Neither rain, headwind, nor altitude seems to slow down Kevin Brekken Ramsfjell in the record attempt to rollerski across Norway in 13 days.

Five days after Kevin Brekken Ramsfjell started on the 2600 kilometers record attempt from Nordkapp to Lindesnes, he is already 115 kilometers ahead of schedule.

Every day so far, Ramsfjell has gone further than the planned 200 kilometers. 

“1115 kilometers is more than I have rollerskied the last seven weeks in total,” says the 22-year-old, who usually focuses on ultra-distance events. 

But not all kilometers are the same. The Narvik-Sommarset section on day four was a challenge, with experiences at both ends of the spectrum: from euphoric joy to extreme frustration: 

“There were a lot of hills and climbing here! The first 120 kilometers are the best hours I have ever had on rollerskis, but the rest of the day was frustrating, Ramsfjell reports after Tuesday’s stage and recounts: 

“It was wet and rough asphalt, steep slopes, and many switches. Tunnels, side roads, and an involuntary jump over a tourist. You can’t find the rhythm when you have to stop every ten minutes. I feel the soul being shaken out of the body on the roughest parts.”

Headwinds and rain

Neither weather nor wind seems to delay Ramsfjell. It rained to a greater or lesser extent in the first five days. The wind has mainly also come from the front. This was also the case on Wednesday. 

“I did not escape the rain today either. There was a headwind over Saltfjellet and rain. Well, I come from Ålgård, where we are all waterproof,” says Ramsfjell. 

Injury-free and fresh

While the weather is beyond Ramsfjell’s control, injuries are a factor he is careful to limit the risk of, and so far, Ramsfjell has avoided injuries and accidents. 

Among other things, Ramsfjell is careful to switch between classic and skating and brings rollerskis with different types of wheels to vary the speed and technique and thus the load on the body. 

Finished with the first mountain

With Saltfjellet behind him, Ramsfjell has done with the first of the three mountain passes he was excited about before the project. 

Now it is Dovre/Dombås next. He is scheduled to cross it on Saturday. According to the schedule, the last mountain pass is in the Kongsberg area and will be completed on day 11 of 13 (next Tuesday). 

This is the record attempt: Good form

To fulfill the goal of reaching the finish line in 13 days, the 22-year-old plans to rollerski daily stages of 200km without rest days. The plan is to rollerski about 10 hours per day, breaks not included. Then he must have an average speed of 20 km/h to keep track. 

Thirteen days and 200 km per day is an ambitious and tight schedule, and therefore Ramsfjell has chosen a route that follows the fastest, straightest roads from north to south. 

“I really only took the distance 2600 kilometers and divided it by 13 to get a round number to relate to. 200km is a round number, and 10 hours a day is a round number,” says Ramsfjell to Langrenn.com. 

The route is almost identical to the one that ultra-running legend Simen Holvik followed when he set a world record for running the stretch last summer. Holvik spent 26 days. 

FACTS: Rollerskiing Across Norway 2022

• Who: Kevin Brekken Ramsfjell (22)
• What: Set a new record for crossing Norway on rollerskis
• When: July 16-28, 2022
• Route: Nordkapp to Lindesnes 
• Distance: 2600 kilometers 
• Altitude gain: 30,000+ 
• Duration: 13 days 
• Current record for the stretch: 21 days, set in 2021 (Ståle Samuelsen, 63 years)
• How: 13 stages of 200km, daily sessions of 10 hours, average speed 20km/h