During the Easter holidays, a team of 8 staff and cadets, travelled to the Hardangervidda mountain range in Southern Norway, where we were to carry out an arduous cross-country skiing expedition. The aim of the venture was to introduce a novice group of cadets to cross-country skiing and carry out a ski tour expedition in what is classed as one on the great wilderness areas of Northern Europe. The area is quite close to that traversed by the Heroes of Telemark and very similar in its potential for inhospitable weather!
This was an exceptionally fit and well motivated group of cadets, probably the best I have ever had on any previous expeditions. They all responded very well to the challenging cross country skiing and general Arctic survival skills. After completing three day of training the cadets were ready to venture out into the remote snowy wilderness of the Hardangervidda, where we were to embark on a 50 mile 4 day ski borne expedition. On the first day we headed South with each of us carrying a rucksacks weighing about 35lbs. The planned route started at Finse then onto Kraekkja, followed by the unmanned Hytta at Kjejdebu, then a snowhole location and back to our base at Finse.
After our overnight stay at Kraekkja we had to change our plans for the next day, as the weather conditions had deteriorated rapidly. Very strong Westerly winds were now throwing up enormous amount of spindrift, which made visibility and movement in a Westerly direction almost impossible. After looking at the map and discussed our options with the hut manager, to some relief it appeared that the weather wasn’t going to get any worse. We now decided that the obvious option was to head East to the private Hytta at Tuva, which was some 20 km away. It was a fairly flat route, navigation in the clouds of spindrift wasn’t too bad. With a strong wind behind us we covered a normally five hour journey in four. The group travelled so fast that at times we didn’t have to move our skis or push with our ski poles, strangely it was all quite exhilarating even in these tempestuous conditions !
What a delightful and quaint mountain hut Tuva is. Its rustic form certainly had a sense of history about it. Peter the Hut manager and his wife Aileen made us very welcome, providing us with comfortable bunk bed accommodation and some excellent food. Throughout the night the wind clattered the hut with such force that at times it creaked, but it was reassuring that the solid wooden beams were not going to be budged by this howling gale!
In the morning the weather conditions had not improved with gusting winds being recorded at almost 112 KPH. Going to the outside loo was a major task, where the power of the wind almost took ones breath away. One thing was for sure no one was going anywhere! We were not too upset at having to spend another 24 hours at Tuva. Most of the time was spent playing cards, the leader conducted a quiz on Norway with many questions on Nordic Skiing and some Norwegian history……..I am not surprised that no one knew who Vidkun Quisling was! He was a
Saturday, the next day, was a beautiful clear sunny morning. Outside the hut some cadets loitered on their skis, the sun’s rays bounced off the crystal clear snow, with my camera continuously clicking, this certainly was a very special moment. It captured the serenity of the place, unlike the hostilities of the previous day this was a different side of the Hardangervidda: for once it was being kind to us. As we skied on to our snowhole area we had some wonderful views of the surrounding snow covered peaks, especially the Hallingskaret ridge which dominated the skyline. The route was fairly undulating, and the steep downhill sections provided a number of minor falls.
All had enjoyed the creature comforts provided by the mountains huts, but there was now the exciting prospect of building and sleeping in a snowhole.
Using our lightweight shovels, two large entrances about eight meters apart were hewed out of the snow, extending in and down about eight feet. It was now a matter of clearing out an internal chamber, which when completed resembled a small-whitewashed room, or tomb! One entrance was sealed whist the other was reduced in size. The small doorway provided enough room for one person to crawl through. There was enough room to stand up and ample space to accommodate eight sleeping spaces with a cooking area in between. Six hours later all were in their comfortable accommodation cooking a well-earned evening meal. Soon afterwards sleep just seems to come naturally, all twelve hours of it!
Taking into account the awful weather conditions this was a very successful expedition, which all found challenging and enjoyable. These young cadets were quite superb. They were highly motivate, well organized and a joy to be with. For a group who had never previously skied with a heavy 35lb rucksack it was quite an accomplishment. The many Norwegians that we met were equally impressed. No doubt all will remember their experiences for a long time to come.
We would like to thank all those who supported and assisted this expedition especially the Ulysses Trust for their generous donation.