POLAR FILES

Last day of 2011

2011-12-31T16:07:00.000+01:00

Pinga and I did a really nice backcountry skiing tour to the top of Grønlibruna where this image is taken. Happy New Year!

Uzzi

2011-10-10T00:02:00.000+02:00

Annelill and I were in Narvik today riding Uzzi - a super nice Dutch riding horse.

Pinga in Fall colours

2011-10-03T23:17:00.000+02:00

When the fall arrives the ban on unleashed dogs disappears and Pinga thrives.

Grandmother

2011-08-18T20:08:00.002+02:00

Only a few years ago she hiked to the top of Steiroheia and at the age of 80, which is some 8 years ago, we went together on an expedition to Svalbard. She still rides her bike daily! Hope I've got the genes.

Litj Klotinden

2011-08-16T19:11:00.002+02:00

Today I hiked to the summit of "Litj Klotinden". The official name of the mountain is Jennskardtinden (654 m.asl.). The view from the top is super!

Ramp in Myre

2011-08-15T09:54:00.001+02:00

Usually you see skateboard ramps in concrete jungles. In Myre, Øksnes you find it in the most beautiful setting.

Dronningruta

2011-08-15T00:01:00.002+02:00

Dronningruta (The Queen's Route) is a hike made famous by Queen Sonja of Norway. Most of the route is along mountain ridges with views to the ocean both east and west. If you have a few hours to spare and some extra energy - this hike is worth every calory.

I had great company by my uncles Bjørn and Einar.

Instøya

2011-08-14T00:05:00.000+02:00

Another extraordinary evening in Vesterålen. Did a hike at Instøya close to Alsvåg in Øksnes.

Hiking in Vesterålen

2011-08-13T00:18:00.008+02:00

Did a very nice hike together with my fabulous Grandma Hilda and Aunt Astri. In the background is the spiky peak of Klotinden.

Scene from Nyksund

2011-08-12T15:31:00.000+02:00

This old sailor is standing in the window looking at Nyksund harbour. He probably wonders what is going on...

Rainshower over Skogsøya

2011-08-11T22:17:00.000+02:00

In Vesterålen weather changes all the time and the prevailing westerlies bring in refreshing showers ever so often.

Gisløya in Øksnes

2011-08-10T17:10:00.000+02:00

Hiked through Grunnfjorden Nature Reserve and reached the sailing light at Gisløya. This is another pearl of Vesterålen. After a short wait the sun came down below the clouds on the horizon and gave me a magnificently lit landscape.

Stave

2011-08-09T01:20:00.002+02:00

Stave close to Bleik (see previous post) - there are even fewer inhabitants and is situated on the more exposed side of Andøya, towards west. However; paradise-like conditions occur ever so often.

Bleik in Vesterålen

2011-08-08T01:12:00.003+02:00

At 69°16′13″N 15°57′26″Ø the small village Bleik is situated on the sheltered side of Andøya in Vesterålen, Northern Norway. The 500 inhabitants can enjoy this paradise at all times of the year - in different light and in various conditions. The beaches here are magnificent and the bird island off shore is full of puffins and other seabirds. The great White Tailed Eagle is numerous here.

The images are all a variation of Bleiksøya - the Bleik Island.

Beerenberg

2011-07-24T14:37:00.000+02:00

Beerenberg is one of the highest mountains in Norway (2277 m.asl). Around the crater there are 11 peaks above 2000 m.asl if you work with a primary factor of 10 meters. It is the northernmost active volcano on Earth and it had its last eruption in 1980. It is possible to ascend the mountain quite easily - the logistics is the challenge as it's situated on the island of Jan Mayen, one of the most isolated on the globe. Jan Mayen was nominated to become as a World Heritage site as part of the North Atlantic Ridge.

Jan Mayen

2011-07-23T03:25:00.000+02:00

I'm probably going to get to Jan Mayen only twice in life. Today were the first. On the second I hope I brought my skis, have plenty of time and gets a weather window to ascend the wonderful Beerenberg. Today is as well a day of national grief in Norway after the terrible terrorist attacs in Oslo on Friday. This entry is dedicated everyone suffering losses.

En Route Jan Mayen

2011-07-22T18:44:00.001+02:00

I'm aboard MS Fram from Hurtigruten - departed from Iceland yesterday and scheduled to reach one of the most isolated islands on Earth; Jan Mayen tomorrow afternoon.

Harpa - inside the new Icelandic Opera

2011-07-20T20:12:00.003+02:00

The new Opera in Reykjavik is a splendid creation of glass. Inside - light is spilling in all facets. This new building is worthy of Gardar Hólm - the world famous (imaginary) opeara star of Halldór Laxness.

Beluga Boats

2011-07-16T15:36:00.001+02:00

On a recent visit in Fleur de Lyshamna in Van Keulenfjorden in Spitsbergen we visited the site of what once was a Beluga fishery adventure. These fisheries were ecologically insustainable and luckily it ended before the population of this magnificent High Arctic whale were were depleted. Today you can experience Beluga in the fjords of Spitsbergen. They come swimming in groups along the shores. If you're lucky they twist their head (unique feature for the species) and takes a look at you.

Polar Bear with cubs

2011-07-14T11:40:00.001+02:00

This is probably the image I've taken that has been used more than any other. I met this single-mother family at Wilhelmøya, East Spitsbergen in 2006.

Frigg

2011-07-13T13:34:00.000+02:00

Frigg Jørgensen is the General Secretary of Arctic Expedition Cruise Operators (AECO). Last week I had the pleasure of working with her on an expedition in Svalbard. Frigg is striving for sustainability in expedition cruise tourism to the Arctic - she makes herself heard by ears far into the hallways of public administration and she's a terrific advocate for Arctic Tourism performed in a sensible manner.

Polar Bear Watch

2011-07-12T22:04:00.004+02:00

I did an expedition in Svalbard last week - this image is of Tore, one of our excellent Polar Bear-watches.

The Arctic Awakening

2011-06-17T14:30:00.005+02:00

I am taking part in the development of the new Spring Concept of Hurtigruten. We have deceided to call it The Arctic Awakening as the core ideas is life; in the oceans, in the air, and in the coastal communities. They are all thriving as energy returns with the sun after a long and darkish winter.

Cod Tounge cutting on deck in Kjøllefjord.

