Not just the fittest CEO in Silicon Valley, Mark Zuckerberg is also the most adventurous. The 40-year-old fitness enthusiast loves MMA (he shared a clip fighting Alexander Volkanovski and Israel Adesanya, two of the most successful and feared MMA fighters on a floating barge), surfing, aced the Murph Challenge, and now, it seems, heliskiing will be added to his list. Although the Meta boss has not been spotted, his fleet, including the $300 million superyacht Launchpad and the $30 million support vessel Wingman, has been making rounds in a Norwegian fjord, likely making the most of the Easter holidays.
According to NRK.no, the luxury vessels were first anchored off Hellmobotn in Nordland, just over six kilometers from the Swedish border, at Norway’s narrowest point. They have departed from Narvik and are currently in Longyearbyen, the world’s northernmost settlement and a Norwegian territory in the Arctic Ocean. Interestingly, when it comes to heliskiing in Norway, one must apply for a landing permit to land a helicopter, according to municipal leader Børre Johansen of Hamarøy municipality.
However, there is a loophole: no permit is required if the helicopter lands on a boat, explained Johansen. This makes it much easier for the father of three to indulge in some adrenaline-pumping activities in one of the world’s most picturesque and remote corners, all without needing official permissions.
His magnificent 389-footer boasts a helideck, with a helicopter always onboard, so all Zuckerberg needs to do is set his mind to it and hit the go button.
Thanks to his impressive fleet, he could now enjoy downhill skiing or snowboarding, reaching the mountaintop by helicopter instead of a ski lift, in true billionaire flair. In fact, he could even take it a step further by flying from his 387-foot Feadship on the Norwegian side, landing atop a mountain peak in Sweden, skiing down, and boarding the chopper back to Norway. It sounds exactly like something the world’s third-richest man would relish, especially since he has deployed his $330 million fleet all the way from San Francisco to Norway, covering a whopping 4,600 nautical miles (5,300 miles).
Given his well-known love for adventure, it is safe to assume that the tech tycoon might be aboard, turning this possibility into reality rather than it being mere conjecture. After all, this is the same avid surfer who once sent Launchpad on a 4,800-mile journey from San Francisco to Tahiti over 12 days, had them waiting there for over 2 months, and never showed up himself. While Zuckerberg’s whereabouts remain unconfirmed, his vessels are certainly making the most of the pristine Greenland Sea.
Both Launchpad and Wingman have now been in beautiful Norway for over 20 days, according to their AIS data as tracked by MarineTraffic. It is no small feat for a luxury vessel to sail to untouched Hellmobotn. Nestled deep within Norway’s fjord country, it does witness more reindeer than it does superyachts. But for Zuckerberg, that’s the point.
Whether the man worth $173 billion chooses to indulge in some thrilling heliskiing or not, he can still make the most of the stunning locale aboard his magnificent Feadship vessel. With its state-of-the-art gym, wellness center, and expansive beach club offering unparalleled views, Launchpad easily transforms into a floating haven for a fitness-obsessed adventurer like Zuckerberg.
