Blog
Tuesday, April 24th, 2012
Dropping in on Russetind
Here comes a clip, filmed by Morgan Sahlén when I drop in on the east face of Russetind the other day. The conditions where amazing with around 1200 vertical freeride meters in perfect “fun angle”!
Tuesday, April 24th, 2012
Towards Cham
Monday, April 23rd, 2012
Driving south
Sunday, April 22nd, 2012
Russelvfjellet – Finishing of a great trip by skiing down to the ocean in the sunset!
On Thursday evening, after coming home from Russetind and eating a big lunch, we jumped in to the car again to drive north to Russelvfjellet, where the road ends.
After three great weeks of ski touring, ski mountaineering, adventuring or whatever you like to call it; we had a great time, got to ski some amazing lines and lot lots of time to hang out among good friends. We also got plenty of good material for our film project, but we still felt like we needed one more thing – some normal cruising in good light, preferably down to the ocean.
Knowing we already bagged the trip big-time, it was easy to motivate ourselves for another ski tour even though we had already done more than 1500 vertical meters during the day.
It became an easy evening at Russelvfjellet. We walked straight up the west face in 1,5 hours and got up in perfect time for the good light. The snow was not perfect, but totally ok, and we cruised down and got exactly the material we were after!
A great ending to a great trip! Now its Cham time for some filming for Salomon! I will meet up with Mike Douglas and Bjarne Sahlén again on Monday! Before that I have two easy days back home in Luleå!
Boys walking up straight from the water side
The Sahlén brothers
The boys on the top
Myself catching up (Photo: Morgan Sahlén)
(Photo: Morgan Sahlén)
(Photo: Morgan Sahlén)
(Photo: Morgan Sahlén)
Me skiing on the sunset (Photo: Morgan Sahlén)
And again (Photo: Morgan Sahlén)
(Photo: Morgan Sahlén)
(Photo: Morgan Sahlén)
Bjarne walking back to the car
Saturday, April 21st, 2012
Russetind – Rematch on the beautiful east face
On Thursday we went to finish of our Norway adventure where it started – on Russetind. We hooked up with two young Tromsö locals, Lars Andreas Nilssen and Vegard Rye and did the walk up in a neat 2,5 hours. It was a perfect day, fairly cold, no wind and bluebird and the ski conditions where to become amazing.
The wonderful east face of Russetind, about 1200 vertical meters of fun!
When I dropped in at the top I found really good snow and just had to go for it, as the slough cloud got huge behind me. I skied about half the face in one go and waited for the crew at the entrance of the skiers left couloir at the end. Everyone had a blast and our two Norwegian friends dubbed the ski “one of the best descents in their lives”! For me it was the third time I climbed this mountain, and the second time I have skied the face and I have to say this was my best round – so far – as i definitely will be back!
The whole roundtrip was over in less than 3,5 hours, and we got back to Lyngseidet for a late lunch before we went for one last ski tour in the sun set!
The crew of the day getting ready!
A fast walk in good snow (Photo: Morgan Sahlén)
The gang in an amazing landscape
(Photo: Morgan Sahlén)
Morgan, Vegard, Lars and myself at the summit of Russetind!
A cool view, huh?
Morgan enjoying
Myself in the exit couloir (Photo: Morgan Sahlén)
And again (Photo: Morgan Sahlén)
Morgan at the end
The boys at the bottom!
Saturday, April 21st, 2012
Morgan’s photos from Stortinden…
Below are Morgan Sahlén’s photos from our adventure on Stortinden a few days ago!
Check out the account of this adventure here!
The approach – long, like many times before…
The snow was perfect for skiing, but one doesn’t want heavy snow fall on this, huh?
Luckily enough we found a big boulder to rap from at the top
Me doing the first exposed turns on Mallroy
Me again
Putting in an anchor on a single bomber piton feeling like Hermann Buhl
Back down in the sun!
Wednesday, April 18th, 2012
Jiehkkevarri 1833 m – Traversing the island via the highest mountain in Lyngen and skiing a wonderful couloir – a venture that could become tomorrow’s classic
Yesterday the Sahlén brothers and myself went for another try of Jiehkkevarri, the highest mountain in Lyngen.
Exhausted from the last weeks big days and not extremely motivated for another early start and climb of Holmbuktstind we took of early morning. Weather being perfect with not a cloud on the sky we easily cruised to the top of Jiehkkevarri in 4,5 hours.
The east couloir on Jiehkkevarri
From there we skied down southeast to get have a look at our objectives: the South face or the east couloir of the mountain. We took an hour to examining the south face (also known as the Arctic Brenva Face) from up close, but we didn’t feel like the risk equaled the rewards so we walked back up again and aimed for the east couloir instead, a beautiful line that doesn’t seem to have had been skied in its entirety before.
It turned out to be a beautiful preserved gem and offered us the best skiing we had for the whole trip! It’s an about 800 vertical meter couloir with a big mountain ambiance totally hidden away from the normally busy (for Lyngen standards) summit. We found the couloir with thirty centimeters of cold powder snow and where totally amazed on how good the skiing was!
This adventure should become a future classic for the new generation of mountain skiers. You get to summit the highest mountain on in Lyngen, traverse the whole “island” and ski a fairly easy but grand couloir in big mountain ambiance with seracs looming high above your head (not too bad though, its only for the lower part), then its only about an hour of walking and pushing to get back to the shores on the east side (where you hopefully have parked a car in advance).
If the couloir doesn’t have a name already, I suggest Linus’ couloir for the passionate skier Linus Johansson who have already skied part of the line and who pointed it out for us! I know people used to climb up this as a climbing route a long time ago, but I can’t really see how this could be considered climbing by modern standards… But whatever name this line will have in the future its still an itinerary that deserve to be a classic in Lyngen.
With this one bagged we start to feel like we are done with the big days in Lyngen for this time. Now its time for some rest, some good powder turns and soon we are of to Cham!
A tired crew getting ready in the morning
The Sahlén brothers
Bjarne with the fjord in the backdrop (Photo: Morgan Sahlén)
Our goal, the summit of Jiehkkevarri in the middle
Myself on the flat summit (Photo: Morgan Sahlén)
Looking down the south face
Bjarne looking in to the east couloir (Photo: Morgan Sahlén)
Morgan and Bjarne walking back up from the entrance of the south face
Morgan belaying me so I’m able to safely check the snowpack
Looking in to the east couloir
On of the brothers in action
Myself, super happy with the skiing! (Photo: Morgan Sahlén)
About one third down the couloir
Morgan skiing
And again
Happy Morgan!
Bjarne charging
Bjarne taking of
Morgan…
Myself (Photo: Morgan Sahlén)
getting closer to the bergschrunds (Photo: Morgan Sahlén)
Bjarne can be seen as the small dot in the center of the picture
Its a big face
Morgan coming down on the glacier
And at the end, walking back… Sliding, pushing and walking it took a little bit more than an hour to get back to the car from the couloir. Its 9 km and we took it easy… (Photo: Morgan Sahlén)
