Sverre Hjelmeland
Photographer
IFMGA / UIAGM / IVBV Certified Mountain Guide (NORTIND Tindevegleder)
Born in 1981 in Sunnfjord, Norway, Sverre Hjelmeland’s life and work are rooted in friluftsliv—a deep, cultural relationship with nature shaped early by his parents through fishing and time outdoors. This foundation continues to inform both his photographic practice and his professional life in the mountains.
Hjelmeland received his first serious camera in 1995, a well-used Canon A1. The camera was later lost in a rockfall on Store Skagastølstind—Norway’s highest alpine summit—an early moment that fused photography, risk, and the high mountains into a single narrative.
By the mid-1990s, he had begun glacier guiding on Jostedalsbreen, discovering a lifelong calling: working with people in nature. In parallel, he became involved in volunteer rescue services, a commitment that continues today through education and training across professional rescue organizations.
In 1999, Hjelmeland produced his first photographic series during a high-altitude climb and extended hitchhiking journey through South America. Following military service as a medic, he joined Norges Høgfjellskole and later began teaching leadership and learning at the Norwegian Military Academy—work he still values deeply.
Alongside guiding and education, Hjelmeland entered film and motion production in the early 2000s. In 2004, he developed an educational program designed to help teachers create meaningful, experience-based learning in nature—an initiative he considers among his proudest achievements.
In 2006, he completed his NORTIND mountain guide certification and joined Norgesguidene AS, Norway’s most respected alpine guiding company, later becoming one of its owners. The company was operated with a flat, collaborative structure, reflecting shared values of trust and responsibility.
Fatherhood marked a new chapter. In 2009, with the birth of his first son, Gaupe, Hjelmeland settled in Sunnmøre, in Norway’s alpine fjord landscape. His second son, Falk, was born in 2018. The family lives in the yellow house in Sæbø—drop by for coffe!
Today, Sverre Hjelmeland works selectively, choosing projects that offer meaning, curiosity, or joy. His days move fluidly between high alpine terrain and quiet fjords: ice axes and backcountry skis, leadership education, fly-fishing for salmon, rowing traditional boats, photography, film, good food, deep conversations, galleries, and concerts.
He is fully certified as an IFMGA / UIAGM / IVBV mountain guide—the highest international qualification in the profession.
He only does work he enjoys—or believes truly matters.
Link to: The Stetind Decleration
