WEST LOFOTEN

The mountains of Lofoten have an allure like no other place in the world. And as I put the final touches on this guide during the long nights of December, I will have called Lofoten home for nearly a year, fifteen years since I first saw the Islands rising out of the Vestfjord. It was a long journey and I was somewhat worried that I might lose some interest in the place; becoming accustomed to having such wonderful views filling my life on a daily basis. Yet as time passes, my obsession with the Islands deepens and I now have a near endless list of places to visit and photograph, enough to keep me busy for several more life times.

And yet, on the Islands of near endless beauty, the mountains of the west have drawn me in the most. Wild, steep, barren, lonely, empty, rugged, these glacially carved spires of granite rise from the sea with near perfect grace; almost as if they were designed to be hiked and photographed. Nowhere else on Lofoten can you look almost straight down on vast, empty beaches of golden sand and azure water from atop the seemingly impenetrable vertical peaks rising above.

The books begins with a general overview of the outdoors and mountain travel before getting more detailed about the specific characteristics of Lofoten. The hiking chapters cover 38 mountain hikes with maps, trail ratings, detailed route descriptions and photo galleries to help you decide which peak is best for you.

The 4th edition has added 5 new hikes and more than 40 new pages over the previous version: 2 new hikes on Moskenesøy and 3 new hikes on Flakstadøy.