The Church in Nesseby, Varanger, Finnmark, Norway.

Lecture on deck about life in the ocean.

Meeting northbound Hurtigrute off the northernmost tip of the Lyngen Peninsula; Lyngstuva. Here we meet MS Midnatsol.

Serving super-fresh Arctic Lyngen Shrimps, in Lyngen - delivered to the ship by the fishing boat.

A Sami Experience

2011-06-15T23:08:00.004+02:00

Between Kjøllefjord and Mehamn, on the Nordkinn Peninsula, Hurtigruten offers a great visit to the Sami family Utsi. The family matriark; Ellinor talks about life as a reindeer herder and challenges for the Sami indigenous peoples.

I travelled with these two; Mikael and Vebjørn. They are Arctic heroes.

Tony

2011-05-17T01:04:00.018+02:00

Had a fabulous few days of hiking across the mountains of West McDonnels NP, NT, Australia with Tony Dorr. We used to work together as Zodiac drivers in Antarctica back in the days. Tony is super.

Skihytta in Lyngen

2011-03-07T21:21:00.001+01:00

This is a great, short stroll on the mountain skiis. If you like, continue towards the higher peaks; Goalsevarre or Rørnestinden.

Jon the Fisherman

2010-07-25T13:12:00.001+02:00

Not exactly what Jon (Sumner) gets on the hook in Darwin, NT, Australia where he comes from. Jon is a super fisherman and one of the kindest persons I have ever met. He visited Norway twice in half a year and I had the pleasure of spending lots of time with him.

Ptarmigan at the North Cape

2010-05-31T01:34:00.003+02:00

Only some 200 meters from where eveyone gathers to have their picture taken I met this guy. This meeting gave me a much stronger experience. This is a Rock Ptarmigan - a true Arctic species.

Skiing at Rotenvikfjellet, Lyngen, Norway

2010-03-04T16:28:00.004+01:00

Great conditions on the mountain these days!

Hunting the Light with MS Richard With

2009-12-02T22:11:00.000+01:00

Sailed from Kirkenes to Sandnessjøen with the Hurtigruten vessel; MS Richard With. Had a great light, was hunting the light with my camera.

The Arctic Circle

2009-12-01T00:37:00.002+01:00

This is what it looks like as seen from aboard a Hurtigruten vessel sailing southbound along the Norwegian coast.

Urban Tunélls Klezmerband

2009-09-30T21:56:00.006+02:00

I shot some images for the band and the concert arranger last week. Fantastic music and a great live band!

Ptarmigan hunting in Svalbard

2009-09-15T09:31:00.009+02:00

This image is taken on a hunting trip to Svalbard. The scene is in Adventdalen.

Salt & Pepper Bear Cubs

2009-04-04T12:31:00.012+02:00

These two guys live in Polar Zoo in Troms in Northern Norway. Salt & Pepper are 10 weeks old. Visited them yesterday, you can follow them on THIS live stream.

The skiing is perfect - silkeføre

2009-03-29T22:52:00.008+02:00

These are condition we call silkeføre. Silkeføre is soft, easy, really fantastic snow conditions. In Norway the expression is used in many other contexts - when something is really good.

Kicksled

2009-03-27T21:59:00.010+01:00

A perfectly functional vehicle in Tromsø in wintertime. In Norwegian its name is Spark.

The Thing - Mats Gustavsson

2009-03-23T21:59:00.018+01:00

The jazz-café; Circa in Tromsø is hosting concerts, often on weekdays and Sundays. Yesterday The Thing (Mats Gustafsson, Ingebrigt Haker Flaten, and Paal Nilssen-Love) visited. Being one of the hardest playing trios on the Scandinavian contemporary jazz scene they made a blasting Sunday evening for everyone in place. Below you see Mats Gustavsson who is also known for his projects with Thurston Moore of Sonic Youth. The homepage of Smalltown Superjazzz says: Mats Gustafsson is currently Sweden's and perhaps Europe's most well-known artist within free improvised music.

1949

2009-03-21T18:36:00.006+01:00

The year my father was born. Tromsø had about 10000 inhabitants. A 60 years old iron gate.

A Roald Amundsen day in Tromsø

2009-03-19T17:12:00.005+01:00

Today, we had typical Tromsø winter weather. Snow dumped down in mild temperatures. This makes most people wet and miserable (unless you are a skier, or a long gone legendary polar explorer in bronze).

Landing across the ice at 80° N

2009-03-18T23:10:00.005+01:00

Amongst my favorite moments in expedition cruising is when the conditions are such that you don't have to use other landing crafts than you own two feet. This is from Chermsideøya high north in the Svalbard archipelago.

What the future brings the Polar Bears?

2009-03-17T20:16:00.018+01:00

An important meeting with the signatory parties of the Polar Bear Agreement is taking place in Tromsø between 17th and 19th March 2009.

In 1973 the countries with a polar bear population (Russia, Denmark/Greenland, Norway, USA and Canada) managed to agree on the protection regime for polar bears. Only traditional hunting would be allowed. In Spitsbergen the polar bears are not hunted at all by indigenous peoples - hence the local population is functioning as a reference.

However, the Norwegian Minister of Environment, Erik Solheim is pointing at excessive tourism as a potential threat towards this population (in addition to sea ice reduction and long-transported pollutants that bio-magnify in the food-web and ends up in high concentrations in top-predators). He is off course right, excessive and irresponsible tourism is a threat - but not the only.

Over the years, I have conducted about 60 sea-born expeditions with tourists to the areas of Svalbard with the highest concentrations of polar bears - the eastern parts of the archipelago. Once, I have flown with helicopter over some of the same areas.

Obvious to me; My one helicopter ride caused more stressed polar bears than all my 60 expeditions combined (by far).

Tourism flights with helicopters are prohibited in Svalbard. Tourism and conservation in Polar Regions are highly compatible and should be used for what it's worth to advocate the polar bear cause.

The pictures below are calm and easy going polar bears, on the east side of Svalbard.

Chinstrap Penguins at Baily Head, Antarctica

2009-03-16T23:50:00.005+01:00

This picture is taken very early in the morning. I was guiding a group of hikers across from Baily Head, Deception Island, Antarctica to Whalers Bay. This is a fantastic hike that takes you through one of the largest chinstrap penguin colonies in the Antarctic Peninsula.

