Travel – in general

Sometimes we have to fly, but not always. If you have the luxury of time, we always encourage you to travel as environmentally friendly as possible. Traveling slowly also allows you to start your holiday in a special way. Cycling, taking the train, or driving a car together can be good options! Feel free to add some extra time before and after your trip, since up north the weather can be unpredictable and might affect your plans!

Travel – Svolvær

If you have time then take the “Nordlandsbanen” train line to Bodø and the express boat (catamaran) or Hurtigruten (coastal express ferry) from Bodø to Lofoten. But Lofoten is far away for many, and most people end up flying. Then Svolvær is the nearest airport, or you can also fly to Leknes. Flights to Svolvær or Leknes are mostly with a connection in Bodø and are possible to book through Widerøe, SAS, and Norwegian. You can also fly directly from Oslo to and from Harstad/Evenes airport, and then take a bus from there to Lofoten and Henningsvær/Svolvær.

What exactly is Ski & Sail?

Ski & Sail is a trip concept where we sail to the feet of the mountains and start the ski trip by the edge of the water. By boat, we can move from place to place, and choose mountainsides and areas based on weather and conditions. Ski & Sail is something Italian and French skiers have done in Norway since the 90s, and something Norwegians so far has only started to discover the joys of. We have arranged Ski & Sail trips in Helgeland, Steigen, Lofoten Islands, Lyngen, Finnmark, and on Svalbard for many years, and we dare say that we know many of the very best places along the coast. Skiing & Sailing is really cool!

Level of this trip – medium

On this trip, we require some experience with randomness/alpine touring/backcountry skiing. You should have skied or snowboarded before, and been on backcountry/touring trips. Regardless, we will set up the trip based on the experience of the group, so that everyone has a great experience. On most of our Ski & Sail trips, we sail two or more boats in tandem, with one ski guide per boat. This depends on the number of participants we have signed up, but it allows us to split up into groups based on the participants’ prior experience. If you have a lot of experience on skis, you will still find the opportunity to challenge and enjoy yourself on the trip.
If you are wondering if this trip is a good fit for you, feel free to contact us so that we can help you find the tour that best fits your wishes and needs – whether you are a beginner or are very experienced.

Safety and risk – in general

We take safety seriously and on our trips, we train on handling different situations that can occur at sea. On board a boat and on trips, everyone must know what to do in potentially dangerous situations. For us, it is important that you as a guest and participant are trained quickly enough to be a participant – not a passenger. It contributes to learning, a sense of achievement, and increased safety for all. It’s also why our trips are considered to be sailing courses: you are trained to be one of the crew members on board. Feel free to contact us to discuss the risk.

Safety and risk – Ski & Sail

We have the same mindset when it comes to skiing and alpine/backcountry trips. On the first day of skiing, we train on search and rescue techniques and the use of avalanche equipment. Many elements determine the safety of an alpine/backcountry trip. Good planning, humbleness in relation to weather and avalanche risk, and a good group dynamic are important. It is also crucial that you follow the guide’s instructions in the mountains to ensure safety. Skitouring and alpine/backcountry skiing involves a certain risk, as does sailing. However, we, our skippers and ski guides, do everything we can to minimize the risk in a professional manner.

Snow conditions

We work with locally knowledgeable ski guides and plan the trips based on the latest available local reports and forecasts. If we are in a place without snow, we sail to where the snow is! With the sailboat we are flexible with regards to finding the best snow, meaning that we may sometimes go somewhere that is not mentioned in the program or a place that we might not have tested in advance ourselves. This adds to the excitement!

Equipment/packing

Equipment for ski touring and backcountry skiing is required for this trip, which means an avalanche/ski backpack with beacon, probe, and shovel, and touring skis (or split board) with skins and ski crampons. We have a few sets of avalanche equipment that can be hired through us if you let us know beforehand, and ski equipment can be rented through our partners. Crampons, climbing axes, and harnesses/ropes are not required on our trips. We do not expect you to buy lots of new equipment to join any of our trips, so, use what you have, borrow what you need from a friend, try to purchase used equipment, and if you have to invest in new equipment – buy quality items that will last. We will send you a detailed recommended packing list in good time before departure.

Food and cooking

On our trips, you will be part of the crew on board and get the chance to participate in all aspects of the running of the sailboat. This includes the cooking, where everyone is taking turns in the galley! Skippers and guides assist as much as they can along the way. Before the trip, we set up a menu and purchase what is needed. We offer good menus with healthy “boat-friendly” food. If you have allergies or preferences, let us know in the registration form and we will take that into account. During the trip, we often sail by a good restaurant or two where we stop and eat.

