General Norwegian Adventuring

So I've told you about working and I've told you about the Ekstremsport Veko, but I did a lot of other cool activities besides those two things during my summer in Norway. I went kayaking, I went hiking, I ate cheese, I camped by rivers, I slept in a train station, ect. ect. It was great! 

After the Veko/ when we weren't participating in festival activities, Kevin, David and I got out and explored the surrounding area. I wanted to show them some places we visited on my tours so we took a day trip to Flam and kayaked sections of river not included in the kayak race. 

Kevin runs a rapid on Raundal River (I can't remember the section)

David runs a rapid on the Raundal on a section I also can't remember!

Driving down the steep Stalheim Road overlooking the Narrowfjord Valley

David and Kevin getting the Fjord Safari experience in Flam

So many goats!

A visit to Undredal

Kevin and David with Undredal's goat statue

David requests we stop so he can take a cold dip

A day or so after the festival ended, Kevin had to head home and so David and I moved North to explore some of the rivers in the Sjoa area. It was a great little road trip with some nice camping and good paddling! I apologize in advance for not remembering very many river names....

Our first night on the road trip to Sjoa

David hikes into a river :)

David runs a rapid on a river 

A Norwegian Rainbow on the drive

David and Ben in the Amot Gorge on the Sjoa

David styles a drop on a river

After a great trip, it was time for David to head back to the states and I had to head back to work (for a week). After guiding another trip I jetted back to the Sjoa area so I could catch the Sjoa River festival. I got in town just in time to enter the boatercross race. The water was high and the eddy that you needed to catch to finish was difficult. I watched a bunch of very good men miss it and I told myself over and over again "go slow and just get the eddy," but you know how it is, you get in the race, there are other racers around you and you get excited, forget your strategy and just paddle hard. In this case, it lost me the race as I flew right past the finish line eddy. Oh well, it was super fun anyway!

The start of the race

Boatercross racing through a big rapid!

After the festival, I had a few days left in the area to enjoy the river before having to head back to Bergen to guide another trip. I got on a few more local runs and loved getting to paddle with some of the ladies in the area. I ended up linking up with a Brit names Graham who was also without a crew or a car and was always down for a Amot Gorge lap. Fortunately we were camped at the put in so it was easy to bust out a bunch of laps. So much fun!

 A kayaker paddles a river in Norway. I was there too :)

Paddling a section of the Sjoa river with an awesome group of local ladies!

Due to the timing of the trains and my flight back to Bergen, I had to spent a night in the train station. Fortunately, Graham was on the same program so we dirt-bagged it together. It was actually turned into a super pleasant experience. The rooms were heated, there were electrical outlets and plenty of space to dry off our gear.

Graham snoozing the night away

Drying out the gear

After guiding yet another trip, I had yet another break! This time I stayed around Voss and caught up with a group of Brits I had met in Sjoa. They were nice enough to invite me on their program and I paddled a bunch of rivers in the Voss area with them. 

My first taste of "Cottage Pie"

The camp spot

The van swim count. I eventually made it up there but thankfully there was a zero next to my name....

The brits! Great guys. 

A tranquil night by the lake

Me coming through a rapid on the Raundal river

Below one of the bigger rapids on the Raundal. I walked it twice before I ran it.

After a few days of cruising around with the Brits, I headed to Flam to spend a couple days with Torgeir, one of my favorite co-guides ever. His parents have a beautiful house on the fjord and we enjoyed a couple days of hiking, eating cheese and drinking wine. It was spectacular. 

Torgeir's House

Crepes, jam and goat cheese. Hard to beat!

#GoatSelfiesAreCoolToo

Hiking back to Torgeir's from the goat farm

#TorgeirSelfiesAreTheBestSelfies

After a couple days relaxing in Flam, it was time to guide my very last trip in Norway and make my way back to the states. My summer in Norway is one that I will never forget. So many people helped make it happen and I can't name you all, but thank you! Until next time...

Experiencing the Ekstremsport Veko in Voss, Norway

Once again, I am WAY behind on this post. Life has really gotten in the way of my blogging, but I guess thats ok! So I already showed you a taste of what my work life looked life in Norway, but now its time to show you what I did during my off time. I had some awesome experiences (mostly kayaking) all around the country including getting to attend and race in the Ekstremsport Veko, a really cool extreme sports festival hosted in Voss, Norway each summer. 

