October 2023

October 24th - Aurora Chase Dinner - My chase night no. 1930

• Guests / Country: 9 guests from Hong Kong, Germany and USA.
• Weather Tromsø: Clear.
• Destination / weather: Malangen south / Balsnes / Tisnes / clear.
• Aurora activity: 5/10.
• Aurora show: Several ribbons on the north sky, curtains, spikes and curls. Little moving.
• Tour km: 200.
• Tour hrs: 7,5.
• Space show: One great and bright shooting star / fireball.
• Wildlife: One fox.

I could do it short and easy tonight and drive just a few km out on the coast since the sky was totally clear.

But, since I hadn`t been to my last secret location this season, I decided to drive little further into the country side since it`s such a lovely location.

I didn`t beleive it should get any good night for Aurora, since the activity was very low, but she`s a tricky lady and sometimes she gives us an nice surprise ... which she did twice this night.

With happy guests I went back to the city, probably several hours after the guides who choose to do a short one.

October 25th - GG Partners` Aurora Chase

• Guests / Country: 3 guests from Germany.
• Weather Tromsø: Cloudy.
• Destination / weather: Breivikeidet / part clear / cloudy ...
• Aurora activity: 0/10.
• Aurora show: Too cloudy!
• Tour km: 180.
• Tour hrs: 6.

Tonight we planned to drive to Skibotn, but when we got to Ramfjord 25 km away from the city, a friend called me and said there were a lot of clouds there, so we continued to Breivikeidet, +25 km.

It was about 30% cloudy when we got there, so we waited a few hours to see if we could see some of the Northern Lights. After 3 hours it got totally overcast, so we continued towards Skibotn, but when we came the half way, I got a call from a colleague at Skibotn which told it was snowing there, so we headed a little back towards the city to try the luck .

We did a break at a new location where I served my guests hot drinks and lefse, while we were waiting to see if the clouds cleared up and that we hopefully got to see some activity. At 23:30 there were 100% cloudy, so we headed back to Tromsø

October 26th

• Guests / Country: 9 guests from Germany, Saudi Arabia and Singapore.
• Weather Tromsø: Cloudy.
• Destination / weather: Storfjord / Skibotndalen valley / part clear / holes in clouds / haze.
• Aurora activity: 4/10.
• Aurora show: Several ribbons across and intense dancing for a while.
• Tour km: 255.
• Tour hrs: 7.
• Wildlife: One white rabbit.

The big question I am sitting again with is; How good was the sky in Finland ?

I was planned to drive into Finnish Lapland, first time since September 24th, but we got clear sky at the half way by the Lyngen fjord ... so I stopped there, after one of my colleague asked; Why drive further when you`ve clear sky ?

We waited a while and shot lovely pics of the white snowy mountains of Lyngen Alps, lit up of the moon, and after 30 mins we got what we was waiting for ... a slim stripe of the Northern Lights on the SW sky, and later it was crossing all over, but it was faint.

So, when the clouds covered our view we continued the drive, but had to stop quickly since she suddenly begin to dance intensive, so I turned the minibus into a tiny forest road ... this is what a real chase is.

The Lady danced in two stripes across the sky in two colors ... before the clouds continued to cover out partly clear sky, so we headed further up in the valley and got little more ...

Then I decided to take a break ... lit up a camp fire and served my guests with hot drink of black currant juice and the local baked lefse, with Norwegian goat cheese.

I was thinking about to drive up and check the conditons at the border 35 km away, but then suddenly the sky got partly clear which is typical for Skibotndalen valley, so we did a backtrack and got little more, but then all was over ...

But, the question is; What we missed ? And how good was the sky in Finland ... if I had done what I normally do; driving always to the best clear sky with no stops along the route ...

October 27th

• Guests / Country: 9 guests from Germany, Italy and Hong Kong. 
• Weather Tromsø: Clear.
• Destination / weather: Malangen / Kattfjordeidet / clear.
• Aurora activity: 4/10.
• Aurora show: Several ribbons across the sky, curtains, curls and spikes. Little moving.
• Tour km: 90.
• Tour hrs: 6.
• Space show: Several nice fireballs across the sky.

Finally a clear sky on the coast so I did it short ...

The Lady was shy too, but gave us a little nice show over the city, when we stayed on the mainland just south of the city. When we arrived the final stop she was very shy, and out Aurora forecast didn`t showed anything more, so we returned to the city before midnight ...