BAS Twin Otters

2009-03-16T23:37:00.007+01:00

Fascination for polar aviation? These British Antarctic Survey planes are stationed in the Falkland Islands where I took this picture. They stand out even better in an all white Antarctic environment.

Hammerfest

2009-03-09T22:18:00.009+01:00

Travelled through Hammerfest a while ago with Hurtigruten. What a city! Quite colorful and thriving on the natural gas taken ashore on the nearby Melkøya, where there is a plant that is, essentially, a giant 10 billion $ fridge that makes it liquid and transfers it to Liquid Natural Gas vessels that takes it to the markets.

A few hours further north, before you arrive the port of Havøysund, you witness another method of luring energy out of nature. The giant windmills dot the spectacular cliff in an intriguing way.

Skiing; somewhere 20 minutes from Tromsø

2009-01-19T22:08:00.004+01:00

This was a couple of weekends ago, at the darkest of polar night... My best outdoor experience so far this year :-)

Nisse

2008-12-07T22:31:00.007+01:00

You can notice it from the little nisse-men ducking up from nowhere - x-mas is close. Here is the nisse-man aboard MS Lofoten, a beautiful vintage vessel sailing along the coast of Norway.

Fast ferry to Harstad

2008-12-06T20:30:00.005+01:00

I took Hurtigruten from Harstad to Tromsø on friday. On our way we met the fast ferry going in the opposite direction in fantastic winter light.

Raudtind in Tromsø

2008-11-30T19:39:00.004+01:00

Dark season skiing in Tromsø is great. Not too much light, but enough to have a great time on the mountain.

Polar Bear Stuff

2008-11-27T22:29:00.006+01:00

Tromsø is the un-disputed polar bear capital of Norway. No, they are not roaming the streets like in the old days, when trappers brought with them live cubs from Svalbard. Some of the trappers handled them like dogs, walked them in a leach and tied them up outside bars and shops. Anyhow, today, it's the capital of stuffed polar bears, and I have a goal of documenting as many as possible of them. This is the first, from the hall of Norwegian Polar Institute.

Hunting the Light

2008-10-27T09:39:00.007+01:00

Sailed from Tromsø to Bergen this week. Fantastic light - forget the midnight sun and all those things we've seen a million times.

Spitsbergen in October

2008-10-06T00:59:00.009+02:00

The tourist season is over in Spitsbergen and the community of Longyearbyen has geared down. The day is getting about 15 minutes shorter in each end, every day and the light is fantastic. At night you can get lucky and have clear skies with aurora borealis like we did on our hike to a cabin outside town...

Weekend in Havnnes

2008-05-17T14:34:00.007+02:00

Havnnes is an old merchant place where fishermen have been delivering fish for centuries. Archeological findings proves this to be a dwelling place as old as 6000 years. Havnnes is situated on the island of Uløya and you need to take a short ferry ride to get there. The total number of inhabitants is about 55. This a fantastic place to retreat. You can rent a house for about 100 Euro that sleeps 6. When we arrived it was even lit up in the fire place and we could start relaxing immediately. You can also rent a boat if you like to tempt your luck with the fishing rod or you can go the easy way of buying a dried, tasty fish at the grocery store. This is a great place that will never become over-crowded - it's you, the locals, maybe a few Czech fishing enthusiasts, clean air, magnificent views and the occasional sea eagle.

Ice Cutting in Tempelfjorden, Spitsbergen

2008-05-17T14:18:00.006+02:00

This is the highlight of my winter. I took part in a logistic operation with Spitsbergen Travel. The task was to cut out ice-blocks from glacier ice. The best spot for this was about 60 kilometers out of Longyearbyen. In February the light is fantastic.

Pinga and Geir hiking

2008-01-05T12:38:00.006+01:00

Pinga is following in the footsteps of Geir Borch Karlsen on a hike at Kattfjordeidet, Kvaløya, Norway. We are waiting for the big snowfalls.

The Polar Circle in December

2007-12-12T23:03:00.000+01:00

I drove from south to north in Norway last weekend. I had a magic morning when I crossed the Saltfjellet (a mountain). It was almost no traffic, It was blue light and I just had to stop at the Polar Circle to take this picture.

White Sea - Russia

2007-09-11T00:30:00.005+02:00

I was just stuck in a hotel in Moscow. Bad luck, but at the same time it gave me an opportunity to re-live yesterday. I had a memorable day on the Northern Dvina River. Together with my Russian friends; Olga, Vladimir, Jury, Natasha and Anna I had the pleasure exploring the borders of the White Sea. It made me feel like continuing an ancient tradition of keeping up the good relationship between the Pomor People and Northern Norway. Mayor of Patrakeevka; Petr Ivanovich Kopytov (you see him in the only portrait below) had a first class, number one welcome in his village, that's for sure. In excitement I took a few pictures...

Arkhangelsk Airport

2007-09-10T03:10:00.001+02:00

Had this view at the Airport in Arkhangelsk today.

Stetind - the ambolt of Gods

2007-06-05T11:09:00.000+02:00

I just had a day of driving from south to north of Norway. The most spectacular part of the drive was passing (through) Stetind in Nordland. A couple of years back Stetind was nominated the national mountain of Norway and it's known for its majestic shape. The height of it is about 1350 meters (4430 ft) and as you can see, it's straight into the fjord. The fjord is an arm of Tysfjorden which is know for attracting killer whales hunting for spring spawning herring that pulls into here in the winter time. As you can see from the pictures, Stetind is subject to a rather interesting contradiction. It's illegal for climbers to drill holes in the mountain and mount bolts, but the Norwegian State has drilled a very large hole in it in the interest of motorists wanting to zoom through in high speed. Several philosophers in Norway have treated this issue. Climbing the mountain is relatively straight forward if you know how to belay. I did it many years ago and we had the first winter snow on the mountain that year. On the top it's a large flat area and it's quite thrilling glancing over the edge right into the fjord below.

Hiking on a beach near Tromsø

2007-05-02T14:47:00.001+02:00

I spent the first of May hiking along a beach for four hours. The weather was variable and the sky was changing all the time. This season is great for big backcountry skiing trips followed by some layed-back life on the beach, a bonfire and good food.

