Ski Touring in Norway - route (etc.) suggestions please

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 Oo 04 Mar 2017
Oh wise and benevolent UKC hive mind,

Apologies for neglecting you and my mountain activity whilst worshipping the false idol of full time employment.

I seek forgiveness and advice.

I'm looking to take a foursome of a mix of competent (downhill) skiers and mountaineers to Norway for a crack at some touring 8-16 April. We're all new-ish to touring. Ideal itinerary would be some days of hut to hut, a couple of day excursions to peaks, maybe a rest day on piste or doing some other fun activity. Or, an awesome long hut to hut.

Money not much of an issue, also happy roughing it. I've used the DNT huts in summer and still have the key, they're fab, never done a winter excursion though. Currently planning to fly in and then drive... somewhere...

So, does anyone have recommendations of routes to do? Or areas to aim for? Or other sites to look at? Or any advice at all really!

Any and all help greatly appreciated!

Ta, Oo
 Doug 04 Mar 2017
In reply to Oo:

On alpine touring skis or fjellski style cross country ? I've only skied in Norway on the second & found the Jotenheim was a good combination of accessibility, choice of options & good huts. But have always wanted to go much further north to eg Lyngen which sounds great (many threads here if you search a little)
 TobyA 04 Mar 2017
 Mark Bull 04 Mar 2017
In reply to TobyA:
The area immediately around Tromsø (including Kvaløya and Ringvassøya) has some great peaks for day tours - all within an hour's drive from the city, and a bit smaller and less serious than on Lyngen itself, so maybe a good option for a first trip. Also more accommodation available in and around the city. Good English guidebook which makes planning all fairly simple: Ski Touring in Troms by Espen Nordahl: several UK stockists.
Post edited at 12:11
OP Oo 04 Mar 2017
In reply to Doug:

Alpine touring is the kit half of us have; the other pair are hiring.
 Mark Bull 04 Mar 2017
In reply to Oo:

> Alpine touring is the kit half of us have; the other pair are hiring.

Most hut-to-hut touring in Norway is on moderate terrain which will just be a slog on AT gear.
 Doug 04 Mar 2017
In reply to Oo:

From what I've seen and read, if you take AT gear, forget hut to hut touring & base yourself somewhere suitable for day trips on the steeper hills, probably in the north/ far north. There is terrain suited to AT gear in places like the Jotunheim but it'll be an effort to get to/from with a lot of flat/gentle terrain to cross.
 HeMa 04 Mar 2017
In reply to Doug:

> From what I've seen and read, if you take AT gear, forget hut to hut touring & base yourself somewhere suitable for day trips on the steeper hills...

ding ding ding...


Albeit Hurrungane near Jotunheim might possibly offer something akin to hut to hut and still stellar ski-mo action.

That said, Bodö, Narvik, Lyngen and Tamok might offer enough skiing for a 3 or 4 lifetimes each .

One options for accom. is Tamok Huset, in Tamokdalen. Within easy reach of also southern Lyngen. Fly to Troms and drive about and hour or so.

Huset has bunk beds and indusrtial kitchen.
 9fingerjon 05 Mar 2017
In reply to Oo:

I had a similar dilemma last year - we decided on going to Lyngen, but struggled to find accommodation over Easter - a lot of it was fully booked up.

In the end we flew into Oslo and rented a camper van, then had a generally amazing adventure driving around and sampling a bit of skiing in lots of different places. The van was pretty comfy with heating, shower and kitchen, so we were pretty self sufficient as long as we kept filling up water and charging up the batteries (by driving somewhere) We went in a circular route visiting Hemsedal, Hurrungane, Sunnmore and then Romsdalen. All had a lifetimes skiing in them - and there were some amazing looking places like Sogndal that we drove through. Weather and conditions varied a lot - we didn't have a great time in Sunnmore as the weather wasn't on our side. But one of the benefits of the van was that we could just more on - Romsdal being that bit further east seemed drier and colder whilst we were there.

