Reflections
10th May 2020
We would have just finished our last day of skiing on our Arctic Norway ski touring programme for 2020. We were looking forward to so many aspects of this year’s programme and it was with heavy hearts that we were unable to run the trips this year.
We were eagerly looking forward to sharing this special place with some familiar faces, who first visited for a “once in a life time trip”, but have since developed an arctic addiction and frequently return. We were excited to be introducing some new guests to the delights of skiing to the sea. We hoped we’d catch a glimpse of the northern lights. And then later enjoy the long daylight hours. We’ve missed our otter and sea eagle sightings, and looking out for porpoise in the bay. We’ve longed to be putting turns on to the blank canvas, whether it be cold powdery snow or in perfect spring conditions. We looked forward to doing those tight turns through the perfectly spaced trees in the familiar birch forest (some may argue they are a little too close!), the classic end to many Norwegian days ski touring. We’d looked forward to the birthday celebrations. We’d looked forward to the home cooked meals and our accustomed Kvikk Lunsj’s (meaning “Quick Lunch” the Norwegian version of a Kit Kat) snacks on the hill. We looked forward to the sound of the sea. We looked forward to the banter.
For now, this has to wait. We can only hope that guests and staff alike stay healthy, and their families too. For those that are key workers we hope you have the support to deal with the work overload and long hours. We hope that everyone is able to find company within the isolation.
Whilst it has been incredibly disappointing for us not to have been able to run the programme this year, we have remained positive during these challenging times. We’ve enjoyed the personal contact with you, touching base, hearing that everyone is doing ok, but it’s not the same as sharing some turns on the hill.
We have tried hard not to hurt for what we have lost but focus on what we have, and have enjoyed exploring paths and tracks from our home in Kingussie. However, a day hasn’t gone by where we haven’t thought about Arctic Norway, not just the beauty and calmness of the place, but the people that we have had the pleasure to share it with over the years.
We weren’t sure what to share on social media, conscious that many of our guests are key workers, or living in the city and sad not to be able to head to the mountains. However, we are very grateful to George for sharing his photos which has given the opportunity to reflect on many happy moments on skis.
Of particular note, were the photos of Cindy’s trip. (For those that are on Facebook, these where the photos of the bright coloured cheerful ladies!). Cindy would arrive at breakfast each morning, already having been for her morning walk along the shore. She’d arrive for afternoon tea having taken a quick swim in the Arctic. When asked why the answer was simply “because I can”. Sadly Cindy lost her battle with cancer shortly after the trip.
We are opened minded about what the future holds, but hope that everyone that we have had the pleasure to share this special place with remains healthy and is able to enjoy it once more, because we can.
We’ve missed skiing with you.
Alison and James
