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 – Tromsø

The fastest option for getting to or from Tromsø is to fly. But if you have time to travel slowly we recommend doing that instead. Taking Hurtigruten south from Tromsø to Bodø and train from there is one option.

Travel – Alta

Check out SAS, Norwegian or Widerøe for flights to and from Alta. If you are planning to travel from a city in the north or want to extend your journey by a day or more, then Hurtigruta (coastal express ferry) has departures going north and south every day. You can definitely also take the train to Bodø and the continue by ferry, or drive a car all the way. Traveling slowly gives a different dimension to your vacation than flying over all the beautiful places our country has to offer, and it helps save the environment.

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 mountain sides 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 have only started to discover the joys of. SailNorway has 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 randonnee/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 and 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 risk.

Safety and risk – Ski & Sail

We have the same mindset when it comes to skiing and alpine/backcountry trips. 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 involve a certain risk, as does sailing. However, we at SailNorway, and 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, that means avalanche/ski backpack with beacon, probe and shovel, and touring skis (or splitboard) 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 onboard 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 onboard 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 contribute and open 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 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 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 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.

Itinerary: Ski & Sail, Lyngen and Finnmark Northbound

As a sailing ship, we are largely dependent on the weather. We will attempt to reach as many destinations as possible under sail, however, the specified itinerary is simply a guide. With all tours as exciting as this, flexibility is important as the final route will be determined during the trip depending on the weather conditions.

Day 1: Ship ahoy – we meet and set sail!

Welcome on board! We will meet in Tromsø harbour at 16:00, get settled into the boat, and get to know each other. Before we set sail, we’ll walk you through safety routines while on board, and get familiar with the boat. Already this first day we head off to the adventure and leave towards Grøtsundet and our first anchorage. We make dinner when we have cast off, but we recommend you to not come hungry before the trip start, as we may have a late supper.

Day 2: First ski tour

After an early breakfast, we take our dinghy to shore for our first skiing of the week! We aim for some of the mountains on our way north from Tromsø for today and have great options on Ringvassøya og Reinøya. Maybe even Ullstinden at 1093 masl will be our first peak! After the ski tour, we sail on towards Lyngen and find a suitable u for tomorrow’s upcoming adventure.

Day 3: Nord-Lenangen and the Lyngen-Alps

The northern tip of the Lyngen peninsula is in fact a perfect starting point for many of the summits in the Lyngen Alps! Weather and snow conditions determine which peak we choose, but Storgalten is a good alternative here. On this mountain, you will be set ashore on the west side, and come down on the east side. Starting on one side of a mountain, and being picked up on the other, is amongst the most awesome things with Ski and Sail, and serves as a flying start for our trip!

Day 4: Uløya, Kågen og Arnøya

The islands around the actual Lyngen peninsula are even as majestic, and these can only be reached by boat. We will anchor up at either Arnøya, Uløya, or Kågen. As for the rest of the trip, this depends on the weather and conditions. All the alternative peaks here have amazing locations and give beautiful views over the entire Lyngen area. Once the trip of the day is done, we will cook dinner and set a course for Finnmark. We will find a natural harbour where we will spend the night at anchor.

Day 5 – 6: Ski touring in the fjords around Øksfjordjøkelen

The prominent peninsula around the glacier Øksfjordjøkelen is definitely a remote area. By boat, we get in and out of these secret fjords. Maybe we get the chance to reach the glacier as well on our ski tour. Weather and conditions always decide what activities may be done, but we always have a plan!

Day 7: Stjernøya and Altafjorden

We are now well into Finnmark and on the route towards Alta. Here we will find a suitable peak for today’s tour, possibly on Stjernøya. After some good hours in the mountain, we set our course in the Altafjord for our last anchorage and dinner onboard.

Day 8: Last skiing and goodbye in Alta!

If we still got any guts left in our feet, we raise early this morning for a last little ski tour. After lunch back onboard we set a course straight for Alta. We will be in port well in time to properly pack, clean, and tidy our way out of the boat before we end the trip at 16:00 at the latest. The airport is not far away from the dock, but we always recommend adding some wiggle room when booking your return ticket. Thank you for the trip!