Video: Rock Climbing Norway with Magnus Midtbo (Oh! And Alex Honnold Too! Sort of!)

In this video we head to Norway to take on some of that country's big walls with talented rock climber Magnus Midtbo. As you can imagine, the scenery is pretty epic, and Magnus gets a chance to show off his skills on some amazing rock faces. But, the headline for the video also implies that Alex Honnold is along for the ride, which really isn't the case. Sure, he shows up briefly, but then is quickly gone, so don't expect to see these two men doing too much together. Still, it is a nice look at some of the challenges that Norway has to offer.

Video: The Northern Lights Of Norway

The Northern Lights are a phenomenon that everyone should see at some point in their life. The eerie light dances across the night sky in an amazing display of multicolored illumination that can only be described as "otherworldly." The video below captures that amazing natural show, giving us a great look at what the aurora borealis looks like in Tromsø, Norway. Simply beautiful.

Northern Light's in Tromsø Norway from Fritz Dällenbach on Vimeo.

Video: The Battle for Birthday Mountain - Giving Finland it's Highest Peak

Finland is approaching the 100th anniversary of its independence, and neighboring Norway has come up with an idea for a unique birthday present – a mountain. Yep, that's right. Norway wants to give Finland Halti Peak – a 1365 meter (4478 ft) mountain that would become the Fins' highest point. But how exactly does one country give another a mountain? In this amazing short film, we'll explore that very idea. This is an amazing story to say the least.

Battle for Birthday Mountain from MEL Films on Vimeo.

Expedition Amundsen 2014: The World's Toughest Ski Race

Looking for an endurance event to test your skills during the winter? Then look no further than Expedition Amundsen, an event that is billed as the toughest ski race in the world – and for good reason.

The race follows the same route that Roald Amundsen used while training for his expedition to the South Pole back in 1911. It covers 100 km (62 miles) across the Hardangervidda mountain plateau in Norway, which is a grueling stretch of land, even in the best of conditions. How grueling you ask? It is so tough that Amundsen himself was unable to complete the route. Later he said that training there was crucial to completing his epic journey across Antarctica and he said it was as tough as that expedition as well.

Competitors in the Expedition Amundsen race will traverse the route complete unsupported. They'll have to ski the trail while pulling a sled with all of their safety gear behind them at all times. The event only accepts solo entrants if they are sufficiently experienced enough to go it alone. Otherwise, athletes must enter in teams of two and three in order to support one another.

Last year, a massive storm hit the course in the middle of the race, forcing 60 of the participants to take shelter. They were hunkered down for 36 hours while they waited for the storm to pass. Considering the remoteness of the course, there was little other option for the racers, who were in the middle of the competition when the weather took a turn for the worse.


In another nod to just how challenging this race can be, not a single foreign competitor was able to complete the race last year. Only the Norwegian were able to navigate the entire course and reach the finish line. Their experience in harsh conditions seem to serve them well in this race.

The 2014 edition of Expedition Amundsen will begin on February 27 at 1 PM local time in the county of Telemark, Norway. Where else would it begin? It should be quite the event to follow.

Video: The Seasons of Norway in Timelapse

We all know that Norway is home to some incredibly beautiful landscapes, but in this amazing timelapse video we get to see some of those places as they are transformed by the passing of the seasons. The timelapse images are incredible to behold, as spring turns to summer, which passes into fall, heralding the arrival of winter not long after. This is one captivating clip to watch unfold, and well worth a few minutes of your day.

 SEASONS of NORWAY - A Time-Lapse Adventure from Morten Rustad on Vimeo.

Video: Pedal to Peaks Across Norway

In this video, we join a group of friends as they set off on an adventure across Norway by bike, climbing, and skiing. As with any good adventure, not everything goes as planned and they hit more than a few challenges along the way. But, they also discover amazing scenery, beautiful landscapes, and wonderful people as they traverse Lofoten archipelago, learning more about themselves and each other along the way.

World's Largest Viking Ship to Sail From Norway to the U.S.

