Statement for the skiing season - part 1

Couple of people were asking me if something happened as I put all my skis on sale some weeks ago. No it's not about that I'm going to quit skiing but after thinking how this season has been its maybe time to give my self a reward and change into a bit lighter gear. And how the season then has been so far? Although this is a statement it doesn't mean it would be already over. You never know what is going to happen in life like last summer. I have a kind of dilemma in thinking when my skiing season really starts or when it comes to an end or is it just on all the time.

The springtime 2015 was already pretty good but then I decided that the next one will be even better general in life and with skiing being big part of it.  The last turns on our Lyngen trip were quite much defining what we would look forward the next year too. Yes, I understand that in skiing you cannot just decide that how it will be as you are not mastering the weather but I guess positive thinking has quite much power in everything.

Last turns of our Lyngen trip in March 2015.

Who would have believed that one day after I turned to 36 I would be on my skis again and hiking up a mountain on 30th of June in Hurrungane, Norway. It was supposed to be a climbing trip but because of the snow situation we took our ski-touring gear with us and it was so rad! Let the pics tell you more....

On the way up to Store Ringstind (2124 moh.) -
the top on the right.

Hiking up on the glacier that was so full
of snow still in end of June 2015.

We went the last meters on foot to the top as
it was steep and a lot of slush snow.

If hiking up was a great adventure so was
the skiing down.

Our gourmet kitchen - everything tastes just so
great when you are outdoors.

The view from our tent in Turtagro on
1st of July 2015, Hurrungane, Norway.

Ski-touring on Steindalsnosi (2025 mho.)
on 1st of July 2015.

Skiing down from Blåtind in Geiranger/ Stryn area
on 2nd of July 2015.

Our cute cottage in Stryn.

From June and July 2015 it was kind of the longest break in many years, if not counting my knee injury in winter 2013, in skiing. Usually the season had started somewhere in Finland or Alps before Christmas but this time it was exactly Christmas eve that we had our skis on after the summer skiing in Norway. More about the magical end of the year on Lyngen Alps you read in my previous blog writings A kind of magic - part 1 and part 2.

Soon after Christmas it was mid January and time to see a totally new playground for me and my skis. I had changed all the holiday money to have more days off in the mountains if some one is wondering how we have so many holidays. A good plan also helps like almost in everything in life although a remind that you cannot plan the weather with that you also need some good luck too. And oh boy we were lucky again. It had been pretty pour days with snow in Engelberg and every where in the Alps before that weekend. Again let the pics talk how it was...

My first off piste in Engelberg - The Laub.

And it was snowing...

And it was deep & soft to cruise...

And it was our 7th wedding anniversary...

And it was a nice morning in Zurich before
traveling back home...
Thank you friends & Switzerland - we will be back!

After Switzerland it was time to concentrate to work hard again before the next skiing break in mid-March. Meanwhile waiting to get back to the mountains it was nice to enjoy skiing in the small hills with friends and their kids. Have to say it was a lot of fun to see the little ones learning to ski. I also took a part in my first ever SkiMo competition in Sappee on 31st of January 2016. Read more about Ski Mountaineering in hiihtoalppinismi.net. It was more for fun for me but for sure once you know its a competition you are at least trying to do your personal best. I participated the "toppahoususarja" and we were hiking 4 times up the Sappee hill and skiing down 3 times. I would say that with the shortest legs and heaviest gear I was doing pretty good and my time was 59,31 - so I was extremely happy as my goal was to make it in 1 hour! Well the winner in men's race series competition, Joonas Kortelainen, made 6 rounds in time 33,44.

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The start for the "toppahousu" class
in Sappee SkiMo competition.

Maybe some lighter gear would make me faster!

After SkiMo race I was already dreaming of you guess what... At least lighter bindings but not really any Ski Mountaineering equipment as I have to say I still prefer to do ski-touring in a kind of "peace and quiet" mode. But this was a great experience and as my attitude is like never say never, it might be that I will be competing next winter again just for fun!

My idea was to make one story of the whole season but I think its better to keep you waiting what the mid-March brought for us! Some of you might have followed me in Instagram and seen some pics like...

One of the great days out there - coming more soon!

Kuvat: Pauliina Sjölund, Robert Sjölund, Konsta Reunala (SkiMo Sappee)

A kind of magic - part 2

Is it really just a bit over two months we returned from our magical Lyngen trip? I have to say it feels much much more longer time we left one of the most beautiful places on earth. Maybe its also because of the reason that I'm so happy and exited to get back there - at least for a couple of days in the end of this month!

