Global Adventure - Cross-country Ski in Norway

An Oslo hotel is where our trip both begins and ends.  Using train transit from the airport, you will arrive at our downtown hotel on Sunday, February 16^th.  (You will need to depart Seattle on Saturday February 15.)  We return to Oslo on Friday February 28th so that you can fly home on Saturday, March 1.

Itinerary Highlights: 

Our adventure starts with a guided walking tour of the historic city of Oslo to get a taste of Norwegian urban life and visit a few historical and cultural sites before taking train transport to ski country. This tour is included in the price of the trip.

 Our 10-day ski journey starts on the west side of the long Gudbrandsdalen Valley where we will ski sections of the Peer Gynt trail system, in addition to the local trails, from two different hotels. Our Peer Gynt area lodgings provide immediate access to the groomed trail system, at altitudes of 2000-3500 ft.  After three nights in the first lodge, we will then ski to the small settlement of Gala, with a luggage transfer.  We will spend 2 nights at the lodge in Gala and ski new sections of the Peer Gynt trail system.

 Then, we transfer via taxi to the third ski area for three nights, on the east side of the Gudbrandsdelen valley – Trollhaugen Trail territory.  This modern mountain hotel, has a range of ski trails conveniently accessed from the front doorl.  We will ski over mountain plateaus, gentle hills, and around a lake, all with spectacular views of Norwegian winter scenery. Hafell’s trails connect to an extensive trail system so one day we may ski to the village of Norseter to have lunch at a trail side cafe where one could order a famed Norwegian waffle for dessert before skiing back.

 For our final stage, we take a short taxi transfer south to the town of Lillehammer where we will spend the last two nights in an in-city setting to both sightsee and ski. You will be able to walk around this delightful town and experience Norwegian urban life at its finest. There is a wonderfully long pedestrian street to walk along to sightsee, shop and eat all things Norwegian.  On our second day here we will take a taxi to the ski village of Susjoen, which is said to have the best snow in the world. We will ski some of their trails, before ending our day by skiing down the long and lovely section of the world famous Birkebeiner Trail to the ski stadium where we will transfer back to the hotel. 

 As Norway has developed and perfected their ski trail systems over time, their trails are built as an interconnected network that allow you to the next ski village over. This creates an extensive trail network in each area we visit, having over 372 miles (600 km) of trails from which to choose.  Our plan is to ski between 8-15 miles a day, weather dependent.  Most ski days we’ll average between 10-12 miles, and one day we will ski 9 miles from one hotel to the next. The ski trails in the valley are rated from easy to moderate with some opportunities for steeper ascent and descents.

Time of Year:  Mid-February when the northern days are getting a wee bit longer.  The temperatures may range from a bit below 0º to 32º F  this time of year. Perfect classic ski weather temps!

Lodging:  We will stay in 3-star mountain hotels in three different rural locations, right next to the trail systems, as well as in modern hotels in both downtown Oslo and Lillehammer. A couple of the hotels have either a sauna or a pool or both to enjoy after skiing.  Participants will share ‘double occupancy‘ rooms. 

Ski Hot Wax Station: Each mountain hotel offers a ski hot wax station for skiers to hot wax their skis for maximum glide on the trails. All skiers are expected to hot wax their skis. Hot Wax tools, wax, and instruction will be provided before and during the trip.

Food:  Experience the Northern European hearty breads, local fish and meat, the famous Norwegian brown cheese, a variety of root vegetables, yogurt, nuts and seeds, and perhaps even a hot waffle, a Norwegian specialty.  In most of the hotels, vegetarian dinner entrees can be available with advanced notice, but are not common otherwise.  A vegan option may not be available at all locations.  Enjoy traditional Norwegian cuisine at its best!

All breakfasts at our hotels are included in the price of the trip. Additionally, there will be 2 lunches provided and 7 dinners.  Skiers will have the opportunity to purchase snacks or restaurant meals at lunch on the days when lunch is not included.

