A welcoming sight...Oslo Airport, clear weather and chilling temperatures. Final destination is still far away though...We're just switching planes here

Northern archipelago, Senjy island south of Tromso. A place I'd move to.

Well, for a short while at least.

Currency exchange. Once so familiar back home, now a funny thing to do. Euro did make a difference
Late evening arrival... a hostel near Lavangen.
Settling in. WiFi and forthcoming friends made us feel at home
-24°C Means brittle ice. frostbitten fingers. Not too much fun until we get back inside. Still worth it though.
The watterfall in Salangen that we climbed in 2008 has totally changed it's appearance. Less ice makes the climb more interesting.
 
Warm boots didn't make much difference fighting low temps. Fire did.
 
Winter reality in deep fjords. Sea frozen up. Holiday cottages deserted for another 4 months.

Back toi Senja island. Same hotel, same people, same unforgetable scenery.

Same busy functional chaos.

Northern shores of Senja island.
 
The Finnkona. Finnish wife. I don't know if that name is a compliment or not. Judging by the temperatures, it's not. Judging by the quality of climbing - You bet!
 
Erwan on approach . We had fortunate conditions that made the 2 hrs traverse on snowy slopes relatively comfortable.
 

Last pitch on Finnkona. Like the last orgasm of a decent sex session, it brings you to the top with unforgetable sensations, that nevrs seem to stop.

Definitely one of the top ice climbs around.

 
Happy bunch on top of Finnkona.
 
 
 
The hotel has filled up with climbers from all around.
Eidfjorden. In 2008 an avalanche took us and brought an end to our trip. This time, there would be no such intervention.
 
 
 
One of superb classics in Lavangen valley.
300m of enjoyable ice, with some steeper sections. If you don't want to avoid them.
 
5 people descending. Effective group dynamics nbrings us all down fast and smoothly.
 

Time to bid another farewell.

But not for long. Not for long.