Botnfjellet Powder Skiing

The forecast ‘good weather’ took until after breakfast to arrive. This was the view when I woke up this morning…

And this is the same view this afternoon! Heavy snow equals fresh powder to ski though!

We uncovered the car and got going as the final snowflakes were still falling as it was clear that the clouds were breaking up.

Botnjfellet is a popular peak around here, but safe from most avalanche dangers and reportedly with great views on a clear day. The parking is only 8 minutes from where we are staying, so we went to check it out.

With no wind and a clearing sky, there was no rush at all to get to the top. Instead, we broke up the ascent with a few stops to admire the spectacular views.

The view got even better as we gained the long and gently inclined summit ridge.

The long Fjord below is Kaldfjorden, which is where we are staying.

The views were sensational. At the top we sat for nearly an hour eating a big picnic and. Taking in the view. Although it was sunny the air temperature must have been around zero.

It was a popular peak, with plenty of teams all congregating around the summit, but off to the side, there was plenty of space. The best bit came however, when almost all of the teams descended a different way that what we were planning.

This left acres of fresh, untracked snow for us to put our marks in…

A dream descent…

Even the final section dodging through the trees was through perfect powder. Each time we stopped we looked back at our tracks and grinned.

Once back at sea level there was nowhere left to ski. A two minute drive along the coast though, took us to the causeway that leads to the tiny island Håkøy. Worth exploring on such a beautiful afternoon!

The sea was so calm, bright and full of fish! Including loads of big star fish!

It’s not often you get snow right down to the sea.

And it’s not often I go sunbathing in my ski kit!

By the time we got home, this was the view from the front door. An absolutely amazing day of views, mountains, coasts and skiing.

After dinner, we drove back out to see the sun set as it was such a glorious evening we wanted to make the most of it. A special day. It doesn’t really get dark here, even through the sun dips below the horizon at 21:30, it’s back up at 04:00!