 Poster: A snowHead
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...and so it begins...once I've worked out to post photos
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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This year, the Powfinder General, aka offpisteskiing has based the trip at Balstad in the Wild West of Lofoten so we can explore some different terrain. Despite gale force winds of an impending arctic storm, which scuppered an attempted tour up Stornappstinden, we managed 1200 of vertical and a surprisingly good steepish couloir descent just to the East of Leknes. For the past few hours we've been staring at horizontal snow pasting the harbour. This post has a happy team braving the gale. Next posts show this afternoon's ascent and stunning light from Stornappstinden
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Gale force skinning
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Looking SW from Stornappstinden. Winners
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Oslo airport: we decided to avoid this bar. Not only because it was early morning:
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Getting to Bodo was beautiful:
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And so was getting to Leknes:
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Cod was drying (of course):
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It was a bit breezy when we started skiing:
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Great pics. Looking forward to seeing how this develops!
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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| BobinCH wrote: |
| Looking forward to seeing how this develops! |
If it's anything like the last trip, it should be a doozy!
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@horizon, Great photos. Looking forward to more. 
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You know it makes sense.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Looks like an awesome trip. Very much looking forward to the next instalment. 
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Poster: A snowHead
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This photo summarises day 2 well. It'd be too easy if a day's skiing didn't involve an hour bushwacking over rocks and heather, rain, snow, wind, low vis, rain crust , waist deep porridge, 'powder' and a very nice couloir that perhaps only a handful of people have ever skied. Classic Lofoten
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Probably the longest bootpack ever recorded that wasn't on snow. More like a yomp. Pot of gold at the end of the rainbow is the couloir on the lookers left between the cliffs in the distance
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Our starting point in Nusfjord: ball achingly pretty but as you can see, snow was thin on the ground. Hence the bootpack...
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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The Powfinder General in the couloir
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Can't believe how 'accessorized' I am with those borrowed skis - almost a perfect match to the arcteryx green!
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Everyone skinning up:
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Arno going up
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Sharkymark starts down the Bushwhack Couloir
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Oh. My. 
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Oh-h-h
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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That looks so much fun. How good does one have to be to be able to do something like this?
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You know it makes sense.
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Superb
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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| offpisteskiing wrote: |
| Can't believe how 'accessorized' I am with those borrowed skis - almost a perfect match to the arcteryx green! |
You just need a green goggle lens to complete the picture 
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Poster: A snowHead
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| Quote: |
a green goggle lens to complete the picture
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of Kermit.
Wonderful pictures.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Day 3: At breakfast, the light was epic.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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For the rest of the day we had many choices: (a) wind (b) 'snow'* or (c) wind and snow*.
The morning was spent conquering Pilan in the east of the islands and the conditions were perfect, as you can see.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Light from above
(the only light we had all day)
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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This afternoon we attempted a tasty looking couloir but the snow was super saturated and at 40 deg with a lake-related exit, we gave it a miss. Here offpisteskiing takes a look into the entrance before the abort
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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* rain
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You lot are taking bag of skittles steeze to new levels.
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to break the sequence of landscape and skiing shots, here's a modern art installation. Damien Hirst and Tracey Emin, eat your heart out.
Drying stuff:
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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'Snow'* turned to snow this morning. However, the wind is now a strong gale, gusting supersonic. Today's activities may well involve the Viking museum!
*rain
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| Quote: |
| That looks so much fun. How good does one have to be to be able to do something like this? |
1. Fit enough to skin uphill for anything from one to four or more hours. It's actually more tiring than it looks - the weight of skis and boots makes it more difficult than hiking. Then there's the weight of a heavy pack if ski touring between refuges/huts. And after skinning up you need enough energy left to ski the descent safely.
2. Reasonably competent on skis or board (ie able to get down without endless falls) in any snow conditions - from powder to breakable crust.
We started off our ski touring in Chamonix - with a guide, hire kit and a two day trip with a night in a refuge. Loved it - despite the hut being the (unrenovated/primitive at the time) Argentiere Hut. We have since graduated onto buying our own kit, multi-day (guided) trips in the Alps and (self-guided) day tours in the Scottish Highlands and North Pennines.
It's just a completely different experience and a different sport to downhill (which we still love). The solitude of the mountains and just being out there in the wilderness on skis just makes ski touring special . And arriving at a staffed mountain hut (beer, hot food, sometimes hot showers) to spend the night is one of life's great pleasures.
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FAQ
