Sail and Ski Norway’s Stunning Fjords

Seiland House is located on Seiland Island in Finnmark, a remote corner of Norway just east of Lyngen. It is not accessible by car, only by ferry, and day trips to the fjords from the mainland are not really viable. Hence, we will have the place to ourselves with the possible exception of the occasional ski group passing through the area with a sailboat.

Literally “Fjord to Mountain,” it’s the Norwegian way of saying “Sea to Summit.” This is what sets skiing in Norway apart: classic tours that start at the water’s edge, with the salty waves lapping against rocky shores, and finish on the summit of a craggy peak overlooking a maze of black fjords and white mountains stretching to the horizon.

No, it’s surprisingly easy to get to the arctic in Norway – certainly when compared with getting to similar latitudes in Canada, and this is also something that sets Norway apart. There are multiple daily flights from Oslo on at least four different airlines: SAS, Norwegian and Widerøe – and occasionally Discover.

You have as much chance of seeing a polar bear on mainland Norway as you do a penguin. Polar bears don’t live on mainland Norway. The closest are found on the Svalbard archipelago, about 1,000 km farther north. In Northern Norway you might see reindeer, moose, sea eagles, or even whales; but no polar bears.

In mid-April Norway still has dark nights and yes, it is indeed likely we will see the Northern Lights during this trip!

Northern Norway is part of mainland Europe: connected by road, dotted with fishing villages, and home to a rich mix of Sami and Norwegian culture. Its mountains rise straight from the sea, giving it that famous “fjord-to-mountain” skiing. Svalbard is also “fjord-to-mountain” skiing but, by contrast, is a remote Arctic archipelago halfway to the North Pole. There are no roads between settlements, polar bears outnumber people, and the landscape is a stark mix of glaciers, tundra, and sea ice. Northern Norway feels wild but inhabited; Svalbard feels truly polar and frontier-like.

Northern Norway is part of mainland Europe: connected by road, dotted with fishing villages, and home to a rich mix of Sami and Norwegian culture. Its mountains rise straight from the sea, giving it that famous “fjord-to-mountain” skiing. Svalbard is also “fjord-to-mountain” skiing but, by contrast, is a remote Arctic archipelago halfway to the North Pole. There are no roads between settlements, polar bears outnumber people, and the landscape is a stark mix of glaciers, tundra, and sea ice. Northern Norway feels wild but inhabited; Svalbard feels truly polar and frontier-like.

Mainland Norway does have glaciers, but they’re relatively small and scattered — mostly in southern Norway (Jostedalsbreen, Folgefonna, Hardangerjøkulen) and a few in the far north like Seilandstuve (which we access from our Seiland House trip) and on the Lyngen peninsula (which we can access on our Fjords of Northern Norway sailing trip).

Yes, in Tromsø you’ll find a wide selection of excellent rental gear. Alta, by contrast, has very limited availability and nothing open on Sundays. As always, we recommend you come with boots you’re used to, preferably your own. To protect against lost or delayed baggage, plan to arrive a day or two early. It gives you time to pick up any rentals and enjoy the sights and atmosphere of an Arctic port city before the trip begins.