Travel information for a winter trip to Norway
Travel info:
Best time for winter tours: End of February to beginning of April
If you are undertaking a winter tour for the first time, you should stick to marked routes and inform yourself well beforehand. ALWAYS carry full emergency equipment such as a bivouac sack, winter sleeping bag and emergency rations, even on hut-only tours. Good orienteering skills are necessary.
Helpful book for normal tours: Conrad Stein Verlag: Norway: Hardangervidda Paperback: 176 pages Publisher: Stein (Conrad); 3rd edition: (J2007) ISBN-10: 3893923411
Journey:
Train: By train via Denmark-Sweden to Oslo and then by bus to Haukeliseter [approx. 6 hours from Oslo]. Advantage: Saves resources. Disadvantages: Time-consuming and, depending on the train crew, problems with the large amounts of luggage.
Plane: Flight to Oslo and then bus as above. Advantage: From Germany, you can reach your starting point within a day. Disadvantages: If you are not planning a hut tour and, like us, want to be self-sufficient for a longer period of time and have a lot of camera and other additional luggage with you, you will have to send the luggage forward by carrier. Poor environmental balance.
Car: Ferry from Larvik in Denmark to Hirtshals in Norway and then another 4-hour drive. Advantage: no organization necessary, amount of luggage unproblematic depending on the car. Disadvantage: long journey, poor environmental balance.
Text and photos: Martin Böhm