Statoil hot dogs, the only affordable food in Norway; 
Sadly something I ate my fair share of while traveling there

My first bit of free time in Norway coincided perfectly with the Ekstremsport Veko, a week long festival which showcases the best of Norway's (and the World's) extreme sports. There was biking, skiing, flying, falling and a whole lot of charging. 

A trials biker grabbing some air

A skydiver coming in for a landing

Wing suiters coming in for landing

Live music

Instead of paying for the festival campground, the kayakers mostly found a spot along side the lake that made for a great place to post up during the festival. Far enough to be able to sleep at night, but still walking distance. It was a perfect little spot. 

Cooking dinner over the campfire 

The kayakers take over

One of the elements of the Veko that we were most interested in was the kayak race of course. Due to low water on the section that is typically raced, they had to move it to the Myrkdal on a section that included a rarely run rapid (not because it is too dangerous, but rather because its not conveniently located). All the kayakers in town were excited to do some practice laps before the race. We all started by scouting the rarely run rapid. I felt like I had a good handle on what I wanted to do so off I went before waiting for too many others to give it a go. Turns out my plan was actually not good at all! On the first rapid of my first practice lap I swam like a carp with the best and the brightest athletes of the sport of kayaking watching. It was awesome. 

Kevin paddling through the rapid that I swam out of (I swam at the hole at the bottom)

After my swim, I was determined to get back and run the rapid again before doing anything else. I knew if I waited too long I might get a head case about it, so up I hiked back to the top (after some re-evaluating of course). I styled the drop a few times before I allowed myself to head downstream to check out the rest of the section. It was good practice for my head game. 

The next morning it was time to race! The race started below a waterfall and had a handful of solid but fun rapids before the finish. My first lap I just wanted to make it down successfully without swimming which I did! yay! This was actually a small feat as I think around 50% of the females that entered swam in their first lap.  I made it to the second round and placed fourth overall. Was certainly not the best showing of my life, but considering how my practice lap started, I was pretty happy about it!

David's ready to go fast! (And he did!)

Looking upstream at the starting line

David Maurier races through the top drop of the course

Racing through one of the taller drops on the race section

Kevin moves through the lower part of the race course 

After the race, the real adventure began! It was time to paddle downstream into the Lower Mrykdal, a steep creek section filled with lots of vertical fun! Unfortunately due to the timing of the day, I was not able to get too many good shots. But the one's I do have are all of Kiwi Mo.

Mo sporting his checkered facial hair

Mo runs a big drop switch aka backwards

Mo at the final drop on the Lower Myrkdal

On my hike out of the river I found this very friendly sheep.

#SheepSelfiesAreTheBest

For an idea of what a day at the veko looked like, check out this "video of the day" (https://vimeo.com/99312741#at=0) which includes yours truly in the kayaking race. This festival is a must do for anyone in the extreme sports world! 

Being a Disney Adventure Guide in Norway

Ok so this post is now almost 9 months late. Oops! Life definitely got a hold of me and put this on the back burner. And now it is all the more important as it depicts my last summer working as an Adventure Guide for Disney. As of two weeks ago, I started a program manager position with National Geographic in their Adventure Travel department. It was a bittersweet move, and while I am so happy to be in my new position, it was very difficult to say goodbye to my life as a guide touring around the world. 

Here are some pictures that showcase the trip I was leading in Norway. Big shout out to Torgeir for being the best co-guide and partner in crime I could ask for!

My first view of the fjords

The Bryggen Houses of Bergen

A panoramic view of Bergen

One of the millions of beautiful waterfalls in Norway

A view of the Narrowfjord from the Stalheim Road

Gjertrud and I overlooking the Aurland fjord from the Stegastein viewpoint during my shadow trip

Fjord living in Norway

A story of Norway living from a local cheesemaker

Mmmm... Fresh Goat Cheese!

Not a bad spot for lunch

Fjord Safari outfits are sweet

Learning the history of the fjords on a fjord safari

Porpoise Sighting on the fjord

A visit to Torgeir's house

Borgund Stave Church

Rowing around on a glacial lake

Norwegian Net Fishing

The whole team overlooking Geirangerfjord

The Seven Sisters Waterfalls on the Geirangerfjord

Norwegian Troll Sighting

Baby goats are the cutest- A farm in Geiranger

More Goats on the Farm

Famous clothing store and pink tractor- Moods of Norway

Oslo

These are just some of my photos from my time guiding in Norway, stay tuned for another post showcasing the kayaking and all around adventuring I did in my free time!