If you are a cross-place skier hunting for a reasonably simple tour in the Norwegian mountains, a single place really worth thinking about is the hill-country to the west of Espedalen, which is a extended valley positioned about 70km to the northwest of the town of Lillehammer.
In the mid-nineteenth century, Espedalen was a incredibly fast paced location, for it was then the world’s major centre for nickel mining, and hundreds of men worked there. But now handful of symptoms of that activity stay, and the valley is tranquil and vacant.
You can access it by getting a early morning prepare from Oslo airport to Lillehammer and then the afternoon bus to Espedalen. The bus drops off at each of the a few inns in the valley. For logistical explanations, it truly is finest to arrange to spend the two the to start with and previous nights of your holiday at a single of these accommodations, because you will almost undoubtedly want to use their transportation at the conclusion of the tour, as we will see. (You may also want to use their transportation at the begin of the tour, maybe to shorten the initial working day.)
After the 1st night in your lodge you can established off on your tour, each individual night staying in cabins managed by DNT, the Norwegian Mountain Trekking Association. All except a single of the cabins in this spot are un-staffed, but they are perfectly equipped with meals, cooking devices and firewood and they have bunks with bedding. The un-staffed cabins are locked, but you can borrow a critical from DNT (immediately after initially starting to be a member of that organisation).
Commonly talking, during the interval amongst mid-February and Easter the routes involving the huts are marked by canes positioned into the snow at standard intervals. But you nonetheless need to be equipped to navigate, just in scenario you stray absent from the canes in negative weather.
There are several probable tour itineraries, but the following edition is rather typical. As you will see, the tour is a limited a person. On the other hand, numerous skiers expend a lot more than one night at each and every hut, and consider the option to do working day-tours with gentle packs.
Phase 1 can take you to Storholiseter cabin, a length of 15 to 20km, relying on your beginning issue. The route goes largely as a result of forests of birch and spruce, until you appear out of the trees a pair of kilometres prior to achieving Storholiseter, which is a cluster of cabins that previously served as an upland farm. The DNT lodging is spread involving two of the cabins: in total there are 18 beds.
Stage 2 normally takes you to Storkvelvbu cabin, a distance of about 12km. On the way you climb slowly to a height of 1200m and you ought to have a great perspective of the Jotunheim Mountains, Norway’s highest, off to your appropriate.
Stage 3 goes to Haldorbu, a 16-bed cabin positioned at 1025m higher than sea stage. The distance is about 14km.
Phase 4 goes to Liomseter (915m), which is a staffed cabin. (Or, at any amount, it is staffed during the busiest element of the touring period, commonly the two weeks running up to Easter. For the relaxation of the winter a smaller portion of it, with just 10 beds, can be employed on an un-staffed basis.) The distance from Haldorbu to Liomseter is about 16km and on the way you lose about 100m in altitude and arrive down beneath the treeline. Liomseter is a pretty big making and when staffed it has a complete of 40 beds, some in modest bunk-rooms, some in a greater dormitory. When staffed it serves foods and you can also delight in the luxurious of a warm shower.
Phase 5 To stop your tour you will ski down to an isolated spot named Synsgardsætra, minor far more than a car or truck park at the finish of a small street, about 15km from Liomseter. Your finest option then is to return to the hotel the place you invested the first night time. By prior arrangement the hotelier will come and collect you from Synsgardsætra and push you again to the lodge. Early subsequent morning you can acquire the bus again to Lillehammer and from there a train to Oslo airport.