Ålesund

The cold wind and waves whip the cold sea water into our faces. Everything rocks wildly. Suddenly there's a bang! The fire extinguisher has flown out of its holder! This time one of the many waves has hit us directly. In the cabin, even seemingly fixed objects are now being flung from side to side.

It is not the legendary ship of the Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen, with which he sailed through the Northeast Passage at the beginning of the twentieth century. But the two-master is also called 'Maud': 'Maud of Ålesund'. The small fishing boat was launched a year after the famous original was trapped by pack ice on the American side of the Atlantic in 1930 and sank. Nevertheless, I feel a bit like the great polar explorer as the bow of the 'Maud' makes its way through the thin sheets of ice through the straits around Ålesund in the early morning.

Just as we thought the exertions of the ascent to Sylvkallen were behind us and were enjoying the wonderful descent, Bernd, our mountain guide, had a nice surprise in store in the form of a rather rough counter-climb. But it was worth the effort! The subsequent descent led us to a bizarre scene with meter-high snowballs that had rolled down the slope. It was as if trolls had tried to build a snowman. After lunch, a short boat trip and a hot shower, we still had enough time to visit the small village of Sæbø and stock up on provisions in the village store for tomorrow's queen stage. This village is located at the picturesque fork in the Hjorundfjord, where the Norangsfjord continues to the west and the Storfjord to the south.

Snow is only frozen water and there is always room for one beer! True to this somewhat modified motto, our mountain guide and tour leader Bernd Rathmayr took us into the wonderful depths and at the same time heights of the Scandinavian fjord landscape.

A welcome change for us inland ski tourists: after a hearty breakfast, strap on your skis and climb up one of the countless, huge snow flanks. The peaks offer fabulous views down into the branching fjords and rapid descents with generous turns across wide slopes. The peaks of the Sunnmörsalpane, with their "1000-metre slopes", are Norway's solitary ski touring Mecca par excellence. Our hostel serves as our means of transportation, so that our sailing ship takes us to new challenges every day. Culinary delights are provided in a lavish Nordic style and there is no shortage of culture on the last day.