Lofoten, 13–20 March 2027: the week, the price, and who it's for
On the first morning you clip in a few metres from the water. The skins bite into cold snow, the minibus pulls away behind you, and ahead stands a mountain you'll climb on foot for three or four hours before skiing it back down to a beach. Tomorrow it's a different mountain, on a different island. That's what a Lofoten ski touring trip looks like: a new summit every morning, a run down to the sea, and the harbour at Svolvær waiting when the light goes.
This piece isn't about Lofoten in general — the terrain, the rorbu and the sauna, we've written all that elsewhere (a new mountain every morning). Here I'm giving you one specific departure: Saturday 13 to Saturday 20 March 2027, six skiers per group. The week as it actually unfolds, what it costs, and the level of skiing it's built for. Enough to decide.
One departure, six to a group
Eight days, seven nights, six to seven days on skis. We run six skiers per guide, with a maximum of three groups of six across the trip. The base stays put all week: Svolvær, on the island of Austvågøy, in a waterside hotel facing the Vestfjorden, in the spirit of the old rorbuer. Twin rooms, breakfast on site, dinners at the good tables in town. After skiing, the sauna.
The week, day by day
Day 1 · arrival. Flights Oslo – Bodø – Svolvær, transfer to the hotel. Depending on your home airport you may need to reach Oslo the evening before — more on that lower down, it's a logistics point worth getting right. If the group's arrival time allows, we head out for a short first outing to sort the kit: better to spot a problem the first evening, since the town can help the next day. Dinner in Svolvær.
Days 2 to 7 · the safari. This is the heart of it. Each morning we choose the mountain around the weather, the state of the sea and the snow — I won't unpack how we read all that here, that's its own article. The minibus is ours for the whole week; the main islands are linked by bridges and tunnels, so we drive to the foot of the line, put the skins on, and climb. Picnic at midday. Off-piste down from the ridge — a committing couloir or a gentler pitch through the trees — often all the way to the shore. Late afternoon on the harbour, evenings free in Svolvær. As an option, and only if conditions allow, one or more days on islands you can only reach by boat, such as Stormolla and Litlmolla.
Day 8 · the return. A last morning in Svolvær, then flights Svolvær – Bodø – Oslo and onward connections.
This programme is indicative. It hangs on the weather, the sea, the snow, the group's level and what the group wants. Out there, the professional with you has the final word on the day's route — which is part of why no two days are ever the same.
The skiing: skins in the morning, the beach at the bottom
You clip in at the coastline. Reckon on three to five hours of climbing on skins a day, on peaks of 600 to 1,000 metres, for descents of 600 metres to a kilometre of vertical — often right down to the sea. No glaciers, no mountaineering. The pleasure lives in that switch: the steady climb under skins, then spring snow or powder unrolling from the summit to a beach. I laid the terrain out in full in the big Lofoten piece.
A word on the season, because the dates matter: in mid-March day and night balance out, you get around twelve hours of light, the winter snow still holds, and the nights stay dark enough to leave the aurora a chance. I go into all of it here — with no promises about the sky.
What level of skiing you need
You need to be a strong off-piste skier, comfortable in every kind of snow, with experience of ski touring and of off-piste in deep snow. Technically we're at 3 out of 5. Physically the same: able to hold a moderate effort for several hours at a stretch — it's the three to five hours of daily climbing that set the bar, more than any score. If you're unsure where you stand, I've written a whole article on it.
On safety, there's a briefing every morning, and the full pack is provided: airbag pack, transceiver, shovel and probe. Before we choose the mountain, we read the Norwegian avalanche bulletin for the Lofoten og Vesterålen region, published daily by Varsom/NVE from 1 December to 31 May. And we keep the good sense to turn back when we have to: a mountain that isn't in condition, we leave for another day. There'll be others.
€3,500 per person, and what's in it
The trip is €3,500 per person, flights not included.
Included in the price:
guiding by a PowderWeGo professional
the private minibus for the whole week
7 nights at the hotel in a double room (single on supplement), breakfast included
airport transfers
midday picnics on the full touring days
the safety pack: airbag pack, transceiver, shovel, probe
Not included:
return flights and the transfer through to Svolvær
the night in Oslo the evening before, if your flight makes it necessary
your ski touring clothing and kit: touring skis, skins, ski crampons, wide-basket poles, helmet, clothing
lunches other than the picnics, dinners, drinks, tips
cancellation and repatriation insurance
your own trail food for the day (dried fruit, bars…)
Can't lay hands on the kit near you? We can help you put it together — just tell us. And pack two bags for the trip: a travel bag and a ski bag.
The flight budget and the night in Oslo
Flights aren't in the price, so here's how to plan for them. Reckon on around €200 to reach Oslo-Gardermoen from most European countries, then around €500 for Oslo – Svolvær via Bodø. The Bodø and Svolvær airports are run by Avinor, which publishes timetables and practical information.
Two pieces of advice. First, favour Oslo-Gardermoen: the connections there are simpler. Second, depending on your home airport, that first connection may force a night in Oslo the evening before — budget for it on top. If you'd rather not handle the Oslo – Svolvær leg yourself, we can fold it into the package, on request.
How you book
Thirty per cent deposit on booking, the balance no later than two months before departure. Bank transfer or card. This is a single dated departure, six to a group: if Lofoten in March speaks to you, hold an option early rather than leave it. Nothing is being rushed artificially, but the places are counted by the size of the groups.
The trip on one page
Dates · Saturday 13 to Saturday 20 March 2027
Length · 8 days / 7 nights, 6 to 7 days of skiing
Base · Svolvær, waterside hotel, twin room
Group · 6 skiers per guide, 3 groups at most
Level · strong off-piste skier at ease in all snow (technical 3/5, physical 3/5)
Skiing · 3 to 5 hrs on skins a day, peaks of 600 to 1,000 m, runs to the sea
Price · €3,500 per person, flights not included
Booking · 30% deposit, balance 2 months before
Common questions
How strong a skier does it take?
You need to be a strong off-piste skier, at home in deep snow as much as in transformed snow, with ski touring experience. This isn't an introductory trip: you string together three to five hours of climbing a day and off-piste descents down to the sea.
Can I come on my own?
Yes. The groups form at six; you join a group. The double room is the standard, single is available on supplement.
Do I need to bring my own kit?
Your ski touring clothing and kit are on you: skis, skins, ski crampons, wide-basket poles, helmet. The safety pack — airbag pack, transceiver, shovel, probe — is provided. If you're struggling to find a set-up, get in touch and we'll point you the right way.
Will we see the aurora in March?
In mid-March the nights are still dark enough to leave a chance of it. But no one can promise it: it comes down to the sky and to solar activity. Treat it as a bonus, not a guarantee.
A word from me. What I love about this format is that you never ski the same mountain twice. You look at the sea in the morning, you choose, you climb, you drop back down to a beach, and the next day you start again somewhere else. Seven days like that, six of you, with the Svolvær harbour waiting each evening. If that sounds like you, write to me.
— Boris, founder of PowderWeGo, off-piste professional since 2001
The full programme, the visuals and the detail of the package are on the Lofoten Ski Safari page. To hold an option on the 13 March 2027 departure or to put your questions to us, get in touch.
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