Arctic Ski Adventure: Sea to Summit in the Lyngen Alps with Olympic & World Champions

What if we ventured beyond the Arctic Circle to ski the legendary Lyngen Alps, using only a boat for transportation? This ambitious Arctic adventure brought together Norway’s finest alpine stars for an unforgettable ski touring expedition.

Our elite team included:

• Aksel Lund Svindal – two-time Olympic champion in Super-G and Downhill skiing
• Kajsa Vickhoff-Lie – multiple-time alpine world champion
• Helene Olafsen – former Snowboardcross world champion

Whilst Aksel and Helene were experienced freeriders, this Arctic ski touring adventure would mark Kajsa’s first foray into Norwegian backcountry skiing.

The team embarked on an extraordinary journey across Arctic waters to ascend and ski two of the most coveted peaks in the Lyngen Alps. This demanding mission was such that it held the potential to test our Nordkapp Coupe 905 vessel to its limits, transporting our team of nine and their extensive inventory of equipment through Arctic snowstorms, the ever-turbulent Barents Sea, and sub-zero temperatures of -25°C.

Tromsø, Norway – located 350 kilometres above the Arctic Circle – served as our meeting point and departure harbour for this Arctic ski adventure and upon arrival, Tromsø greeted us with beautiful crisp winter temperatures and pristine azure skies.

Setting out from Tromsø harbour, we charted course towards Nord-Lenangen in the renowned Lyngen Alps. Snow-capped mountain peaks created a striking contrast against the dark blue Arctic waters as we navigated towards our first destination and carved our way through the deep ocean waters.

The day’s cruise was a reminder of the precious environment that envelopes our globe. Untameable, limitless, mighty, but vulnerable at the same time too.  The boat handled like a dream, its deep-vee hull slicing cleanly through the white capped seas and the protection afforded by its full cabin, proved an absolute ‘godsend’. In contrast to an open boat crossing, the 905’s well-appointed cabin resolutely removed any windchill and ensured our strength and energy was preserved for the great ascent.

Upon anchoring the boat, boarding the tender, and making our way ashore, skis were secured and Helene prepared her splitboard as our summit journey commenced. The anticipation was palpable amongst everyone, including our camera crew capturing every moment. Aksel, now an accomplished freerider since retiring from professional racing, took point for the three-hour ascent.

The vistas became increasingly spectacular as we zigzagged up the mountainside. For ski touring enthusiasts, the ascent proves just as extraordinary as the descent. “This is what makes ski touring and freeriding so special – the climb forms a wonderful part of the journey, especially against a backdrop like this,” Helene observed.

The ocean stretched out more than 800 metres below when our team finally reached the summit. Our trusty Nordkapp looked little more than a dot upon the great glassy expanse. Soon, we would experience the adrenaline and euphoria of skiing back down the mighty slops, but first, this was a moment to savour as we stood to absorb the majestic panorama before us.

Mountain guide, Finn K. Hovem, evaluated snow conditions before giving the group clearance to descend. This represented classic avalanche terrain under challenging conditions; using his equipment, Finn could dig, analyse, and assess how the snow layers bonded together.

“Fantastic conditions,” he confirmed. “We can proceed.” The sounds of bags being unpacked, zippers closing, and ski boots clicking into bindings quickly faded into complete silence, broken only by wind and the distant whisper of sea far below.

Watching an Olympic champion ski is truly special. The descent appeared effortless; skis glided seamlessly through fresh powder layers like a boat’s hull carving through waves – with razor-sharp precision. Kajsa followed Aksel closely, taking the identical path downward. Helene chose a route further north for varied snowboarding terrain.

Ice crystal gusts glittered in sunlight as they carved through thick snow layers. The descent felt simultaneously eternal and instantaneous.

Eventually, Kajsa expressed pure joy: “The most incredible conditions I’ve ever experienced,” she exclaimed, stopping beside Aksel. “Imagine experiencing this with you!”

