Cross-Country Skiing in Skåbu, Norway

Cross-Country Skiing in Skåbu, Norway Trip Notes

Ways to Travel: Guided Group
Destination: Norway
Programmes: Winter
8 Days: Land Only
Ages: 16+
Trip Code: CXS

Trip Overview

Find ski heaven in this little-known Norwegian village – our guides have the inside track on all the best trails

When it comes to cross-country skiing, the low-mountain village of Skåbu, Norway, is the best place you’ve never heard of. Wedged between three national parks, it offers extraordinary diversity in its well-maintained trail network, with easy tracks through sheltered forests and more demanding routes that climb higher into the open mountain plateaus. Explore them with expert guides, who craft a flexible itinerary based on the local conditions and group’s skill level. In the evening, return to the welcoming Skåbu Fjellhotell, enjoying the delights of its standout gourmet restaurant – just reward for a day on the skis.

Please note: Each departure has two different ski grades and two guides. Check the Dates & Prices tab to ensure you book the right trip for your skill level. For more on our ski grades, check the Essential Info tab.

At a Glance

Accommodation: 7 Superior nights (Skåbu Fjellhotell)
Six days of guided cross-country skiing
Group normally 4 to 14, plus leader. Minimum age: 16
Transfers by train and minibus

Highlights

Explore one of Norway’s most snow-sure winter destinations with terrain to suit all levels
Join skiers at the same skill level as you, allowing you to develop your abilities together
Benefit from a flexible itinerary, crafted by our expert guides based on local conditions
Dine on gourmet dishes each night, created by an award-winning chef
Gaze at the stars on a Dark Sky experience as you hike with snowshoes

Is This Trip for You?

Each departure has two grades of skiing, ranging from Beginner to Advanced. The specific grades vary depending on the departure (trips could be: Grades 1 and 2, Grades 2 and 3, or Grades 3 and 4). Please check the Dates & Prices tab to ensure you are picking the right week for your skill level. Please contact us ahead if you prefer to assess which grade is more suitable to your physical conditions and ski experience. For most of the skiing, you are on full-day tours, returning at the end of the day.

Below is a guide to the different grades:

Grade 1 Beginners: Equivalent to Activity Level 1 (Easy)

A week for complete beginners. We start with the basics, including how to stop using the snowplough technique and how to turn. You are on skis for at least five to six hours a day with a focus on learning, getting comfortable on skis and building towards longer tours through the winter landscape. This grade is recommended to people who have not skied cross country before or only skied for a couple of days.

Grade 2 Improvers: Equivalent to Activity Level 2 (Easy & Moderate)

These weeks are ideal for those who have enjoyed at least one Grade 1 adventure and grasped the basics, including a snowplough and kick turn. They offer coaching to refresh and improve technique and typically ski a little further than Grade 1 weeks, and over more varied terrain. In some cases, these weeks are acceptable for newcomers to cross-country skiing. Beginners should be very fit and proficient in sports that develop balance. Please contact us if you wish to book a Grade 2 trip but have not skied before.

Grade 3 Intermediates: Equivalent to Activity Level 3 (Moderate)

A Grade 3 week is ideal for those looking to push on, tackle some slightly steeper terrain and cover more ground each day. Typical groups will have a few weeks of skiing behind them, be very comfortable with the basics including snowploughing and kick turns, and happy on longer day tours. There will still be coaching on these weeks, at the required level.

Grade 4 Advanced: Equivalent to Activity Level 4 (Moderate & Challenging)

Choose this grade if you can tackle ‘ups and downs’ competently, manage a controlled snowplough descent, execute kick turns on steeper slopes and ski at a lively pace. You should also be able to get up swiftly and easily by yourself after a fall. The mix of track and off-track skiing varies.

Worth knowing

Ski style: We use ‘classic’ cross-country skis for this trip as the terrain is more suitable for this style. However, ‘skating’ cross-country skis are also available at no extra cost. We need to know your height, weight, and normal shoe size at the time of booking.
Bringing your own skis: You can choose to bring your own skis; however, please check with us first to ensure they are the correct type of skis and boots and are suitable for this itinerary. If you book flights with us, there may be an extra equipment cost to ship them.
Ski pass: It is not necessary to purchase a ski pass as there is no charge to use the tracks.

Following a review of all our trips we have categorised this trip as generally not suitable for persons of reduced mobility. However if you are a regular traveller on such trips, please contact customer services to discuss the trip and your personal condition.

