 Poster: A snowHead
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Hello SnowHeads. The season is not over!
I just got back from the Lyngen Alps in Norway, where I've been ski touring/freeriding for a week. From a boat.
The snow is bliss. There's 15-20cm of fresh snow lying on the beaches (and on the boat), and at 1000m there are 30-50cm in large, untouched and isolated powder fields in corries and on glaciers. On exposed slopes loose snow has blown off, and on ridges it has formed large cornices up to 5m thick that make you very wary. Several people including a guide died in an avalanche here three weeks ago, and this thought was not far from our minds.
The weather was sunny at first, turning to variable, although consistently icy cold, so the snow is staying fresh. We had 3 days of superb clear, blue skies and sunshine. Reaching the summits, the views were long and the landscapes enormous. Then a front came over and it turned to sunshine and snow showers with chilling winds on the summits. The last day was a complete whiteout, and having climbed up to 900m, we had to turn back in the face of a blizzard gingerly ski down guided by GPS.
For anyone lucky enough to be headed up there this week, if you catch some good weather days you're likely to get some of the best skiing ever. It was snowing hard when we left on Saturday, in huge puffy flakes. I really didn't want to leave!
(In case you want to know, the party was lead by a couple of guides from Leysin (Switzerland), Rene and Fabien Pavillard. The rest of the group is Swiss. I got lucky  )
More photos on Picasa: https://picasaweb.google.com/114566808430966059989/SkiingInNorway2012
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Brilliant
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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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EXCELENT 
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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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Wow, excellent photos... and nice tracks! I'm waiting for the day when I'm able (technically and financially!) to do that.
Was it DIY organisation, or was there some sort of package that you went for? I absolutely love the idea of ski-touring from a boat.
The question is, how many "Kvikk Lunsj"s did you get through? (the real test of a Norwegian ski holiday )
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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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Good Stoke
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Stunning 
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nice pics! looks like a great part of the world, which I must visit sometime
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@ap96 - It was a DIY kind of thing. It's not hard, actually, if you can find a boat. Most of the boats up there are run by the French. There are very few Norwegian vessels that hire themselves out. We were on the Fleur de Lampaul, run by http://nordetcroisiere.com/. After that, it's up to you to decide where you're going / bring a guide / buy a map. The captain will anchor you pretty much anywhere there's less than 40m of water.
This is the second year I've done this. Last year we sailed from Bodø, which is further to the south. There, we didn't come across a single person doing the same thing, even by land, and we felt much more isolated. This year we ran into a few other parties - not all of them travelling by boat, as it is possible to reach many of the places by road around Tromsø. They were all Italian, Austrian, French... where are we, guys? Wasn't it the Brits who...
Yes, it's expensive. I hummed and hawed for ages before signing up last year, and eventually thought, "hell, why not, as a one off", but by the end of the trip I knew I was coming back whatever the cost. It's just that good. Zermatt has nothing on the Arctic.
You don't actually need the luxury of a boat to get around. I reckon it's possible to reduce the cost to just flights, cheap accommodation and car hire from Tromsø, if you're confident about mountaineering yourself.
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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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It's on my list to do sometime ( straight after I win the Lottery ;o) )
A couple of mates have done a similar trip with Piste to Powder.
http://www.lyngenlodge.com/
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@ap96
0 Kvikk Lunsj's. Plenty of reindeer sausage, though. I kid you not.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Awesome conditions!
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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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Fantastic photos, especially the final one 
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OP:
What does it feel like to ski that?
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FAQ
