Ski cruise with the famous Hurtigruten

Transcription

1 Ski cruise with the famous Hurtigruten Onboard the Hurtigruten, often described as the world s most beautiful sea voyage, we travel through remarkable nature and experience the mountains in Lyngsalpene, Lofoten and Senja. The tour starts and ends in Tromsø, but along the way we use the Hurtigruten as both transport and hotel. In this way, during the course of six days we will have seen many of the most spectacular ski mountains Northern Norway has to offer! This is a circular route in Northern Norway with top-class alpine skiing! We will have six action-packed days with trips in the mountains of Lyngsaplene, Lofoten and Senja. Two nights we will travel at night with the Hurtigruten and wake the next morning to new and exciting ski adventures. The tour starts in the morning at Tromsø (after the first plane from Oslo has landed). From there we drive towards the Lyngsaplene and have two days of alpine skiing on both sides of the Lyngenfjord. Afterwards, we drive out towards Lofoten and have two more days on skis in this unique skiing terrain. Friday evening, onboard the Hurtigruten, we head north from Svolvær, through Raftsundet (and Trollfjorden) to Finnsnes. Two more days skiing at Senja before we take a minibus back to the airport in Tromsø Sunday evening. The nights we don t spend onboard the Hurtigruten we will spend at pleasant fishing village cabins in Lyngen, Lofoten and Senja. These accommodations are relatively simple but we claim this to be an exclusive experience of nature. The combination of sea and summit, world-class skiing, beautiful scenery and exciting coastal culture make this trip unique! The guide for this alpine adventure is Espen Nordahl who has also published the guidebook Toppturer i Troms. In addition, we will have along our own driver and a maximum of six guests. Are you ready to join in on an exceptional ski adventure? Thank you so much for an unforgettable mountain tour in Northern Norway! We couldn t be more pleased with the trip remarkable experiences of nature, beautiful accommodations, both on land and on the Hurtigruten, and a pleasant and competent guide. participant of the 2014 trip Level of Difficulty

2 The duration of each day s program will vary according to conditions, but could be up to 8 hours. Choice of route, summits and the day s itinerary are determined by weather and ski conditions and the groups wishes and abilities. Our pace will be easy to moderate. Security Avalanche beacon, probe and snow shovel are required for all of Hvitserks mountain tours. If you do not own this equipment yourself, it it possible to rent it from Hvitserk. Hvitserk also offers discounted equipment packages to customers who wish to purchase these. Along the way, time will be used in teaching the use this equipment and in learning safe mountain travel routines. Equipment Everyone must have an avalanche beacon, probe and shovel. On some of the ascents on the tour, crampons and ice axes may also be necessary. These can be rented from Hvitserk. Ski crampons are also recommended. These can be bought at sports stores that have a good selection of mountaineering equipment. Make sure that the ski crampons fit your bindings! Attractions - Lyngsalpene (The Lyngen Alps), Lofoten and Senja are three of Norway s most fantastic mountain touring areas - Two nights onboard the Hurtigruten, described by some as the most beautiful sea voyage in the world - The atmosphere of the climbers café on the wharf at Henningsvær - A combination of exciting coastal culture, beautiful nature and superb skiing make this tour a completely remarkable experience! Accommodations Two nights are spent onboard the Hurtigruten in double occupancy cabins. We will also spend three nights in pleasant accommodations at Lyngen, Lofoten and at Senja. Insurance You are required to have adequate health and accident insurance that also covers possible repatriation. Remember to bring proof of insurance along on the trip. A few general things to be aware of:

