Recognised modes of transport to reach ski descents include but � as we were discovering firsthand � are not limited to: chairlift, cable-car, funicular, whirly-bird, snowmobile and snowcat. To the list of vehicles can be added one more: canoe. We were streaking across a Iceland Ski Touring Boat 82 millpond-still fjord in a fleet of tiny kayaks, the only sound that of our paddles piercing the surface.
Beyond were higher, glaciated peaks. We stowed our vessels on arrival at the rocks above the tide-mark � not easily negotiated in ski boots � and prepared for the climb ahead. An amphibious approach to ski touring is not a new concept, particularly in Norway. But Fred Buttard of Upguides , a Franco-Norwegian guiding outfit, prefers a more immersive approach to ski trips and, when he set up in Norway a decade ago, eschewed the bun-fight of proliferating luxury lodges and boat charters in Lyngen, and instead set about crafting a more authentic approach, on land, in Finnmark.
Authenticity and unorthodox modes of transport would - we hoped - add to the experience, but this remained first and foremost a ski trip. We were here in mid-May, by which time the days never end, and so we were intrigued to see what kind of snow conditions we would find.
Our first day left us none the wiser. We teamed up with a jovial local osteopath, and accomplished telemark skier, named Trond, and skinned up a mellow peak above the simple cabin on the edge of Langfjord which would be our home for the week.
But clouds shrouded the peaks which, we assumed, surrounded us. In limited visibility, we descended carefully on gentle slopes through the forest on snow that was mostly firm with the odd pocket of windblown powder. An intriguing warm-up, but bigger objectives - we hoped - lay ahead. The following day dawned clear, with a dusting of fresh snow frosting the rocky beach on our doorstep. As we wiggled our way along the coast to the next inlet, Oksfjord, excitement levels began to rise.
Every corner we rounded revealed another stunning peak, caked in fresh snow. Our eagerness to get to our destination and get skis on was interrupted by a traffic jam, not of cars but of beasts: a herd of reindeer taking their sweet time to cross the road ahead.
We parked on the side of the road, applied our skins, and began heading up a valley running perpendicular to the fjord. We made steady progress. We were surrounded by an amphitheatre of tantalising terrain, with options to suit skiers of every persuasion. The rest of us made merry in rather mellower terrain, managing several laps of an undulating face laden with ultra-light powder.
As would be the case throughout the trip, we seemed to be the only skiers for miles around. Like Vikings, we climbed and pillaged and climbed and pillaged until we could climb and pillage no more. Reindeer on the road and in our tummies aside, our other animal encounters were a mixed bag. In our village of Langfjordbotn, huskies outnumbered humans by at least There are several dog-sledding outfits based here - yet another unusual mode of transport that skiers in Finnmark can use to access their lines.
We were a few weeks too late in the season to benefit from a canine-powered ride to the top, with the sea-level snow too sticky by the time we got there. That we returned empty-handed therefore suggested user incompetence rather than any shortage of fish. The 6-month course he and Buttard direct and deliver in these very mountains, punctuated by weeks in France and Canada, is designed to give its students an in-depth understanding of backcountry skiing, mountaineering and decision-making in avalanche terrain.
We chuckled when one of the group suggested that truancy rates are presumably zero. The day we spent skiing with Michaelson was a classic. It had a brilliant white sand beach, and dramatic peaks encircling the ultramarine waters on three Norway Ski Touring Boat Pdf sides.
Our m climb in knee-deep powder was the most physical of the trip, zigzagging up a vast and gradually steepening northwest face. We strapped our skis to our backpacks and donned crampons for a final scramble up a degree couloir, before being rewarded with one of the longest sustained powder descents any of us could remember. Unlike elsewhere, he explained, first-descents in Finnmark are almost the norm rather than the exception.
We finished the day with a pot of strong coffee, brewed over a small bonfire on the shore. If that was a great day, however, the couloir we accessed by kayak was the highlight of the trip. The helter-skelter descent down the steep and firm couloir itself, where any fall looked certain to leave the you hurtling downhill and into the brine, was an exhilarating bonus, if not exactly vintage in terms of snow quality.
Finnmark was no exception, but the real difference was my impression that here, it is truly possible to find the very best skiing of your life. We had four days. All guides are UIAGM accredited, and dinners and all transport in Finnmark - including kayaks - are part of the package.
Reindeer venison is particularly good, whether in stew or in steaks. April or May is the optimum time to visit, with endless daylight and lots of snow. For more information about this spectacular location, go to visitnorway. This site uses cookies and similar technologies. If you continue without changing your settings, we'll assume that you are happy to receive all cookies from this website. Stories Focus On. Matt Carr launches an amphibious assault on the snow-covered mountains of Finnmark.
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