Even Sverdrup
Introduce yourself!
My name is Even, and I am 32 winters old. My base camp is in Heggedal/Asker, where we have beautiful Kjekstadmarka as a neighbor. I live here with my wife and our two little princesses, aged one and three. I work as a department manager in an IT security company, and I prefer to spend my free time outdoors!
What kind of activities do you do?
I value a varied sports- and outdoor life! I love being active in nature, and the list of hobbies has gradually become long. The goal is not to become the best at anything, but to be good at many things and experience a lot! Among other things, I do mountain running, climbing, cycling, canoeing, cross-country skiing, mountain skiing, randonee, snowboarding, mountain hiking, hunting and fishing.
What are you passionate about?
I am passionate about mastery and personal development, realizing dreams, and that we take care of the nature we have left!
I love to contribute to the positive development of others. Unfortunately, too many people don't believe in their own abilities, and dreams remain dreams. Through clear goal setting, incremental progression, and repeatedly proving to yourself that you can do things, I find that dreams can quickly become reality!
Name some highlights/achievements you are proud of:
There are two trips in particular that I am proud of. One is our honeymoon, where we walked and paddled across Alaska—1,800 kilometers through wild nature with a rich wildlife. What I am most proud of about this trip is how we solved the many challenges we encountered along the way together.
The second trip is when Thomas Lone and I invited three lovely robbers, who had a challenging past with drugs and crime, on a winter crossing of the Hardangervidda plateau on mountain skis. The guys had little or no experience with skiing, and had never pulled a sled. Nevertheless, they took on the challenge of walking from Finse to Haukeliseter. The plateau showed itself from both its worst and best sides, where we got the full range of weather.
Despite the fact that some found it challenging along the way, we all emerged with pride. There, one had overcome fear and resistance without being able to escape from reality. There was a lot of mastery and learnings on that trip!
What or who has inspired you to keep doing what you do?
I have always been inspired by the polar expeditions from the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and I grew up watching the TV recordings of Lars Monsen. Later I discovered Børge Ousland, Rune Gjeldnes, Erling Kagge, Cecilie Skog, the Mørdre brothers, etc. Norway has raised a whole series of groundbreaking and skilled outdoor people, and I have been inspired by the achievements and attitudes of several of them.
What environmentally conscious choices do you make in everyday life and when you are out on a trip?
I am concerned about the environment and nature, and therefore have an ambivalent relationship with my own equipment shed. The activities I do require a lot of specialized equipment, but I try to make environmentally conscious choices. I choose quality over quantity, repair equipment instead of buying new, give away or sell used equipment I no longer need, and happily lend equipment to others.
What is your best hiking experience? And worst?
My best hiking experience is the trip through Alaska with my wife. We lived in our own bubble in the wilderness for 57 days, where the outside world and obligations at home seemed to evaporate. We lived in the here and now, and it was just the two of us in an endless wilderness.
I also have several bad hiking experiences, like when I located a missing person on Aconcagua who unfortunately had died before I found him. The worst experience, however, happened during the Alaska expedition, which ironically is also my best hiking experience. We paddled a fast river that ended in an ice floe, where we crashed into the ice and the packraft overturned, so that we were both pulled under the ice by the strong current. It was pure luck that we didn't drown in that situation. The feeling of being so close to losing someone I love so much was terrible.
Have you ever been scared on a trip? What did you learn from it?
I'm rarely afraid for my own life, but I am afraid of losing someone I love, or not being able to take care of them. In 2021, I was caught in a terrible storm on top of Lomonsovfonna in Svalbard. I fought alone in a hurricane with 36 m/s winds and over 60 effective degrees below zero. Despite finding myself in a tough situation with prolonged storms, I kept my spirits up until my wife called on the satellite phone. She was sitting at home with our then 8-month-old daughter on her lap and was genuinely worried about me. When I heard her voice, I was afraid I wouldn't make it home to them.
What's the best thing about being out in nature?
Nature is a fantastic arena for training, persevering, and experiencing. For me, it is also an important contrast to the hectic everyday life with small children and a demanding job. As soon as I am in nature, whether with sneakers, ski boots or hiking boots on my feet, I can think clearly.
Where does the dream trip go?
The dream trip goes from the mainland to 90 degrees north (the North Pole).
Where would you like to be right now?
Now that we are at the end of June, I could imagine trudging through Padjelanta and Sarek with a fishing rod and plenty of time!
Where will you be in 10 years?
Where I will be geographically in 10 years is not that important, but I hope I am with the people who mean the most to me, and that our lives are structured so that we have time for each other and to do things that make us happy.
Give us a fun fact about yourself!
I go 110% into things that interest me, and can also at the same time completely dismiss things that don't interest me. For example, I am completely ignorant when it comes to movies and celebrities!
What are your favorite shoes from ALFA?
In the winter, Polar A/P/S is a favorite. The shoes are comfortable to wear and keep me warm in all kinds of weather on challenging ski tours.
During the summer months, I really like the Holt A/P/S, which is a lightweight mountain shoe with good cushioning! It now has a solid challenger in the form of the new Driv Advance GTX hiking shoe, which I have a feeling will be my first choice when I go hiking with the family during the summer holidays.
