Stillness Beneath the Nordic Sky

Claudiu Falub
Sep 9
3 min read

A Winter Journey Among Musk Oxen

— By Claudiu Falub, August 2025

There are places where the world feels untouched by time. Where the wind doesn’t merely blow—it sculpts the land, carries whispers older than memory, and carves silence into the vastness. I’ve always been drawn to these places. Not for the sake of adventure, but for the stillness they offer. Nordic winters, with their cold light and infinite horizons, have long held a quiet pull on my imagination.

“Mirrored Waves” – Rolling clouds echo the gentle curves of the slopes below, blurring the line between earth and sky.

As a street and travel photographer, my work often revolves around human stories within the pulse of urban life. Yet for decades, the solitude of winter landscapes and the simplicity of bivouacking in wild places have been my way to reconnect with something more essential—a counterpoint to the noise.

“Mountain Light” – Snow-covered landscape in Dovrefjell at sunrise.

I had long dreamed of encountering musk oxen in their element—not through the lens of wildlife documentaries, but by standing with them in the rawness of their world. These ancient beings, silent witnesses of the Ice Age, endure and remain present in a way we rarely are.

“Ancient Eyes” – Portrait of a musk ox in winter light.

When I came across a small winter photo tour in Dovrefjell National Park, Norway, guided by Floris Smeets, it felt like a natural path to follow. His approach wasn’t about chasing images, but about immersion—learning the rhythm of the land and its inhabitants.

“Frozen Morning” – A small herd of musk oxen moves slowly across the snowy plateau as dawn breaks.

We ventured deep into the mountains, sledges pulled by huskies through a frozen expanse. For four days and nights, beneath Dovrefjell’s harsh winter skies, we lived with the land—melting snow for drinking and cooking, sleeping in tents, exposed to every shift in weather. We experienced everything the northern skies had to offer: calm, crystalline mornings; sudden snowstorms that erased the horizon; winds that cut through layers of clothing and thought alike.

“First Light” – A solitary musk ox in the winter dawn.

Photographing the musk oxen wasn’t about capturing a perfect shot. It was an exercise in patience—learning to wait without expectation. Floris’s quiet knowledge of the terrain and the animals allowed us to be present—not intruders, but respectful observers blending into the silence.

“Golden Silhouettes” – Five silhouettes in golden air—stillness and anticipation beneath the mountain silence.

On the final morning, after days of waiting, the vision that had lived in my mind came alive. A small group of musk oxen stood and fought against the rising sun, their fur illuminated in glowing auras as the wind swept snow around them. Light, movement, and presence converged into something ephemeral yet deeply grounding. A moment that could not be captured by force—only received.

“Echo of Horns” – Two male musk oxen clash on the frozen plateau in a powerful display of dominance.

Yet, as the days unfolded, it became impossible to ignore the fragile threads by which this ancient presence hangs. The musk oxen of Dovrefjell, a small and isolated group, number barely 250. Silent heirs of an Ice Age that never fully let go, they endure in a landscape that’s shifting, slowly but relentlessly. Climate changes bring more frequent thawing and icing events, challenging their ability to forage. Genetic isolation raises quiet concerns for their future resilience. But out there, in that moment, they were simply there—resilient, enduring, and present in a way we rarely are.

“Above the Line” – Musk oxen scattered along a windswept ridge—each silhouette a quiet presence beneath the peak.

This journey was never about adding images to a portfolio. It was about standing still beneath an immense sky, feeling the raw pulse of life continuing, undisturbed. Some journeys don’t conclude when you return home. They stay with you—quietly, persistently—shaping how you see the world, and how you carry its stories forward.