They completed the final gentle stretch to the beach by slaloming through birch forest, exhilarated from the adrenaline surge and ready for their next adventure phase.

A jubilant group arrived at the pebble beach that afternoon. Temperature had risen to a positively balmy, -9°C, and sunlight hinted at warmth against a century-old sea shed wall, providing wind shelter. The Coupe 905 silhouette resembled an ‘old master painting’ against the picturesque, sea and mountain backdrop.

However, two critical factors had changed since morning: not only had the tide turned but the ocean currents had changed their character significantly since our arrival. Aksel again commanded the tender boat, transporting equipment and team members back to the Coupe 905, but it was tricky. Timing the breaking waves, that by now were increasing in severity, took much skill. Care too had to be taken to avoid puncturing the inflatable boat on the rocks emerging on the ebb tide within the lagoon. But with merely ten minutes to spare, before these transits would have become impossible, everyone and everything was safely transited and loaded back onto the expedition boat.

Our team returned to Nord-Lenangen at 45 knots with Webasto heater running, cold drinks being downed from the refrigerator, and après-ski music being played through the boat’s sound system. All in all, a fitting conclusion to this exceptional days’, ‘sea to summit’ skiing adventure.

A well-deserved celebration occurred back in Nord-Lenangen at Xlyngen with tales of great adventures, laughter, and songs echoing across the fjord as festivities continued into the forever darkness.

“If we witness the Northern Lights now, we might as well head home,” exclaimed Patrik Westli, the film’s director.  “Well, Patrik, you might as well pack your bags – time for the camera,” Aksel responded, whilst looking out the window. Just moments later, we found ourselves gazing up at the legendary northern sky, speechless and in awe at the sight of the marvel that is the Aurora Borealis. Brilliant green, blue, and purple lights danced like curtains against the black, star-studded, nighttime backdrop. We felt like the most blessed people on Earth.

Our brief Arctic sojourn created memories we’ll treasure forever. Aksel and Helene successfully completed ski touring the Lyngen Alps from their bucket list, whilst Kajsa experienced her first taste of Norwegian mountain freeriding.

We gained fresh perspective on how magical, yet harsh, Nordic nature can be. Nevertheless, how true it is that cold places really do produce warm people. Indeed, we were so grateful to have met such extraordinary individuals like our host Miriam at Xlyngen and our incredible mountain guides, Finn and Michael. We likewise counted it an honour to have witnessed the stunning vistas we experienced throughout our voyage and its climb – from the wonders of the mighty ocean, the majestic snow-covered mountain peaks, to the awe-inspiring, unforgettable, Aurora Borealis.

In terms of sheer ability, however, we unanimously agreed that our Nordkapp Coupe 905 represented the journey’s stand-out team member! Why, this boat had endured the Barents Sea’s surging tides, snowstorms and freezing waves, whilst at the same time, kept our expedition team warm and safe, along with our precious cargo of equipment.

We’d subjected the Mercury outboard powered Nordkapp to -22°C weather conditions and sea temperatures as low as 0.5°C. Indeed, our brave all-weather boat had frozen to the dock overnight and then when called upon to do so, instantly fired into life to do our bidding. This Coupe 905 model genuinely enabled our Arctic adventure and carried us, or perhaps I should say, ‘flew us’, safely to the mountain and back again in comfort and security. Her Mercury outboard engine never missed a beat and as a consequence, served as a fine testimony to the reliability and technical prowess of Brunswick’s modern 4-stroke technology.

Certainly, for our Olympic and world champions, in fact for everyone involved, the combination of accumulative knowledge, skill, and great hardware, resulted in an adventure that will be remembered and regaled for several lifetimes!

Disclaimer: The boat used on this expedition was equipped with customised gear that a standard Coupe 905 V12 is not designed for, such as a roof box and a tender. This equipment is not approved for use on commercially available Coupe 905s. Boat operations and handling were overseen or performed by boating professionals.