March 2024

March 31st

Guests / Country: 16 guests from Germany, France, India, Hong Kong, China and USA.
Weather Tromsø: Clear.
Destination / weather: Ersfjordbotn / Sommarøy / Kattfjord / clear / part clear.
Aurora activity: 8/10.
Aurora show: All over and little towards south, spikes, curls and dancing curtains. Several coronas and many colors on camera.
Tour km: 115.
Tour hrs: 6,5.

March 29th

Guests / Country: 16 guests from Germany, Italy, Malta, Lithuania, India and China.
Weather Tromsø: Clear.
Destination / weather: Grøtfjord / clear.
Aurora activity: 5/10.
Aurora show: Several ribbons across, curtains, spikes and curls. Lovely colors on camera.
Tour km: 90.
Tour hrs: 5.

March 28th

Guests / Country: 16 guests from Brasil, India, Bulgaria, Germany and UK.
Weather Tromsø: Part clear.
Destination / weather: Dividalen / Takvatnet lake / clear.
Aurora activity: 6/10.
Aurora show: All over and little towards south, curtains, spikes and curls. Dancing curtains in two colors visible for the naked eyes. An small corona.
Tour km: 280.
Tour hrs: 6,5.
Wildlife: Two moose and a white rabbit.

I could do it short and easy tonight, since it was partly clear towards Sommarøy, and also around Balsfjord 70 km south where the sky was clear, but I had already decided me for Dividalen valley close to the Swedish border ...

It was lovely to be there with my guests, in totally silence ... since we was the only one who headed so far ...

Just in time we arrived the bridge before the first show, which didn`t last so long ... so, after made my guests too cold, then we begin on the return ... but, my chase is not over before they are back at theirs accommodations.

The Aurora forecast said nothing more, but you never know with the tricky Lady Aurora, so after 40 km driving we had to make a new stop, when she begin to dance and showed up more than earlier ...

When we continued I discover a couple of moose, so then my guests got an extra bonus.

March 25th

Guests / Country: 16 guests from Germany, France, Austria, Hungary and USA.
Weather Tromsø: Clear.
Destination / weather: Dåfjord / clear / some incoming clouds.
Aurora activity: 5/10.
Aurora show: All over and little towards south, curtains, spikes and curls. Little dancing.
Tour km: 145.
Tour hrs: 6.
Wildlife: 2+8 reindeers

March 24th - Private Aurora Chase Dinner

Guests / Country: 4 guests from Germany.
Weather Tromsø: Cloudy / snow.
Destination / weather: Dividalen valley / clear.
Aurora activity: 8/10.
Aurora show: All over and far south, curls, spikes and dancing curtains. Several good coronas.
Tour km: 285.
Tour hrs: 7,5.

Tonight I trusted my got feeling 110% ... even when I saw the sky camera in Skibotn showed 60% clear sky and when all my colleagues went that way, I choose to follow my first thought and went the opposite way.

And with great success; 100% clear sky most of the evening while we was relaxing in the silence alone at the top of the valley with lovely snowy mountains around the deep forest valley.

After arriving, the other guides begin to get problem in Skibotndalen valley and towards the finnish border, when the clouds arrived ...

When we left it was around 15 another Aurora buses in the valley further below, but then the best Aurora show was over ...

March 22nd - Private Aurora Chase

Guests / Country: 7 guests from India.
Weather Tromsø: Cloudy.
Destination / weather: Skogsfjord / part clear / haze.
Aurora activity: 0/10.
Aurora show: No activity!
Tour km: 165.
Tour hrs: 4,5.
Wildlife: One moose.

My guests had seen Aurora the two night before too ... so, after a relaxing time around the camp fire they liked to return at 10 pm ... and just when we begin on the return, the Lady shows up with a green stripe across the sky ...

Later it was coming even little more, but I was glad to take an early night ;)

March 21st

Guests / Country: 16 guests from Taiwan, Guatemala, India, Israel, Germany, Ireland, Switzerland, Netherland, France, Spain, UK and USA. New record in number of countries on the same chase; 12!
Weather Tromsø: Clear.
Destination / weather: Langsundet strait / Dåfjordeidet / clear / part clear / haze.
Aurora activity: 8/10.
Aurora show: All over and far south, spikes, curls and dancing curtains. Several nice coronas, but faint.
Tour km: 120.
Tour hrs: 6,5.
Wildlife: One otter.

Patience is King !

When my guests are asking about how long time we`ll stay, I am just answer; "I don`t know, since Lady Aurora decide".

