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Skiing and climbing

Lofoten is our base

The Lofoten Mountains offer fantastic opportunities for climbing and skiing. The proximity to the mountains provides abundant opportunities to explore. You can take your skis to school to go hiking in the fantastic ski slopes. Lofoten attracts people from all over the world who want to experience the great skiing with the proximity to the sea. Skiing and climbing offer experienced and knowledgeable instructors who have built up a line of teaching over many years with a solid learning environment. Ski&Climbing is the line that places the greatest emphasis on skiing and has the most comprehensive training in skiing and avalanche safety.

Every day when it is possible, we go skiing., And every trip is part of developing the skills you need in the mountains. Skiing and climbing are our main activities. Peak tours, general outdoor activities, and not least kayaking in the spring are the other major elements.

During the winter, there will be more days of skiing/snowboarding lessons and fewer days and nights spent in winter mountain accommodation. We emphasize that you will have the opportunity to develop as much as possible within the fields we work with through a lot of active engagement with others who share your interests.

We are traveling to Levi and the Lyngsalpene mountains

In Levi (Finland) on the amazing slopes, we practice swing technique, since we travel to the spectacular Lyngen Alps to learn more about free riding in the mountain terrain.
Read about the tours
STUDENT TRAVELLING
Autumn contains

We start with climbing and general outdoor activities. Basic climbing training, both sport climbing and mountaineering, is combined with the first camping trips. We start with sport climbing and complete the training that provides steep routes.

Then we use 8 days over two weeks for climbing courses. The first week we are camping in Kalle and conducting basic training, the second week is dedicated to climbing and hiking in the mountains. Here we try to achieve both climbing of routes as well as steep terrain and challenging summit hikes.

After the climbing training, we continue with a break to Engabreen at Svartisen. Here we stay at Tåkeheimen, one of the country's most spectacular tourist association cabins. On the glacier we learn both the use of ice axes and crampons as well as glacier navigation and rescue techniques.

We continue the autumn with Top hikes and trekking in Lofoten. Then we head to the most beautiful peaks in Lofoten, exciting trips with fantastic views that provide great experiences.

A little later it will come First aid, a central theme that we will devote a week to. The use of maps and compasses comes before we, a little later in the autumn, set out on trips in small groups.

Ski season starts immediately when the snow arrives, The hope is to have some ski trips before Christmas. Well in advance of that time we will go through the ski and ski equipment, and we will start the avalanche training with practical exercises and theory before Christmas. We are also looking at what kind of training is needed to get the most out of the ski season.

Spring contains

After Christmas, skiing and mountain hikes are the main activities. We are traveling to a larger ski resort in Norway or abroad at the end of January or the beginning of February, and we use that time to prepare ourselves as best we can. We try to have about 10 days of skiing, mostly on the slopes, but also in the backcountry. Ski equipment, skiing techniques, avalanche training and avalanche drills are some of the things we will be going through. We do this by being out on skis as often as we can, the mountains are our classroom and that is where we are going to learn and experience.

When we get home again, it's ski season in Lofoten. We spend our time on mountain hikes, snow and avalanche training, and generally winter outdoor activities. Powder skiing in Lofoten is something many people want to do, and we can take care of the very best the area has to offer. We will spend our nights outdoors, both in tents and in snow caves.

After Easter, we will use Lofoten for all it's worth. This provides space for both climbing and bouldering when the sun has warmed the rocks a little, as well as the fact that spring offers incredibly beautiful spring skiing. We usually have ski season until the middle of May.

A little towards the end of winter, in March once, we travel to Lyngen. Lyngen is one of the most spectacular and fascinating ski areas in Norway. We stay in a cabin or a guest house in Lyngen for a week of intense skiing experience.

During the spring, we will set up a paddling program with sea kayaks. We are based in the local area and aim to ensure that everyone gets a wet card and some nice trips.

The teacher

Linjelærer Ole Roger Jespersen
Ole Roger Jespersen

Ole Roger was born in 1965 and is associated with Ski & Klatring. He has a degree in sports and outdoor activities from the Høgskolen i Telemark, department Bø, with a specialization in telemark and traditional boat sailing. He studied history and sociology at the Høgskolen i Bodø. Previously, he has had degrees and work experience in agriculture, forestry and transport.

Ole Roger has been pursuing outdoor activities all his life, with hiking, skiing, and climbing in both Norway and abroad. He started climbing in 1987, at the same time he bought his first telemark skis. In 1993 he became a ski and climbing instructor. Today he is an NF national mountain course instructor and IVSI ski instructor level 2 alpine skiing. He also owns his own sailboat and has made several long sail trips. Ole Roger has worked at the school since 1996.

Feel free to write if you have any questions: ole@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.   Click here to go to the package lists >>>

  • Which mountain boots should I have? We need mountaineering boots that are sturdy and a bit stiff. We will use them for both mountain hikes and skiing, and for that we need boots that we can wear with crampons. Soft hiking boots made of fabric are not suitable. The boots must go up on the ankle and they must withstand water. Leather mountaineering boots for mountain hiking are suitable. There is a large selection here, to give you some ideas of what we mean, so you can maybe try the Alfa Berg Advance or the Crispi Valdres mountaineering boot.

    There are also stiffer boots for alpine/peak hiking. These are boots such as La Sportiva Trango or Scarpa Chamoz. They are very well suited for alpine and peak hiking, but not so good for long hikes. There are many variants and brands available.

  • Do I need climbing experience? No, you don't need that. Our courses include basic training for everyone.

