K2 Sail and Ski Adventure

What can be achieved with two sailing vessels, 20 pair of the latest K2 skis, keen skiers of 11 nationalities with a view to adventure in the Lyngen Alps in spring?

There were two rules aboard the Anna Rogde Schooner:

• no talking about horses
• no metal frame backpacks

Neither of these restrictions was likely to adversely impact our sail and ski trip. And they were about all the problems we encountered.

You would think that 10 nationalities and several big personalities in the confined galley of a sailing boat could cause some tension but in fact it just created colour and added to the team spirit.

The Anna Rogde Sailing Vessel

In Aussie lingo we’d say the Anna Rogde sailing vessel is a bloody beauty! What’s more, she’s the oldest sea-worthy Schooner in the world having celebrated her 140th Birthday last year. You’d never have guessed her age by her condition; she was still in, as they say, ‘ship shape’!

Roy, the Norwegian skipper, a huggable-bear of a man couldn’t have been better scripted for the part. His scheduling and willingness to help with finding the best ski conditions and access for a large group revealed his skill as a captain and generous spirit.

K2 Ski Testing in the Lyngen Alps

We began our week’s adventure with a day of ‘ski testing’ in a horizontal snow storm in Riksgransen, Sweden staying at the very ambient and well positioned Abisko Mountain Lodge and heli-ski base run by the hospitable Swedish couple Dick and Mina.

The following morning with an early departure, we crossed the border into Norway and on to Trømso and were aboard our two sailing vessels by midday setting off for an afternoon warm-up ski tour.


Our sailing trip was not accompanied by flawless weather however the ambiance, teamwork and sense of anticipation created on various days by snow flurries, a day of whiteout and some early morning sea fog if anything, added to the overall experience.

The highlights of our journey included two mountain traverses – skinning up one side of the mountain and skiing the opposing flank towards a neighbouring fjord and the welcoming bulk of our awaiting vessels that had sailed around to meet us.

The Ultimate Ski Touring Day

Our blue-sky day on the Store Kågtinden was a day of perfection in the realm of ski tours. We began sailing for an hour from Aakarvik, Arnøya to Nyvoll on Kågen from where we took dingys to the stony shore. A 20 min hike through a spindly beech forest led us to the snowline. 1200 vertical metres of gentle skinning was effortless with distracting views across the

North Lyngen fjord and down to our sailing boats rapidly diminishing to the size of trinkets. The contrasting bands of snowy white, fjord green and sky blue served as a surreal and vivid background to countless photos. As we gained height and marveled, the view just got better and better.


Attaining the summit involved booting 50 metres up a rimed Patagonia-like cone to gain a panorama of the neighbouring fjord, northern snow slopes, fishing villages and our destination. Rope-access down a rimed, gristly-snow couloir lent drama to the journey. Firm cold snow soon turned to smooth spring corn and then surfy wet snow down open slopes and through spongy scrub within a stone’s throw of the shore and our pick up point by dingy from the Storstein ferry pier.

Fresh Prawns at the BYO Pub

To be expected on this trip in these Northern waters we ate fish. Lots of fish. After our whiteout experience from sea to summit the Fri Flyt took off to pick up some shell fish for dinner. After a one hour detour down the Lyngen fjord, by pre-arrangement we pulled alongside an approaching fishing boat returning from the day’s catch. We picked up a crate of 20kgs of cooked prawns for Nor KR 1000 (€ 100).

Later Vegard one of our Norwegian crew related his exchange with the captain of the fishing boat. They said they had a box of prawns ready (caught a couple hours ago) but if we wanted some fresh prawns they’d just hauled in a net. We’d have to wait a bit while they cleaned and boxed them and we’d have to cook them ourselves. We settled for the old prawns.


All in all it was a wonderful adventure with great camaraderie inspired by the dynamic K2 team. On behalf of Martin and I (Lisa) I’d like to say thanks K2 and everyone involved in the trip especially Black for making it happen.


Norway Skiing and Sailing Resources: Contact us to sign up for a sail and ski trip in 2010 or read more about sail and ski trips in the Lyngen Alps.