Nord Trondelag

[randoskier]

Had a nice tour after a late start due to airline BS. There is a ton of snow in northern Trondelag. My wife and I got ten days of skiing in then I got six more by myself, as she had to get back to work at the (very busy) US Army. The usual mix of Norwegian weather. Saw a lot of old friends in the region and only one other party skiing. We are going back to Norway next month, not sure where, maybe Trondelag again but there was a big warm spell as we left +4 C. Maybe further north in the arctic region. Slept mostly in beautiful cabins, tent on occasion.

[CwmRaider]

Great pics, well capturing the Trøndelag atmosphere.
Yes it was 8 degrees C here today. I fear the worst for the snow at Easter, though we have substantial snow thickness.

[randoskier]

Had a nice tour after a late start due to airline BS. There is a ton of snow in northern Trondelag. My wife and I got ten days of skiing in then I got six more by myself, as she had to get back to work at the (very busy) US Army. The usual mix of Norwegian weather. Saw a lot of old friends in the region and only one other party skiing. We are going back to Norway next month, not sure where, maybe Trondelag again but there was a big warm spell as we left +4 C. Maybe further north in the arctic region. Slept mostly in beautiful cabins, tent on occasion.

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[randoskier]

Great pics, well capturing the Trøndelag atmosphere.
Yes it was 8 degrees C here today. I fear the worst for the snow at Easter, though we have substantial snow thickness.

It's colder in the mountains- for example: today it is 8 degrees C in Snaasa, at Gjevsjoen Fjellgard in the mountains near there they will have a high of -1 degrees today and tonight will be -8, high temperature for the week is forecast at 4 with most days 2 degrees and always freezing at night. It could be worse.

The day I skied out it was snowing on the Skjaeker vatnet and on the whole 11km trail to trailhead. I caught a 1/2 hour ride in a pickup truck down to the the train station at Stenjker and it was pissing rain down there. It was about five degrees colder in the mountains.

I was shocked the Snåsa Fjelstyre actually marked a (one!) ski trail (they are more interested in shooting things, fishing and snowmobiles). So if you are interested in a nice short tour try this- Drive to Snåsa, drive up the Immdalen to Åsa (just a couple of farms), go over the bridge on the right and park. If you arrive late you can just ski 9km over the unplowed dirt road to the Roktjoenhytta (Snåsa fjellstyre/SFS) and sleep there. Next day ski the newly marked trail (they marked the day after I skied it!!!) to Nåvasshytta (SFS) a beautiful ski about 15km marked with bamboo poles. After that a short ski to the Seterthytta (DNT) and then the next day you ski out to the trailhead at the Lustavatnet where you leave another car (1/2 hour drive from Steinjker). You can skip the DNT and just ski out the same way if you are pressed for time. You can also reach Gaundalen fjellgard on an interesting unmarked winter route from the DNT cabin- about 24km.

BTW that gorge by Gressamoen is a well known terrain trap in the Snaasa area, I talked to a lot of local people about it.

[Musk Ox]

We are going back to Norway next month, not sure where, maybe Trondelag again but there was a big warm spell as we left +4 C. Maybe further north in the arctic region. Slept mostly in beautiful cabins, tent on occasion.

9°C in Reisadalen today. 9°!!!! But predicted to get as low as -6° by Thursday, and more snow.

https://www.yr.no/en/forecast/daily-tab ... Reisadalen

Easter in Nordreisa is usually really something. If you haven't been there before, @randoskier, I can very much recommend that.

[randoskier]

We are going back to Norway next month, not sure where, maybe Trondelag again but there was a big warm spell as we left +4 C. Maybe further north in the arctic region. Slept mostly in beautiful cabins, tent on occasion.

9°C in Reisadalen today. 9°!!!! But predicted to get as low as -6° by Thursday, and more snow.

https://www.yr.no/en/forecast/daily-tab ... Reisadalen


Thanks @Musk Ox That looks very nice but it looks very hard to reach without a car! Are there any DNT cabins around there? I love Troms but it is often hard to get around there on public transport.

It looks like my best bets are:

-Kirkenes: I met a farmer from there on my last trip, his sister owns the husky farm in the Pasvik valley. I might ski down the Russian border and into Over Pasvik. Assuming the border stays where it is.

