About the trip - Hardangervidda Crossing

We start at Haugastøl and move from cabin to cabin towards the final destination, which is Haukeli. The daily stages will be around 20 km, which is manageable for most people. We sleep in tents and camp some distance from the DNT cabins. The reason why we stop near the huts is because they form the basis for a nice length of the day's marches, but can also act as security if the weather turns really bad.

You will learn a lot, experience a lot, and long to return when the trip is over. Just the way it should be! Wondering what to do for Easter? Don't despair, we have set up an Easter tour, and are very much looking forward to spending the best time on the mountain with you!

Location

We meet at Haugastøl train station. Haugastøl is easily accessible by both train and car. And we encourage everyone who has the opportunity to take the train to take advantage of this offer. We are also going to make it possible for those who wish to drive together.

Guide 

Your Guide for this trip will be Christian Iversen Styve. Christian has extensive experience skiing in both Greenland and Antarctica. And has spent a lot of time on Hardangervidda over the years to train for longer expeditions elsewhere in the world. If there is one place he prefers to spend Easter in Norway, it is Hardangervidda. Not too cold and with good daylight, the mountain is a mecca when the snow melts lower in the country. If the weather is good, there is hardly a better place to be. A real winter paradise!

Program - Hardangervidda Crossing

Day 1 – Meetup Haugastøl:

We will meet up at Haugastøl train station no later than 4:00 p.m. Here, sleds, tents and other common equipment will be distributed that will be included on the trip. There will also be a review of personal equipment, to be absolutely sure that no one has left anything important at home.

We spend time getting to know each other a bit, studying the map, weather forecast, checking common equipment and talking a bit about the coming days. As soon as everyone is ready to start the trip, we set off to establish the first camp. It will be a short first day, where the focus is to get a feel for the weight of the sled, adjust things that may need to be adjusted, then we will camp in a suitable place well before daylight disappears.

Day 2 – Set course for Krækja

We start the day with a delicious breakfast and hopefully beautiful weather and conditions. The next goal is to approach the DNT cabin Krækkja, but if the weather and snow conditions are very good, it may well happen that we go a bit past as well. But we won't go more than 20 km this day, most likely something shorter than that. Once at camp, we eat dinner, preferably outdoors if the weather permits.

Day 3 – Next stop Stigstuv

It is a long steep hill up from Krækkja that takes us via Halnebotnane towards Halne where we meet Rv 7, which winds its way over Hardangervidda towards Eidfjord. Here we have to cross the road to be able to continue towards Stigstuv. The terrain beyond is slightly steep, but very nice ski terrain. The further we move away from Halne, the more "sense of vastness" we will get. The trip is definitely underway in earnest. We establish camp where it feels natural, whether it is before or after the Stigstuv cabin.

Day 4 – Towards the heart of Hardangervidda

Today the journey continues towards Sandhaug. Beautiful terrain, and wonderful silence with skis on your feet and a smile on your face. We are well into routines and the body is relaxing more and more. It always takes some time to get into routines, but now everything runs on auto and you are even more present than you were at the start. Now you understand what it's really about!

Day 5 – Steady course towards Litlos

The beautiful and endless terrain continues. We enjoy our trip, let our minds wander and certainly have a chat or two along the way. Especially if the weather is good. We walk at a relatively leisurely pace and have plenty of opportunity to take pictures and well-deserved breaks every hour. You have already learned a lot of new things and there will be even more. As usual, we camp not far from the cabin at Litlos. A well-known stop for those who have gone on Expedition Amundsen.

Day 6 – Hellevassbu next! 

After a good night's sleep at Litlosvatnet, we continue southeast towards Kvennsjøen and at the end is the the biggest challenge of the day. The climb up towards Tuevotni, which is just under 200 meters above sea level. A small consolation is that there is a mixture of flat and sloping downhill towards Hellevassbu on the other side. We pass Hellevassbu and camp near Øvre Hellevatnet.

Day 7 – We are getting close to Haukeli

Today's stage will be more hilly than we have been used to earlier on the trip, more like the start of the route we have walked. Our aim is to get to Mannevatn, which lies just before the steep descent to Haukeliseter. In terms of experience, it may be a good idea to rest your body with a good night's sleep before heading down the hill.

Day 8 – Last leg down to Haukeli

Today it will be steep downhill for most of the day before we reach the end of the trip at Haukeliseter. We are taking it easy as we have plenty of time for the last 5-6 km. We set up camp and end with a pleasant evening in Haukeliseter. It tastes extra good with a well-deserved dinner indoors this evening.

Day 9 – Return home

We pack up the camp and get ready to leave. The Haukeliekspressen can take you further in the direction that suits the individual. Towards Bergen at 15:50 and towards Oslo at 13:15.

Practical info - Hardangervidda Crossing

You must be in good enough shape for daily distances of up to 25 km. And in total we will move around 115 km to the finish line. You will pull a 30-40 kg sled. And you should be normally good at skiing. It is certainly an advantage if you have experience with longer ski trips in winter, but it is not a requirement that you have good experience with tents in winter. We help you with everything you need help with in the tent.

This trip is a real challenge for most people, but not so great that it is too demanding to complete. The trip is also perfect for those who are going on an expedition across Greenland, or similar. Or maybe you want to test whether this might be something for you, before you sign up for a longer trip? In any case, we promise you a magical Easter trip across Hardangervidda.

Do you have any questions?

Do you have questions about the trip, or other related matters? Do not hesitate to contact us!

post@pure-madness.com