Climbing and alpine outdoor activities

 

From cliff walls in Lofoten to the spring sun in Southern France

A year of climbing, skiing, mountains and great adventures – ended with an 18-day train journey through Europe to Paris and the climbing paradise of Orpierre.

In Climbing and Alpine Skiing outdoor activities, you get an entire school year with the mountains as a playground and learning arena. We start among the granite walls in Lofoten, enter winter with skiing, avalanche training, and peak tours – and end the year with the big finale:
Traveling through Europe. Paris. And almost two weeks of climbing under the southern French spring sun.

 

Autumn – Learn to climb in Lofoten

We start the school year with the school’s most comprehensive climbing course. Over four weeks of climbing, we build skills from scratch. You learn safety, movement on rock, rappelling, stand-up climbing, and traditional climbing – with the mountains of Lofoten as the classroom.

You don't need to be an experienced climber when you start. The goal is for you to develop throughout the year, become more confident, more independent, and eventually be able to make good decisions together with others in the mountains.

 – Highlights of the autumn
  • Four-week comprehensive climbing course in Lofoten
  • Hiking and mountain climbing
  • Outdoor life, tent camping and fantastic autumn days in Lofoten

 

THE WINTER – SKIING, SNOWBOARDING AND ALPINE ADVENTURE ACTIVITIES

Then comes winter. The climbing shoes are put away for a while, the skis come out – and the mountains around us are covered in snow. Throughout the winter, you’ll have plenty of time to ski. We work on ski techniques, avalanche safety, buddy rescue, hiking planning, and good choices in the winter mountains. Eventually, the trips get bigger and you’ll have more responsibility for your own assessments, route choices, and decisions.

 – Highlights of the winter
  • Top tours in Lofoten and Northern Norway
  • Snow-related knowledge and alpine skiing outdoor activities
  • Intensive ski technique in Narvikfjellet

 

Narvikfjellet offers fantastic skiing with steep mountain slopes, long descents and spectacular views of the Ofotfjord. A perfect place for those who want to develop their skiing and perfect their technique. The swing technique – whether you like prepared slopes or challenging terrain.

On our courses and longer trips, students are always divided into smaller groups with their own guide. This provides a safe and good learning environment where you are seen, receive close follow-up, and where it is easier – and safer – to ask the questions that may feel difficult in larger groups.

Climbing tour to Southern France

We are heading to Orpierre – a small climbing village in Southern France, with sun, limestone walls and hundreds of routes right outside the door.
STUDY TOUR

In addition, we have a school week at “Nordic Mountain Trip” Where we live in tents and snow caves. Here we focus on how to get around outdoors in winter over several days. That is, how to find good camping spots, using a sled, cooking on a fire, and orienteering.

Together we live more than thirty days away from school in a tent, snow cave, or bivouac, Cabin and other forms of accommodation. So that you are prepared to embark on your own adventures if you wish. Throughout the year, we continuously work on the traditional outdoor skills such as maps and compasses, tents, and the equipment required to safely navigate the mountains.

We place great emphasis on the quality of the teaching, and uses to the greatest extent possible guides who are approved or in training through Nortind – Norway’s Hiking Guide Association.

This is the line for you who want to develop as a climber and outdoor enthusiast, challenge yourself in steep terrain, and experience the raw nature that Lofoten and Northern Norway have to offer – together with a community that shares the passion for mountains and freedom.

The goal is to provide you with many and powerful nature experiences.

Through these activities, we want you to gain new knowledge so that you can later plan and carry out your own trips in a safe and secure way. Another goal is that You will become more familiar with yourself and others, That you will have great nature experiences, memories, and friends for life.

Check out the students' own Instagram account @lofotenklaf

The teacher

Ole Christian Fredriksen

born in 1973 and has run a tour company and worked as a guide and instructor in Lofoten for ten years.

He comes from Oslo, where he worked as a printer before moving to Reine, in the far north of Lofoten, to follow his dream of living off the land and the outdoors. He studied outdoor activities at the Norwegian Sports Academy, and also works as a guide for Hvitserk & Eventyrreiser, where he has guided tours to high mountains in both the Himalayas and the Andes.

His interest in outdoor activities began at the age of seven, wearing a Boy Scout uniform and a small knife, in the local Boy Scout group in Tåsen, where he grew up.

He is also a rescue climber in Norwegian alpine rescue groups. And is currently undergoing training to become a ski guide at Nortind.

Ole Christian has extensive experience as a climbing instructor and is also responsible for the school's kayaking activities.

Feel free to write if you have any questions: ole-christian@lofotenfolkehogskole.no

Information

On this page you will find everything you need when you arrive at the school, both for living in the hostel and for the lessons, as well as good tips for other cool things you might want to bring along.

 

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School equipment and facilities
  • At the start of the school year, you can borrow equipment from the school. You return it and can use it freely until the school finishes. The equipment includes:
  • Climbing harness, helmet, carabiners, crampons, ropes, crampons, ice axes.
  • Apart from this, we have common equipment that we use on school trips:
  • climbing gear, safety equipment, ice screws, snow anchors, mountain tents, primus stoves, cookware sets, first aid equipment, fuel flasks, snow tools, snow shovels, and lots of other small and useful items.

All common equipment is of high quality and well-suited to the activities we carry out.

The school has a gym

with the possibility of ball games/badminton. There is also a small climbing wall, mainly for climbing without ropes at a low height. We also have a strength training room with weights and a spinning bike.

Our hobby room has opportunities for woodworking and metalworking, as well as for repairing bicycles and preparing skis. In the textile room, you can sew your own equipment or repair anything that has broken. All these rooms are available for free use until 22:30 every day.

The Lofoten Climbing Wall of the Climbing Club is located 15 minutes’ walk from the school. If you want to climb a lot in your free time, it is recommended to purchase a membership and annual pass at the climbing club.

Former students tell

Youtube

We train technique and safety in them many great climbing areas in Lofoten and make the mountains usefully what they are worth.

Line tour: Climbing and Alpine outdoor activities

Orpierre in the South of France

After Easter, we pack our tents, climbing gear and bags and board the train. We head towards Southern France!

On the way, we stop in Paris, before the journey continues south to Orpierre – a small, charming mountain village where climbing is an important part of life. Here we set up camp and live the climbing life for almost two weeks.

Around the small village there are eight climbing areas with around 670 routes, ranging from simple routes for beginners to demanding climbing at grade 8c. The climbing areas are located close to the village, and here you will find both short sport climbing routes and long multi-pitch routes.

This is where we really put into practice what we learned on the climbing course in Lofoten. The granite at home has been replaced with limestone, winter and snow with spring sunshine – and everyday life at the folk high school with a large climbing area right outside the tent. All types of climbing – swing climbing, vertical climbing, overhang climbing, multi-pitch and challenges suitable for everyone regardless of skill level.

Orpierre will be the perfect end to the climbing year – with new challenges, long days out and a real adventure in Southern France.