The Mountain and the Wave

"Anyone who has ever heard the voice of the mountains can never forget it".  Tibetan proverb. The view from the summit of Glittertinden, the second highest peak in Scandinavia. This is on paper quite a big day: traversing the two highest mountains of Norway in a single day. In normal conditions we should be quite excited about it, but after going to sleep at around 4AM yesterday we are having breakfast at 11AM in Glitterheim cabin and rather discussing how to quit this adventure. We are still quite tired from yesterday and to face a stage like the one we have planned for today we should have been out skiing already hours ago. With the map in hand we discuss our options and come to the conclusion that turning around is not a much better option, just a safer one. The way back to the car is very long and it would be mentally very hard to go back following the fjellski tracks with the feeling of failure on our shoulders. Instead, we decide to go for it and start skiing at 1PM. Cl...

Bessheim-Besshø-Surtningssue-Glitterheim                                                                         “Make friends with pain, and you will never be alone” Ken Chlouber, creator of the Leadville Trail 100   - I think this was the hardest day of my life… - says Achim from pure exhaustion.  I think all of us share the same feeling. It is 3AM in the Glitterheim DNT cabin. We are having dinner next to the fireplace trying to get warm and dry, still digesting what we just did; 41km distance, 3000m positive elevation gain, and 17 hours out. All with not the lightest skiing gear and our backpacks could also be lighter (12-15kg). Legs are burning, backs hurt and the feet… better to not look at them. A nice collection of blisters that are gonna be our inseparable ...

Message from Aleksi on Thursday:   - Dude, this is starting to be a bit desperate, but how about some July powder on Saturday? I can't hold a burst of laughter. Is this guy joking? It was 30ºC just last Saturday! I opened the weather forecast and indeed, 30-50cm of new snow above 1000m expected for Thursday night. Jeeeezzz!! PUDDERALAAAARM in July! I have not skied for two months even if there was a shitload of snow in Hordaland.  The reasons:       i) Not a fan of spring shitty slush.        ii) Not a fan of crowds in the mountains.        iii) I hate warm skiing days. I relate skiing with cold days and not with ridiculously warm days when you have to walk around in swimming trunks and sweat like a pig.  I am not motivated at all for skiing but I start reflecting on it. Maybe it is not shitty old spring snow this time. There is probably no one on the mountain on the 4th of Jul...

After a rather cold May with a number of snowy days even in town at only 200masl spring weather is finally here. Warm weather in Hordaland at this time of the year is synonym of snow melting and water discharging into the rivers. Nothing special about it right? Or yes? For most skiers, the snow melting marks the end of the skiing season and is kinda sad. For me, it means increased chances of surfing close to Bergen. There is no regular ocean surfing in Bergen and it is usually a minimum of 5h drive from here. But we do have river surfing when the conditions are right so I actually get excited about the snow melting in the mountains. View of the line-up from the bridge I am a dedicated surfer (not good at all but dedicated) from Basque Country where we are very lucky to be able to surf almost every day of the year within 20-30min drive. That is perhaps what I miss most about living in Norway. Not the warm days, not the sunny days... but the ocean. An ocean with surfable wa...