Imagine a spot where it snows at night, the weather is nice in the morning, it snows again at noon before discovering itself in the afternoon... An archipelago 200 km long located beyond the polar circle and which benefits from the most large positive temperature anomaly relative to its latitude.
In March it fluctuates between -1.5 and 1°.
This spot is located a day trip from Paris, in the Lofoten Islands.
The archipelago has several elongated islands, connected with bridges and crisscrossed by a panoramic road going north for 230 km in sublime wild landscapes, including a few hundred small mountains (the highest of which culminates at 1,146 m) are skiable and are reflected in the steel blue fjords.
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The Lofotens are deserved, you have to fly to Oslo then take another plane to Harstad and then drive 2h30 to reach Kabelvag where the Lofoten Ski Lodge is located. This former ocher fishery, tastefully restored, serves as a base camp for the
happy few
who will have spent around 2500 euros per week to live their dream.
This beautiful building on stilts facing the Atlantic maintains the soul of the fishermen of yesteryear with black and white photos and a boat suspended in its heart.
In the evening, small groups of freeriders from all over the world tell each other about their day while chewing and sipping the local beer.
At dawn, they vanish into the surrounding valleys betrayed by their headlamps, while the sun gradually reveals the steep relief and the translucent waters.
Some mountains rise more than 1000 m above the sea in one go. Others, more entangled, give way to passes that lead to other slopes.
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A deserved descent
At the top, a cold and dry air directly coming from the pole freezes our memories forever. Lofoten Ski Lodge / Photo press
No ski pass, or even station, the first ski lift is located on the mainland in Narvik.
The best is to arrive with your shoes, skis are provided on site.
Here, going down is deserved and appreciated as much.
The climb in sealskin is facilitated by the low altitude which reduces shortness of breath.
It is sometimes complicated by the visibility which in the space of 20 minutes changes from full sun to storm.
Our guide Seth Hobby does not seem disturbed, he takes a look at his smartphone and announces the return of good weather in a big hour.
The ascent takes place in a cottony universe with no other landmark than the heels of the hiker in front.
After three quarters of an hour, the relief appears alternately, the Gulf Stream seems to gradually shift the precipitation to the West.
splitboards
with less edges seek lines that are less icy while hikers equipped with knives cross this final steep climb with ease.
At the top, as if by magic, everything opens onto two arms of the sea. Time to put on a jacket, put away the skins and take a few photos, a cold, dry air straight from the pole freezes our memories forever.
It's time to come back down.
Choosing the line still takes a few seconds.
The very light snow lets the spatulas just level then becomes more compact and load-bearing at the bottom.
Halfway down, the thighs heat up, everyone gathers to share this euphoric session.
Anglophones swing “
amazings
” out of breath.
The bottom in the forest, more technical, slower, ends on a small beach.
It's snowing again, night is already falling, it's only 5 p.m. and it's early March.
days and nights
The camp is made up of comfortable cabins by the sea surrounded by mountains.
Lofoten Ski Lodge / Photo press
The evenings are largely part of the success of the trip, and depending on the time, they start early. The sauna is essential to fill the 5-7 p.m. slot and ends well for the bravest with a dip in the North Atlantic as a cold shower. One more experience to tell. The northern lights are also part of the package and are even announced by an application… unreliable! The dinner which is taken from 7 p.m. delights gravlax lovers who had nevertheless announced that they would give up eating salmon since it was raised like chicken. Here, the fish tasted is wild and the farmed fish is reserved for export, the chef confides to us. The guide opens a yellowed map that reveals the potential of an archipelago that extends over 200 km. "
The distance that separates the Mont Blanc massif from that of Mercantour in the Alpes-Maritimes
”, tries an expert in geography.
Not all the islands are connected by road, but within an hour's radius of base camp, the choice is large enough to occupy the week.
The sessions follow each other and resemble each other like an endless day that we would like to perpetuate.
Only photos and GPS tracks manage to reconstitute a week where the muffled memories of the climbs collide with those of the panoramic summits.
The après-ski helps to color this beautiful winter break in everyone's mind at the end of the adventure.
The season runs from February 1 to May 15 and has been repeated every winter since the dawn of time.
GO
From €2,100/person (based on 4 to 6 people) for a stay of 7 nights with full board and 6 days of accompaniment by a guide.
Return flights Paris – Harstad on SAS from €250.
In addition, transfer between the airport and the lodge.
Information at
lofotenskilodge.com
.
Norway road trip
From south to north: first leg, from Bodø to Vesterålen
Along the west coast, from Narvik to the North Cape
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