Sleepwalker with Frost

2007-04-14T18:42:00.001+02:00

Another interactive post on the blog. This time because I really like the video from Aggie Peterson aka Frost. Aggie is the grandaughter of Herta Grøndal, who photographed Svalbard in the pioner era when coal mining was the only way of life in Longyearbyen. In this music video you see footage captured in the sixties. You see historic events like when the first plane landed on the permafrost runway in Adventdalen. Aggie Peterson is from Tromsø, Norway.

Where the hell is Matt?

2007-04-12T14:08:00.001+02:00

Last year I met Matt on a trip to Antarctica on one of his travels to shoot dancing. I immediately fell for his concept and offered to be the man behind the camera. I did the footage of the two Antarctic sequences. I challenged Matt to come up to the Arctic and I would film him dancing on a lonley iceflake in the Arctic Ocean (Matt; if you read this...). Perhaps you could dance away global warming... This is one of the most viewed on You Tube. Enjoy!

Evening light in Tromsø

2007-03-19T09:55:00.000+01:00

The light yesterday evening was so nice that I had to mount my long lens and go out on my veranda to shoot this picture. I thank the fisherman that conveniently came sailing in from Sunday overtime.

About South Georgia in Islands Magazine

2007-02-25T23:37:00.000+01:00

In the March 2007 issue of National Geographic Islands Magazine there is a story about a trip I attended as an Expedition Leader last year. The writer and photographer is my good friend Jad Davenport and the article is made available here with his permission. Download the PDF here or click on the Islands Magazine front page (to download). I know that many of my readers have been to South Georgia, so this may lead to many a recognizing nod. Enjoy.

In Arctic Air Space

2007-02-23T01:50:00.002+01:00

The sun is almost back in Longyearbyen, Svalbard. These pictures are taken from the flight in yesterday and out today. The landscape is extraordinary fascinating in the blue ambient light from the sun below the horizon. The reason I was in Longyearbyen this time was to launch the Norwegian Polar Institute Cruise Handbook for Svalbard (sorry, only in Norwegian, coming in English by the summer), the project I have been working on this winter.

Reindeer racing

2007-02-11T19:42:00.004+01:00

The yearly Norwegian Reindeer Racing Championship on sprint distance took place in Tromsø today. This event is mainly driven by Sami people who have large stocks of tame reindeer to choose from. One of the outsiders was a team from Tromsø that competed with an animal that is bred at the University in Tromsø for recearch in Arctic biology. This is a niche sport, but never the less spectacular. The sprint distance is 201 meters or 660 feet. The fastest equipages (one reindeer and a skier holding two lines on skis behind) cover the distance in about 15 seconds. This is about 25% faster than Michael Johnson at his fastest on the similar distance. The longer distance is 1000 meters, there is another championship for this. At the present the 18 year old woman Ánne Risten Sara and her reindeer Ena II is the world record holders, but they did not compete today because of a new import rule for reindeers (Ena II is imported from Finland).

Tromsdalstinden, Sálasoaivi

2007-02-04T19:52:00.000+01:00

Conditions for skiing is better now when the sun is back in Tromsø. Today my dog, Pinga, and I went into the backcountry and we experienced being alone on the mountain. That is strange because more than 50.000 people live within a short drive or walk from this area. Pinga and I don't mind being alone in the backcountry and we had a really nice time seeing the landscape being partially lit up by the sun (because of some overcast) and the sun set creating beautiful pink skies and a blue snowscape. We were out a few hours but didn't get very far. Instead of covering distance we consentrated on having a good time and taking some pictures. On the first picture you see Tromsdalstinden, here also mentioned with its Sami name. The mountain is 1.238 meters high and is regarded a Holy Mountain for the Sami (indigenous people, also called Lapplanders).

Arctic Ocean Cathedral, Tromsø

2007-01-30T22:28:00.000+01:00

The “Arctic Ocean Cathedral” is a famous landmark in my hometown; Tromsø. The building was completed in 1965 and is an example of the work of Jan Inge Hovig, a famous architect and husband of Ingrid Espelig Hovig who was the firs TV-chef in Norway. These pictures are showing fractions of the building in the landscape. I like the trees.

Architecture Svalbard

2007-01-30T22:07:00.002+01:00

Longyearbyen is becoming a place where modern high tech and architecture goes hand in hand. The new university is an excellent example. The new part of the university building is designed by Jarmund/Vigsnæs AS and have been nominated to the prestigious Miles van der Rohe-price. This is the European Union price for best contemporary architecture.

The Sun is back in Tromsø

2007-01-22T12:19:00.000+01:00

...Jippi!! The sun is back and I saw it for the first time today. Nevermind the dirty office window and the rubbish mobile camera the picture is taken with.

As you see, my solar charger from solio.com is charging environmental-friendly energy for my iPod and my mobile.

I will try go get some better pictures at a later stage of this planet (that we don't take all that much for granted up here in the Arctic).

From the 20th May to the 22nd July it is Midnight Sun in Tromsø. (doesn't set in that period.)

TIFF '07

2007-01-21T18:26:00.000+01:00

Tromsø International Film Festival (tiff.no) is going on and it's peak season for cultural events in Tromsø. The Film Festival is the most influental Film Festival in Norway and it is a very inclusive event where northerners like myself can make "travels" to exotic places and cultures in the cinematic darkness. Close to 45.000 tickets are sold during the six days of the festival and between viewings it seems like everybody is drawn to the local waterholes to zip a wine or a caffe latte. Social life is booming and it's just a very nice and social atmosphere in the city. My personal favourites of what I've seen is the Mexican 'El Violin' directed by Francisco Vargas Quevedo and Tommy Lee Jones' 'The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada'. They both had a setting in Mexico - I think I have to go there some day...

Kattfjordeidet revisited

2007-01-15T14:53:00.000+01:00

Sunday offered snow, low visibility, and wind. That's why Olof and I packed telemark skis and drove about 20 minutes out of Tromsø to go backcountry skiing at Kattfjordeidet. Conditions were quite good, but visibility was not much to talk about. Here is Olof struggling his way up while I just trail in his tracks behind. The shoot just above his head in the background offers good skiing when the snow has set later in the season.

Waiting for the sun...

2007-01-12T22:31:00.000+01:00

Been lazy posting here lately. I'm working on a project at the Norwegian Polar Institute at the moment and they have been kind enough to supply me with an office with a magnificent view. I took this picture today. In about ten days I will see the sun for the first time tipping up from behind these mountains.

