Chosen Places: beyond the trails, Norway

Marius Nilsen takes us to the mountains.

In 2017, I hopped on a plane from LA to New York for a photoshoot with the cycling brand Rapha. They were bringing together ambassadors from all over the world to photograph them riding in their newest Spring Collection. Spring, though, had not sprung in the Catskills in April. It was full on winter, and we shivered in our short-sleeved kits.

It may not have made for great photographs, but it did make for some good friendships. Some nine years later after only meeting once, I still count Marius Nilsen as a friend and compatriot in mountain living. Looking at his photos, it’s honestly hard to tell our lives apart, even with 4,700 miles between them.

Marius, take us away.

Where have you lived so far?

Oh, where to start ;) I was born in Asker, a town just outside of Oslo, Norway. Then in the early 80s my parents took jobs as teachers in a Norwegian school run by a Norwegian fertilizer company setting up shop in Qatar, in the middle east, so my early years were spent alongside sand dunes and camels. While living in Qatar, we traveled a lot in the Middle East and South East Asia, and I got to see a lot of the world before I started primary school. I was definitely more familiar with deserts than mountains and snow when we moved back to Norway. Having grown up “outside” of Norway, I spent a lot of time in my teens traveling and had multiple trips to India and Southeast Asia, before I ended up living in Australia for a few years to finish a degree in photography. After some time living back in Oslo, I eventually moved up into the mountains of central Norway, where I’ve been spending most of my time the last 6 years. First a place called Dovre, and now I just moved an hour further north to a small town called Oppdal.

Good dog.

How did you end up where you currently are? What drew you to this place initially?

I found myself living in the city and constantly leaving work early on weekends to go on some kind of weekend mission - a true weekend warrior.

Then I had a opportunity to work as a photographer for a tourism company amidst all the biggest national parks in Norway, so I rented out my apartment in Oslo, bought a house 5 hours north of Oslo, in a place called Dovre and expected to be gone 6 months to a year. That was nearly 6 years ago. I now live in Oppdal - which is a slightly bigger (!) mountain town with approx. 4000 people.

What’s a small, everyday joy that comes from being there?

Living in the mountains with the possibility to walk out of the yard and have experiences in nature most people only have on their vacations, on a daily basis, changes your narrative and perspective on things. Being the main-character in your own life, acting out chapters in life to the fullest is maybe the single most rewarding thing in my life so far. Always making sure I can look back and be confident that I gave it my all. Also, it’s nice to throw everything up in the air once in a while, try new things, move new places and see how it falls down and how you adapt to new situations.

Hi, Kanga!

In what moments does this place really feel like home?

I think growing up and experiencing a lot of different countries and cultures from an early age made me feel happy in a lot of different places. Home is fluctuating concept for me, but as long as I’m happy where I am, that can be home, whether it be for shorter or longer periods of time.

Has this place changed how you see yourself or affected your priorities in life? Do you feel different—mentally, emotionally, physically—since moving there?

I like to think I'm more true to myself now than when I was living in the city. It’s easy to just look around at all your friends in the fast lane and just jump into that same pace. I love spending time in the city, but living in the mountains has a sense of rawness that the city will never have. The city is, by its own form and definition, a construct and highly predictable; nature is more random and far more unpredictable. We always try to define and control our lives, but random shit happens and we really have no control, haha, so accepting that life is a bit more like nature (random) and less of a meticulous blueprint (like the city), the better it gets.

Steely gaze, carbon frame.

How long do you see yourself staying in this place?

I had this rule when I first moved out of the city, that if a woke up every day for a full week feeling that I’d made the wrong choice, I would move back. That still hasn’t happened, and I doubt it ever will, so I guess I'll live here until I find it’s time to turn the page and start a new chapter somewhere else.

What is community like there and how do you see yourself as part of it?

Oppdal is a town of fellow mountains people and most people here live here because they like spending time outside. The town has a long history of crazy skiers, climbers and mountaineers so the legacy lives on. I’m just trying to find my likeminded people. Which honestly isn’t that hard, hitting the local crag or talking to someone in the lift in the ski resort is enough to follow up on that meeting when you bump into each other at the grocery store. “Oh it’s you, didn’t recognize you without your helmet / goggles / on, etc.!”

Where can people find you on the internet?

I’m a photographer who loves to spend time in the mountains. You can find me there, or at mariusnilsen.com and @mariusnilsen on Instagram.

Mini Marius, pail in tow.

This is the first in the Chosen Places series. Subscribe to get every edition, every time.