3 - Certain insurance companies use specified altitude levels as criteria for what the insurance will or will not cover and whether the trip is referred to as an expedition or not. Be especially aware of this and check carefully. - Some insurance companies require an extension if a single journey exceeds a certain duration. - Be sure that your insurance covers the chosen geographical area. - Some insurance companies have a maximum payment limit for cancellations and medical insurance. We recommend that you check to ensure your insurance covers: - Cancellation insurance must be ordered at the same time the trip is booked. Check that the total sum of your cancellation insurance covers the total sum of your trip. If it doesn t, you ought to buy additional cancellation insurance to cover the remaining amount. - Luggage - Liability - Delays - Loss of purpose of trip (For example, if you break your arm before a trip to Africa, you can still travel. However, you may not be able to climb Kilimanjaro and/or sleep in a tent Therefore, you should have insurance that covers loss of purpose of trip.) Price includes: - Accommodation for two nights in a double occupancy cabin onboard the Hurtigruten - Accommodation for three nights in fishing village cabins or boathouses. - Breakfast, lunch (packed lunches) and dinner - All local transportation (rental cars, ferries, etc.) - Local mountain guides Price does not include: - Medical, travel or cancellation insurance - Roundtrip plane fare to Tromsø - Single room occupancy Additional information This tour can also be customized for groups of minimum four guests.

4 Day 1: Tromsø - Lyngen We meet at the airport in Tromsø. Both Norwegian and SAS have flights that land at 10:00 a.m. We ll briefly discuss possible destinations and weather and snow conditions, then decide exactly where we want to go. Afterwards, we ll pack everything into the minibus. Most likely, we will spend this day in the Lyng Alps or at a spot along the way to the Lyng Alps. A nice dinner will be served at our accommodation at Lyngen. Day 2: Lyngen Skjervøy onboard the Hurtigruten After breakfast, it s time for another mountaintop either in the Lyngen Alps or, after a ferry ride over to the east side of the Lyngenfjord, the Kålfjord Alps. Here there are several wonderful mountains to ski with spectacular views across Lyngen. Afterwards, we ll drive north to Skjervøy where we go onboard the Hurtigruten. On the boat, we ll eat a good dinner and stay in comfortable double rooms. There might even be a chance to see the northern lights from the deck. During the night, we sail to Tromsø and then further south to Harstad. Day 3: Harstad Lofoten Afer a nice breakfast onboard, the boat will arrive in Harstad at 8:00 a.m. From here, the tour goes to Lofoten. The new highway E-10 is a fantastic drive through remarkable nature and after about two hours, we are ready for today s ski trip. There are many possible spots in Lofoten to experience, and we will let weather and skiing conditions help us decide which to choose. After skiing, we ll drive out to Henningsvær which is one of the most charming fishing villages in Lofoten. We ll stay at the climbers café called The Last Viking. The accommodation is rather simple, but its location in the middle of the wharf in Henningsvær and the good food and atmosphere makes this our absolute favorite in Lofoten. We ll eat a good fish dinner at the climbers café, study our maps and plan the next day s trip! Day 4: Henningsvær onboard the Hurtigruten A new day with another peak experience in the beautiful Lofot mountains. Perhaps today we ll be able to see out across all of Vestfjorden from our chosen mountaintop. If we are lucky with the weather, we ll have powder all the way down to the rocky shores of the fjord. After stopping for a coffee on the wharf in Svolvær, we again board the Hurtigruten which is now heading north. Après-ski and dinner will be enjoyed on the boat. During the night, the Hurtigruten sails through Raftsundet and northward through Vesterålen to Finnsnes.

5 If, along the way, some of the participants want a day of rest, Henningsvær is a good place to use this day. There are many good opportunities to go for a hike or go fishing. Day 5: Senja We have a relaxing morning onboard the Hurtigruten and eat breakfast before arriving at Finnsnes. Afterwards, we drive over to the other side of this large island of Senja. The ski mountains here are not as famous as those in Lofoten and in Lyngen but we dare say that they are just as beautiful! We have a wonderful trip to the mountaintop hopefully with a view right out to the sea. We ll stay at pleasant accommodations on the other side of Senja and enjoy a fantastic farewell dinner! Day 6: Tromsø Last day of the tour! At Senja, there are a number of fantastic mountains to ski and we choose the one we think has the best skiing conditions. Afterwards, we travel north to Tromsø where we arrive in the evening. We recommend that everyone order a flight which leaves after (7:00 p.m.) that evening.