What we expect from you

We want you to take part in the routines on board the sailboat, whether it is sailing, docking, navigating, looking for whales and icebergs, washing up, cooking, cleaning the boat, or contributing in other ways when required. Our trips require a little work from the participants – and you must be open to contributing and opening up a bit socially. We have many different people with us on our trips, and most people get along very well. Our experience is that doing things with others out in nature, and not least doing things with new people with different personalities than one might be used to, is what creates the best, most interesting, and most memorable stories :)

Life on board and accommodation

Life on board a sailboat is social and pleasant, but for some, it can be perceived as quite intimate and crowded, which one should be prepared for. On our trips, everyone participates in the operation of the sailboat and everyone is considered a crew. We would like to get to know you well and hope that you will get to know everyone else on the boat as soon as possible. It requires some patience, generosity, and an open mind to thrive, but the new acquaintances and completely raw nature experiences will take your focus as soon as you become comfortable with life at sea.
Accommodation on the boat is part of the fun. The accommodation is generally in shared cabins, some of which have a double bed and some of which have bunk beds. Figuring out who sleeps where can be a bit of a puzzle, but we do believe we’ve gotten quite good at it. Let us know if you have any special needs or reservations. You must arrange any accommodation before and after the trip on your own. If you have any doubts about where to stay, we’re happy to give you some recommendations.
We have plenty of heating and good food on the boat, but not always an abundance of fresh water. This means it will not be possible to shower every day, but more or less every other day we are either in a harbor with fresh water or we sail through a place where we can borrow showers or enjoy a sauna. And a morning swim in the sea is always available all year round!

What kind of people join this trip – and how many will we be on board?

Many come alone, some travel as couples, and others travel as a group of friends. The common denominator for everyone is that these are fun and interesting people you will become friends with almost no matter what. Sharing grand experiences creates strong ties! Many people wonder about the age composition of our trips, but this isn’t so important to us. It doesn’t matter if you are young or old as long as you want to go on a trip and intend to do your part in making this a great trip for everyone. The number of participants varies from trip to trip. If we have many participants, we will expand with more boats and skippers. For Ski & Sail, we are usually 1-2 boats with 7-9 people onboard each boat.

Environment and sustainability

Both sailing and alpine/backcountry trips are environmentally friendly activities, and we sail as much as we can and use the engine as little as possible. We encourage crew and participants to travel as environmentally friendly as possible, and we use local ingredients and resources as much as we can. We also run trips where we collect litter and clean ocean trash from beaches.
Philosophically, we often say that sailing is an exercise in sustainability: we move with the wind and we have limitations on things like water, diesel, electricity, and food. In order to run sustainably, knowledge, patience, flexibility, and hard work are required. The same can be said about many other things that one tries to do in a sustainable way.

Minimum number of registered participants

We need a minimum of 5 registered participants to run this trip. We are able to tell pretty early on whether a trip will be confirmed or not. If we have to cancel, you will get reimbursed or offered to join another trip. Since we need a certain number of registered participants to confirm a trip, please do not book your travel (flights, ferry, train, bus, etc.) before we have confirmed your trip.

Day 1: Meeting on the dock in Svolvær

We meet in the harbor in the center of Svolvær at 16:00, get settled into the boat and get to know each other. We will walk you through safety routines while on board, and let you get familiar with the boat before we set sail. We cast off before the evening is too late for us, and anchor in a natural harbor. We eat dinner on our way, but probably quite late, so we recommend you eat dinner before the meeting, if possible.

Day 2: Skiing in Austnesfjorden

We go ashore after early breakfast. The ski guide and I will make a final decision about where to ski based on weather, snow conditions, and wind conditions. Our first day of skiing in Austnesfjorden gives us a lot of options, such as Higravtindan and Geitgaljertind, the most demanding summits. Rundfjellet and Kvittind are also excellent options. This fjord offers many possibilities and many very nice phases and peaks in the afternoon, so we do not need to sail far.

Day 3: Austnesfjorden

With its varied terrain and opportunities for fun under a variety of conditions, the Austnesfjord is where we stay. If the weather gods are on our side, we might try climbing Geitgaljen, one of Lofoten’s most spectacular summits. When the snow conditions are good, you can descend this hill all the way to shore. After relaxing for a while, we sail out the fjord and spend the night in Trollfjorden.

Day 4: Trollheimen

This morning we wake up in the magnificent Trollfjorden, a bay available to sailors and boaters only. If the conditions allow we head upwards early before the sun starts warming up the hills, reaching for the towering peaks here of above 1000 masl. After coming back we hope to enjoy some time together around the bonfire after the mandatory swim in the fjord!

Day 5: Raftsundet

Early skiing on this last day in Raftsundet. Then we sail back towards Svolvær, packing our stuff together and tidying up the boat. We will be back at the dock in Svolvær at 16:00 latest. The bus and speed ferry depart by the harbour, and the distance to the airport is not far, but please add some wiggle room when booking your return transport.

The program

The program may change according to weather and conditions, but it gives an indication of how we spend the days. We start every day with a good breakfast and make a packed lunch before we go ashore. On some days we will eat dinner right away after skiing, while on other days we will have a light meal when we come back to the boat, and then sail on before having a late dinner. Some days, we spend time fishing or exploring the area. If the weather is really not in favor of skiing, we can spend the day sailing or doing something else fun.