Press Release

Norwegian fjords all set for new kayak event

Sigrid Henjum (24) kayaked from Bergen to Skjolden, Luster last year. No she has created a unique competition for kayakers as part of the Sognefjord Swim Festival 2007.

Foto: Terje Eggum

Sognefjord Swim Festival, Norway, is expanding its repertoire of unique events. This year, anyone who can kayak is invited to join in and cross the world famous Sognefjord – against the clock, or at their own pace.

During the first two years of the Sognefjord Swim Festival, kayakers have acted as navigators for swimmers who across the Sognefjord, as part of the international fjord swimming championships. This year, kayakers are being offered their own challenge, the Kayak Challenge. The event will take place on Friday 10 August, the evening before eager fjord swimmers compete in the Sognefjord Challenge, a 3.7 kilometre swim across the the deepest fjord in the world.

Six kilometres

Kayakers start the race on the north side of the fjord at Leikanger, and they finish at Feios in Vik on the south side. The length of the course is six kilometres. – You have to have kayaked a bit before, and everyone should at least have self-rescue and buddy rescue skills, otherwise every type of kayaker is welcome, says festival kayak manager Sigrid Henjum. She kayaked the entire length of the Sognefjord in 2006, and now works as a kayak guide in the picturesque village of Balestrand.

Sunset party on shore

One need not be olympic standard to enjoy the Kayak Challenge. Kayakers can choose to register either for the "express" class where times are recorded, or the "cruise" class where it is merely style that counts, and the pace is leisurely. On the south side of the fjord, a warm welcome will greet competitors as they come ashore, with prizes and a sunset barbecue by the fjord.

Pressekontakt:
Simone Stibbe
press@fjordswim.no
90594822

Festivalkoordinator:
Sarah Jane Hails
info@fjordswim.no
90660944