Norwegen

The warm and snow-poor winter in the northern Alps shortened this season enormously, which is why we decided to head north. Norway had been on my to-do list for a long time, but where to go? As the country is not exactly known as a bargain paradise and our budget was also very limited, this made our planning more difficult. So we decided on a trip by car and tent to the Voss, Sogn and Jotunheimen regions. Ten days in Norway on a budget. In mid-April, we drove across Germany to Hirtshals, Denmark. From there we took the ferry to Bergen, where our real adventure began.

It wasn't that giving chase to the dark horse was wearing me through. And by no means did I feel I'd explored most of what it had to give. Sometimes, one needs to take a step back, and regain appreciation what they already have, no matter how fickle its tendencies.

The Lofoten Islands are an elongated group of islands off the coast of Norway. They lie around 200 kilometers north of the Arctic Circle, between 67 and 68 degrees latitude. Despite the high latitude, the Gulf Stream ensures a relatively mild climate, characterized by strong storms from the southwest. In winter, the cod migrate south from the Barents Sea to spawn here. The islands were settled 6000 years ago and people have lived from fishing since time immemorial.

I've not been on land much lately. With a bonus trip unexpectedly added to my schedule, the past two weeks have been anything but full of rest and skiing the photogenic terrain I seek in Lyngen. Flat light and terrain drive the mind to wander towards bigger things. That said, the skiing has, finally, been pretty good.

The WeatherBlog was written a little earlier than usual due to vacation plans and appears here with a time delay, so we tend to deal with less current things. From today's perspective (Monday), the weather is looking increasingly April-like in the near future, with slightly lower temperatures (as would be expected in April) and occasional, sometimes heavier, thundery precipitation. Note: The thunderstorm season is open!

Slowly, Lyngen is loosening its vice grip on things. Or so it occasionally seems. It's been a difficult week with high but inconsistent payoff. There's been no shortage of bushwhacking towards good snow, getting chased out of the alpine by wind, and a few good turns when things cooperate.

Just like last winter (2013), Zach Paley will once again be reporting on his tours and trips through the magical Lyngen Alps in Norway. Even though the conditions in late winter 2014 are significantly worse than a year ago (but which northern Alps skier needs to be told that?), Zach will once again inform the PowderGuide readership about his experiences and solo expeditions with his trip reports, which are well worth seeing and reading. We are already looking forward to it and hope that Zach's winter will continue...

Who doesn't dream of one of the legendary boat-and-ski trips through the Norwegian fjords: going on ski tours directly from the sea and exploring the fascinating wilderness of the Norwegian mountains?

Now that's what you call perfect timing! Norrøna is presenting the highlight of its backcountry freestyle line just in time for the first flurries of winter 2013/14: the narvik Gore-Tex 2L jacket. And because Norrøna and PowderGuide are so excited about the first snow, we're also giving away a brand new narvik GTX jacket!

In the final part of Zach's winter extension in Norway, we go from the icy cold waves to the early summer glacier snow in the ski resort of Stryn for a summer ski finale.

Hoddevik makes even the quietest of surf towns look like a bustling metropolis. With a population of 19, the largest concentration of it being at Stad Surfing, we found ourselves at one of the most peaceful and relaxing places imaginable.

As the days get longer and longer and the snow in the Lyngen Alps continues to melt, Zach Paley makes his way to Oslo...