Just back from my Splitboard trip to the Lyngen Alps, Norway…

This was my 2nd trip to the Lyngen Lodge, the first time I went a little later, the first week of May in 2009. The weather was amazing everyday but the snow had definitely turned towards spring riding rather than cold winter powder. We were on Snowshoes back then, I broke trail everyday in knee deep spring melt for 4 to 5 hours everyday. It was an amazing trip but I remember thinking it would be a great place to ride if the access wasn't so hard…Back then, even with all my past negative experiences of Splitboarding, I thought it would be a great place to return to with a group of Splitboarders.

Fast forward a few years and things have changed rapidly!

2 years ago I rode with a certain Mr Jeremy Jones, who convinced me to give Splitboarding another try. His new Brand 'Jones snowboards' was about to be released on the market, he was at the time riding one of the first prototype Flagships, and we spoke about board design and the direction Freeride Snowboarding was heading and how Splitboarding was to be a big part of the next step in Freeride evolution.

I'd recently come back from a hard BC Freeride session at the Col de Grand St Bernard where I'd spent the week wading around, breaking trail in knee deep snow (yet again) whilst ski tourers whistled past, barely breaking the surface, and I'd pretty much already decided that I'd have to give Splitboarding another try…

These 2 experiences were perfectly timed and I was pleased to find that Splitboard technology had advanced a making the experience a little more pleasurable and successful than I'd found it in the past.

Fast forward to the present and last weeks Lyngen trip was my 16th week of Splitboarding this season!!!

Splitboarding has now become a massive part of the Freeride evolution and with the way equipment is advancing it can only get better and better.

Last year in 2011 I ran my first 'Splitboard' expedition to the middle of nowhere in Greenland, it was the perfect trip.

This year I fancied another try at the Lyngen Alps in Norway, a location as mystical as Greenland but with easier access and luxurious accommodation at the 'Lyngen Lodge'.

We flew in to Tromso located some 350km within the Arctic circle to perfect weather and amazing looking Snow conditions, I could see groups skiing fresh powder as we flew in and could feel the excitement build as we drove the 3 hours from Tromoso to the Lyngen Fjord and installed ourselves at the lodge.

As we unloaded the kit from the van outside the lodge I was scoping out the terrain up behind the lodge. From the nearest peak there looked to be the perfect warm up hike and ride, a beautiful looking descent, perfectly NW facing so keeping good cold snow with steep open faces and features around rocky outcrops. It definitely looked like a good place to start the trip and with an early start the next morning, some 1200m of hiking from the sea to the summit and an amazing powder run down, day 1 was in the bag!



Hiking above the lodge on day 1.

A lot of the mountains here look foreshortened from the bottom, or from half way up, the tree line stops at about 300m and from there the tops always look quite near. If you look at the other side of the fjord though and see what remains above the tree line over there it becomes obvious that you still have a fair way to go with a lot of false summits along the way. Like wise though on the descent the open fields of powder are a lot longer than they at first look and the terrain is epic.





First taster tracks in Lyngen on day 1.

Most of the hikes take around 3 to 4 hours and most of the summits are around 1200m. You can really feel that you're at sea level hiking and once you get into it a 1200m ascent will be completed in around 3 hours (an hour less than back in Chamonix at a good pace!) and the riding is anything from open powder fields to steep lines through rocky outcrops…really nice riding!



 From the beach...

 
 to the summit...



 back to the beach...Alastair charges his line!

Day 2 we took the 'Spirit of Lyngen' (the lyngen lodge boat) up the fjord to one of the near by islands. From the beach we hiked through perfect powder for about 4 hours to the highest point on the Island. From here we called back the boat and descended via a huge rolling gully with windlips, banks and drops all the way back to the beach. Not so bad!

Day 3 we used a skidoo to access a deep valley a little way down the coast. From here another 4 hour hike took us to another 1200m peak with some of the best snow and terrain so far. Steep chutes into numerous steep powder fields and some proper deep crystal powder. Another great day!

Day 4 we hiked to another 1200m peak to ride a steep North facing slope visible from the lodge. A long hike ticked off in 3 and half hours and another epic descent…the days are just getting better and better!




Paul charges out of the steep North face on day 4 (just liked this shot with all the boulders covered below!)

Day 5 saw us take a trip up the fjord with the boat again, this time to access a hidden glacier way up on the Lyngen Peninsula. The day had a super remote feel to it as we were properly out there with no other sign of life.


 An isolated Glacial valley...

 
 Hiking to the col above!


Team Lyngen 2012 on the isolated Col deep in the heart of the Lyngen Alps.

An isolated valley leads up to a steep gully to the hidden Glacial valley above, the snow is good, crystal cold powder and the temperature drops rapidly as we move up and onto the shaded Glacial slopes above. Finally we reach the col above and can gaze on the vista of mountains and the fjords over the other side of the Lyngen Peninusla. The descent is wide open and fast, my only advice to the group is to leave no space untracked. Everyone takes their own line and rips it to the valley below. The steep gully is great to ride, banks on the left and right to slash and play on. We re group on the beach and await our take home, another great day in the bag!

Day 6…the last day in Lyngen! I have spied a steep North face, visible from the Lodge. the snow looks great and it has numerous rocky features, chutes and drops. Another 1200m hike, this time in record time, we're getting much quicker now, the whole group are on the top in under 3 hours and that is with a stop en route for Paul to get his photo shoot in!

As we ascend it become apparent that the slopes to the right of our climb are maybe even better than the North Face that I had intended us to ride. At the top we have a group vote on which slopes to ride, there looks to be more on offer over to the right, more room for everyone, great snow and lots of features, it's slightly less steep but looks super fun and the decision in made…the North face will have to wait till another year!

Again, the only rule is to leave no space untracked and everyone charges their own line towards the valley and the sea. It's another amazing descent, super long and fantastic riding and a great finish to a perfect week.
We're back at the lodge for about 1:30 and spend the afternoon relaxing in the hot tub, recovering in the Sauna and tucking into a BBQ on the terrace.

Late in the evening we're treated to a wildlife show as 3 sea otters play along the coastline below, I walk down to check them out as a Sea eagle flies overhead…

This really is a quite mystical place!!!
Videos available from the trip at http://www.youtube.com/user/mcnabsnowsports?feature=mhee