THE
LYNGEN
ALPS
Norway
The stunning Lyngen
Alps, northof Tromsø,
havebecomeworld-
renowned for peak-
to-fjord ski touring,
especially from
March toMay. Stay
at the Lyngen Lodge
or take a tripon the
oldVulkanawhaling
ship, with its onboard
sauna and Jacuzzi.
lyngenlodge.com,
vulkana.no
SUNNMØRE
Norway
This regionof central
Norway is another
incredible ski-fjord
spot –Norwegian
filmcompany Field
thestation thatanchorsSweden’sultra-organised
mountainhutsystem, about50peoplewhowere
strandedyesterdayafter theannualKebClassic–a
ski-tour-mountaineeringrace–siton theirbaggage
waiting forarideout.Tossingourownprodigious
pile insiderooms inahomeybunkhouse thatstands
afive-minutewalk from themainstructure,we turn
toOdén,who is leadingourgrouponbehalfofhis
upstartclothingcompany,Elevenate.
Hepeers into theraginggroundblizzard. “Let’sgo
up,”hesays.
After18yearsofguiding inVerbier,Switzerland,
Odénrecentlymovedhis familyback toÅre,Sweden.
Hecitesstarting theElevenatebrandwithwifeSara
anda fewskier friends tobeoneof thebiggest things
he’severdone–rightup therewithhis long journey
tobecomeamountainguide fromski-bumnothing,
and thework involved inauthoring the illustratedski-
mountaineeringbook
FreeSkiing:HowtoAdapttothe
Mountain
. Ithelped theendeavour that throughyears
spentasaproskiercompeting inmoguls, ski-cross,
andbig-mountain,Sarahadmaintainedaside-career
of freelanceclothingdesign formajorbrands like
PeakPerformanceandScott.
Afterdoing theirhomework to identifyagap
in theski outerwear industry, thepair jumped in.
“Asapremiumbrandyoucan’t talkabouthaving
thebestmaterialsandhighestquality if everyone
elsemakes thesameclaim. Sowhat trulyseparates
brands?”asksOdén rhetorically. “Fitanddesign, yes,
butmostly identity.Elevenate isa 100percent ski
brand:wesimplydoclothes thatwewould like to
wear in themountains.”
Around theWhitePlanet, “elevens” isawidely
usedeuphemism forski tracks, and theSwedes
had turned the idea intoanEnglishverb. “It’sa
description likemeditateormotivate,”notesOdén.
“We like the idea thatmakingski tracks isalso
somethingspecial thatyoucando.”
Notonlyare these folkshappy towearwhat they
like in themountains,buteven tobe there.Enough
towant toshakeout thecobwebs immediatelywith
aski tour in ferociouswinds thatshouldworkupan
appetite for lunch.Weclimb400morso toa large,
erraticboulderon theslopeaboveourcabin.Skiing
down isamixedbag–windandsuncrusts, sastrugi
bothsoftandhard,powderpocketsandswathsof
corn; thegulliesarenice, theskiingbecomingbetter
the loweryougo.
After lunchwemake thesameclimb, though the
othersgoanother200mhigherdespiteaworsening
wind.Thoughstill covered in thesamescaly
veneer, thenowsun-warmedslopesaremuchmore
welcoming.Everyoneearns thesaunawehave later in
a large luxurious facility featuringwindows thatpeer
outontosharp, tempest-shroudedmountains.
»
Previous pages
⁄
SwedishskierOlle
Regnértacklesthe
1,821mDrakryggen
intheKebnekaise
mountainrange
Below
⁄
GuidesTobias
GranathandJimmy
Odéncheckmaps
intheKebnekaise
MountainStation
(
left
);OlleRegnér
deeppowderskiing
offtheKebnekaise
peak (
right
)
MoreScandiski
touringhotspots
Productions likes to
film around the small
resort of Stranda. Stay
at themodernist Juvet,
made famousbymovie
ExMachina
, or take a
tour on theGaasten,
oneof the lastwooden
warships ever built.
juvet.com, fjord
cruiseadventures.com
RIKSGRÄNSEN
Sweden
Theworld’s
northernmost ski
resort, right at the top
of Sweden, is really all
about the ski touring
andheli-skiing around
it. Stay at theHotell
Riksgränsen, just
metres from the ski
lifts.
riksgransen.se
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