Rampen Makes Bodø’s Coast the New Gateway to Adventure

“What we’re starting now is adding three new RIB boats to the new quay below Ramsalt. We currently have two and have ordered a third,” says Rampen’s general manager, Vegard Skar.

The boats will make the region’s coastal landscape more accessible, connecting city and nature directly from the sea.

“We’ll use the boats to take people straight from Ramsalt to the fantastic destinations nearby – from Arnøy Brygge to Helligvær, Saltstraumen, and Kjerringøy, to name a few. These are our historic sea routes, and we want to showcase them to visitors. The Bodø region is spectacular from the water, and now we’ll make places that are otherwise difficult to reach more accessible,” says Skar.

A Window In and a Door Out

After establishing the Via Ferrata and guided mountain tours just outside Bodø, Rampen is now turning its gaze to the sea. Starting in August, they will open a staffed Adventure Hub in Ramsalt – an inviting meeting point where both locals and visitors can get help finding the right experiences, ask questions, and book trips.

“This has been missing in Bodø – a place where you can actually walk in, get information and guidance, whether you’re a tourist or a local. Now we’ll have a welcoming physical space to meet people, inspire them, and lower the threshold for getting out into nature,” says Svein Inge Sjøbu, who joined Rampen in 2022 and is now responsible for developing the company’s portfolio of experiences.

For Rampen, the initiative is also about safety and reliability, values they see as crucial to making Bodø a place where people want to stay, not just pass through.

“We want people to be able to trust us. If you’ve booked a trip, it will happen, even if only two people have signed up. That kind of reliability makes it easier to choose Bodø as a base for exploring the region and spending more time here,” says Sjøbu.

Testing New Adventure Concepts

With Ramsalt as their base, Rampen is developing completely new experiences that creatively combine mountain and sea. One concept they have tested is rappelling from a mountaintop directly into a waiting RIB boat.

“It worked brilliantly. You’re up there, geared in climbing equipment with that incredible view, and then you rappel straight into the boat. Suddenly you’re on the sea. It was a mega-experience,” says Skar enthusiastically.

They are now considering making these combination tours a permanent part of their offering.

“Blending climbing, mountains, sea, and transport into full-day adventure experiences is a key part of Rampen’s strategy to help build Ramsalt into a hub for year-round, nature-based tourism in Bodø,” says Skar.

Ramsalt as a Launch Point and Vision

For Rampen, Ramsalt was a natural choice, not only because of the new quay and facilities, but also because it allows them to create a holistic and responsible adventure destination right in the heart of the city.

“We’ve been thinking about boats for Rampen for a long time, but until now, there was no place to keep them. When Morten Jakhelln and Hundholmen Byutvikling presented their plans for the quay and sauna facilities, we realized this was an opportunity we couldn’t say no to,” says Rampen chairman Trond Eirik Paulsen.

For Paulsen, former PowerOffice founder and now investor and driver behind Rampen, the project is about more than infrastructure and logistics.

“We want to build a quality destination  on the terms of locals and of nature itself. We’re not aiming to become a machine pushing through as many tourists as possible. We want to build slowly, carefully, and with great respect for nature,” says Paulsen.

He highlights both the potential of the Bodø region and the responsibility that comes with it.

“We have fjords, mountains, archipelagos, and five national parks right outside our windows. It’s a miniature Norway. But the potential is underdeveloped. We need to take this seriously and do it sustainably,” he says.

The goal is to use Bodø’s natural capital in a way that respects the place, creates memorable experiences, and at the same time builds a sustainable tourism industry for the future.

“Globally, tourism accounts for around 10 percent of GDP. In Norway, it’s less than five. In Bodø, it’s even lower, despite being one of the most stunning natural regions in the world. That says something about the potential, and the responsibility,” Paulsen notes.

From PowerOffice to Experience Design

Paulsen helped build PowerOffice into one of Norway’s most modern and user-friendly accounting systems. In 2022, he sold his shares and made a conscious decision to apply his tech-world expertise to something entirely different, but with the same core philosophy.

“When I worked in software, the end-user experience was always the focus. It was about simplifying complexity, making it easy to use, and creating something people genuinely enjoyed working with. Now we bring that mindset into nature. It’s the same logic: we want to inspire. We want to make it easy to choose, easy to join, and to create experiences that stay with people, in their memory and in their body,” he says.

This shift from digital user experience to physical experience design is at the heart of Rampen’s strategy. With Ramsalt as its base, and a focus on quality, accessibility, and nature-centered guiding, the company is creating products and holistic adventures that make it easier for both visitors and locals to experience the very best of Salten, from mountain to fjord.

“People don’t need more things they long for presence. We want to create experiences that make people feel. That’s when the adventure truly stays with you, and that’s what we’re aiming for,” Paulsen says.

From Action to Stillness

For Rampen, meaningful adventures are not just about speed and adrenaline, but about balance. From their new base at Ramsalt, Rampen will create seamless transitions between city and nature, between achievement and tranquility.

“Soon, we’ll have all the pieces in place. The mountains behind us, the sea in front, the RIB boats at the Ramsalt quay, the sauna village, the hotel... all within reach,” says Paulsen.