Expeditions

A guest came to Askeland Adventures having never climbed a technical mountain before, but had heard from friends about the special feeling of reaching places that otherwise seem inaccessible. The ambition was to make that first step into mountaineering properly, with the right preparation and the right people around them.

Equipment was prepared in Southern Norway and a road trip organised north towards Jotunheimen and Sognefjorden. The journey itself became part of the experience, travelling through the Norwegian mountains and fjords, past waterfalls and lakes and across the fjords by ferry before reaching one of Norway's most dramatic alpine areas.

The objective was Store Skagastølstind, better known as Storen. At 2,405 metres it is Norway's third highest mountain, and reaching the summit involves technical climbing where experienced mountain guides are essential. Through Marius's contacts, specialist local guides joined the expedition for the climb, giving the guest the support and confidence needed for a first experience of technical mountaineering.

The summit was reached, but the trip became more than simply standing on top of Storen. It was an introduction to a part of the natural world that had previously felt inaccessible and showed what becomes possible with the right preparation, experience and people around you.

The experience also started something. Having discovered mountaineering on Storen, the guest wanted to continue, with Askeland Adventures going on to help organise further mountain experiences around Europe.

A father and son came to Southern Norway looking for something very different from five star hotels and resort holidays. The idea was to spend a week together in nature, fishing, exploring the islands and experiencing whatever the weather and the sea decided to give us.

The journey moved from island to island through the archipelago, staying everywhere from old trading houses to tents. Days were spent fishing, exploring and travelling by boat, with much of the food coming from what was caught along the way. Evenings slowed down around the fire, cooking, talking and playing games before working out what the next day might bring.

There was a loose itinerary, but the father and son were part of deciding how the journey developed. They were not simply following behind a guide. Marius travelled and experienced it with them, with everyone learning, fishing, cooking and making decisions together.

The result was a week at a completely different pace. No programme of entertainment and very little need for screens. Just a father and son spending proper time together, learning new things at the same time and finding enjoyment in the simple things that the islands, sea and nature provided.

A couple from Europe contacted Askeland Adventures wanting to experience a more authentic side of Norway and initially simply asked for advice on what they should do. In the end, they decided to leave the whole journey to Marius.

They were picked up in Oslo and travelled south along the coast before settling into the River House in Søgne, the gateway to the Southern Norwegian Archipelago. It gave them a comfortable base by the water, with the boats ready in front of the house and the freedom to head out whenever the conditions were right.

The week moved with the weather rather than a fixed itinerary. There were calm summer days at sea, wild swimming around some of Norway's southernmost islands, fishing, exploring the archipelago and cooking the day's catch outside on the islands.

Having travelled and tried fishing charters around the world without much success, they finally found their luck in Southern Norway. Over the week they caught a variety of fish and crustaceans, with much of what came from the sea becoming part of the food and the experience.

The simple days on the water were mixed with some of the best food the area has to offer, including a visit to a local Michelin starred restaurant. They also moved between different houses during the journey, experiencing different sides of life on the Southern Norwegian coast.

It became a week of boats, clear water, fresh seafood, long days at sea and very little need to rush anywhere. Southern Norway happened to give them some of its best summer weather, but the real luxury was having the time and freedom to enjoy it.

October and November are lobster season in Southern Norway, one of the most exciting times of year to be in the Søgne Archipelago. Summer has gone, the weather is changing and the sea and the elements feel a little closer.

Preparation starts months earlier. Through August and September, mackerel is caught and fermented to make the bait for the lobster traps. The lobster season itself is short and tightly regulated, protecting the population and a fishing tradition that has existed along this coast for generations.

Staying at the View House at Ålo, the group heads out with Marius to set traps around the archipelago. Once they are down, the waiting begins. The time in between is spent fishing, setting nets, exploring remote islands around Songvår and Hellesund, lighting fires and cooking outside.

