Here you will find useful information related to our tours, and about skiing in the Norwegian mountains in general.
You will find additional information connected for each tour. Most tours are self-guided for individuals.
See Terms of Conditions regarding booking, payment, cancellation etc.
Self-guided tours
Our favourite concept is self-guided tours, including luggage transfer, accommodation and meals. This means going on your own and determining your own speed. You can take a break, shortcut or detour whenever you want. After an adventurous day outdoors, you will arrive for a good dinner and a good night's sleep before moving on the next day.
Before you start a self-guided tour, you will get a tour description, maps and an equipment list (suggestions).
You won’t meet any from our company during the tour, and we are not located in the area. You can always reach us on phone no. +47 91725200.
Although the tours run on set dates, and there are others who have booked the same tour/dates, you may not see them during the day. You will meet at the accommodation sites. Sometimes people agree to ski together as a group.
Price and what’s included in the price
See details listed in the websites for each tour.
Usually, you get:
- Accommodations
- Most meals
- Some transfer (train or boat)
- Luggage transfer
- Maps
- Tour description
Prices are based on double rooms or apartments (min. 2 persons).
Ski rental
Ski rental is not included in the basic price but can be arranged through our office.
Accommodations
In general, you stay in hotels with good facilities, but there will be a variation in standard of rooms/apartments.
At some tours along the Troll Trail you will stay overnight in a DNT self-service cabin. This cabin does not have an indoor toilet, or a shower and you must carry water from outside.
The cabin is fully stocked with duvets and pillows, but you must bring your own hut sacks, also known as hut sleepers, or sleeping bags, and a small towel. Please follow the cabin regulations and traditions (i.e. cleaning before leaving and signing the cabin-journal).
Meals
Most tours include breakfast, self-packed lunch from the breakfast-buffet and, filling of your own thermos with tea or coffee. Dinner is also included. Some of the hotels have Norwegian buffet. See each tour for details. You can't expect to find anywhere to buy food or enjoy an indoor meal along the trails.
The DNT self-service cabin is stocked with provisions including tinned goods, Instant Coffee, Tea bags, rye crispbread and powdered soup packets. The selection may vary and sometimes we experience that the storage misses a few things. The food storage in the cabin does not contain any fresh food, like vegetables or bread. You must prepare your own meals and clean up after you.
Transfers
See details listed in the websites for each tour whether transfers are included or not. Most of our tours include transfer from/to Oslo Airport Gardermoen.
Luggage transfer
Except when you go to and from the DNT self-service cabin (The Troll Trail), you will only need to carry a day pack whilst skiing.
Make sure your luggage has a name tag with your name and phone number. Please use the luggage tag which is included in the information pack that you receive from Discover Norway.
Your main luggage will be transferred between the accommodation sites. Luggage will be transferred in cars and small vans, so please keep both size and weight of luggage to a respectable limit of about 15 kg, and only one bag per person. You will be required to bring your own luggage to the front desk every day.
It may be possible to follow the car from one hotel to the next, if necessary. Ask at the reception at the hotel/guest house. Depending on what kind of transportation they can offer, you may be charged for it.
Your luggage is transferred at your own risk, and you must have insurance covering damage or loss. Valuables with low weight and great value, such as money, jewelry, cameras, passports, credit cards etc. should always be kept with you.
Level of difficulty
You need some experience to join our ski tours. You can start by joining a ski guiding program at Venabu.
⦁ The Peer Gynt Trail and the Jotunheimen cross-country trail are suitable for people with normal good condition and some skiing experience.
The tours run in gentle terrain and groomed tracks.
⦁ The Troll Trail from Høvringen to Lillehammer requires that you are well trained and have more experience. You must be able to use map and compass and have the right clothes and equipment for rough high mountain terrain. This tour has some demanding day trips in open mountain terrain where the trails are ungroomed and only marked with bamboo-sticks.
⦁ The Explore Rondane tours are quite gentle and suitable for families and people of all ages and in moderate shape.
For all tours, you must sign our booking form agreement to confirm that you participate at your own risk.
