Green Style Choice

We’ve spent the past years trying to describe the transformation the mountains are undergoing due to climate change by showing pristine places and beautiful landscapes that highlight how unique our planet is and how lucky we are to live here. Today, more than ever, the question we ask ourselves is what each of us can do to fight climate change, which behaviors we should have and which habits we should change. The largest amount of CO2 emissions certainly comes from systems bigger than us; however, individual actions are essential to achieve even small results. That’s why we decided to take on different behaviors in our everyday lives and during our exploration trips.

Our travel to northern Norway last spring tested the possibility of choosing a greener lifestyle. A journey from the middle of Europe towards the Arctic Circle to reach the Norwegian islands in the far north, traveling sustainably, eating local products, and doing what we love – skiing and ski touring – with a minimal carbon footprint. We left Munich in an electric car, and the 1,900-mile trip turned out easier than we thought: the advanced technology of these cars offers incredible driving comfort, and we covered significant distances without even realizing it. Initially our biggest worry, the charging network is well developed in northern Europe.

It’s easy to find chargers, and the 40–60 minutes to charge make the journey slower but also much more enjoyable and relaxing. Crossing stunning bridges, using hybrid ferries across fantastic fjords and passing through breathtaking landscapes, we reached the Lofoten islands after only two days. We drove thousands of kilometers, two-thirds exclusively with “clean” energy, as it is generated entirely from renewable sources in Norway. Great progress in the past years, thanks to the government’s and its citizens’ commitment. This also allows us to practice sports in harmony with nature. In Ballstad, at Hattvika Lodge, our friend Kristian was waiting for us. His lodge is designed to be sustainable both architecturally and in terms of energy.

The day after we arrived we explored several spots, but the warm previous weeks and the sudden drop in temperature had resulted in a very hard snowpack at a relatively high altitude. Luckily, 48 hours later a storm from the north brought 12 inches of fresh snow. The contrast between the mountains of Lofoten and the sea, the black band of rocks between the white snow and the green color of the water was simply stunning. One of the highlights was our day at Rundfjellet. We woke early and headed north. When we reached Svolvaer the sun rose, turning the islands’ eastern shore into a beautiful pink that slowly faded to gold. After reaching the summit and enjoying the incredible views we decided to ski the north face where conditions looked good.

The powder turns were pure pleasure. Snowcapped mountains all the way to the sea, hundreds of fjords, magical light: this is Lofoten. On the way back to Ballstad we inquired about the weather conditions in the nearby mountains for the next day: the weather was changing again. Experiencing four seasons in a single day is also normal up here. The next day we woke up to another 8 inches of fresh. There was too much snow in the couloir we had planned to ski, so we opted for an alternative just behind Ballstad. When we reached the summit we ended up in the middle of a storm. The couloir looked risky, so Kristian suggested a safer line. The snow was fantastic. The couloir opened up into a wide face with fresh pow all the way down to the car.

On the way home we stopped at a nearby beach known for its swell. From above,the coast looked like a painting, with emerald green water, breaking white waves and sand marked by the creeks from surrounding mountains: a surreal place. As we drove back in silence, we witnessed a beautiful sunset with ever-changing colors that we couldn’t get enough of. It was time to continue our journey. We had come here to experience a new, greener lifestyle. As we pressed the car’s start button, the previous days’ images quickly reappeared in our minds like a spark. We had indeed achieved our goal: to travel with a reduced carbon footprint, to stay in sustainable huts, to eat local food, to experience the local culture and, of course, to ski these incredible mountains using only the power of our own bodies.

The sound of the ocean brought us back to reality. We said goodbye to Ballstad and our friends and headed north to the next destination of our trip.