Friday Photo #264 – Winter Sun

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Vindstad Winter Sun - Friday Photo #264

Photo: February sun low on the horizon just after sunrise, Vindstad, Moskenesøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway. February 7, 2017. 09:09

A month after the sun has returned to Lofoten the days are beginning to feel normal and the dark days of the past weeks are quickly forgotten. And while the sun rises higher each day and is quickly approaching the east, there still remains many locations on Lofoten with receive little to no direct sunlight – still in the shadows of the surrounding mountains.

From this location, on the low mountain pass between Vindstad and Bunes beach, early February brings about 45 minutes of sun at sunrise before disappearing behind Reinebringen. Camping out there for several nights, I would begin my mornings on the right side of this image, where the sun would first hit. But soon, the mountain shadows would approach and I’d have to relocate towards the left of the scene, until eventually the sun was gone.

Another week or so later and the sun would have bee sufficiently high to shine on this location for most of the day. Though on Lofoten, there is often a compromise. With the trade off for more hours of sunlight, the sunrise itself will begin to occur too far to the east (left side of the photo), and thus not be visible from this location until the sun was higher in the sky. Always something to think about when choosing a sunrise/set location on the opposite side of the islands with mountains in between.

Camera Info:
Nikon D800
Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8
14mm
ISO 200
f 13
1/30 second
WB Daylight

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Friday Photo #263 – April Is Still Winter

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April Is Winter - Friday Photo #263

Photo: April is still winter here – deep snow and strong winds high up on Mengelsdalstind, Moskenesøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway. April 13, 2017. 12:52

I have been receiving a lot of emails lately about ‘spring’ hiking on Lofoten. And by spring, most people are using continental weather as their reference, meaning April and May. Though the nights are no longer fully dark, April is still full winter here in the north. And while the coasts begin to thaw in May, it is still ski season in the higher mountains.

Even in June, snow will still be a dominant factor most years in many of the inland mountain areas – and especially in east Lofoten.

If you are thinking of hiking the mountains here anytime before mid June, then I suggest reading my Winter Hiking article first.

Mengelsdalstind wasn’t the objective of this trip. But first we had to cross the summit of this 826 meter peak, then descend the back side to reach our target peak in an isolated and obscure part of Moskenesøy. After a mostly calm night camped on a narrow snow ledge at Ågskaret, the wind had really picked up this morning as we ascended the narrow ridge through often deep snow. With my backpack 27kg backpack full of climbing gear and 5 days worth of food, it was exhausting work.

Camera Info:
Nikon D800
Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8
15mm
ISO 100
f 9
1/800 second
WB Daylight

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Seasons on Lofoten – Winter – Updated 3rd Edition

Seasons On Lofoten: Winter

I’m happy to announce that the third edition of Seasons on Lofoten: Winter is now available.

Almost 3 years to the day since I launched the first edition, which was also my first ebook, it now is part of 6 guides to northern Scandinavia. This is mostly just a minor refresh of some data, correcting of some spelling, and a few new images in the portfolio.

Those of you who have purchased either of the previous versions will receive and email for a free download of this updated version. Check your spam folders if you don’t see anything! And if you still didn’t get an email, contact me.

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Friday Photo #262 – First Sun

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First Sun - Friday Photo #262

Photo: First sun of the new year, Offersøykammen, Vestvågøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway. January 10, 2018. 11:16

Though the polar night technically finished around January 5/6, weather kept the sun hidden for a few days longer. But finally on Wednesday, with a clear weather forecast, the sun returned to the north!

Still low on the horizon, I was careful to choose a mountain in which I knew it would be visible. Offersøykammen was one of the safer choices, with enough composition options. Unfortunately though, heavy rain on Monday and Tuesday melted away much of the snow which has been covering the islands since Christmas.

Having spent much of November trapped by rockslides at home, It had actually been nearly 2 months since I last saw the sun. It might sound strange, but it was a welcomed sight to see my shadow for the first time since I can remember! I kind of never noticed it missing, but was I was standing on the summit and the first light hit me, I finally remembered.

The wind was blowing cold across the summit. Even so, I just sat there for almost two hours until my toes began to get slightly numb and the sun disappeared behind Skottind.

Thursday provided an even more colorful sunrise, unfortunately I was busy with other things and couldn’t get out. But there are many months of winter left, and plenty more opportunities for cold days in the mountains of Lofoten.

Camera Info:
Nikon D800
Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8
15mm
ISO 160
f 11
1/50 second
WB Daylight

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Friday Photo #261 – New Year

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New Year - Friday Photo #261

Photo: Descending towards Vindstad, Moskenesøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway. April 9, 2017

Welcome to 2018! Well, the first post of the year at least. I probably should have come up with something bigger and more important to say this week, as last week’s post (#260) was the completion of 5 years of these Friday Photos. Not too bad if I can pat myself on the back.

It has been quite a journey since then, and if you asked me back then if I thought I would be living in my own house, in one of my favorite places on Lofoten. I would have told you you were crazy! But here I am, listening to the wind and snow shake my house on this dark Friday afternoon – Though I did manage to get my 2nd ski tour of the year in today, so off to a good start!

So hopefully the rest of 2018 continues at this pace. But in the darkness of the last months, and with the avalanche issues and road closures, photography has taken a bit of a 2nd seat to just keeping moving and living a more ‘normal life.’ Though with a busy tour season coming up over the next months, I’ll be out for plenty of sunrises, sunsets, and northern lights. And not to jinx myself, but this winter is already off to a much better start than last year’s. Lets hope it continues.

After a weekend in the hidden valley, and with a storm quickly approaching it was time to return to Vindstad and catch the ferry back to civilization. What had been deep snow on out ascent, had turned to a wind blown and icy hard snow on the steepest, upper section of the pass. This is why I always carry crampons in winter, even if the slope might otherwise not be overly steep and can be easily ascended/descended under regular conditions. Luckily for my knees, the hard stuff didn’t last too long, then it was time to sit down and slide on my ass the rest of the 400 meters to the sea. I should have brought skis, it would have been a good run!

Camera Info:
Nikon D800
Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8
19mm
ISO 160
f 8
1/400 seconds
WB Daylight

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