Photo credit: Peder Jacobsson

A crew of 16 sailors are about to embark on an epic adventure that will take them across the North Atlantic as they look to recreate historical voyages that first took place more than 1000 years ago. On Sunday, the Draken Harald Hårfagre – the largest viking ship ever built – will set sail from Norway with the goal of eventually reaching the U.S., proving once again how Viking explorers reached North America hundreds of years earlier than Christopher Columbus.

Dubbed Expedition America, the journey is meant to learn about the conditions faced by the Vikings as they undertook voyages of discovery from 750-1100 AD. To that end, the Draken Harald Hårfagre has been built to exacting details in the same manner as the ancient Viking ships before it were constructed. It has an open-air kitchen and a sleeping area. The 16 crew members will take turns spending 4 hours manning the vessel and 4 hours off resting throughout the length of the voyage.

The ship will depart from Vibrandsøy, Haugesund, Norway, setting out across the North Atlantic with the goal of reaching Reykjavík, Iceland by May 1. From there, they'll continue on to the port of Qaqortoq in Greenland, skipping across the ocean just as their ancestors did before them. After that, they'll make a harrowing voyage across the Davis Strait – traveling a thousand miles north of where the Titanic went down – on their way to the viking settlement of L’anse aux Meadows in Newfoundland, Canada. They hope to arrive there around the 1st of June.

The voyage won't end when they reach North America however. The Draken Harald Hårfagre will than proceed up the Gulf of St. Lawrence to Quebec City, before proceeding into the Great Lakes to visit places like Toronto, Chicago, Green Bay, and even traveling as far west as Duluth, MN before turning back east for a stop in New York City in September.

Of course, you'll be able to follow along with this voyage on the expedition's official website. It should certainly be interesting to watch unfold.

Video: Ski Jump Caught On GoPro

The ubiquitous GoPro camera seems to be everywhere these days, as evidenced in the video below, which features ski jumper Anders Jacobsen training in Lillehammer, Norway. Of course, the camera catches a unique perspective as always, but my question is, where is this particular camera mounted exactly? Definitely a mystery to me!

Video: Life in Balance

Here's one of those videos that shows off a skill that is better to be seen in a clip like this one, rather than to attempt yourself. In it, we join Norwegian Eskil Rønningsbakken as he travels around that country demonstrating his ability to balance on objects that are dangling not he edge of extreme spaces, including cliff, canyons, and mountains. His demonstration of agility is quite impressive, particularly considering the places he has chosen to show off these skills. And of course, this being Norway, the scenery is beautiful too.

Video: Into the Arctic in Norway

We'll wrap up a busy week here at The Adventure Blog with this breathtaking video. It is nearly three minutes of some of the best landscapes on Earth. Shot in the Norwegian Arctic, it shows us just how stunningly beautiful that part of the world truly is, with vistas that were meant to inspire adventures. Simply wonderful.

Norway: Into the Arctic 4K from Raphael Rogers on Vimeo.

Video: The Polar Night in Timelapse

Above the Arctic Circle each year, the sun sets in November and doesn't return for nearly two months. That absence of light creates a long polar night that brings shadows and darkness to the landscapes. In this video, you get a chance to experience what that is like with some stunning timelapse images that will leave a lasting impression. Stark and beautiful, this is a place where the conditions are challenging, but well worth it for those who love the outdoors.

 Polar Night from Jan R Olsen on Vimeo.

Video: Paragliding with the Northern Lights

The Aurora Borealis (aka the Northern Lights) are one of the most spectacularly beautiful natural phenomenons in the world. Lighting up the night sky in a variety of colors, they are a humbling sight to behold, and what better way to experience them than from the seat of paraglider? That's exactly what pilot Horatio Llorens did when he traveled to Trømso, Norway recently, and his experience is captured in the video below. As you can imagine, it was quite a flight.

Roald Amundsen's Ship Recovered From the Arctic Ocean

After resting at the bottom of the ocean for more then 85 years, Roald Amundsen's ship the Maud has been brought back to the surface, and is preparing to return to Norway. The ship, which was discovered off the coast of Cambridge Bay in Canada, helped to chart the Northeast Passage from 1918-1920, sunk in those waters back in 1930 after a short, but distinguished career in exploration.

