The Daily Telegraph - Saturday - Travel
The downhills are sublime – but you’ll have to sail to them
Iyou to hike up the mountain before swooshing back down through the virgin powder.
Being relatively new to cruising, I didn’t know what to expect of our ship the Nordstjernen. Built in 1956 in Hamburg, she was an absolute delight. Dwarfed by the giant ferry moored n Gatwick’s South alongside her in Tromso, she was neat Terminal, I spied the and trim as a new pin. With 150 cabins, crowd most likely to be my she can’t match newer ships for space shipmates for the next few or luxury, but what’s lacking in days. Waiting to board a facilities is made up for in teak-andflight to Oslo, the five brass charm. The retro interior is generously bearded chaps finished with original artwork by Paul wore complicated zippy René Gauguin, whose jaunty South trousers, huge techie watches and had Seas reliefs provide a counterpoint to names like Thurston and Trent. Fist the Arctic surroundings. bumps and manly hugs were dished Paul René was the Norwegian out while they reminisced over the last grandson of the great man but – as our instance of derring-do. Gingerly, I captain suggests on a visit to the asked if they were also joining the bridge – the art is possibly worth more ship.HurtigrutencruiseatTromso.Theythanthe C looked as though I had annily, sailing takes invited them seal clubbing. place from afternoon to
“Er, no,” said Trenton, or evening, docking by 11pm Kent, or whatever his name to allow a good night’s was. “We’re going skiing.” sleep. Charming as the A pregnant pause. Nordstjernen is, she bobs “To the Lofoten Islands,” like a cork when the waves he added, by way of rear up, and the diesel clarification. engine rumbles like a “Oh, me too!” nuclear reactor. He seemed less than Speaking of fuel, ski convinced. touring can burn as much as
“It’s a ski cruise. You get 5,000 calories a day – so off every day. To ski!” overeating is practically a
“Oh, right. Well… maybe health and safety see you out there then.” requirement. I got my daily
“Not if I see you first,” I intake down to a fine art. should have muttered. Around 40 per cent came
To be fair, they were not from breakfast; which, in the only ones to mistake my Norway, adds much smoked Arctic adventure for fish to the proceedings, plus something not that a curious brown goat’s adventurous. But the cruise cheese. I mistook the latter line Hurtigruten, which for a very pungent butter; operates a fleet of luckily, it is quite tasty as it is “commuter” ships around served at every opportunity. the Norwegian coast, has devised a Packed lunches were prepared from variation on the classic Norwegian the breakfast buffet and demolished in sightseeing voyage, adding skiers to haste on the mountain around 11am. the legion of nature lovers and Make about double what you expect to northern lights fanciers who ply this eat; lunch is another 40 per cent of stunning stretch of coast. your daily intake. I gained around 30
The Arctic Haute “ski and sail” per cent of my daily intake from an cruise is a partnership with a local analgesic, mostly gin. outdoor specialist, Norwegian Mathematicians will notice we are Adventure Company. A three-day already at 110 per cent of the calorie cruise from Tromso to Bodo (or vice count which, as any Apprentice versa), it opens up the rich pickings of contestant will tell you, is about where the Norwegian coast to groups of you need to be to succeed. Not least if skiers. There are no lifts; no trails you experience the weather we did. even, just a guide and a pair of touring Safety briefings took place each skis with free-heel bindings that allow evening in Norwegian first, then