Our Magic Ski Team

After driving back from Tromsø on our rest day we went chilling in the Magic Mountain Lodge's communal kitchen. It was kind of a funny feeling that there were again a lot of new people around. Somehow it gave us the feeling that we had stayed there for much more longer. It was time to make the plan for those two skiing days that we had left. And yes - as I already mentioned in the part 1, the plan was to go on Kåfjord side and take a tour on Giilavarri. After hanging around in the kitchen we ended up chatting with some climbers and skiers from Finland and soon there was one more Finnish split-board fellow to join us for the coming adventure. 

Six o'clock, how come it is so easy to wake up so early on a holiday. Well it isn't always like that... At least our dog was acting like we are totally crazy people. We decided to have some breakfast before taking the ferry at 7:20 am. It was again pretty nice to just click your skis on in front of the Magic Mountain Lodge and take the road or off-road down to the harbor. We even had time so fix the climbing skins ready before the ferry was about to go. But well well well... There was no ferry going as we were in Norway and it's never normal timetables running during the holiday times although for Finnish people is was just a normal Wednesday. The first ferry would be going around midday or something and it would have a way too late for us. Thanks to the small printed time-table with a tiny note in which was telling the information on the wall of the small harbor cabin we were brought to the reality. So we were more than lucky that we had made a plan B just in case if something with the plan A goes wrong... Fastdalstinden.

Roope probably ran to take the car from the lodge and picked us up. It was only a short drive to the starting point so we were counting to have enough time to be able to reach the summit and ski down most of the way in a kind of daylight. We started hiking up the already familiar track for us in the "powder slope" we had been enjoying couple of days before. Unfortunately it wasn't in so perfect condition anymore. The wind had been visiting the place. But it was so amazingly beautiful and peaceful morning out there.

Morning light on the way up.
The summit of Fastdalstinden is on the right side.

Fastdalstinden... It was looking to be so far away but that was exactly what made it so tempting. In some parts the snow was feeling so perfect and just after couple of meters there was this super annoying crusty surface, "knäckebröd". I was trying to concentrate my mind on the softer parts and convince my self that the skiing down would be super good and fun. I was also trying to figure out and keep in my mind how the surface of the "good parts" were differing of the "bad parts" so I could try to make my turns on the right spots when skiing down. Hahhah... guess if I remembered any of it when I was making my turns.  

There was also a quite long traverse to do before getting on the ridge which was the safest and less steep part to go up. In those places I always try to just to live inside my bubble and not to look or think the whole big wall beside me. When we started to reach the ridge we stopped once to check how the snow layers were and meanwhile the others were digging and checking me and Jussi made a story of a snow ball or a snow lump...

Oh man it was a long way to the top. It felt it was never ending track. I was trying to eat some chocolate and promising my self to have good rest, warm juice and everything up there. During the last meters I realized it would be pretty fast visit on the summit. For the first time on this entire trip the wind was blowing like hell and I was really missing my super warm wind-stopper down jacket. But still it was so beautiful scenery, light and everuything. Nothing was bothering or making my mind worried. I was feeling happy, warm and free inside.

Happy skitouring fellows

The skiing down was way much better that we thought it would be. We split in two groups as I was feeling much more confident to ski down the same way we had hiked up. Well no one of us decided to take down any of the steeper couloirs which were for sure looking super tempting. There had happened a huge avalanche on the big wall of Fastdalstinden on February 2015 where one guy died. So it's never stupid to play it safe, too safe some might think, and enjoy the skiing next day too.

After skiing down the Fastdalstinden walls there was quite a flat area to ski and it was better to have the skins on again. And then the last part... It was getting dark, I was super tired and having a huge troubles of coming down as it was partly ice, partly snow with this super annoying "knäckebröd" surface. Well thanks to my patient skitouring fellows I made it down safely and even enjoyed the last turns as there was luckily soft snow left in some parts. This was once again a super teaching and kind of relaxing although a tough day out. I was just hungry to ski more so it was time rest your muscles in the sauna and decide the program for the last day for this tour and year 2015!

THE SAUNA

Once you get the taste of a soft snow you are ready to even drive a bit further away to get more. Its for sure would have been nice to go and hike some new mountain for the last day of year 2015 but as we knew that the wind had been blowing really hard, it would have been almost impossible to find even that nice snow than we had on Fastdalstinden anywhere near by. 

Good bye 2015 - welcome 2016!

We ended up a plan to have a new tour on Sjufjellet in Tamokdalen. And suprise suprise- there where some other Finns too. This time we were on our way a bit earlier so the plan was to ski down on daylight this time. And wow, it was so much more better weather compering to Lyngseidet too and for the first time we really saw the scenery up there! We were also lucky that the other visitors on that day were skiing already down when we were still hiking up. They hadn't even went to the real top and there was a whole untouchable powder field in the upper part of the mountain waiting for us to ski down. Not a bad way to finnish the year 2015!  