Are you afraid for the full moon ?
Please don`t be; it`s just make the Aurora experience so much better ;)

March 20th - Private Aurora Chase

Guests / Country: 11 guests from India.
Weather Tromsø: Cloudy / rain.
Destination / weather: Beach Skibotn / Helligskogen / part clear.
Aurora activity: 4/10.
Aurora show: Several bright stripes across, curls and curtains. And little moving.
Tour km: 290.
Tour hrs: 7,5.

Tonight was the night for a great show ... but, the bad weather destroy most of the great ones ... it`s always a gambling of where you drive, where you stop, how long time do you stay, and so on ...

March 17th

Guests / Country: 10 guests from Germany, India and USA.
Weather Tromsø: Cloudy / snowy.
Destination / weather: Oikivuopio - Finnish Lapland / part clear.
Aurora activity: 0/10.
Aurora show: No activity!
Tour km: 390.
Tour hrs: 7,5.

Last season I was 70% inside the Finnish border cause the worst winter weather ever, since I began to chase in 2006 ... this season only 8 nights.

Long drive for "nothing" this night ... except the beautiful wilderness experience which I try to print into my guests, since an Aurora Chase is so much more than to see the Northern Lights ...

Third night in a row with close to no Aurora activity, except the little glimpse some got on Saturday ... and NASA and all world media is blowing up that 2024 is the great solar max year ...

I think they take wrong ... again ... I think the solar max will be next season, 2024/2025 and maybe 2026.

But, please don`t worry; here in the north we`ve great Aurora show all season every year ;)

This season; September to November was lovely great, plus begin of December, begin of January, begin of March.
Rest. of December, January and February was quiet, but still many okey nights.

Please scroll back in my Aurora Blog for see the facts!

March 16th - My chase night no. 2,000 ;)

Guests / Country: 15 guests from Germany, India, China, UK and USA.
Weather Tromsø: Cloudy / snowy.
Destination / weather: Beach Skibotn / the Finnish border / part clear / haze / clear.
Aurora activity: 0/10.
Aurora show: An faint ark in the edge of the clouds only ... not really visible.
Tour km: 310.
Tour hrs: 7,5.

My Aurora Chase night no. 2,000 !

Did you know that I was one of the first Aurora Guides in Tromsø and Northern Norway ?

We was three guides who started at the same time back in 2006, but since they two other has "retired" from the chasing, I am today the longest running Aurora Guide in Northern Norway !

In 2024 it`s about 60 companies (only in Tromsø) who has duplicated what we created for 19 years ago ...

March 14th - Private Aurora Chase

Guests / Country: 15 guests from Taiwan.
Weather Lauklines: Part clear.
Destination / weather: Kattfjord / Balsfjord / part clear / cloudy / clear.
Aurora activity: 6/10.
Aurora show: All over and little towards south, curtains, spikes and curls.
Tour km: 220.
Tour hrs: 6.

The first plan was Finland tonight ... but, when I drove out to Lauklines, west of Tromsø, for pick up my guests, the sky was suddenly clear ... could it last, so I had got an super short chase ?

Nop! We had partly clear sky in the beginning of the chase and did a stop only 5 km away, since Lady Aurora was really active early in the evening, but then the clouds arrived very fast from the north ...

So, I had to begin the loooong drive ...

My colleagues report about good clear sky 45 km south of Tromsø ... but, when we arrived the acivity faded out ... so, we went to the gas station for a bathroom stop ...

Then I decided to do a short one and drove only a few km south, where already four minibuses and think the same and occupied the parking spot below the road, but above we could stay in peace ... only us.

The Lady was quiet in the beginning, but then she began to show what she`s good for ;)

We returned at 11 pm when the guests was happy for what they had got ... but, after midnight the evening best show came ...

March 13th

Guests / Country: 15 guests from India, Cuba, UK and USA.
Weather Tromsø: Clear.
Destination / weather: My own beach / Skogsfjordvatnet lake / clear.
Aurora activity: 6/10.
Aurora show: All over and little towards south, curtains, spikes and curls. Three colors on camera.
Tour km: 150.
Tour hrs: 6,5.
Wildlife: Two reindeers and two otters.

Such a lovely group of guests, especially the Florida-Cubans who give rest of the people in the group an lovely spirit which led all the guys to dance around in theirs beautiful minds.

Headed first home to my own beach, since I forgot something in the stress before an dinner I had with my Australian colleagues, but it was a perfect timing with Lady Aurora, since she was starting her performance then ...

