Mid-March, northeast of Tromsø. Seven people, a two-masted sailing ship called the Helt, and a peninsula of peaks that plunge straight into the sea. For ten days, the sailboat serves as a floating refuge, and every morning ski touring begins where the water ends. Mathurin Vauthier told the whole story in pictures.

The departure takes place in a small Norwegian harbor, among yellow wooden houses standing on the snow. Ski bags are passed from hand to hand up to the deck. Kevin, the crew’s steady presence, loads the heaviest bags without ever slowing down. Under the graphite and beige SWEECE fleece, the cold on the dock is bearable.

Adrien, the skipper, casts off at the end of the day. The reddish-brown sails fill, the coastline slips by, and the first peaks of the Lyngen Alps rise above the fjord. There’s not long to wait: on the very first night, the Northern Lights curl around the mast.

Each outing begins with a zodiac crossing to a snow-covered pebble beach. We put on our skis, attach our skins, and start climbing almost at sea level. The two guides, Bastien Lévy and Guillaume Pierrel, read the slope, choose the route, and decide how far we climb.

The pace is steady, our breathing short in the dry air. The navy PHANTOM HOODIE technical fleece wicks away heat during exertion, and the recycled-wool GHEADBAND headband is enough to cover our ears. On the ridgelines, the view opens up: peaks over 1,800 meters on one side, the fjord on the other, and the tiny Helt at anchor.

At the summit, we take off our skins with our backs to the wind. Then comes the reward: narrow couloirs between two rocky ridges, and cold snow that holds the tracks of our turns. The camel-colored SUPARIDE pants, designed for freeriding, handle powder up to the knees.

The descent ends where it began, by the water. We take off our skis on the beach, skis over our shoulders, and wait for the Zodiac to come back for us.

In the evening, the Helt becomes a home again. Ulysse takes over the kitchen. On deck, someone casts a line and reels in something to round out dinner. The CORUJA hybrid down jacket goes on as soon as the sun goes down: it keeps you warm, packs down into the bottom of your bag, and dries quickly when the sea spray sets in. It is assembled in Poland, with an outer shell made from recycled polyester.

The sunsets linger over the fjord, then the blue hour erases the contours. With the magnolia GEBO RIB beanie, you can stay outside a little longer, watching for green in the sky. To put together your own layering system, the backcountry skiing collection brings together the pieces worn during these ten days, and our guide to waterproof membranes explains what really protects you from wind and snow.