October Svalbard

2006-10-10T00:37:00.001+02:00

It is beautiful weather on Svalbard today, ÷10 C and just a little wind. Snow have started covering the landscape and it is totally different compared to summer. Twilight is looong and you can enjoy how white is changing to pink and then to apricot and then to coldish blue. Enjoy 20° in middle Europe, in the Arctic winter is taking it's grip.

First Skiing in Lyngen

2006-10-01T19:51:00.000+02:00

The snow has started falling in the mountains around Tromsø and our hypothesis was that it would be skiing conditions at higher altitudes in the Lyngen Alps. Shure enough, the hypothesis was verified at about 800 m.asl. and it was beyond expectations above 1000 m.asl. where powder was present. We even decided to abort our try on one of the summits due to avalanche danger. It is not every year you can go powder skiing in Northern Norway before October.

I look forward to an eventful season in the backcountry. I'd like to thank the two superbros from Sweden that initiated this firs trip of the season; Olof and Kalle Selander. We also met some eager students from my old telemark-club; TULL, at the University of Tromsø.

The pics here are some from the trip, the panorama is taken of the Lyngen Alps when arriving with the ferry at Svendsby.

Fall in Greenland

2006-09-06T12:00:00.000+02:00

Greenland is the largest island in the world. It contains a lot of ice but on the coasts are rather green... Polar Star is sailing along the coasts of East and South Greenland in the Fall, after the Svalbard season. Crossing from Svalbard over to East Greenland is always very interesting, you never know exactly where or when you are going to hit the ice that are migrating out of the Arctic Ocean south through the Fram and Denmark Strait. The seaice you are most likely to meet is no-non-sense ice, meaning multi year, packed and hard ice. If you manage to get to the coast you can find that even in late August some of the fjords north of 76° is still covered with first year fast ice. This ice is an effective moderator for visitors, and some of the places I have visited, I would be the only visitor that year or even that decade.

Coming to the coast of Northeast Greenland is a dream. It is like coming to a place empty of people (there is only 27 persons living within the national park) and only nature have worn and torn the landscape over millions of years. The natural beauty is beyond words. The mere feeling of being alone and in the wilderness is overwhelming. The national park is 972 000 km² or 375 291,3 sq miles - that is eqivalent to Spain and France combined. ¾ of this area is covered by ice, but it still leaves about 250 000 km² without ice, in comparison the island of Great Britain is 209 000 km².

Anyway, enough statistics. Enjoy the pictures and make sure you experience Greenland once in your lifetime.

Fall in Tromsø

2006-09-04T22:02:00.000+02:00

This picture is of Kvaløya as I see it from my window at home. The mountain most prominent is Blåmannen, 1044 m.asl. The sun and the skies are amazing at this time of the year, it changes all the time. One of these days I saw Aurora Borealis east on the sky while the sun was setting in west - that was quite intriguing.

Brunnich Guillemots on Svalbard

2006-07-21T11:33:00.000+02:00

The Brunnich Guillemot is a member of the auk-family. It is similar to the Common Guillemot ut have a more northern distribution than the common. It´s a little smaller, has a blue/gray line on the upper mandible and do not have the white ring around the eye that some of the commons get. It is nesting in cliffs on Svalbard and one of the largest colonies is situated in the Hinlopen Strait on East Spitsbergen. Last week we had the conditions to do the first Zodiac-cruise (small boat cruise) in front of this cliff and it resulted in these pictures. Many think about penguins when they see the guillemot. They are not related but are subject to something called convergent evolution, meaning that they adapt to similar environmental challenges. One example is that they are white on the chest and black on the back - this means that they are camuflaced in water from preditors both from above and below (white against a light sky and black against the dark abyss). The guillemots also have very short wings that they use for propelling in water. They have a large chest bone that support big muscels, but they are rather inefficient flyers.

Polar Bears in Svalbard

2006-07-14T12:04:00.000+02:00

On request from one of my readers I´m posting some pictures of some of the polar bears we have seen so far this season. It is very little sea ice this season and it seems that the bears are congregating where there still is a sufficient "hunting platform" for them. We have seen a lot females with two cubs this season - mabye they are the ones who didn´t make it when trying to follow a fast retreating ice edge this year. Last week we observed 39 polar bears - this is a new record for Polar Star.

A few days in Lyngsalpene again...

2006-05-02T23:20:00.000+02:00

North Norway is shining at the moment. The Lyngen Alps is one of the jewels not far from Tromsø for skiers that don´t need lifts and comfy infrastructure (there are accommodations...). Trond Aalde and I went to Nord Lenangen (a place in Lyngen) to ski, take photographs and have a nice time. Skiing with Trond is super, a good pal and a super skier (former world champion telemark skier) trying to hang on to down the mountain sides is challenging, both for me and my dog; Pinga. Trond also gave me the opportunity to try out next years skiis, bindings and boots. Canadian skis - Genuine Guide Gear (G3) and Dynafit boots and bindings. He imports this stuff to Norway and his mission is off course to have everyone in the world using it. I can sign on that what he gave me works, you can see the signature down on front of the mountain Storgalten in Northern Lyngen. We did all our skiing trips in the evening to get the best light and the best snow (the last pic of me skiing down is at about 9:30 pm) - no alpine start necessary. Take your tent, rent a car in Tromsø, drive out to Lyngen and find a beach and camp and ski a nearby mountain or just stroll along the coast for a while looking at rocks and shorebirds. Good luck. (all pictures here are taken by Trond exept the one of him that I took).

