The moment we booked our ski holiday to Geilo in Norway I have been counting down. Although we've only been back for a week, it already seems a long time ago. So by posting a selection of my photographs here I can experience it all over again!
From Bergen we took the train towards Oslo. It takes about 3.5 hrs to get to Geilo. According to many travel books and the internet, the Bergen railway journey is one of the most beautiful in the world. Well, it was definitely not exaggerated and we were in awe of the arctic landscape which was unfolding right beside us!
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| Travelling through a wintry fjord between Bergen and Geilo ©Fenfolio2016 |
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| Norwegian life in winter ©Fenfolio2016 |
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| Hardanggervidda mountain plateau near Finse ©Fenfolio2016 |
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| Arrival at Geilo train station ©Fenfolio2016 |
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| Geilo train station ©Fenfolio2016 |
In Geilo we made trips from our hotel on our Nordic skis, on average 15k per day. The area has an amazing network of groomed and some less prepared cross-country tracks. Our skis are wider than traditional cross-country skis but narrower than normal downhill or telemark skis. Because of this we skied outside the tracks, either in the middle part or off-piste in powder snow. The skis are lightweight, have fishscales underneath (to prevent you from sliding down when going uphill) and are only fixed at the toes. To warm up on our first day we did a tour around the lake, about 13 km.
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| Ustedalsfjorden tour around the lake ©Fenfolio2016 |
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| Information board along the cross-country track ©Fenfolio2016 |
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| Spot the flying dipper ©Fenfolio2016 |
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| Snowy river at Geilo ©Fenfolio2016 |
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| Funky church at Geilo ©Fenfolio2016 |
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The Scots can learn a lot from the Norwegian people regarding
woodland management ©Fenfolio2016 |
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A few Norwegian stabburs: granaries made from wood on pillars
©Fenfolio2016 |
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| Beautiful and authentic Norwegian stabbur ©Fenfolio2016 |
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| Detail of Norwegian stabbur ©Fenfolio2016 |
The next day we decided to venture further, nearby Hallingskarvet National Park, on the North side of the lake. Initially it was difficult to find our starting point. We first had to take the ski lift uphill (one-way ticket) and then pick up one of the
tracks signposted there. Easier said than done! We only saw very steep
downhill slopes for the skiers, but no directions or even groomed tracks
for cross-country skiers. We were not the only ones having this problem. Because Jaap was determined not to ski downhill and because
he is such a great navigator, he was able to pick up the track in the
end! It was all fine until we tried to navigate our way to a certain
point. We realised that the map we had didn't correspond with what was
signposted and shown up the mountain.
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Very clear map and network shown on top of mountain and you can also see us!
©Fenfolio2016 |
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One of the connection points in the cross-country network
©Fenfolio2016 |
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| Only small birch trees are able to survive in this harsh climate ©Fenfolio2016 |
After our trip we went to the Tourist Information and they were very helpful in giving us printouts of maps corresponding with the maps uphill. So the rest of the week it was a breeze to make our way through the landscape!
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| Trip to Ruperanden ©Fenfolio2016 |
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| Skiing along one of the groomed tracks ©Fenfolio2016 |
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| Another fine day for exploring the countryside by skis ©Fenfolio2016 |
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Looking back towards the valley where we skied from
©Fenfolio2016 |
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| Looking towards Hallingskarvet National Park ©Fenfolio2016 |
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| Plenty of possibilities to go off-piste ©Fenfolio2016 |
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| Inspiring shapes and tones in a winter landscape ©Fenfolio2016 |
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Arrived at Ruperanden, one of the huts where you can stay
during the season (from March) ©Fenfolio2016 |
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| The photographer in her element ©Fenfolio2016 |
Halfway the week I took a day off of skiing due to an achilles injury. Instead of feeling sorry for myself I swam a lot in the hotel's swimming pool. Luckily I was able to treat the pain by massaging the tendon and by doing more stretches. This is something I have to do regularly due to the shape of my feet (rigid high arches) but I tend to forget this, especially when I do strenious activities. Jaap went out on his own and had a fabulous day, again on the North side of the lake near Hallingskarvet National Park. The next day he showed me the area and I was in heaven!
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| The start of a new adventure ©Fenfolio2016 |
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| All this powder snow was just for us to make tracks in! ©Fenfolio2016 |
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| Strike a pose ©Fenfolio2016 |
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| Making my way up through pristine landscape ©Fenfolio2016 |
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| Our destination was perfectly signposted ©Fenfolio2016 |
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| What more do you need? ©Fenfolio2016 |
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| Practicing our telemark turn in soft snow ©Fenfolio2016 |
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| Practicing our telemark turn in soft snow ©Fenfolio2016 |
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View from hut Vestreim where we had our lunch break outside!
©Fenfolio2016 |
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| Footprints from possibly a mountainhare ©Fenfolio2016 |
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| Tea break along the track ©Fenfolio2016 |
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| Looking back on where we came from ©Fenfolio2016 |
Another trip we did was skiing to Grønebakken. Again, we took the lift uphill and picked up the track from there. In the valley it was -20 C but once up there the sun and the exercise kept us warm. We could even have our lunch outside!
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| -20 C in the valley at 9.30 am ©Fenfolio2016 |
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| Lunchbreak at Grønebakken, again outside! ©Fenfolio2016 |
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We stayed well away from the snow covered lake and skied along the edge of it
©Fenfolio2016 |
Too quickly our holiday came to an end. Looking down on the landscape we were leaving behind, we were already thinking about our next trip.....by kayak!
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A jigsaw of islands near Bergen that ask to be explored from the water
©Fenfolio2016 |
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A jigsaw of islands near Bergen that ask to be explored from the water
©Fenfolio2016 |
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| Even the clouds have the same pattern! ©Fenfolio2016 |
