Krister Kopala, world-renowned snowboarder and motorhome enthusiast, has packed up the motorhome and set the muzzle towards Lofoten. Read the travel letter and watch the eleventh movie!
Packed the camper from Lians and drove north from Sogndal in search of snow together with Lars Storli. Every year I see pro ski and snowboard riders go to Lofoten instead of Lyngen, and I've always wondered why. So I thought it was time to see what all the fuss was about. Lofoten - here we come!
We had one overnight stay on the way north, and the further north we got, the more eerie the weather became. We drove through blizzard after blizzard, with column driving and challenging conditions -- but finally we arrived. We stayed at Skårungen during our stay, as we are three pieces with a lot of camera equipment that needs to be charged every single day.
Lofoten is famous for its pointed mountains and short approaches, so on the first day we had looked out for a couple of lines on the local mountain Blue Mountain in Svolvær. Lofoten is also known for its unstable and challenging weather — something we got to know to the highest degree. Low pressures queued out in the ocean, and the weather alternated between snow and sun about every thirty minutes, making both filming and skiing quite challenging.
On day two, the snow really hit, and we got to know why Lofoten is such a great ski destination.
Our master plan was a line just above Skårungen, which we had seen from the kitchen window, but halfway up the mountain we began to realize that this might not be such a good idea — we could barely see more than fifty meters ahead of us because of the snowy weather.
We therefore went for plan B: buns at Skårungen. Afterwards, we decided to check out plano C — a steep drain that could work better in such conditions.
In a narrow gorge, you don't need as much visibility, and the rock walls provide good contrasts that make it easier to see.
When we arrived at the chute, we realized that the weather here too was far too disheveled to move up. There was so much new loose snow on the rock walls that small avalanches went straight down the drain.
But right next door we saw a smaller drain -- so we went for it. Plan C.
Plan C turned out to be more demanding than expected, and we got a real end to our stay in Lofoten.
Perhaps that is precisely why Lofoten is such a beautiful ski destination — there are endless options for all kinds of weather, and the driving distances are short.
When the cold finally let go, we went to Unstad Arctic Surf to recover both body and head before heading further north.
Regards Krister
Krister Røhme Kopala, 34 years old and raised in Tromsø. Now residing in the West Country, more specifically Luster. He has been interested in nature and adventure all his life, and since he was a child he has spent a lot of time outside in the winter and most of it with a snowboard under his arm. Kopala has developed to become one of the foremost in his field and is world-renowned for running some of the steepest and most challenging mountain slopes in the world. In addition to his snowboarding career, Kopala works as a powerline worker, giving him physical work and the opportunity to balance his job with his passion for the mountain. Kopala is also known for his openness about past challenges with drugs and how snowboarding became a positive driving force in his life. He has participated in several film projects, including his own film “The White Giant”, which documents his attempt to drive down the steepest lines at Jiehkkevárri in Lyngen. Krister has his own Kope show on YouTube, in addition you may have seen him in the NRK series Exposed.
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