Then we contiuned to the largest lake on a island in Norway, Skogsfjordvatnet lake, NW of my place, where I bring most of the guests out on the lake ... which they think it waas magic ... and yes indeed ... the Aurora pics got better from there ;)

By midnight we returned, and Lady Aurora think it was enough too, since she faded out when we left ...

March 12th - Private Aurora Chase

Guests / Country: 9 guests from India.
Weather Tromsø: Cloudy / sleet.
Destination / weather: Kattfjord / part clear.
Aurora activity: 0/10.
Aurora show: No activity!
Tour km: 80.
Tour hrs: 4.

One of these night ... partly clear sky, but no Aurora activity ... Do you know what the main job for an Aurora Guide are ?

March 11th - Private Aurora Chase

Guests / Country: 9 guests from India.
Weather Tromsø: Cloudy / rain.
Destination / weather: Lullefjell mountain / Beach Skibotn / holes in clouds / haze / part clear.
Aurora activity: 4/10.
Aurora show: Couple of stripes across the sky from west to east, curtains, spikes.
Tour km: 285.
Tour hrs: 6,5.
Wildlife: One fox and one moose.

March 8th

Guests / Country: 14 guests from Belgium, Germany, India, UK and USA.
Weather Tromsø: Cloudy / rain.
Destination / weather: Storfjord / Voulit lake / part clear / cloudy.
Aurora activity: 5/10.
Aurora show: Several stripes across, also towards south, curtains, spikes and curls. Little moving.
Tour km: 285.
Tour hrs: 7,5.
Wildlife: One white rabbit.

Sometimes we Aurora Guides do a mistake ... we`re humans you know ... tonight it was my turn ...

We headed towards Finland where the best weather forecast was shown, but at the half way east of the Lyngen Alps we got a quite good partly clear sky and Lady Aurora was already active, so most of the guides stopped along the main road for give theirs guests an taste ...

I found a new place where I have never stopped before ...

I stayed little longer since there was not any better news from my colleagues who was in Skibotn and / or in the valley towards the Finnish border ...

When we lost our good partly clear sky, the south sky begin to be very active so I decided to follow it, so we did a backtrack drive towards the fjord south of Tromsø, since we had got report from the city; 80% clear ...

Before I left the area I checked the sky camera in Skibotn; Still cloudy! ... but, when we had been driving in 10-15 mins, one of my colleagues in Skibotn call me; "80% clear sky and very good Aurora activity" ...

I should return directly, but did the mistake to first check "around the corner"; west side of the Lyngen Alps ... too cloudy!

So, we returned and drove to Skibotndalen valley where there was still some glimpse of the Northern Lights on a partly clear sky ... but, when we stopped by the lake, it begin to snow ...

Shit happens !

I decided to cool down the stress ... so, I set up a camp fire on the frozen lake and waited in an hour ... since we know how the changing weather at this location can be; Sometimes very surprisely good ...

But, not tonight ...

At least, I found clear sky and my guests got to see the Northern Lights ... but, it could be a so much better story to tell, if I didn`t did the backtrack driving ...

March 7th

Guests / Country: 16 guests from France, China, UK and USA.
Weather Tromsø: Cloudy / rain.
Destination / weather: Sandvika / Finnvika / Skulgammen / part clear.
Aurora activity: 8/10.
Aurora show: All over and far south, curtains, spikes, curls. Intense dancing in 2-colors eye visible dancing and coronas.
Tour km: 105.
Tour hrs: 6,5.

It was a tricky weather forecast ... again ... it says high clouds and maybe part clear on the coast around 10 pm, while the web cameras showed clear sky at the country side when we left the city ...

Several guides went out on the coast while I was driving into the city for pick up my guests, so I got even more confuse and it was difficult to decide which way we should drive ...

I choosed the long one and headed into the country side, towards Finland, but we came only 15 km away when we discovered clear sky and Aurora was visible, so I turned off the main road and went down to the fjord just south of the city ...

And the Aurora activity followed the clear holes when the clouds was moving ;)

Then I heard it was better on the coast so we left ... and of course ... then a great show begins, which we missed when we did a toilet stop at one of the gas stations in the city.

But, I am not a guide who give so easy up ... and my guests had already got an okey show for the evening, so I was very relaxed re; what they should get.

We stopped again just 5 km north of the airport in Finnvika, where some other guides and rental cars was too, but Aurora was faint ... and then a 50 seats bus stopped there too ...