October 28th

• Full Moon Aurora ? Nothing more beautiful than that ... just ask my guests this lovely night ;)
• Guests / Country: 13 guests from Germany, Italy, France, Taiwan, Thailand and South Korea. 
• Weather Tromsø: Clear / incoming clouds.
• Destination / weather: Ramfjord / Lakselvbukt / Balsfjord / clear.
• Aurora activity: 8/10.
• Aurora show: All over and far south, curtains, curls and spikes. Intense dancing in three colors, two colors visble for the naked eyes.
• Tour km: 160.
• Tour hrs: 6.
• Wildlife: One fox and a white rabbit.

I was first thinking about an 2nd night on the coast, but cause incoming clouds from SW I decided to head further east, but not too far.

First stop only 25 km from Tromsø since the Aurora forecast says it should a great one already 30 mins after departure, but it was just a faint once ...

Then we continued to a lovely location by the Lyngen Alps with lovely mountains ridges all around us, and with a full moon on the sky it gave us a lovely visible landscape.

Got a very good show there, so when she went quiet, I decided to do an early return, but little I choose a little longer way just in case if she should come back ... and The Lady did it again with great and lovely dancing in pink and green on the south sky ... but, pity we was on the drive with no places to stop ... when we finally found a safe parking, we got only the rest.

October 29th

• Guests / Country: 6 guests from Germany, Italy and Australia.
• Weather Tromsø: Clear.
• Destination / weather: Takvatnet / Balsfjord / clear / part clear / fog / clear.
• Aurora activity: 6/10.
• Aurora show: Several ribbons across, curtains, spikes and curls. Little dancing.
• Tour km: 215.
• Tour hrs: 7.
• Wildlife: One moose.

October 30th

• Guests / Country: 8 guests from Italy, France, Belgium and Australia.
• Weather Tromsø: Cloudy.
• Destination / weather: Storfjord / Skibotndalen valley / part clear / clear.
• Aurora activity: 6/10.
• Aurora show: Several ribbons across, curtains, spikes and curls. A moment of intense two colors (pink and green) dancing. A small corona.
• Tour km: 355.
• Tour hrs: 8.
• Wildlife: Holy Mooses x5.

Tonight you could experience many confused and frustrated Aurora Guides in Tromsø ... and the reason was the totally wrong and very strange weather forecast ... again ... so, now I have decided to just quit to check the weather forecast, and just drive out and hope for the best ...

We had two choices tonight; far inside Finland or far south towards Narvik ... later we also heard that it was cleared up on the coast too after some heavy snowing ...

I was on my way south, when I called a colleague who run a guesthouse 200 km south of the city; Yes, it has been a lovely sunny day in the south, but now the clouds came in from north ..

So, I returned and headed towards Finland instead which was an two hours drive away, but ... it was no needed to drive so far, since when we came east of the Lyngen Alps it was already cleared up ...

We stayed in one hour and got little of Aurora in a huge cloud hole which was changing all the time, so I decided to continue the drive towards Finland, but when we was 20 km from the border I checked with a colleague who was already there ... and when she said it was not perfect, but similar conditions like we had in the valley I choosed to stop and save 100 km.

It was partly clear with haze and some faint activity ... but, then it got better ... just before we got a great Aurora show ;)

October 31st - GG Partners` Aurora Chase

• Guests / Country: 7 guests from Singapore, Germany and UK.
• Weather Tromsø: Cloudy.
• Destination / weather: Signaldalen valley / clear.
• Aurora activity: 8/10.
• Aurora show: All over the sky, curtains, curls and spikes. Intense dancing in two colors.
• Tour km: 220.
• Tour hrs: 6.

Tonight I planned to drive with the other guides to Skibotn, 120 km SE from Tromsø. When we got to Storfjord I saw it was too much clouds towards Skibotn so I decided to drive to Signaldalen valley instead, since it was clear there.

Immediately when we got there we saw some week stripes of the Northern lights, but then it`s suddenly created some really good aurora stripes.

After the first show was over I made a campfire and served some delightful Norwegain lefse and hot juice.

The guests barely had time to finish their juice before the lights came back, and with full power!

Around 22:00 we jumped in the bus, and I asked if they was happy and wanted to go home … everybody said yes … but, when I sat down and was ready to start the bus, we got even a bigger and brighter show, and this time The lady gave us what she’s good for; A really good and intensive dancing all over the sky.

Everybody run out one last time to catch the amazing Aurora show who said goodbye for us …