Photo by Torbjørn Buvarp
Norway is built for adrenaline
No, really. The designer even won an award.
There is a passage in author Douglas Adams' satirical sci-fi novel «The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy» where protagonist Arthur Dent meets the man who designed Norway's coastline.
«That was one of mine,» he tells Arthur.
«Won an award you know. Lovely crinkly edges.»
It's an explanation as good as any for why Norway seems to have been custom built for adventure.
From the wild rivers of Voss to the steep mountain slopes of the Lofoten islands, Norwegian nature is a force to be respected – but can it also be conquered?
Hell yes it can
Photo by Photo by Simon Sjøkvist | Visit Hardangerfjord
When touring the world's number one destination for adrenaline-inducing adventure tours, there is always the immediate rush, but also the memory that is etched inside your skull and on every nerve fiber.
Kind of like a cool scar, but without the blood.
There is a moment, right before the drop, where it feels like this might be too much after all, that you won't be able to handle it.
Right before the wind lifts your snowkite off the ground. As the rubber raft angles downward, just where the river becomes a waterfall. The split second before the tug of a zipline tells your body it isn't falling after all.
And then you're in it, you're doing it, and doubt gives way to your heart pounding like a focus pump to keep you sharp and operating at the edge of your abilities.
It's all very safe. Mostly.
Valldal Naturopplevingar / Visit Norway
Photo by Fredrik Schenholm | Visit Norway
Photo by Simon Sjøkvist
Allowing the Norwegian landscape to leave its mark on you is a surefire way of making certain you and your kids, spouse, friends or maybe even enemy-from-work Clara (you were told she wasn't coming for the work trip, but it was lies, all lies) will forever be bonded by what you've been through together.
Which is awkward in the case of Clara, because you actually preferred the cold front when you didn't have to speak with her.
You should have pushed yourself, you think, skipped the modest ziplines and gone straight for the veteran level almost-90-degree-slopes, no matter what the tour guide said about your «skill level». Clara wouldn't have been able to follow.
Enough about Clara, though – here are our favorite ways to get the most out of Norwegian nature.
Always carry a towel
Photo by Adobestock
Thousands of rivers run through Norway (we tried counting but gave up). As the original engines of industry, they powered mills and floated timber downstream, before becoming a source of clean energy.
All very useful stuff, but what about just letting the river do its thing? That is, act as a frothing mass of water flowing at such wild speeds that you would have to be truly stupid to go in.
Photo by Photo by Anders Gjengdal | Visit Norway
One of our favorite ways of getting stupid with rivers is rafting.
Strapping on helmets & flotation devices, we go looking for the roughest rapids that will carry us & our inflated little lifeboat.
And if it's not the season for wild rapids? We paddle along and take in the scenery, or we skip the raft because who needs it?
Photo by Visit Norway
Just squeeze into a wetsuit and go juving - our take on canyoning.
Waterfalls become nature's own waterslides, while ziplines and long drops into clear turquoise waters keep us stocked with enough Instagrammable moments to make our enemies back home jealous.
Photo by Photo by Eirin Karlsdatter Fladseth | Visit North West
Keep rolling
Photo by Jonas Hasselgren
In Norway, there is a saying:
«Viking, go biking!»
Ok, nobody actually says that, and reading it out loud just now, it sounded all kinds of corny. Sorry.
But we do like biking! Especially off the road, down mountain slopes or on dense forest paths.
Photo by Photo by Anton Ligaarden | Visit Norway
We're not big on uphill biking (leave that to the Tour de Force dudes), so our favorite spots usually feature lifts or other ways to get to the good part quick.
There's no quicker way to get into the flow state than zooming down a single track path on the lookout for little death cookies in the dirt as the trees become a blur.
And it's not the only use we get out of our mountains.
Photo by Gisle Johnsen
From a great height
Photo by Photo by Haakon Lundkvist | VisitNorthWest.no
From a distance, there's no doubt that Norwegian mountains are serving postcard at any and all given time. Just look at them. Still. Majestic. Eternal.
Mountains have zero fucks to give.
But we do. Why go near them. Why go up? Just like George Mallory said before trying to summit Mount Everest in 1924:
«Because it's there»
It comes with less dying in our case, which is a big plus.
Photo by Thomas T. Kleiven | Visit Norway
Instead, we buy complicated randonee skis to max out every wintertime climb. Sturdy climbers until the summit, before converting into alpine-friendly on the return.
Hiking up a snowy mountain side just for the quick fix of riding back down is a pretty crazy way to spend a day when you could be watching «The White Lotus» and drinking hot cocoa, but that's just how we're built.
Photo by Bård Basberg
And if the snow is gone, we'll still be up there mainlining 90 degree climbs and ziplining hundreds of meters above the fjords of the via ferrata trails.
Photo by Simon Sjøkvist
Don't panic
Photo by Jonas Ingstad
Do some of our friends have less esoteric tastes? Sure, but we bring them along anyway.
Their limit is often way beyond what they think when they're starting out. Or, there's a softer option to pick from that will still kick your ass in the funniest way possible.
Photo by Avia | Visit Telemark
And when the wilder terrain really does prove too rough, Norway is also littered with climbing parks and ziplines that all have a big «something for everyone» energy going.
Climbing challenges for old timers mix with ziplines and climbs for every skill level - a perfect first stop for kids and less experienced grownups.
We're not here to get all judgy if someone isn't jumping from the tallest cliff or screaming along the steepest zipline.
Gatekeeping is for chumps. Everybody deserves this.
Photo by Langedrag Naturpark
In fact, throw some science at our misadventures (have a read here), and people like Australian researcher Eric Brymer will vindicate us all like so:
«These experiences tap into what the senses and body are capable of and can affect the way people see the world.»
So if the Norwegian landscape is in fact an intergalactic award winning design masterpiece, the way it can reshape whoever experiences it might also win some similar design award, when the aliens finally do land.
Photo by Kristoffer Møllevik | Visit Helgeland
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