Please note that you must have the appropriate insurance, covering every possible accident. The insurance must cover helicopter rescue, repatriation and medical costs.
Information provided
After booking, you will receive an email with:
- Confirmation/invoice
- A simplified itinerary with information about the different accommodation sites
- Information about credit card payment.
- A booking form for you to fill in and return to us.
When we have received your final payment, about one month ahead of departure, you will get an e-mail with:
- Copy of vouchers and necessary travel documents
- Detailed tour description with equipment list
- Link to digital maps
When you arrive at your first accommodation, you will get an envelope with original documents:
- Original vouchers and necessary travel documents
- Detailed tour description with equipment list
- Tour maps
- Tags for the luggage transfer
What to bring
Before starting on your self-guided tours, you get an equipment list (suggestions) from us.
The weather in the mountains can change rapidly, and you should always be prepared for bad weather, also on sunny days. Dress according to the weather conditions and your own level of activity, this to keep up the body temperature and avoid too much sweating. Protect your head, neck, abdomen and ankles; these are the most vulnerable body parts and the main artery is close to the skin.
Period - Weather conditions
The trails are normally marked from the beginning of February until just after Easter. Our ski tours run in areas with stabile winter climate and temperatures between 0°C and -15°C.
February: The snow is normally dry and perfect for skiing, but you'll have short days and cold temperatures. The mountain climate is dry, and if you are properly dressed the temperatures are usually no problem. Keep moving and put on extra clothing when taking a break. About 8 hours of daylight.
March - April: All kinds of snow conditions can be expected, both dry and wet snow. You will have more hours of daylight and often sunny. About 10-13 hours of daylight.
Please note that Discover Norway AS is not responsible for the weather conditions. Sometimes the weather makes it impossible to ski due to safety reasons. Alternative transport on such days may incur additional charges.
Mobile phone - Signal & reception
Having your mobile phone with you might be helpful in emergency situations. But please note that the landscape inflects on the reception. There is not always a signal. In emergency situations you can seek reception by climbing a hill.
Do not make any appointments about when to call your family and friends, you might be in areas without signal at the agreed time.
Bring necessary charging equipment.
Keep your phone warm – it makes the batteries last longer.
Please do not rely on your mobile phone as your most important emergency equipment.
Health
For almost all medicines, you need a prescription. Foreign prescriptions are not valid in Norway, so be sure to bring the medicines you need. Norwegian cities have relatively few pharmacies. In cites with about 30 000 inhabitants, you will find 2-3 pharmacies. At the countryside there are often prescription free medicaments at the grocery store. Every village have a doctor’s office.
Norway is an EEA member. If you bring an official European Health Insurance Card you are entitled to the same medically healthcare as any Norwegian inhabitant.
Banks and credit cards in Norway
You find banks only in cities. Opening hours are usually Monday to Friday 9AM – 3PM, Thursdays 9AM – 5 PM, Saturdays and Sundays closed. There are a lot of cash points which all take Visa and MasterCard. They are usually open around the clock. You can pay with a credit card almost in any shop, restaurant and hotel.
Public transport
Norway has a good developed and corresponding network of interregional-, regional- and local buses, going all over the country. It is no problem to connect to our trips in different parts of Norway. We are happy to help you with the planning.
The Norwegian railway network is not so good developed. The main routs run north from Oslo to Trondheim and from Trondheim to Bodø, and west from Oslo to Bergen. The trains are modern, with air-condition and comfortable seats. Additionally, the train trip offers you great view over valleys, mountains, lakes and fjords.V
The Norwegian Nature Diversity Act
The act has the purpose of protecting biological, geological and landscape diversity and ecological processes through conservation and sustainable use, and in such a way that the environment provides a basis for human activity, culture, health and well-being, now and in the future.
The act allows you to ski wherever you want, as long as nothing else is announced. This gives numerous possibilities for exciting excursions! Private ground and cultivated land however, should not be trafficked, and…
- Nature must not be damaged!
- Always bring back your litter, never throw rubbish outdoors
- There might be stricter access to protected areas
- Show respect for people and animals
The Norwegian mountain code
Norway is an incredible place to explore. Before you enter the outdoors, get familiar with the nine simple rules of the Norwegian mountain code to help you stay safe.