-Also thinking of flying into Lysele Sweden (Amapola Airlines!) and taking a bus for 3hrs to Ammarnas, then skiing up the Vindel River to Dalavardo (a supurb county cabin) and then into Norway by the Virvashytta and skiing to Lonsdal to see my Sami friend there, and fly out of Bodo. .... but I have done that route before, then again it is goregous skiing. It is very snow snow-sure in the Vindalfjall Nature Reserve, I know two couples from Mo i Rana who ski this route in reverse every Mayday. I skied it once until 14 May but that year was exceptional, it was still snowing when I flew out of Hemavan.

I am also thinking of skiing again in Trondelag (but worried about snow quality). Last trip I met a lumberkjack from Sorli who's family has a beautiful remote cabin (Trivasshytta). He said I could borrow it- it is a 15 km ski from Sorli and then 25km ski to the remote farm Gjefsjoen Fjellgard then ski to Holden DNT, then Gaundalen Fjellgard (75 km2!) then there are some options.

I feel bad for the US Marines who crashed in the Gratadalen (Saltfjellet). I have stayed 2x at the DNT cabin in that valley and I had hoped they had reached it after the crash but no survivors. They died in a beautiful place. Those Osprey "planes" are widow-makers.

The Cold Response exercise is not very cold this year! It was also 9 degrees in Kirkenes today!

Planning planning planning with one eye on the thermometer and the other on the airlines, railroads, busses....

[Musk Ox]

Well, it's definitely an adventure getting there. It's a three hour bus from Tromsø, and two flights a day from Tromsø to Sørkjosen airport, which is walking distance from the Reisafjord Hotel. Or the Hurtigbåt to Skjervøy. And then a hire car or another bus... there are plenty of classic DNT huts. It's paradise.

I think you'd need to hire a car, though. Probably the easiest thing would be to hire a car in Tromsø.

9°C in Kirkenes in March is absolutely insane. I don't know what to say.

[CwmRaider]

@randoskier Do you prefer to stay off the main Fjellski tourist routes? Because Hardangervidda, Sylan and Trollheimen are the "classic" Easter tours for central and southern Norway, not without reason.
Trollheimen with a pulk is probably a challenge though, there are some steeper than average traverses.
Watch it with crossing snow covered lakes in Norway this year. There was a long warm period before the big snow falls and the ice below the snow is known to be very sketchy in most places.

[randoskier]

Well, it's definitely an adventure getting there. It's a three hour bus from Tromsø, and two flights a day from Tromsø to Sørkjosen airport, which is walking distance from the Reisafjord Hotel. Or the Hurtigbåt to Skjervøy. And then a hire car or another bus... there are plenty of classic DNT huts. It's paradise.

I think you'd need to hire a car, though. Probably the easiest thing would be to hire a car in Tromsø.

9°C in Kirkenes in March is absolutely insane. I don't know what to say.

Studying my DNT planning map....I only see one DNT cabin in that area- the Nedrefosshytta. 3hr bus from Tromso is easy access! I would never rent a car to have it sit for a week at a trailhead while I ski.
https://ut.no/hytte/10388/nedrefosshytta

I have become quite the expert on mass transit to remote places in Norway over the years. I have used the Hurtigruten ship (Bodo to Hammerfest), boats and other small craft, a helicopter, jets, prop planes, trains, dog-sled, snowmobiles, busses, and my thumb to get to or from ski routes and treks- I have only driven myself once in Norway- rented a car on the Lofoten Islands for four days in the winter time (cod fishing season).

[Musk Ox]

3hr bus from Tromso is easy access! I would never rent a car to have it sit for a week at a trailhead while I ski.

Ah, sorry – it's three hours from Tromsø to the Reisafjord Hotel, not three hours to the national park/trails. The Reisafjord Hotel is our base camp and recovery stop the three times we've been to this region, I don't know why. You'll need to get all the way to Storslett, which is about twenty minutes up the road. The last 50 km from Storslett to Saraelv is the tricky bit. I don't think there's a bus. This is truly the hipster's national park. I'd go as far as to say one of Europe's best kept secrets.

Actually, I think you can ski up to the vidda from Storslett, which would be amazing, bracingly steep with a pulk, but I've never done that. I know for a fact there are trails up there, we talked about doing them. I assume you can strike out from there to the national park, but it'll be 45km or thereabouts. And skiing down (or up) the river along the huts in the national park is one of the best experiences I've had in my life in any mode, including all the drugs and sex, and that river valley with eagles and elk and ermine has to be seen to be believed.

Here's some of the hytte there. https://reisanasjonalpark.no/en/cabins/