So, when our very good Aurora forecast says it will come two more shows in 45 and 90 mins, at the same time a cloud layer arrived more and more, it was an easy decision to make, and I just told my guests;

"Sorry guys that you`ve booked with one of the most extreme Aurora Guides; forget the planned return at midnight, we will head further north and continue the chase .."

20 km north at Kvalsundet strait the sky was 95% clear, but with only a couple of faint Aurora stripes across ... so, we begin the patience work ... wait and wait more ...

"Okey, we will stay to 00.30 ... little bit more of Aurora was visible, but not the exciting show I thought it should come ... so, as planned, we packed together as planned, I gave my card to my guests for pictures ... and then I started to drive back to the city ...

Or, actually I didn`t ... since when I looked outside an last time, it was showed up a couple of bright spikes, and when I shot a pics with my iPhone; it shows the great show was beginning !!

So ... "Get out guys !!"

And then I and Lady Aurora make my guests even more HAPPY ;)

Little delayed; the great show was wonderful with lovely intense dancing curtains and coronas, two colors visible for the naked eyes.

We arrived the city just before 2 am, and it was totally silence there ... so, I guess we was the only one who got this lovely Aurora show ;)

March 6th

Guests / Country: 14 guests from Mexico, Taiwan, Hong Kong, China, Italy and UK.
Weather Tromsø: Cloudy.
Destination / weather: Skibotndalen valley / part clear / haze / clear.
Aurora activity: 0/10.
Aurora show: No activity ... just a faint glow on the camera ...
Tour km: 250.
Tour hrs: 6,5.

One of these nights ... beautiful clear sky and thousands of stars ... but, Lady Aurora was quiet ... so, I spend the time to make star circles ...

Ergo: Clear sky is not an guarantee for see the Northern Lights !

March 4th - Private Aurora Chase

Guests / Country: 10 guests from India.
Weather Tromsø: Clear.
Destination / weather: Rekvikeidet / clear.
Aurora activity: 6/10.
Aurora show: All over and little towards south, curtains, spikes and curls. And a little corona.
Tour km: 105.
Tour hrs: 4.

An new lovely night out with the indian ladies ... clear sky all over ... so, I decided me for give them an another special landscape experience and headed straight west to Rekvikeidet mountain plateau.

It was quiet at the beginning, but I got many colors on camera, before The Lady showed up with a small corona.

We did a super early return since they should fly out early, but Lady Aurora didn`t care so much about that ... the Aurora forecast says nothing more ... but still, she was little active while we returned, and when I dropped off my guests at the hotel she got crazy again ...

I have seen it so many nights now, so I headed straight back home for an new early evening ;)

March 3rd - Private Aurora Chase

Guests / Country: 11 guests from India.
Weather Tromsø: Part clear.
Destination / weather: Kattfjord / Brensholmen / part clear / clear.
Aurora activity: 9/10.
Aurora show: All over and far south, curtains, spikes and curls. A couple of nice coronas and little dancing. Deep red, purple and pink colors on the camera. And eye visible red on the south sky.
Tour km: 110.
Tour hrs: 4,5.

The best Aurora show since December 1st !

I was thinking about to head south, but just checked with a colleague who lives on the coast of Kvaløya for see how the weather was there, and he said; 80% clear, so we headed 60 km SW of the island, close to Sommarøy island.

First we had to make a stop at the half way; since The Lady was dancing crazy with a lovely serie of coronas straight above us, before we headed to a silence side road at Brensholmen, where we stayed in peace all evening.

And there was now Aurora on the north sky; All activity was low on the south sky ... and what a beautiful show we got !

The 11 ladies on tonight`s chase was more than happy, so we returned early back to the city ... but, on my way home at 00.45 am The Lady got even more crazy with some intense dancing ...

March 1st-2nd - Private Overnight Ice Fishing

Guests / Country: Colleague / friend Marcus & me.
Weather Tromsø: Part clear.
Destination / weather: Gamvatnet lake, Ringvassøya island / part clear.
Aurora activity: 6/10.
Aurora show: All over and far south, curtains, spikes, but faint. Red color on camera.
Tour km: 50.
Tour hrs: 24 (!).

Since I was off from work, we spent the night on the lake before our four Australian friends and colleagues from the 14 days Photograph package tour, arrived with theirs family for an lovely moment on the lake for relaxing, great food and Ice Fishing too.

It was changing sky with totally clear to part clear and overcast, several times ... it was an lovely evening on the frozen lake, with little hard work for making the camp ready ... at 1 am we was ready, so then we got an good sleep outdoors ...

More of this next season ;)

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