1 - Plan your trip and inform others about the route you have selected.
⦁ Plan your trip based on your abilities, and always include alternative options.
⦁ Obtain current information about the area and the weather conditions.
⦁ Listen to the advice of seasoned mountaineers where possible.
⦁ Ensure you have sufficient knowledge and practical skills to complete the trip.
⦁ Respect the natural environment. Plan ahead and don't leave any litter.
2 - Adapt the planned routes according to ability and conditions.
⦁ Assess the conditions continuously and adjust your plans accordingly.
⦁ Travelling with others is safer and means you'll have someone to share your experiences with.
⦁ Do not embark on a long trip without sufficient experience.
⦁ You must be able to take care of yourself.
⦁ Make sure your group maintains an open and direct line of communication at all times.
3 - Pay attention to the weather.
⦁ Always check the weather forecast and to see what impact they have on the area.
⦁ Follow the advice and choose alternatives when conditions are too demanding.
⦁ Check the conditions on yr.no and storm.no.
⦁ Monitor the development of the weather and avalanche conditions along the way. Bear in mind that plans may need to be adjusted.
4 - Be prepared for bad weather and frost, even on short trips.
⦁ Dress appropriately for the weather, and the terrain.
⦁ Remember that the weather changes quickly in the mountains. Bring extra clothing.
⦁ Extra food and drink can help save lives, if the trip takes longer than planned or you have to wait for help.
5 - Bring the necessary equipment so you can help yourself and others.
⦁ In the winter, you need a wind sack/bivy sack (and sometimes also a shovel so that you can spend the night outdoors if you have to).
⦁ Bring a first aid kit so you can help yourself and others.
⦁ Mobile phones can be a useful tool but remember that they don't work in all situations and areas.
⦁ If an accident occurs, alert the police at 112, go to get help or try to notify someone with other means.
6 - Choose safe routes. Recognize avalanche terrain and unsafe ice.
⦁ Be aware that avalanches can start in drops higher than five meters and steeper than 30 degrees.
⦁ Even if you walk in flat terrain, you can trigger an avalanche on the mountainside above you.
⦁ An avalanche dropout zone can be three times the height of the drop.
⦁ Avoid terrain traps, such as narrow gorges. Consider what will happen if there is an avalanche.
⦁ Be aware that a cornice can break off when you walk on a mountain ridge.
(No risk if you follow the groomed and marked trails)
7 - Use a map and a compass. Always know where you are.
⦁ A map and compass are essential basic equipment that always works.
⦁ Pay attention to the map even when hiking on a marked trail.
⦁ Knowing where you are on the map makes for a better hiking experience.
8 - Don’t be ashamed to turn around.
⦁ Evaluate your route continuously.
⦁ If conditions become difficult, choose your best alternative long before you or your group members become exhausted.
⦁ Have the circumstances changed? Should you turn around?
9 - Conserve your energy and seek shelter if necessary.
⦁ Adjust your hiking speed to the weakest member of the group, and make sure that everyone can keep up.
⦁ Remember to eat and drink frequently. When you exert yourself, your body needs more fluids than you may feel you need.
⦁ Don't wait until you are exhausted before you seek shelter. Strong winds will tire you out quickly.
⦁ Use your wind sack or dig a snow cave before it's too late.
About the mountain code
The mountain code was introduced after a number of accidents and deaths during Easter 1950. The mountain code has since become part of the Norwegian cultural heritage.
The updated mountain code is suitable for all seasons and is a good guide in both the planning and the implementation of shorter and longer trips.
Common sense in the mountains isn't just about what you should and should not do. It is about having a conscious relationship with nature, the choices you make and your actions. This is why the mountain code is laid out as a learning circle: from planning to meeting the group and assessing the current conditions. Then adjust your plans based on what you experience on the hike. Reflection is the most important thing.
We welcome you to Norway and an unforgettable winter vacation!
Discover Norway AS is not responsible for typographical errors in the program.
