Welcome to the region that boasts perhaps the world’s most beautiful coastal landscape. Nowhere else, the sea is closer to the mountain summits. You can start skiing almost at the water’s edge while waves crash against the rocky shore.

Lofoten has already established itself as an international destination for ski touring, and it’s about time that neighbouring region Vesterålen gets attention as an incredibly exciting area for skiing adventures.

Ski Touring in Lofoten and Vesterålen describes tours throughout the region, from Moskenes at the outer edge of Lofoten in the west to Andøya in the north. Here, you’ll find Lofoten classics like Ryten, Varden, and Geitgallien, while in Vesterålen, you can be inspired by

route descriptions to local favourites like Blåheia, Strandtinden, and Galten, as well as lesser-known destinations like Olnilsatinden and Amarkus. The book offers tours in all categories, from short and relatively easy to longer and more challenging ones.

Routes to 75 mountains are described in detail, with a strong focus on terrain descriptions. All routes are marked on both aerial photos and hiking maps at a scale of 1:50,000. The book is also illustrated with photos from all the tours, contributed by both the author and other skilled photographers.

All routes in Ski Touring in Lofoten and Vesterålen are categorized according to ATES (Avalanche Terrain Exposure Scale), allowing you to easily find a tour suited to snow conditions, ambitions, and skills.

Espen Nordahl (b. 1960) is the author of Ski Touring in Troms and co-author of Safer Ski Touring in Norway. He moved to Svolvær in 2019 after living in Tromsø for 37 years. He works as a journalist for Våganavisa and enjoys the good, peaceful life with short distances to both mountains and sea.