Skiing in Troms, Norway
12th May 2013
As we came in to land at Tromso airport the view from the plane was even better than I had remembered it. The breath taking sight instantly reminded me of what I had loved so much about our previously trip; having sea, snow and mountains all in the one view.
The guide book claims that "skiing here can be likened to Chamonix". They are both amazing places to ski with dramatic mountains. But that's where the similarities end. Here you can ski to the sea, there are no lifts, you can easily escape the crowds and the low altitude means no need to acclimatise. There is a certain quietness to these mountains that means you can hear a pin drop when stood on the summit.
Troms County includes the Lyngen peninsula but also other surrounding areas including the beautiful islands to the west and north. Our base in Oldervick was ideal for exploring all of these and gave quick access to Ullstinden and Stortuva. Ullstinden is a great peak when the avalanche risk is high but there are also steeper couloirs to explore when conditions are more stable.
The weather was kind to us on this trip giving us the opportunity to ski Jiekkevarri (1834m), this highest mountain in the area. It is known as the Mont Blanc of the north. Our descent was memorable finding spring snow all the way down the Storrelav valley.
Our final day was also a highlight; skiing Nordfjellet (1000m) across on the island of Ringvassøya. This gave us fantastic views in all directions and we could see all the other mountains that we had been on during the trip.
For more details on the other areas that we explored you can read James' blog here. A selection of photos from the trip are on the Off Piste Performance Facebook page.
A huge thank you to Tim Burton, Susie Allison, Dougal Ranford, Ben Bardsley and James Thacker for making this trip some of the best skiing that I have ever done, and sharing many laughs and smiles in these wonderful mountains.