Easter Holiday; Telemark skiing in Lyngsalpene

2006-04-17T20:44:00.000+02:00

Weather has been perfect this Easter. The mountains around Tromsø have invited to skiing trips. On this occasion, my friend: Aslak Prestbakmo and I went to Lyngsalpene and a mountain called Sofiatinden. Sofiatinden is one of then easy accessible mountains on the 85 km long penninsula called Lyngen. There are more than 30 summits higher than 1500 meters (4500 ft) a.s.l. It is challenging alpine terrain and no lifts what so ever to take you to the tops. The pristine Lyngenalpene (Lyngen Alps) is partly protected (two-thirds of the total land area) from future installations and infrastructure. This makes Lyngsalpene one of the most interesting places in Northern Norway for outdoor activity, especially for those who look for challenges in steep skiing and climbing. The pictures should talk for themselves, on this day we found Nirvana less than one hour from where I live in Tromsø (35 min. driving + 15 min. ferry + 5 min driving again…) (All pictures is of Aslak Prestbakmo and shot by me, Jørn Henriksen)

Antarctic Fur Seal

2006-02-16T17:38:00.000+01:00

The last trip to Antarctica was pretty grey weatherwise. Non the less, on our first landing we came upon some really nice antarctic fur seals on Half Moon Island. This guy was posing for me while his friend was pretty indifferent to me. The fur seals is extremely adaptive and are thriving in the Southern Ocean. On the Island of South Georgia there are now millions of them, in the 1970´s there were virtually non left there. The fur seals was harvested for their delicate underfur that waterproofs them. They were hunted almost to extinction. Then the whales faced a severe toll in the same area and some now speculate if it is actually the marginalized number of whales in the Southern Ocean that are the reason fur seals are multiplying so fast the last decade or two. They are after all feeding on the same "cornerstone" spiecies; krill. Summed up; less whales to eat krill gives more krill to our friends the fur seal, and they are better off. The big question is; Is the whales going to come up in the competition with these guys? And when?

Fathom Expeditions charter 2006

2006-02-05T16:13:00.000+01:00

The last expedition with Polar Star to Antarctica was a full time charter with a Toronto based company called Fathom Expeditions. Our 12-day itinery took us to Elephand Island, Danger Islands, Paulet Island, Snow Hill Island, Devil Island, King George Island, Cuverville Island, Paradise Harbour, Danco Island, Petermann Island, Port Lockroy, Neko Harbour, Cierva Cove and Deception Island. These places would we known to seasoned Antarctic guides – I just list them up here because I think these names contains a certain athmosphere themselves.

However, Antarctica again showed all her sides; howling winds in the Weddel Sea, making it impossible to land on Heroina Island, flatt calm and super in amongst the South Shetlands the day after, reflections – double of everything as we sailed north the Neumayer Channel and big waves again coming north the Bransfield Strait towards Deception Island at the end. Smooth crossing of the Drake Passage both ways!

People often ask me; …what do you prefer; the arctic of the antarctic?

I often answer; …don´t be unfair to me – I grew up and have a special relationship to the arctic, it´s my home. On the other hand, Antarctica is beyond words…

Have a great time wherever you are in the world – and remember – all the penguins in down here depend on YOU!!

...behind the scenes continues

2006-02-05T16:08:00.000+01:00

Photo reportage; Polar Star behind the scenes

2006-02-05T15:34:00.000+01:00

Most people who are onboard M/V Polar Star see things from a passenger perspective. Working and living aboard a small expedition vessel is something quite different. Most of the Philipino crew are onboard for 9 months, home for 3 months and onboard again for 9 months. Some of our crew have been with Polar Star since the vessel came into service in 2001.

Common for all crew is that they are hard working and smiling. No matter what an enthusiastic expedition team throws at them, they are up to the challenge and super keen on cooperating giving the passengers the best possible experience while onboard.

Even when I intruded some of their back stages to shoot this reportage they kept smiling, no matter what situation they were in. I will continue working on this little project until I have a portrait of everyone onboard M/V Polar Star.

Between the Poles, what do you do??

2006-01-12T11:36:00.000+01:00

I have just arrived home to Tromsø, Norway and the darkness of January here at 70° north. Travelling from Ushuaia to Europe took me through Buenos Aires where Annelill and I spent a day at Estancia Dos Talas on the Pampas.

It is a treat for body and soul to enjoy the tranquility and atmosphere of such a place, think of the times when the cattle-barons spent four months of the year at their estancia, then some time in the city, usually in the season for operas and concerts at Teatro Colon and parts of the year in a European metropol, often Paris.

Well for me it is Paris of the North - Tromsø...

Estancia Dos Talas web site is http://www.dostalas.com.ar/ and if you want to go horseback riding or other adventures in Argentina, contact my friends Andres and José at http://www.horsesadventures.com.ar/

Infamous Southern Ocean

2006-01-11T11:18:00.000+01:00

Myth or true?? My experience is that the weather in the Souther Ocean has a myth attached that is worse than it really is down there. Having crossed the Drake Passage between South America and Antarctica some 60 times I have certainly seen some bad weather, but a large percentage of the time it is just gentle rolling and long swells coming from the Pacific due to the prevailing westerlies.
The worst conditions at sea I have ever had was off north-west Newfoundland (not far from the Flemish Cap), an area with a similar somewhat dubious reputation. There we had 18 meter waves and force 11, and I can assure you that it rocks!

Having said that I feel the waves and weather is better that the myth I have never been sailing in the Southern Ocean in the wintertime, and I don´t know if I´d want to try either... I always hope for fair weather anyway!

Here are two pictures that tells you somethind about the waveheight today and a weather system we dodged in November 2005 on our way beetween the Falkland Islands and South Georgia.

Idle days with Penguins in Antarctica

2005-12-20T14:03:00.000+01:00

Hi, been on two long trips to Antarctica now and what can you expect? Penguins! Here are all the species we have seen on our first trips!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO YOU ALL!!

Chillean Fjords and Torres del Paine

2005-11-20T02:19:00.000+01:00

We have covered many sea miles since the last entry. We have visited some very interesting cities along the Chillean coast; Valparaiso, Valdivia and Puerto Montt, had some interesting tours and seen some very nice things. I must say that taking the old funicular railways (that are on the UNESCO world heritage listing and walk around in the alleyways and small streets
uptown Valparaiso was one of my highlights. There it seems as if street art is much appreciated and you really find some cool graphics on the walls.

But the real highlight of this whole trip is the southern section, sailing through the fjord landscape from Puerto Montt and south. Some say it’s very similar to the Norwegian fjords, but a big difference is that here temperate rain forest is covering lots of the land. As we come south we find glaciers that project into the ocean, closer to the equator than anywhere else in the world and the climate get really damp. We have now had several days of rain and occasionally sleet in the air, so for those of you living in Norway; I have it pretty similar to you weather-vice as you have home. Luckily the large low pressure over southern South America is about to diminish – something we need as we are later heading for Cape Horn for our southernmost landing of the trip.

