Cross country skiing in Norway

Donning a pair of skis and gliding across pristine landscapes is the ideal way to experience Norway’s winter season. Often overshadowed by its flashier, faster paced downhill sibling, cross country skiing is written in Norway’s very DNA. An essential means of transport across the wilderness for thousands of years, it made the transition to winter recreation as early as the 1800s, and you’ll find everything from groomed slopes to remote backcountry paths criss-crossing incredible places inaccessible by road.

Our Norwegian cross country skiing vacations concentrate on lesser visited ski spots that are popular with local people rather than large alpine ski areas that draw international crowds and rely on ski lifts, graded pistes and fake snow. In this way, not only will you lessen your environmental impact, you’ll meet local Norwegians and get plenty of off-path action, where the only tracks you’ll encounter are those of elk and deer.

There are vacations available for all levels of skier, from beginner to advanced, with beginners receiving tuition at the start. Some tours are center based, meaning that you’ll return to the same bed every night, after exploring different areas of the local terrain each day, with an experienced guide along for the ride. Others involve self-guided cross country skiing from point to point, with nights spent in mountain lodges and your luggage transferred for you. The latter are tougher, with more time spent out on the snow, and therefore only suitable for those with some prior experience.

All of our cross country skiing breaks are small group vacations, meaning that you’ll have a small band of between four and 16 fellow travelers with whom to share the highs, lows and aches and pains along the way.