A good adventure is something that is few and far between these days. With backcountry skiing blowing up in popularity and everything being documented, to do something new takes a bit of creativity and ability to get far off the beaten path.
Having some sponsors helps too.
Enter Odyssey of Loppa: a short film by Anders Vestergaard that documents two women (and sponsored Rab athetes), Lisen Strøm and Thea Kopala Røhme, who set out to find new lines in a relatively undocomented part of Norway. The Loppa region sits at the far northern end of the mainland, but requires a ferry to access it due to the broken coastline.
Taking the scenic route between ferry stops, the ladies set out to find some new lines and challenges. All in all, the ladies get in 4200m of vert over 62 kilometers in four days. Not too shabby.
Sure, lots of adventures go undocumented, but it’s nice that they had a filmer along with them to showcase a part of the world that normally doesn’t get too much attention other than the sail and ski packages that are prevalent in the spring months. But these ladies got a bit deeper than where the sailboats go, accessing some pretty tasty big couloirs, especially a particularly nice one that is showcased in the film around the 10 minute mark.
Can it be a true adventure if nothing goes wrong? Maybe not, as we definitely prefer to look at adventure through the lens of overcoming challenges. But if you look at the grand time scale of things, it’s also pretty awesome that two women can get a sponsored trip with a filmer joining them to document the journey… something that was only a dream for most athletes, let alone women, just a short time ago. So for that, we salute Rab and those who make branded content and allow athletes to follow their dreams.
Here’s the video if you’d like to take a look and get inspired!
Steve Andrews is a lifelong adventurer since before he could walk. A skier since age 2, snowboarder since 11, he began his guiding career in 2007. He has a passion for teaching people how to fish, and helping them discover their own power in the mountians. He started Alpine Islands to give people a different take on achieving mastery in the wild (hint: you’re never a master of Mother Nature). He lives in Horseshoe Bay, British Columbia with his partner and two kids.