The only thing we had been missing on this trip was more powerful headlamps. And what was quite close to happen would have been maybe already too much... Skiing down while northern lights were dancing and a whale jumping in front of us in fjord. Well as Simone Moro told me... Pauliina - Never stop dreaming. And I won't and I can honestly say the start of year 2016 has been more than a dream to me. I feel alive again after suffering of quite bad tiredness during year 2015 and more balanced with my life - maybe ever. Happy ski! 

Thanks to all our gear too for a great trip!

And then one teaser...
Happened in January 2016 - Coming soon!

Pictures: Pauliina Sjölund, Robert Sjölund and Timo Laine

A kind of magic - part 1

I usually write in Finnish but there is a reason to turn it in English as I want you my foreign friends also to be able to read my story a bit easier way this time. 

I've always wondered can you really say if its been a good or bad year? Well 2015… it definitely wasn't the easiest one. I had a big dream that getting back to the mountains for Christmas after an exhausting autumn would help and light up my life again. What I had learned from the past summer was to leave all the expectations beside and take the coming adventure as it goes. 

Someone who don´t really know me told me to rest during the coming holiday but some one who does know me pretty well gave me a cardboard sign with a slogan ”Live your dream”. A couple of weeks before Christmas I also saw a sponsored post in Facebook that was advertising hoodie with the text ”I don´t need therapy - I just need to go to the mountains!”. It was pretty close that I would have ordered one. I was so sure that this recipe would bring me alive again and yeah, that might also happen without wearing any slogan shirt. 

Live your dream. Instead of ordering a hoodie I decided to
invest the money for new ski goggles with a flat light lens.

We started driving towards Norway and Lyngen Alps on the afternoon day before Christmas eve. The first feeling after closing the office door was pretty unreal. I was looking the weather forecast every five minutes while sitting in the car but then I remembered what I had promised to myself - no expectations. But for sure the information about quite promising snow conditions tickled my mind and toes. A friend joined our trip in Oulu and we continued driving through the night in a crispy winter weather.

The next morning started like a perfect chapter in a fairy tale. It was still quite dark when we arrived to Kilpisjärvi but you were able to just see the silhouette of Saana. I was feeling a bit sleepy still but there was no questions if I could close my eyes anymore as I was too exited to open my long waited Christmas present - scenery of the Lyngen alps. I felt a warm wave in my heart. I had´t been wrong about my own feelings. Just seeing the mountains made it easier to breathe again. Suddenly the once and a while bothering distressing even quite painful feeling was gone.
 

The best sleep and wake up in the car for the last days of year 2015.

We parked the car in front of the Magic Mountain Lodge some hours earlier than we had informed for our arrival time to be. We were suprised how that was possible but quite fast we realized that usually it had been a bit bigger group of us travelling including a breakfast and shopping break in Kilpisjärvi but this time everything was closed there. 

Quite huge Santa Claus was hanging out in Lyngseidet.

The owner of the lodge, Henrika, welcomed us more than warmly in. Her husband, Patrik, had already gone up to the mountains to check how the snow conditions were. I got the next and nice warm wave in my heart when I stepped inside the lodge. I felt like I would have arrived to an other home for us. After having some breakfast we all three or actually four, as our dear hairy family member, Mara, was traveling with us, thought that it would be better to have at least a small hike outside. And it always takes the first hike to set up all your gear on place so we decided to take our skis out too.

Hiking up towards Rorneshytta in Lyngseidet.

The daylight period is really short this time of the year or actually the sun doesn't come up at all. None of us had been hiking up or skiing down in a headlamp light before but we decided to give a try. We choose a route towards Rornestinden that we knew pretty well from the previous trip last spring. Mara was running happy and free but just above the tree line the wind started to blow heavily and he acted like it was too cold for him to continue. I guess he also got a bit too excited of a totally new world. And yes, it was also exciting for us too to come down just having the headlamps lightening our way. After a small skitour trip the warm sauna was waiting for us at the lodge. Relaxed Christmas eve with no pressure was more than welcome present. I couldn't ask for more. Simplicity  was the key for happiness this time.

Skiing down in a moonlight on Christmas eve.

Christmas day looked like it would start most probably snowing. The wind blown mountains in Lyngseidet somehow didn't inspire us to explore this day. We remembered the nice mountain in Tamokdalen from last spring that we thought would be a worth of try in this conditions and the snow might be better there. At least there was pretty nice and sparse forest area to ski if the access to the peak wouldn't be possible. 

