06-12/03/16 Activity: FVMC Member on XC hut to hut Ski Trip, Skarvenheimen Region, Norway

If you like going from hut to hut over extensive, guid quality snow, then Norway is the place to go and skis are the way to do it. Unfortunately with MM busy decorating his house and naebody else around wi narrow skis I decided to book on a guided trip run by The Telemark Ski Company, https://www.facebook.com/TheTelemarkSkiCompany. This must have been about my tenth trip over the years to Norway but only the second one guided. The week did not disappoint. There were many more sunny days than forecast, the temperature remained low (-10 to -3 deg C) and the high winds failed to materialise. The benefits of using a guide are that you are likely to cover much more ground, learn many useful techniques and meet a range of different people. The downside is the added cost which can be considerable. We were a small group of 6 x clients and one leader, covering 75 km and about 1490 m of ascent. I would recommend such tours. Although I love skiing in Scotland such trips abroad are worth years of Scottish skiing, where the heather often competes with the snow cover for attention and sparks are visible from MM's metal ski edges as we battle along a snow/ice packed track late at night!

Our start point - Finsehytta - with Hardangerjokulen in the background.

Looking north through 'The Church Door'.

...and through to the other side.

Second last day having left Lungsdalshytta