Scan Magazine | Special Theme | Autumn & Winter Experiences in Norway
Experience the Northern Lights, try fatbikes and enjoy the outdoors With an 87 per cent probability of spotting the Northern Lights, GLØD Explorer’s excursions won this year’s TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence Award. The odds are due to the company’s experience in anticipating the phenomenon and finding the best location to watch it in the dry climate of its base in Alta, northern Norway.
Photo: Trygve Nygård
By Stian Sangvig
“Alta has less rain than the Sahara desert, with 400 millimetres of rain annually, compared to Sahara’s 420,” explains general manager Trygve Nygård of the Finnmark location. GLØD Explorer takes Northern Lights spotters in groups of two to 15 people in minibuses. “All guides are experienced photographers who help everyone with picture taking,” he adds. In addition, the award-winning excursion business offers a range of other nature-based, arctic adventures, activities and expeditions for individuals and groups, including fatbiking, cross-country skiing, snow-shoeing, kayaking, canoeing and mountain biking. New for this winter is the fatbike, which was developed in North America and makes cycling on
snow fun and manageable thanks to larger wheels and wider frames, making them balance on snow better. “With the short season for traditional bikes in northern Norway, the new fatbikes enable us to take better advantage of the winter season,” says Nygård. “We purchased several bikes for tours and rentals aiming to position ourselves as the leading provider of bike tours.” Alta is easily accessible by flights from Europe via Oslo directly to Alta with both Norwegian Air Shuttle and Scandinavian Airlines. For more information, please visit: www.glodexplorer.no
The peak of adventure Why look back on what you have done when there is so much excitement in store? So goes the rhetorical question posed by Bre og Fjell, a company that offers guided nature adventures in the Norwegian wilderness. By Maya Acharya | Photos: Einar Løken
Bre og Fjell (‘Glacier and Mountain’) was started in 2002 by a group of skiing and climbing enthusiasts keen to get people out into the mountains. Since then, the initial focus on glacier guiding and alpine skiing has expanded greatly. During the winter season, Bre og Fjell offers guided alpine ski tours, ice climbing and glacier trips. Some last less than a day, such as the glacier trip on the Haugabreen Glacier, while others, such as the 5 Days of Powder tour in
Photo: Per Arne Askeland
Sogndal, last longer. “We offer tours for individuals, companies and larger groups,” says managing tour guide Einar Løken. “Our key aim is to offer activities according to ability. We have everything from beginner’s trips to more challenging activities, allowing everyone to partake in something within their capability and having a truly enjoyable experience.” Bre og Fjell also offers avalanche and glacier courses teaching you to prepare for travel in avalanche and glacier terrain. “Knowing how
Photo: Morten Uglum/Aftenposten
to handle equipment properly helps when dealing with dangers. We ensure safety by doing thorough research and planning, and hiring guides that are competent, experienced and certified,” Løken assures. Another helpful Bre og Fjell perk is the offer of packages that include food and accommodation. One of the more spectacular varieties is the Ski and Sail adventure, which involves being transported by sailboat along the Hjørunfjord and straight to the snow-capped mountains. “The possibility of going straight from the water onto the peaks is something unique to Norway,” says Løken. “Our goal is to enable people to experience the beauty of Norwegian nature in a safe and companionable environment.” For more information, please visit: www.breogfjell.no
Guided nature adventure provider Bre og Fjell was set up in 2002 with the mission to get people out into the mountains.
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