Torres del Paine is something for itself. The groups of granite peaks penetrating right up from a relatively flat landscape around at about 200 meters above sea level is truly some of the most impressive in the world. My personal experience is that these Patagonian spires (also those in the Argentinean, Los Glaciares National Park), together with peaks on south east Greenland and Baffin Island are the finest mountains in the world, like giants of Norway’s national mountain; Stetind! Today we were a little bit unfortunate and had overcast and low visibility. Here are a couple of pics from what we saw.

I hope for fair winds as we round the Horn to enter the good old Atlantic and the Beagle Channel in a few days!!

I know where the Blue Whale is!

2005-11-12T17:16:00.000+01:00

The blue whale is the largest living creature, now and in known time. With a lenght up to 33 meter and a weight up to 150 tons it roams the oceans – outside human view most of the time. We know that when it calls it can reach thousands of miles an communicate over immense distances. In the era of whaling in the Southern Ocean, the blue whale was the benchmark and the unit used to measure the catch of other species (1 blue whale unit = x2 fin whales ex.).

There is a lot left to learn about the blue whale, it´s migration, feeding areas, total population – it´s considered a threatened species and is obviously a highlight when observed on a expedition cruise like we do.

It is extremely difficult to predict where to observe cetaceans and naturalists aboard expedition vessels have learned to speak in very vague terms when clients ask where and when they can expect their most wanted sightings.

BUT I KNOW ONE WHO KNOWS WHERE THE BLUE WHALE IS!

An interview with wildlife lecturer and responsible for all avian fauna aboard M/V Polar Star and cetacean enthusiast; Simon Cook;

Jørn Henriksen: Thank you for doing this interview. Simon, you say that you would rather call cetaceans for whales and dolphins?

Simon Cook: Yes, that is a much better term...

JH: Tell me simon, have you seen any large whales on the first six days of this cruise? You after all spent most of the daylight hours on the bridge.

SC: Yes, we saw several humpback whales coming into a port in Southern Peru – some really nice tail flukes as they were diving. And we saw two fin whales the day after, the second largest whale, they came swimming along the starboard side of the ship, only 20 meters off. We have also seen sperm whales, but on quite a distance. Coming out of the harbour Arica in Norhern Chile we encountered two blue whales.

JH: Two blue whales – wow! That must have been a pleasant surprise...

SC: Yes – and the funny thing is that we saw them on the exact same place as we saw them in 2003 and 2004, and almost on the same dates...

JH: Three years in a row, two blue whales, isn´t that quite extrordinary?

SC: There are some good feeding grounds for blues on this coast, and it seems as if this is one of them. I keep notes all bird, whale and dolphin observations I make – I had to mail my wife Mandy to have her look up in one of my older notebooks to confirm the position of the 2003 blue whale sighting – and yes, all three years sightings proved to be within 2 km of each other!

JH: Is it true that some taxonomists want to split the blue whale species into two?

SC: They want to split into ordinary blue whale and pygmy blue whale, but that would be a contradictory term because it would still be the larger than any other living creature...

JH: Can we expect to see more of these, largest living creatures on earth as we sail down the coast of Chile?

SC: Yes, ever since the mid nineties I have observed quite large consentrations of blue whales from Valdivia and south. On some occasions I have observed between 20 and 30 individuals at one time – more than I have heard of anywhere in the world. It is estimated that about 300 individuals are spread along the coast of Chile from Valdivia and south.

JH: That is quite something, why have not the rest of the world heard of this?

SC: It´s only the last few years that Chillean biologists have been out there and done proper countings, ”discovering” them.

JH: Isn´t it only in the few thousands, the estimated world population of blue whales?

SC: Yes – and a large proportion of them seem to be here!

JH: Now, I look forward coming further south and mabye see more blue whales! Another thing Simon; what is the most silly thing that happened today aboard Polar Star?

SC: That ”Missing”, the afternoon movie, went missing and we had to show something else instead...

Simon Cook rushes up to the bridge right after the interview – no time to loose, for many, there is nothing to see but an empty horizon, for Simon; an abundace of seabirds, from tiny petrels, dancing over the surface to giant albatrosses soaring effordlessly across the oceans. And the chance of something rare in the form of whales or dolphins, suddenly appearing from the deep.

Just minutes after we talked, Simon got to see RIGHT WHALE DOLPHINS on a close distance – for his second time in his life!

Peru

2005-11-09T16:18:00.000+01:00

Just started a trip sailing south from Lima, Peru south to Chile and on round Cape Horn and into the Beagle Channel to Ushuaia, Argentina. Peru is together with Egypt the place in the world where you find more ancient cultural remains than any other place. Part of the reason is the very dry climate, but also that Peru over the millenniums been the cradle for advanced cultures such as the Incas and the Nazca people. The coast of Peru is also relatively rich because of the cold Humbolt current that sweep along all the way up to equator. A relatively small part of our itinerary is in Peru, but definately some of the highlights are here. Starting out
from Lima, the colonial capital that Pizzarro made the most important South American city after the Spanish conquest. Lima shows many signs of it being a colonial city with its achitecture, the wooden colony balconies on many of the old buildings has become a symbol for Lima.
For those of you who have visited the equisit cathedral in Toledo, Spain will notice that the Lima cathedral have a downscaled version of the famous choire from Toledo – well, a Roman Catholic cathedral itself is not something the pre-colombians themselves figured they needed. We sailed out of Callao, the giant port of Lima, the most important Pacific port of South America together with Valparaiso in Chile. From there we set course for Islas Ballestas, close to the city Pisco (hence the sour drink...). Islas Ballestas is some small islets with an abundace of seabirds, sea lions and a few Humbolt penguins as inhabitants. It is also occasionally harvested for guano that is used as furtilizer locally. The guano industry used to be big and thousands of tons of guano used to be exported from Peru, round Cape Horn and to Europe in the beginning of the last century. It was often called the nitrate trade. Our purpose being there was to take a zodiac cruise to enjoy the massive wildlife. After, we sailed into Paracas where we landed and took a guided tour with local guides.
The day after we landed in Bahia San Juan to take a bus to see the Nazca Lines, geoglyphs on the Nazca plateu. Geoglyphs are shapes that are layed out in stone, it differes from petroglyphs in the sense that the latter is carvings such as we find after ancient norse cultures several places in Norway. Some of the Nazca Lines are giant and unexplainable using .modern western references. Appreciating them from flights with small Cessna fixed wings are the most effective, but it calls for wondering knowing that the makers, the Nazca people made the lines ages before the Wright brothers came ut with the first flying machines – even well before Christ walked on water... Some of the figures resembles mammals, both terrestial and marine. There is even a figure called the Astronaut. there are also an abundanse of lines and shapes that makes arceologists, mathematichians and other that are supposed to administer modern, western rational thought scratch thein bold head. In Nazca there are also a advanced irrigation system with sub-surface aquaducts that have vents every ten meters so that sections could be repaired in case of earthquakes, aslo originating thousands of years back.
The aquaducts are still in use and I can confirm that the water are still running cold and clean – it is four years since last rainfall in the Nazca Valley! Peru´s most famous archeological site is by far Machu Picchu, but sites like Nazca and Trujillo with it´s adobe city Chan Chan truly makes the country extremely facinating travelling in. Not to mention the beautiful people inhabiting it

