Early Bird Norwegian Style

Ski touring in the Alps usually implies getting up early, especially in the spring when it's important to consider avalanche danger, and when you want to ensure to get the better snow. But it's your very own fault if you follow these early bird habits in Norway. Local skiers think that setting out early is either exaggerated or simply not necessary. Why rush if you have all day? Melissa, Anton, and I took note of this surprisingly relaxed behavior when traveling to the Lyngen Alps North of the Polar Circle – a region with countless fjords, islands, and mountains that reach into the sea and further. Clocks tick differently in Norway. People do have more time for everything, or do they just take more time for what they need to do?

People are laid-back, they knit a lot, and there's no weather considered too bad. They like being outdoors, and almost everyone owns a pair of rubber boots. On television, you can watch a live report of a camera team following a reindeer herd. Not many people would take time for this. Here they do. Initially, we had planned to travel to Norway in 2014. Due to bad snow conditions far up North, we changed our plan and postponed it to this year. A truly fortunate coincidence; let's call it fate. All in all, we spent ten days in Norway, eight days with sunshine, and even one with fresh powder. We also included two down days to relax, which was part of our plan. So what else could we wish for?

After arriving in Tromsö in mid-April, we spend a few days ski touring on the island of Senja, located southwest of Tromsö. After this, the weather forecast sends us to the Lyngen Alps, where after so many days with sunshine we are welcomed by heavy snowfall. We aren't sure whether we should try to climb Jaegervastinden, our initial plan. After a short discussion at a coffee shop in Lyngseidet, a village located right between the southern and northern Lyngen Alps, and also because the forecast announces sunshine for the next couple of days, we pack our gear and set out directly to the Jaegervasshytta at Jaegervas lake. We park our car at the north shore of the lake and get going, first on foot, our skis attached to our backpacks.

After a short hike through the woods, we reach the lake and get on our skis to cross the frozen lake. The unobstructed view from the lake of the surrounding mountains is stunning. How beautiful it has to be from the top! Soon we reach Jaegervasshytta, a small, cozy wooden hut directly by the lake. We made it to paradise! How cool is that?! When you are a member of the Norwegian mountain club DNT, you get a key that opens all the huts in Norway. We unlock the door and make ourselves comfortable. The hut is equipped with a gas and wood stoves, and we brought playing cards and snacks. Despite the lack of electricity, Internet, and TV, nothing is missing. We are happy, and we slowly understand the Norwegian lifestyle.

The only thing missing to make it one hundred percent authentic is some knitting things. The next morning, we set out at 7 am. In our belief, this is already pretty late considering how early we usually start at home in spring. In the beginning, we pass through some birch forests on our way to Store Jaegervastinden. It's a relaxed hike. We see some reindeer in the distance, and we are happy to follow William Cecil Slingsby's tracks, the first mountaineer to climb Jaegervastinden in 1899. The beauty of majestic Jaegervastinden, Trolltinden, Tafeltinden, and Tvillingstinden mountains that we slowly approach blows us away. The views are extraordinary! Further up and after traversing the first corn-snow slope on skins, we need ski crampons.

Without those nice little helpers, traversing the hillside would be pure torture. Finally, we reach a steep couloir, filled with about 20 centimeters of fresh powder. We change from skis to crampons and climb the shadowy couloir. The rocks are covered with packed snow, creating crazy shapes and forms. At the exit of the Northern couloir, the sun and an amazing panorama, a view only surpassed by the one from the summit 200 meters above us, welcome us. Soon the three of us gather on at the tiny summit of Jaegervastinden at 1,543 meters. Around us, the slopes fall away sharply in all directions. We are pretty impressed. We can see from the lake at the base of the mountain across the northern Lyngen Alps, and all the way to the sea on the other side.

We may not be on top of Jiekkevarre, the tallest mountain in the Lyngen Alps with 1,833 meters and 300 meters higher, but Jaegervastinden is the highest mountain in this range! We return to the ski depot, and Mel and I can finally ski some pretty nice lines down the powder-filled couloir. Back at the bottom, we meet a group of Norwegian skiers, who are also aiming for Jaegervastinden. They obviously spent more time in bed this morning and set out much later than us, but they will still find great conditions on the mountain. And their ride down will definitely be awesome, too. We are happy to be back this early, yet we are wondering how it would be to get up later next time we plan a spring ski tour in the North.

Back at the hut, we dry our wet stuff in the sun on the porch and replenish our energy reserves with a self-cooked meal and tea. Enjoying the beautiful scenery and knowing what we accomplished today, we play cards and relax. This trip to Northern Norway was blessed with great weather, and we are pretty thankful for that. Especially considering that we'd experienced the complete opposite just a few weeks earlier in Scotland...