the forecast last night and saw more cloud and more importantly more wind for the coming days. As a result today was relatively demanding, more so because of linking two short days into

Krutfjellhytta to Steilvasselva. 26km 8 1/2hrs. Through the thin, still mists of morning I emerge from the silver birch woods lining Krutvatnet onto the upper fjell. I push my skis ahead rhythmically, like two narrow-boats cutting through clear water… a perfect clean ski-track arcs away behind me. I confess to taking a certain pride in

Hattfjelldal to Krutfjellhytta. 30km 8hrs. The trouble with luxurious hotel rooms is that they are difficult to leave… I had a lazy start, thinking today would be easier than it was. Nothing is easy in the deep freezer it seems. After speaking to Statskog (forest service) about open cabins in the area I was away

Furuheim to Hattfjelldal. 32km 6hrs. Today I linked back-roads and scooter trails north out through the Susendal to the local comune centre of Hattfjelldal. From 20km away I could see the plume of smoke from what I now know to be the areas biggest industrial plant-a massive chip board factory. I skied out of the

Viermahytta to Susendal. 45km 10 1/2hrs Last night I spent ages trying to decide what to do… I felt ok, a little tired, maybe 80%. It didn’t feel enough for a rest day, and cold mountain huts in -30C are tough rests. But if the snow on Børgefjell really was deep I’d need every daylight

Røyrvik to Viermahytta. 30km 5 1/2hrs. Today’s an easy day… so I take my time at breakfast eating interesting combinations of food smothered in mayonnaise. It’s delicious. I can eat so much at the moment-it’s impressive. The first 16km along a quiet backroad north to Namsvatnet go smoothly enough. One of the two cars that

I’ve been asked few times what my plan is for Norge på langs and, well, I don’t really have a fixed plan. I have a strategy. I researched the routes others have taken; where they stayed, how long they took, and what major problems they encountered. My research encouraged me not to take a pulk,

Kvelia to Røyrvik. 55km 9hrs. It was -30degrees C when I set off this morning. I decided to start in my duvet trousers and did not remove them all day. Today I covered more kms than any day so far, but it wasn’t my hardest day. Why? Because I was skiing only on roads today.