X’FINNMARKSVIDDA 2024
FOLLOW JENNIFER, TOMAS, CLAUDIA, ELLEN, ANDREAS, PAUL, INE LILL & SINDRE
ALTA, DAY 0
Everybody has arrived and the team is preparing / checking / planning for the start tomorrow!
STILLA, DAY 1
The team had spent a night at Alta Strand Camping, preparing equipment and food.
Now we were all sitting quietly in the car that was driving us towards the platou. As we started the ascent a big yellow sign stod in the road reading "the road is closed further up!" We had feared this because of the storm that was just last night ravishing the region. But the driver kept going. The road was still good. After a while the snowdrift was eating up the road, so the driver said "no further"
The team jumped out of the car and on to our skis, and we headed straight into strong winds. Pretty rough start! If you keep skiing, everything will be OK! So after 5 successful legs and 12km we pitched our first camp under the pink arctic skies of Finnmark.
Cheers from Sindre, Ine-Lill, Tomas, Claudia, Ellen, Jennifer, Andreas and Hannes!
Sindre
Day 2, Finnmarksvidda
A pale white morning on the shores of Iešjávri and the stoves are murring in the tents. Routines! Toilet visit, snowmelting, preparing today's lunch, drinking water. It all becomes natural now.
On the skis again and the day turns bright and beautiful. We are effectively eating km. Through the forest around Mollisjok and up towards "Hundevidda"
The grand snow-covered plains. And there, at the end of the day, the sun burst out in to the most poetic display our minds could comprehend.
We could not do anything else but to set up camp and sleep. A good day.
Cheers from Sindre and The Team
DAY 3 - Hundevidda
A pale white morning on the shores of Iešjávri and the stoves are murring in the tents. Routines! Toilet visit, snowmelting, preparing today's lunch, drinking water. It all becomes natural now.
On the skis again and the day turns bright and beautiful. We are effectively eating km. Through the forest around Mollisjok and up towards "Hundevidda"
The grand snow-covered plains. And there, at the end of the day, the sun burst out in to the most poetic display our minds could comprehend.
We could not do anything else but to set up camp and sleep. A good day.
Cheers from Sindre and The Team
DAY 4
At 0600 a snowmobile stops outside the tents. I pop my head out and see a reindeer herder dressed in reindeer fur from top to bottom. He is smiling and telling us about his flock that just was behind a small hill close to us. He is 75 years old and has lived most of his life in the mountains. After a small chat he drives in to the rising sun.
This was to be the theme of the day. We skied in beautiful weather, while meeting a lot of reindeer herders.
After we passed Ravnastua, the terrain got more hilly and challenging. It was a tired team that decided to set up camp by a pristine lake, but tent-pitching is hard on sugarsnow...
Now under the moonlight the team is standing tired and grateful, looking towards the never ending horizons.
Cheers from Sindre and The Team.
DAY 5 - ENGHOLM, THANK YOU AND GOODBUY
Though the forecast said snow and wind, we woke up to yet another beautiful morning. Across the lake we saw the final push of this trip, Ruoššavárri mountain. We climbed it easily and startet the descent down the fun trails towards the river. Everyone managed to ski down in one piece and we skied on to the mighty Kárášjohka River.
It takes some time to ski these last kilometers, and that gave the team time to cherish the journeys end. Minds gliding across the river, no effort. Then a dog musher in old school equipment glided passed us and waves. It was Engholm himself, showing us that we were finally there.
Thank you, Finnmarksvidda.
Cheers from Sindre, Claudia, Tomas, Jennifer, Ellen, Hannes, Andreas and Ine-Lill.
BELOW: THE TRIP WAS EVEN PICKED UP BY A LOCAL NEWSPAPER:
