Since the purchase of my first inflatable kayak some years ago, every trip that I have embarked on has started with a simple question: can I bring It.? This question rapidly evolved in to a universal true. “If you bring it you will not be disappointed”
From day trips around Barcelona, lakes at 3000 meters on the Andes, alpine hikes into unexpected dried damps, to a hold winter season of kayaking in Brittany. My foldable kayak has being a great tool for adventure. Adventure that has letting me to ask a new question; can I do it with a kayak?
Living in the Alps and with an extensive background on mountaineering expeditions around the world, the idea of a kayak expedition soon took place. From an ultra light attempt to paddle the Rhine River from Basel to Amsterdam stopped by a sudden winterly change in weather. A successful dream like trip around Milo’s islands in Greece. To the latest adventure paddleling in the Colombia Caribbean. All these trips have fallow an ethos of self sufficient planning and undertaking communally apply to mountain endeavors.
For the spring of 2015 a new kind of challenge was set, Sea kayaking and ski touring at 70° north inside the Arctic Circle in northern Norway;
Glaciers, solitude and perfectly shaped peaks for skiing surrounded by the sea on all sides make the Lyngen alps a very unique ski-location, and one of the worlds most beautiful settings for ski touring. The spring in northern Norway frequently offers excellent snow conditions, nice weather for climbing peaks, and the chance to admire the mystic beauty of Northern Lights at night.
The Lygen Alps stand out as the most alpine of the Norway fjord regions. A vertical, high-alpine, glacial feel dominates the region. The ubiquitous hanging glaciers source the deep aqua-marine water hues that exist throught all the Lynger Alps fjord
Lyngenfjord and Ullsfjord are both mega-fjords . . . extremely long, and even-though narrow-looking on maps (relative to length) still quite wide making them a very exiting place to kayak; the ideal place to combine padleling and ski touring; “ from kayak to tent, from tent to ski.”
Launching from the northerly town of Troms we engaged in a 21 days trip with the idea of kayak and ski a very considerable distance carrying all camping and ski gear on our kayaks, facing the challenge of navigation, camp finding weather and snow conditions we coved as much terrain as possible in a self sufficient round trip.
Our first challenge, fitting camping and ski gear in the kayaks
Ice encounter on Ramfjord
Old fisherman camp, Ramfjord
Skiing Fagerfjellett 965 mts
Ramfjord circumnavigation
Svarnestinden camp
Svarnestinden 1214 mts
The long way to Blatinden
NEW 2015 ADVANCED ELEMENTS AMBASSADOR
Stoked to be part of this great team, thanks AE for support our Norway 2015 expedition.