Lofoten in winter light
Many of us have seen amazing images from Lofoten in Norway with perfect weather and blue water.
Why Lofoten probably is considered a summer destination.
Lofoten is a popular summer destination and attracts many tourists with its steep mountains plummeting into the crystal clear blue waters.
I have been there during the summer time many times knowing what Lofoten delivers in summer. In good weather Lofoten is the most beautiful location on mainland Norway - at least that is my opinion.
I had never visited Lofoten during winter and decided that I had to move that from my bucket list.
Gjerdtindan covered in snow with heavy clouds around the peak
Where fish goes to dry in Lofoten
As a photographer I was hoping for mountains sprinkled with a light snow cover. I imagined the purple and pink light during daytime meeting the blue water and topping it all off with Aurora Borealis in the night. The season for the northern lights is from the end of August to the beginning of April. And as many others before me, I was hoping to get a glimpse of the night rainbow. A key element is of course clear skies and a promising forecast - which I had neither predictions for.
“Lofoten greeted me with heavy wind and horizontal rain from the moment I stepped off the ferry from Bodø.”
I had of course studied the forecast before leaving but also knowing that the weather changes quickly in Lofoten.
I planned to hike into the mountains on a marked footpath in the direction of Munkebu. And the plan was to pitch my tent there and use that area as a basecamp. On the boat from Bodø I had a few conversations with people living at Moskenes and asked for their advice on hiking in the mountains in the wintertime.
Everyone I spoke with did not recommend hiking in the mountains in the wintertime, particularly as there was a storm approaching. The mountains of Lofoten are steep and in many places polished slippery rock. And with cold weather coming in, much of the landscape would freeze over and become a steep dangerous icerink.
I had to rethink my plan. The first night I continued with the original plan and hiked to a small lake close to Sørvågen. I hiked for about an hour in the pouring rain and pitched my tent. Oh my how good it was to get out of the rain and light the multifuel. It was not a very cold night but I needed to dry a lot of equipment. My Gore Tex clothing kept me dry on the inside but drenched on the outside. Knowing colder weather was coming - getting things dry became the most important task.
In the tent I spent many hours trying to make a new plan. Going into the mountains alone with the predicted forecast was starting to feel irresponsible. I was still determined to continue chasing the idea of coming home with some images and began to make a plan for capturing Lofoten as it is during winter. Even in bad weather Lofoten can deliver a moody collection of images.
I decided on finding a roof over my head and to make day trips from there. Every moment the rain or snow had a break I was outside capturing Lofoten with my camera. And the last day I was rewarded with a whole afternoon with the magical winterlight the northern part of Norway has to offer. And the thin layer of snow cover I wanted.
Sprinkles of snow
A selection of moody images from Lofoten