A recovery team has spent the past six years working to bring the ship up from its watery grave. This past July, their efforts finally paid off, as the ship returned to the surface for the first time in more than eight decades. The crew first had to place a series of inflatable ballasts around the hull of the vessel, then slowly add air to them. Eventually this allowed them to place it on a barge and float it into harbor. Over the past two months, they have been been cleaning up the interior of the vessel in preparation for weathering the winter in the Arctic.

The recovery team says that the winter weather will actually help the ship, allowing its wooden hull to dry. This will help to reduce the ship's current weight, and will take some of the pressure off of the hull. That will help to stabilize it for the long journey back home to Norway, which is likely to take place next summer.

According to reports, the ship is in surprisingly good shape. The hull remains solid and strong, despite being at the bottom of the ocean for so long. The vessel was originally built back in 1917, and commissioned by Amundsen to accompany him on his exploration of the icy waters north of Russia. Amundsen is well know for is exploits in the cold places of our planet. He was the first person to reach the South Pole back in 1911, and was instrumental in exploring the Arctic as well, becoming the first person to full pass through the Northwest Passage.

The Maud was sold off in 1925, five years before she sank. But, she is considered an important piece of exploration history, and back home in Norway she'll be preserved for posterity. In that country, Amundsen is incredibly famous, and any relic left over from his expeditions is a valuable commodity.

This is quite a cool story. I'm glad this team was able to locate and recover the ship. Hopefully it makes it through the winter in one piece, and returns home next year as planned.

Video: Kilian Jornet Takes on Seven Summits of Romsdalen

We haven't heard much from Spanish mountain runner Kilian Jornet since he returned from his speed attempt on Everest this past fall. But of course we all know he wasn't just standing still and resting on his laurels. In this video, we follow him as he attempts to complete the Seven Summits of Romsdalen in Norway in a single day. This tough 77 km (47.8 mile) route features 9000 meters (29,527 ft) of vertical gain and takes mere mortals like the rest of us the better part of a week to finish, particularly in the winter. Can Kilian conquer the course in record time? You'll have to watch the video below to see how he fares.

Video: Nordic Skiing in Norway with Karoline

Meet Karoline. She isn't a world-class athlete with a bushel of sponsors. She's simply a woman who loves the outdoors, particularly when she is cross-country skiing in her home country of Norway. In this video, we join her out on the trail in one of the most beautiful winter landscape you could ever hope to see. If you've never thought about Nordic skiing before, this clip will certainly leave you intrigued and wanting to try it yourself. Enjoy.

Video: Norway as Seen by Drone

Norway has been a regular subject of many of the travel videos I post here on The Adventure Blog, and for good reason. Not only does it have some oft he best landscapes found anywhere on the planet, it has some of the most spectacular wilderness environments as well. Ranging from beautiful fjords to high mountain peaks to arctic environments, Norway is an adventure traveler's dream come true. And in this video, we catch a glimpse of what the country has to offer from a drone's eye view. Flying over these settings is utterly captivating, so sit back and take it all in.

NORWAY - a great Holiday trip from Marc on Vimeo.

Video: Tempus Fugit - Time Flies in this Timelapse Video

Shot in Austria, Italy, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland and California, Utah, Washington and Oregon in the U.S., this video takes us on a whirlwind tour of some of the most beautiful and iconic landscapes at those destinations to show us how they look in an amazing timelapse fashion. This is four minutes of incredible beauty that shouldn't be missed. A perfect way to wrap up the week.

TEMPUS FUGIT 2 from Dr. Nicholas Roemmelt on Vimeo.

Video: A Stunning Base Jumping Video in Norway

This video is equal parts stunning landscapes from Norway and adrenaline rush with base jumping footage as well. It starts off showing us some great images from a country that we already know is beautiful, and ends with a group of jumpers leaping into the air. It is a nice mix of breathtaking shots crammed into just three minutes. Definitely worth a watch.

Video: The Eternal Lights of Lofoten, Norway

The Lofoten Islands of Norway are known for their remote location and spectacular landscapes. It is also considered one of the best places in the world to view the Northern Lights, all of which are on display in this video, which was shot over a 14-day period last year. This is a beautiful part of the world that few of us are ever fortunate enough to see, and this clip takes us on an unforgettable tour of this amazing place.

Lofoten Eternal Lights from Jose A. Hervas on Vimeo.