Playing Host
Norwegian ski patroller Linda Haaland shows her B.C. counterpart and pro skiers around her home hill while on location filming Warren Miller's "Line of Descent."
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Warren Miller athlete Kaylin Richardson earned her turns after a 3,000-foot climb in the Lyngen Alps. “There are few things that make me feel more alive than dropping onto a ridge and all I see is mountains and water.”
From the top of a peak to the edge of the sea, former Olympic ski racer Kaylin Richardson gets a face full thanks to conditions rivaling those you’d find in Utah, Richardson’s home state.
Kevin Giffin, Richardson, and Linda Haaland explore the Norwegian coastline.
Store Lenangstinden shoots 4,060 feet above sea level, making for an impressive sight from below.
Marcus Caston (far right), local Lyngen Adventure guides, and B.C. patroller Giffin wait out a storm (one of many during the trip) in an old lighthouse. “I’m happy it decided to clear up because it would be such a shame to come all this way and not see a mountain,” Caston says.
Richardson and Caston on a mission to sample some of the fresh snow above the town of Lyngseidet.
Giffin and Haaland share a moment while on patrol.
Caston finds solitude in one of the many couloirs found in the Tromsø backcountry. Tromsø, set in the Arctic Circle, draws tourists to cruise the fjord, whalewatch, fish, take in the Northern Lights and, of course, shred down its steep mountainsides to the seas below.
Pro big-mountain skier Caston soars above the Lyngen Alps. “When it finally clears, it’s so mind-blowing here,” Caston says. “It’s hard to explain. There’s really nothing like it … just how intense the beauty is.”
Haaland was stoked to show these North Americans around her homeland of Norway.
Fernie, B.C., ski patroller Giffin works alongside Tromsø native Haaland at Tromsø Alpinpark, a low-key hill near the city. “It was really fun taking Kevin to Tromsø Alpinpark; it’s pretty different from what he’s used to,” Haaland says. “It’s much smaller. They have a lot of people on duty all the time, and here, we’re like just a couple people—not even there all day long.”
Haaland braves a storm while performing trail maintenance. The life of a ski patroller, while rewarding, isn’t easy, something fellow patroller Giffin knows well. “I don’t think there’s anyone in the world who loves Norway more than she does,” Giffin says. “She’s the kind of person who’s perfect as a patroller. If you have a question, want your picture taken, if you’re injured, she will help you out with a big smile.”
There’s nothing quite like a Norwegian Fjord.
Where to Go
Lodging: There’s a comfy place to lay your head no matter where your adventure takes you. Check out lyngenadventure.no for recommendations, including seafront apartments, Viking-style cabins, or high-end lodging a few minutes from Tromsø’s city center.
Local Flavor: Stop at Haaland’s home hill, Tromsø Alpinpark, then hook up with Lyngen Adventure for tours of every variety (ski, ice climbing, snowshoeing, snowmobiling, even dog-sledding). They also know the best spots to view the Northern Lights.
Watch the trailer for Warren Miller’s “Line of Descent” and find a showtime near you this autumn.
