Tromsø The new year starting off well. I'm finally back in the arctic and getting out in the snow to play. The new year started with a short hike up Rödtinden just to get the body going after a long night of not sleeping and indulging in toxins. We (me and Kjersti that is) were
Outdoor Research Not much is still more than nothing, and Tverrfjellet is at least something Energy levels are almost as low as the days are short (sun just stopped showing, back in January apparently), and a week of warm temps wrecked havoc with what little snow we had. But, Friday came and gave us a light dusting at sea level, and more of a decent
Winter Ullstind, finally some snow! It started snowing yesterday, and just never stopped. This morning we had about 10-15cm of fresh at sea level, and a lot more higher up. Time to poke around and see how it looks up on them hills. After a slow morning, some faffing around with gear and trying to
Istinden Bridging seasons It's way too early in the morning, pretty much pitch black, and I'm parked at a shady gas station waiting for Marius [http://mariuslund.com]. Thank all things holy (mostly my own good planning in this case) for the coffee I'm sipping. Snowline has
Sørtinden Sørtinden, steep trails and sunsets. I already had a good day out in my legs when Andrea said she wanted to ride after work. I wasn't sure I could muster another proper ride so I pulled a cunning trick and lured with a sunset to get away with something shorter. Sørtinden is just
OR Fløja to Gammelgården, kick out the wheels Surprisingly, the grey skies were littered with very promising brighter patches in the morning, and plans for a lap on Fløya were quickly forged, before the weather had a chance to change its mind. After making our way to the top station of the now closed gondola a stiff breeze
Outdoor Research Reminders of autumn on Rundfjellet. Just another day with rain in the air, and plenty on the ground. Being this far north and close to the ocean and the weather it brings, it is hard to find more than a couple of hundred meters of below treeline riding. We aimed for a short and mostly
Am Almost breaking through When I woke up this morning the rain had stopped, and the clouds were showing some signs of weakness where they previously had been solid and grey. No excuses not to ride a bike, and I think Gustav agreed, because next thing I know we are in a car and
Am Wet blanket on Buren, one more on the list. The foot of Buren was wet after a day and some of solid rain, but I and Gustav still made good progress through puddles, slippery grass and mud. The heather that had been warm, dry and comforting for so long was now soaked and cold, reminding us that summer might
Fillariosa Motion pictures with sound'n all, the fresh Little Finale edit is out This weekend we were out filming again behind the house. This time we shot what is my favourite trail to get some good practice done, Little Finale. A couple of minutes worth of awkward corners interconnected by lumpy straight sections, there is no time to relax. Easy enough to roll
Enduro Time, occasionally an important thing. Most readers should know by now that I am not really a racer. It's not that I don't like measuring myself against other people...or maybe yea, a little bit. It is nice to not shatter the belief that I am decently fast. Racing has a
Am In the movies! Yea, we filmed a bit on one of the trails behind the house the other day. Andrea did the editing, and here are the results: Good fun to work with video, a completely different feel both to shoot and to be the actor compared to stills. I think we need
Am Kattfjord, both kinds of riding. I guess most of my readers are familiar with the "fun scale" (otherwise, Google is!), type 1 and type 2 fun and so on. I love the concept, and think it is applicable to trails as well. As I see it, type 1 riding is flattering, it makes
Am Ten new trails At least. Probably more, but I happen to really like Leonard Cohen. I also like yellow cars. Anyway, there has been some summer going on up here as well. Maybe not on the south European style, but good enough for me. The "occasional riding in shorts and t-shirt, not
Hunddalen When the objective is just an excuse I started thinking the other day about objectives. I have always thought that the objective is the goal and motivation of any endeavor, and reaching it is the difference between success and failure. However, since my job these days give time for plenty of introspection, I have come to reevaluate
Vinter Northbound! First trip up north is just about to happen, and I am getting well excited. Hopefully there will be good weather, a stable snowpack and a bunch of messing about pretending to be a real alpinist. [https://smaertin.files.wordpress.com/2015/05/dsc02410.jpg] Pretending to be a real
Sommar Sorted! Here I am getting excited again. I will tell you all about Gran Canaria and how buttery the new suspension was in just a little while, when I get all the pictures straightened and processed. Right now, I just wanted to say give Outdoor Research two big thumbs up for