Pinga moves north again, last part

2005-09-19T22:17:00.000+02:00

The picture here is from before we got here, when she was still a sled dog on Svalbard.

Well, after a year or so, Pinga moved with us a bit closer to her roots - Tromsø, North Norway. She loves to live here and she loves to go for walks up on the mountain behind our house in Tromsdalen. Straight up for 20 minutes and she is in the landscape she is used to from Svalbard - open mountainplains without too much vegetation. I think she got a bit sick of the big forests in the south eastern parts of Norway. I is easier to breathe in the north, the air is crisp and clear (in a subtle way). She has now also grown up, not a teenager anylonger. She is a bit more reserved in meetings with other dogs, but still very playful. She loves running for sticks and have learned some "trics". She is also great having along on randonnè trips in the mountains adjacent to Tromsø - she gives exactly the little pull necessary to make the trip easier for the one at the other end of the bungee jump, me... The only thing she needs is someone to break trail. She has become a great family dog, she is calm and loving. Annelill and I look forward to the next years with her!

The Story of a Sled Dog, part 2

2005-09-19T18:34:00.000+02:00

Finally Pingo has arrived Norway mainland! The original intention was that Monica, Annelills mother was going to 'own' her and take care of her - and she did, very well!! However, to 'cultivate' a one year old polar dog that know no other logic in life than 'how to survive in a dog-yard', needs a lot of work and time and determination.
At the time Annelill and I were living on Roverud, a small village about 110 km north of Oslo, close to the Swedish border. The climate there is good for such a dog, cold as a fridge in the winter (but a little too warm in the summer...). Monica soon renamed Pingo to Pinga as she has no what so ever realtions to arctic geographic phenomenas but a clear vision of wich endings female names should have.
Bjørge, Monicas husband, built a large dog yard with two meter fences. She also got a long line. We happend to live just next door so Pinga became just as much ours.
In the beginning Pinga was quite frustrated with the new life, cut off from her pack and in a totally new environment. She quite often managed to escape, venturing into the great woods in the area. Every time, some nice people finally called us telling where we could pick her up (once almost 25 km from home). She also tested her instincts on the neighbours farm - proudly she came home with a hen in her mouth one day. Now we know what a hen costs...
To be continued...

The Story of a Sled Dog, part 1

2005-09-19T18:15:00.000+02:00

The winter 2003 my girlfriend Annelill and I was working on Svalbard, the Arctic archipelago of Norway. I was taking tourists on snowmobile safaries and ice caving in the glaciers and Annlill was feeding and caring for 80 alaskan huskies in a professional sled dog company.
Amongst all these extreme performers of sled dogs some are considered 'not usable' for different reasons. In Pingas case, she had too much hair, specially between the toes on the paws and she was also a bit scatterbrained according to the boss dog handler. On the other hand she always liked to be touched and she communicated it by rolling around on her back ready for some scratching and hugging whenever there were people around. This made her stick a bit out in the mass of all the eighty dogs. She is also completely white - though not exactly, after spending her first year only 500 meters from one of Svalbards coal mines.
With a little bit of negotiations with the company we convinced them to (without compensation) to leave Pingo to us (yes - her original name was Pingo after a geophysical phenomenon in arctic regions; Pingos - a bulb of ice formed of an influx of water from below...).
When it was clear that she had all the vaccinations against rabies (it's rabies on Svalbard due to some mice that the russians imported in the fifties) she could start traveling down south to Norway mainland. Annelill and I was long gone south so our friend Henrik brought her along. Her first flight must have been a nightmare for her as she was pretty far out as she arrived at Oslo airport. She threw up in the car going home - pizza from kroa, her first and only pizza meal and she couldn't hold on to it - what a pity..

Welcome to Another Beautiful Day in the Arctic

2005-09-19T00:18:00.000+02:00

The *polar files* blog tells stories from polar regions, mostly Svalbard, Greenland and Antarctica. It is made out of Tromsø, Norway, at 69° North, also in the Arctic (in many senses). I will give some short and popular information about Polar Regions, animals, people and other fun stuff...

Surfing

2005-09-16T12:36:00.000+02:00

On Sept. 5 I joined some friends to Grøtfjorden, 45 minutes drive out of Tromsø to surf the waves after a good autumn storm that had howled a few days. It proved that the storm was just not quite finished yet and waves was quite..Good!!! My friends were hovering over the good conditions and totally forgot they were beginners, they were washes and spit ashore about a hundred times but managed to stand a ride occationally. Surfing in Northern Norway is quite exotic and is a growing sport (I think...).

Skiing in Indre Troms, North Norway

2005-04-19T21:08:00.002+02:00

Just put in some pictures from a skiing trip I had together with my friends; Geir, Torbjørn and Pinga a week ago! We had wonderful weather and slept two nights in tent. The trip went from Rostadalen, Isdalen, Gappo hut, Pältsa hut, Moska hut and down Rostaddalen again. Distance all together on skis was about 65 kilometers - the conditions was very good and mostly we could ski with Swix Blue Extra on the sole. Skiing down the last bit was fun, I had a pulka behind me and down the turns and into the woods became quite hazardous, but it went well after all!!

picture of me

2005-01-12T12:37:00.000+01:00

*POLAR FILES*