  • Which climbing shoes should I buy? There are a variety of climbing shoes available, both brands and different types within each brand. Common to all climbing shoes is that they have a sole with friction rubber, and that they should fit well on the foot and not be too large. There are shoes designed for bouldering (without ropes on low rocks), sport climbing (short routes), shoes for long routes in the mountains, as well as all-round shoes that can be used for most things. The shoes for bouldering and sport climbing should be tight so that they fit properly on the foot. They expand and adapt to the foot over time, and they are not meant to be worn for longer than it takes to climb a short route. All-round shoes and shoes for long routes should be slightly larger so that one can wear them for a little longer. We will do a bit of everything, so an all-round shoe is a good choice; if you are going to wear a pair of shoes, avoid the most extreme sports climbing shoes and hiking boots. Which brand you choose is of little importance; the most important thing is that the shoe fits well on the foot and is not too big. It is advisable to visit a sports store with a good selection to try on the shoes before buying. There are many online stores that sell shoes; you can go there to see what’s available on the market and do some research. Sportsnett, VPG Mountain sports, Oslo Sportslager, etc. have good websites.
  • I've climbed a few mountains; is Ski & Climbing something for me? We have skilled and experienced instructors who can adapt the training for everyone, and you must be very skilled in order not to have anything to learn from us.
  • Do I need experience in alpine skiing? No, you don’t need that. We go through everything you need to know to do peak tours. But you need to have basic skiing experience, meaning that you have been skiing before. It can be cross-country skiing, touring or alpine skiing, and that has given you a certain balance and skiing sense.
  • What skis do I need? You need ski equipment suitable for alpine skiing and snowboarding. Whether you choose telemark equipment or randonee equipment is a matter of taste. Randonee, also called ski mountaineering, is basically lightweight alpine equipment with a walking function. There is a lot of equipment to choose from, and it can be difficult to find your way around in the jungle. There is very lightweight equipment for alpine skiing, relatively narrow skis with lightweight bindings. They are designed to be easy to walk with, while still having the best possible driving characteristics. The all-round ski is usually a bit wider and heavier, and some have a rocker, i.e. the tip is lifted slightly upwards. They are suitable for both alpine skiing and downhill skiing. Very wide all-round skis are usually 100-130 mm wide under the middle and often have a rocker. They are not very good on hard surfaces. Many end up with an all-round ski with a width of +/- 100 mm. In other words, a ski that can be used both on the slopes and well on the mountain in all conditions. The shoes should have a walking function, i.e. they can be adjusted to have movement in the shaft, which alpine skis do not have. For alpine and off-piste skiing, today many people choose a tech binding with shoes that fit them. There are many companies that make tech bindings, such as Dynafit, Plum, Marker, Diamir and G3. A general observation is that many people choose heavier equipment than they actually need, and end up working hard on the uphill slopes. As for the length of the skis, most people choose skis that are approximately the length of their body.
  • How big a daypack do I need? The daypack must have space for what you need for a day trip. In winter, there is a lot of stuff, and it is an advantage to have a pack where you can fit everything in and don’t need to hang anything on the outside. The weight difference between a 20-liter and a 35-liter pack is small, and it is better to have, for example, the helmet inside the pack rather than outside. I use a 30-liter daypack because here I have room for everything I need when packing properly. It is also an advantage if you have a pack that allows you to attach the skis to the outside of the pack; there will be some weight carried by the skis during a season.
  • What kind of bedding and sleeping bag do I need? We will use the sleeping bags mostly in the autumn, but also a little in the winter. If you have a mattress that is too bad, it won’t help no matter how good and warm a sleeping bag you have; it will be cold. There are cell-plastic sleeping bags and inflatable sleeping bags. The hard sleeping bags are available in many thicknesses and are solid and inexpensive to buy. If you are going to use them in the winter, they must be designed for that; that means they must be thick enough. There are many types of inflatable sleeping bags, such as Therma-rest and Downmat. The thicker ones insulate well, have good sleeping comfort, are small and lightweight. However, the price is higher, and all the sleeping bags that can be inflated can also burst. Sleeping bags are available with synthetic fill material and with down. Synthetic is heavier than down and fills more; it becomes larger. Synthetic is much better at handling moisture than down and is also cheaper. We will use the bags a little in the winter, both in a snow cave and in a tent. But not in extreme temperatures, so a temperature limit of -10/15 is necessary, depending on how cold you get.

Former students tell

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Pilan is an area with fantastic opportunities and excellent snow conditions already early in the season.

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Other subject areas

Line tour: Skiing & climbing

Levi

Beautiful Levi in the Finnish Lapland is one of many highlights for the students on the Ski and Climbing course. Here, there is guaranteed winter and great snow conditions and world-class slopes. In Levi, we focus on swing techniques that we build upon further throughout the winter.

The Lyngsalpene

Here we find one of the world's most spectacular peak-climbing destinations with alpine mountains that plunge straight into the fjord. The Lyngsalpen has countless opportunities and slopes suitable for everyone. Classics like Daltinden, Storhaugen, Russelvfjellet and Rørnestinden are popular randonnée trips. 

Lyngen attracts many ski tourists precisely because it is so spectacularly beautiful with the combination of mountains and the sea and the unparalleled views from all the peaks. Nowhere else is there such wild and beautiful scenery to be found.

Here we get plenty of mass training and fine-tune our swing technique, but we also spend a lot of time on safe line selection and avalanche assessment.

Full-year programmes

Outdoor activities, film and photography
Photo Lofoten
Lofotsport
Surfing, skiing and snowboarding
Outdoor activities Lofoten
Outdoor activities long distance
Climbing and alpine outdoor activities
Skiing and climbing
Norwegian outdoors Lofoten
Scholarship line management and professional specialization

Half-year programme – autumn

Autumn course in nature photography
Autumn course in outdoor activities
Climbing mountain sports
Surfing and outdoor activities

Half-year course Winter and spring

Our course in nature photography
Skiing and hiking
Winter outdoor activities
Top hike and surf

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