Hiking up on Sjufjellet in light snow fall.

On the way up we stopped to check how the snow layers
were and it was looking alright.

And oh yes, we were not disappointed. It was the softest and lightest snow for this winter for us already down there on the parking place. An other Christmas present was definitely waiting for us to be opened and it also started to snow a bit. That meant also more clouds coming in and the visibility was getting pour so we decided not to hurry too much and descent in the dark. Although more lumens in the headlamp would have made the skiing down maybe a bit more easier we had so much fun. And the snow was so good. It was definitely a Merry and White Christmas day!

On the top of the Sjufjellet (1086 moh).

Powder and more powder coming down.

On the second Christmas day, Tapaninpäivä as we call it in Finnish, there was about 20 cm fresh snow on the ground when we went for a morning walk with the dog and it was snowing more. For sure that makes you think where would be the best but safest place to play. Thanks to the nice owner of the lodge and a Swedish guy working for them, we got the best tips. We just jumped on our skis on the front door of the lodge and went to play into the forest near by. Mara joined us this time again as we knew that we wouldn't be hiking more than about 400 to 500 vertical meters. 

On the way to a forest spot.

 
Well it was deep powder day for us but super deep for that small Jack Russel. And me, I'm not the strongest skier in a forest but this was the first time I really enjoyed it a lot. I guess the whole atmosphere of the trip so far allowed me to take it all not too seriously. On the way up I saw one small bowl under a pretty perfect skiing line and I was laughing in my mind that I so can see what happens if you ski straight down in there and guess what happened on the way down....

Me just trying to get back on skis after a small
jump in to the snow.

Just wondering the amount of snow...

If you were born on 27th of December what would be your dream birthday present? I think my dear husband got his. Almost 400 meters fresh powder in front of him where no one had not been coming down yet. It came to an other ski day under the tree line as it had still been snowing some 20 cm more during the night. We made two rounds in a small but so unbelievable nice playground again only some minutes driving from the lodge. After skiing we talked in the car that it would be nice to have some snack before having dinner and guess what, there were fresh waffles with whipped cream and strawberry jam waiting for us at the lodge. Not anything or anyone could take this happy feeling in my heart away from me. I was purely amazed and in love with my life.

Hiking up the magical powder forest.

Happy Birthday and powder day to Roope!

As you have had so many good and fun skiing days it feels hard to make a stop.  The couple days had for sure been a bit lighter with both snow and vertical meters so we decided to have one more toptur day before taking a rest. We had already last spring been looking for one peak called Giillávárri (1082 moh). And no its not the mountain on the Kåfjord side. This Giillávárri belongs to Lyngen Alps and is located near Rássevarri but the starting point is more closer to village called Oteren than Nordskjosbotn. After exploring the way to get going up and getting through the forest part I don't wonder why this is not so popular comparing to some other mountains around. But it was definitely worth of it after all. The clear sky and a lovely valley after the tree line really made our day. After coming back down to the car we all felt more or less that we had given it all. Especially the last cross over the pretty narrow but deep looking river should have been filmed but I guess it's pretty well saved in our memories who were on place. 

  

A rest day... Well who would sleep long. We had a pleasure to meet a Finnish man who was living in Tromsø and came to visit his friends over one night to the lodge. He told us about the whales in Kvaløya, so how could you miss those tips. We started our rest day by driving towards the place to be. It was again clear weather and I have to say that it was probably the first time having a rest day on a good weather but why not.

View from the Svensby harbour in the morning moonlight.

Mountains were again showing up so fabulous in the morning light. There were some others too looking for a good spot to see the magnificent nature creatures in the spectacular landscape. 

Beach day on Kvaløya.

We had almost given up when suddenly one of us, who was dreaming to get more lumens in his headlamp, saw a fin of a killer whale. After some minutes we spotted more killer whales and also some humpback whales blowing the water in the air. Well we didn't see a whole whale jumping or a whale splashing its tale but what we saw was still super cool and just from the beach without disturbing any of the animals with going there by a tourist boat.

Spot a whale!
I need some more practice and bigger extension tube;)

The rest day ended up with enjoying a delicious pizza in Tromsø and then a long long drive in the dark back to our home lodge. The next day it was about to be a skiing day again. And the plan was to go to THE Giilavarri with on L on it's name too;) But I will make the last two skiing days an other story as a Kind of magic - part 2.

Looking forward to New Year and new adventures!

Oh what happy days I had staying in Mountain Magic Lodge on this magical Christmas time with the merriest fellows I could ever imagine. This memories will last for a long long time and there will be more adventures and stories coming soon!

Pictures: Pauliina Sjölund, Robert Sjölund & Timo Laine