Guidebook wise, we found this http://www.needlesports.com/33756/products/ski-touring-norway.aspx - really useful for the different areas and also had the Romsdal guide.
 Tim_C7 05 Mar 2017
In reply to 9fingerjon:

Where did you get your camper? Sounds like an interesting idea!
 9fingerjon 05 Mar 2017
In reply to Tim_C7:

It was these guys - http://motorhome.no/en/
A bit of a faff getting there from Oslo airport - took the airport transfer bus in towards the centre. About halfway into town, changed on a local bus heading out of Oslo. That dropped me off about 150m walk from the rental place - which is a bit in the middle of nowhere (they suggested taking a taxi - which was a lot more expensive!). I then drove back to the airport and picked up my friends who arrived on a slightly later flight then me.
 JuneBob 06 Mar 2017
In reply to Oo:

Having skied in Lyngen, Lofoten, Møre og Romsdal, Sunnmøre, Sogndal, Hurrungane, Jotunheimen, and a few places in between, they all offer world class ski touring, but Norwegian weather is pretty harsh, and it can be difficult making good calls with regards conditions. You need to be avalanche aware.
Weather forecasts are sketchy, so it's often worth trying, as you can always turn back. You might get a brief break in the clouds for a spectacular view. My first trip to Lyngen we kept turning back 30 minutes too soon, getting down to see the peak basking in sunlight, although it's difficult to keep going when it's windy cold, and you can't see a thing!

As others have said, hut to hut alpine touring isn't so common, with the Jotunheimen haute route an exception (http://xn--hgrutajotunheimen-00b.no/en/ ). Also, Patchellhytta in Sunnmøre has some incredible peaks nearby.
I can't think of any other cabins that are worthwhile staying in rather than renting a holiday house.

The Fry Flytt books are excellent , and a fair few come in English. ut.no has the Norwegian equivalent of ordnance survey maps online, with lots of tours, huts, and general useful stuff described.
This is a good resource for finding holiday homes:
https://www.finn.no/reise/feriehus-hytteutleie/resultat?redirect=mfinn

The best week I've had was in Sunnmøre, staying at Standalhytta - it's most likely sold out for Easter, but you could try. It has some great tours straight from the hut, and then there's a whole bunch of incredible tours within an hour drive.

Lyngen is also incredible, I had a great week last May skiing many of the classic couloirs and also the Jiehkkevarri traverse. Search for

Isfjorden in Romsdal has a whole bunch of excellent skiing, with Kirketaket a Norwegian classic. I've often stayed at Åndalsnes Camping - great value. Kilian Jornet lives in the area and his Facebook feed is full of epic pictures and videos. Watch from 7:00 here and tell me that isn't one of the most amazingly beautiful lines you've ever seen!
http://runningmagazine.ca/video-kilian-jornet-runs-and-skis-77k-seven-summi...

Lofoten is great too, but I didn't have the best conditions to enjoy it when I was there. The conditions may not be so good by mid April. I had to drive a lot to find stuff, but the scenery is great.

I've rarely had great conditions in Sogndal, Hurrungane or Jotunheimen, but I've still had some great ski days.

Have a great trip, and hopefully the conditions are good.
 Stefan Kruger 06 Mar 2017
In reply to Oo:

Lyngen is of course awesome - but everybody else goes there, too! It's like Chamonix.... Go to the Narvik area instead: the most excellent Spanstind is a good first objective for a not-so experienced team - or for a slightly more adventurous outing, try Rombakstøtta - a most scenic mountain (https://goo.gl/images/MmtHve). Within easy driving distance, a life time of touring. Head out to the island of Rolla for the great Lasslitinden. Or head to Senja - a perfect island base with a wealth of peaks out the back door. Or Lofoten... the options are endless. Oh, and easy flights to Harstad. Here's the wife skiing Lasslitinden: http://narvikguides.no/site/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/DSC_0158.jpg

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