UKH

Hi , just wondering if anyone on here has flown out to do the crossing with a pulk?

At the moment we are planning on flying to Bergen and catching the train to Finse on the same day with a couple hours in Bergen.
 

The thinking behind this is if we bring our own kit we will  avoid any major repacking if we were to get pulks arriving in Norway . We will also be flying out of Olso so I’m not sure it would be possible to rent in Bergen then drop off Rjukan ?

Any info or advice welcome 

Better still If anyone on here has completed the crossing and would be up for me picking their brains about some logistical stuff over a few beers , granted you live in Scotland , I’d be keen to arrange ?

Ps. I know taking a pulk isn’t the best idea and could do it in a much lighter/faster style using the huts . However this trip is being treated as a learning process for future trips 

Cheers 

Adam 

Whilst not ideal, I can recommend taking a plastic kiddies sledge. Much better than a pulk. Smaller,less heavy and restrictive, a bit annoying when going downhill as they will try to overtake you, but so much easier to handle overall.

Oh, and very cheap. A fiver from the filling station.

Hi Aquinn

I've not done the Hardangervidda crossing but have done some pulk pulling in Svlabard. We bought 'Paris Pulks' from Skipulks in the US. I spent ages looking at all the options and these are the best value for money you can buy really. You will spot the orange colour in loads of photos of people pulk pulling. Skipulk seem to do a new one called the 5' Siglin which looks very nice but not seen them used on any trips yet. Get the split pole version so you can put the poles in the ski bag. Flying with pulks is pretty easy really, they are pretty light and stack into themselves. Just shrink wrap them. Take the pulk bag in your normal holiday hold-all and re-pack at the start. 

The book 'Polar Exploration: A Practical Handbook for North and South Pole Expeditions' has lots of useful information and also join the 'Terra Glacialis' group on FB. There are some incredibly experienced people on it that are always happy to answer questions.

Enjoy!

I’ve done a few trips up in north Norway with kid’s plastic sled pulks and they work really well if you make rigid traces with plastic electrical conduit and an old harness belt.  You can then ski down with them and traverse slopes  without them tipping over. There are various instructions on the internet on how to make these. They weigh nothing and can be packed easily for flying. 
They do take some fine tuning to get rigid enough traces. Also get ones with ridges on the bottom for tracking and pack your stuff as low as possible.

Hi,

we did N to S a couple of years back, mostly using self catering huts. Carried our gear. Fabulous remote trip.

happy to have a chat if you want to mail me direct.

I flew from Scotland to Oslo, got the train to Finse, skiied across the plateau to Rjukan. I took a pulk, my skis and a big rucksack on the plane and bought two litres of petrol in a filling station once I'd landed. 

Once I was in Rjukan I booked a bus to get to Oslo in time for my flight, but cancelled it as a guy on an ice climbing course offered me a lift. The bus wasn't too expensive, IIRC. 

If you're staying in huts, try and avoid taking a pulk. But if you're camping out (as I was), the advice on this thread is pretty good so far. Make sure you have a good harness. I was using something I'd made from some milsurp webbing and, while it did the job, it wasn't particularly comfortable. I've since made one (doable with an industrial sewing machine, some climbing webbing, 1000d cordura and buckles) that's based on the Aiguille Alpine/Snowsled harness design and is a lot comfier. 

Enjoy your trip.