Local fishermen whose families have worked these waters for generations join parts of the experience. Lobster fishing has always involved a certain amount of secrecy, and every fisherman has places and techniques that have been handed down over the years. Guests get to hear those stories and, occasionally, are trusted with some of the spots that normally remain closely guarded.

There is usually time for two rounds of setting and pulling the traps, and nobody knows what is coming up until each trap reaches the surface. That anticipation is a big part of the week.

The trip finishes back at the boathouse, where the fishermen join the group to go through the days on the water and the catch becomes the centre of a proper Norwegian lobster evening. Fresh lobster around the table, stories from the local fishermen and a few days spent properly immersed in one of the great traditions of the Southern Norwegian coast.

A group of friends wanted to experience Southern Norway in late summer. They wanted to fish and explore the islands, but had also heard about the Norwegian mountains and wanted to spend a few days there. After being recommended Askeland Adventures by previous guests, they gave Marius free range to put the journey together.

The trip started with a few days in the Søgne Archipelago, spending time on small private islands, fishing, collecting shellfish and cooking outside. The days followed the weather and the sea, with plenty of time to enjoy the last warm days of the Norwegian summer.

From the coast, the journey continued a few hours north into the Setesdal mountains. Bags were packed, equipment prepared and the group walked for around five hours into the mountains to reach remote cabins and lakes.

Life became very simple. Water could be drunk directly from the mountain lakes, the same lakes where the group fished for trout in the afternoon. Dinner was freshly caught trout, followed by cloudberries picked along the route and served with whipped cream.

The nights were spent in old Norwegian mountain cabins, far from roads and towns, where supplies are brought into the mountains by helicopter. There was very little around other than lakes, mountains and complete quiet.

The journey showed just how much Southern Norway can offer within a relatively small area. One day can be spent on the outer islands, fishing and cooking beside the sea, and the next walking deep into the mountains with everything needed for a few days away. Two completely different landscapes, connected as one journey.

The lower mountains of Southern Norway offer a quieter and more intimate way of experiencing the Norwegian winter. Moving through the mountains on skis, the journey follows old routes between remote cabins, frozen lakes and areas where wild reindeer have lived for generations.

The days are spent travelling through the snow with Marius, carrying what is needed and using the network of mountain huts and refuges along the way. Some of the cabins are hundreds of years old, simple but comfortable places where the fire is lit, wet clothes are dried and a proper meal is made at the end of the day.

Water comes directly from the mountains, cutting through the ice of frozen lakes to reach the clear water below. Depending on the conditions, there is time for ice fishing, learning to make snow caves and using the landscape for shelter in the way people travelling through these mountains have done for generations.

The route passes through wild reindeer country, with each day shaped around the snow, weather and conditions rather than a fixed timetable. At night there is a warm cabin, good food and the quiet that comes with being properly away from everything.

It is a simple way to experience winter in Norway. Travelling on skis, eating and sleeping in the mountains, and waking the next morning to continue the journey to the next cabin.

During the winter months, the deserts of Jordan offer a completely different kind of expedition. The days are comfortable for riding, the nights are cool, and the vast landscapes of Wadi Rum and the White Desert are best experienced slowly, on horseback and away from the usual routes.

Marius organises private horseback expeditions through his local contacts within the Bedouin communities, with a loose itinerary that allows the journey to develop along the way. Days are spent crossing the desert on horseback, joining the Bedouins in their daily life, eating together and experiencing a culture where hospitality and knowledge of the desert have been passed through generations. Nights can be spent in Bedouin camps or sleeping outside under the stars.

On the most recent journey, Marius hosted a private group from America for a winter crossing through the desert. For several days the group travelled with little or no phone reception, moving through the landscape with local Bedouins and experiencing their food, stories and way of life.

The idea is not simply to ride horses through Wadi Rum. It is to disappear into the desert for a few days, live alongside the people who know it properly and experience a side of Jordan that is difficult to find from the usual tourist routes.