Ski Level and Pace.  We will classic ski a variety of trails rated from easy to more challenging, up to 15 miles per day. Participants need to have strong intermediate classic ski skills – the ability to control speed on relatively steep and long descents and have the fitness and endurance to ski up to 5 to 6 hours a day, for 9 days in a row. The pace of the group will be intermediate and the group will stay together. There will be opportunities for individuals to take a rest day if needed.   We will keep together as a group, therefore it is important that we all ski at similar intermediate paces.

COVID/Infectious disease avoidance practices:

• Participants and leader(s) must be fully COVID vaccinated to participate in the trip.  This includes the most recent boosters that the participant is eligible for.  We also highly recommend that participants and leaders follow CDC guidance for other vaccinations to protect them (and therefore their fellow travelers) against any respiratory viruses.

 In addition, participants are expected to practice conservative covid virus-transmission  behavior before and during transit to the trip including masking at airport and in planes and avoiding crowded indoor spaces whenever possible.

• All group members are expected to practice good hygiene by washing or sanitizing their hands often, and masking around others if they have a cough, runny nose or are sneezing.
• If anyone in the group begins to experience symptoms of a respiratory virus, including fever, chills, fatigue, cough, runny nose, and headache, or common symptoms of covid not on this list, in the week before the trip or during the trip, they are expected to do a Covid self-test proactively  (this means participants need to carry self-tests), and to let the leader know about their symptoms so that they and the leader can make a decision about them coming or staying on the trip. 

Leader’s Experience: 

Co-leaders are Cindy Hoover and Cheri Solien, who led a 2 week Global Adventure ski trip to Norway in 2023.  This will be the 7th Global Ski Adventure Cindy has led and the 4th GA Ski Trip for Cheri.  Cindy has led Mountaineer ski trips for over twenty years and instructed for the Seattle Branch’s Nordic Ski Courses for a similar period. Cheri is the Nordic Chair of the  Mountaineers’ Tacoma Branch, instructor for Hot Waxing your XC Skis, and is a XC Ski and Hike Leader.

Participant Requirements:

 Must be a current Mountaineers member, with an up-to-date waiver on file.  Participants are asked to complete an application which describes their recent ski experience, identify their ski equipment and describe their fitness/endurance.  Though we will be on groomed trails, due to the possibility of white-outs, you must have the ability to navigate on trails with a map and compass.   Track skis (40-49 mm width) are required for this trip; they can have either fish scales or skins with waxable tips and tails.  NOTE: Your leaders make the arrangements and provide logistics support during the trip, but are NOT tour guides.  As a Mountaineers group we will operate as interdependent, capable skiers making our way together and helping one another succeed and be safe.  

 Required Equipment:  Classic track skis with a width under 50 mm (no metal-edged skis), track boots, and classic poles.  

After receiving your deposit, the leader will send out a series of letters or emails providing information to help participants succeed on the trip, including recommended and required gear, recommended maps and guidebooks.

Trip Price Detail:   

$4300 includes all lodging, Oslo tour, most ground transportation and about 2/3 of our meals.  Your airfare (approx. $1000 as of this writing), transit to and from the Oslo airport ($45), travel and medevac insurance ($75-$500), 7 lunches and 5 dinners (approx. $450) and most tips ($50) are not included, nor are beverages.  The not-included expenses total approx. $1700-$2100. Norway is an expensive country, but is well worth it! 

Participants will pay for their train trips to and from the airport at the start and end of the trip. Otherwise, all ground transportation (train and taxis to our hotels and ski areas) is included in the price of this trip.

Registration Instructions:

Leader approval is required, so prior to registering, please fill out the application form.  Then request the leaders' permission and after receiving it, go to the trip listing and click the REGISTER button to pay the 50% deposit and hold your space on the roster.  Registration will close on December 27, 2024, or whenever the roster fills.  The balance of the trip payment is due by January 10, 2025.

 Cancellation Policy: If you cancel because of an emergency, you may receive a refund less expenses incurred (services prepaid on your behalf) and a $100 administrative fee.  If a person can be found to take your place, the cancellation fees above will not apply except for the $100 Mountaineers admin fee.

 APPLICATION

TRIP AGREEMENT

TRIP RELEASE