Ski and Paddle Norway 2009

Distance 31km | Time 11hrs | Ascent 460m | Descent 630m

I was up at 0600. I was excited about today and Reisadalen. However it was misty weather and almost windstill. As I had breakfast and packed the mist started to burn off and then return. It seemed to be clearing up though. The temperature was plus one and this was really more worrying.

I set off at 0800 and skied to the north side of Jorba Cierte, a rounded mountain on the Finnish Norwegian border. The conditions were good, as there must have been a frost last night which firmed up the snows surface. After a couple of km there was a reindeer fence which pretty much ran along the border. This would have separated one Lapp community from another regarding grazing. They did not always follow international borders between Norway and Sweden but perhaps it was stricter with Finland due to its Soviet history.

Once round the north of Jorba Cierte I continued east over the gentle south ridge of Sagge Cierte where it was very misty again. Once I descended down the east side of this ridge the visibility improved again and I had a good view over the plateau. This plateau was cut by two deep canyons. I had to cross both.

There was a nice ski across the Njallalahku plateau for about 8 km to bring me to the edge of the first canyon, called Njallaavzi. By now it was 1130 and the firm snow was softening. I peered into the canyon which was 100 metres deep with apprehension. In a worst case scenario I would be able to descend but not ascend and be stuck in the bottom until there was a good freeze.

I had been warned that the snow in Reisadalen was very loose as the winds did not penetrate the canyon depths and the snow was full of air. Sometimes it was impossible to ski through this type of snow as one skis just end up vertical in front of you. Then you have to take them off a wade through it.

The descent was easy enough as though very steep I was sinking in up to my knees as I traversed down the steep side. Across the canyon my ascent route looked horrible. Once at the bottom I had some deep snow to force myself through to get to the river. The river was open water and at least knee deep. I did not want to wade across it. I skied downstream until I reached a crossing point. This was convenient as the bottom of the steep slope on the east side where I hoped it would be possible to escape the canyon.

The ascent was horrible. It was only 140 metes up and about 300 metres on the map but it nearly took me 3 hours. Initially I tried to ski but it was too steep and deep and my skis tips were in front of my chest. I took them off and waded through the snow. It was possible but very slow. I was up to the top of my legs in this deep snow. It had the consistency of dry loose sugar. As climbed up the steep side I released a lot of small avalanches of this loose sugar.

Eventually the gradient eased slightly and the snow was only thigh deep. Still impossible to ski through. This continued for the last of the 3 hours and then I reached a more gentle ridge where I could try the skis on again. It was hard work but I could at last make faster progress than on foot. Before long I was at the canyon lip which was also the edge of the birch forest. Once I passed it I was free from it clutches.

I could have avoided this canyon by detouring round to the south for about 25 km instead. However I had heard a lot about this canyon and wanted to see for myself. I will never go back and will opt for the detour next time.

Once on the open mountainside again I was delighted and in a happy mood. The next canyon of Reisadalen was in fact not a canyon where I was heading to cross it. As long as the river in it was still covered in ice I should have no more obstacles until Masi in about 80 km.

I skied well across the open mountain heading north east across undulating mountains. The snow cover here was quite sparse and it was melting also so there was a lot of willow scrub showing branches. I tried to avoid it as I broke through when skiing over it. At last I crossed a final mound and then started the descent to the river Reisa in the open section of Reisadalen just above the point where it entered its canyon.

I was apprehensive when I approached the river. If it was open it would mean a very long detour. There was water in the riverbed but luckily for me it was above the ice which was still intact. Nonetheless I took my skis off and put them on my pack, undid the hip and waist buckles and held my ski sticks at the bottom so I could jab the ice if I went through. It was very solid still and I was over cautious I realized once I had crossed the 10 metre wide stretch of slush on top of the firm ice.

This was the second and hopefully last hurdle between me and Masi which was now only 70 km away. It was only 1700. The sun was still quite high and despite the rigours of the first canyon I still had some energy left. I therefore skied for about another 5 km until I got to a nice camp spot beside a lake. I was off my map and not onto the other so I don’t know its name, but am quite sure it is the west tip of Reisajavri lake. From the camp I could see a clear route through some remaining woods in Reisadalen valley, to the bare mountainside to the north.

After setting up the tent I cooked with the fly open. It was still just above zero with just a breeze. It did not feel like winter at all. Once the domestic chores were done I started on the blog but didn’t finish it until 2230 when I crashed out.

It had been a hard day. The skiing in the morning across the plateau was great. Njallaavzi canyon was absolute hell on earth though, but I am glad for the experience. It is the worst snow conditions I have ever been in. Then the late afternoon ski and river crossing was fine really. I need a heavy frost though to firm things up again.

This entry was posted on Sunday, April 12th, 2009 at 9:31 am and is filed under Update. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.