Group

To explore the Skåbu landscapes, we have two expert ski guides per trip. The hotel owner is our main ski guide and acts as the tour leader, managing the transfers to/from Vinstra train station on arrival and departure.

Adult min age: 16

Min group size: 4

Max group size: 14

Itinerary

Land Only

Start City: Skåbu
End City: Skåbu

Land Only Itinerary

Begin your adventure in Skåbu, a small Norwegian village thought to be named after Skadi, the Norse goddess of skiing and hunting.

Around 8pm, say hallo to your tour leader and fellow travellers, when we gather as a group for the first time to get to know each other and learn more about the adventures ahead.

Your tour leader then ensures a big Norwegian welcome by arranging dinner at the hotel, our first taste of the gourmet offerings put together by head chef Lukasz B. Socha.

Want time in Oslo? Secure pre-tour hotel nights through your sales representative.

Meals included: Dinner

Explore the wonderous snowy landscapes of Skåbu on our cross-country ski adventure! We have a flexible itinerary, expertly crafted by your guides to optimise for local conditions and the group’s overall ability, though there is on- and off-track skiing all week.

We have a ski fitting on the morning of Day 2 and start skiing on flatter areas to learn the basic techniques or rediscover our ski legs, before we adapt our skills to the off-track terrain. Trails are prepped as soon as snow falls, many of them ideal for less experienced skiers. Our routes are changeable but could include going through sheltered birch forest and up into the mountains for magnificent panoramas.

Returning to our hotel each evening, we enjoy storytelling in the living room before dinner. Most nights we have an innovative two-course meal; on Day 7, however, we enjoy a five-course gourmet menu – the perfect send off for a week of thrilling cross-country skiing.

Dark Sky experience: On one night (chosen by the tour leader based on weather conditions), we embark on a two-hour Dark Sky experience. Together, we go up into the mountains behind the hotel in snowshoes (or on foot depending on snow and ground conditions). During the experience, our guide tells us about stars in Norse mythology and illuminates us on navigation in the Stone Age and Viking eras.

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

We’ve explored the snowy landscapes of Skåbu by ski, tucked into gourmet dinners and enjoyed a Dark Sky night and Norse stories, but now it’s time to bid farewell and begin our return journeys home. Make sure to pack a lunch from the buffet breakfast for your travels!

If you’d like more time in Oslo to explore the capital of Norway, speak to your sales representative about extending your stay.

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch

Accommodation

Skåbu Fjellhotell, Skåbu

This welcoming boutique hotel, run by Jannike and Henrik, is your home away from home in Norway’s highest permanently inhabited village, Skåbu. They took over the Cooperative building, once the village’s meeting point, after it fell into disrepair, revamping it and breathing new life into the property.

It now offers 12 cosy double rooms in the heart of the community, offering easy access to the mountains and forest trails around the village.

It’s also home to the innovative Restaurant Skadir, where we dine in the evenings. It showcases the produce of the Norwegian mountains through gourmet meals made of locally sourced ingredients, including produce from the hotel farm.

Worth knowing

Each room at Skåbu Fjellhotell has a spacious double bed (180cm wide).
Solo passengers can book their own bedroom connecting with another (shared bathroom) for no extra cost on a ‘first come, first served’ basis. There is a limited number of connected double rooms. If these are already taken, or you’re travelling solo and would prefer your own room with private bathroom, a single supplement is applicable.
Bedding uses the Scandinavian sleep method, in which two people share a bed but use two separate duvets.

Single supplement from 600 €

Food & Drink

Dinners are mostly two-course gourmet menus, put together by award-winning chef Lukasz B. Socha, though we have a five-course menu on the final night.

His food is solely created from local produce (most of it from the hotel farm). For example, you might be served Skåbu elk with mashed potatoes and vegetables, plus cheesecake for dessert. All meals are served with bread, and the hotel is experienced in serving hungry skiers.

For lunch, you make your own packed lunches from the produce at the buffet breakfast. The hotel does have paper bags and a few thermos bottles to lend out. However, we strongly recommend you bring your own reusable lunch box and thermos to cut down on waste and ensure availability.

Vegetarians can be catered for – please let us know at least three weeks before departure if you have any dietary requirements.

Worth knowing

As there is no coffee shop around, you should bring snacks if you think you might want them throughout the day. However, coffee, cakes, drinks and snacks are available all day at the hotel (payable locally).

Transport

Transfers between Vinstra railway station and the hotel are in a private minibus.

Weather & Seasonality

Skåbu is around 2,855ft (870m) above sea level; at this height, snow can lie from November to May, with fresh snowfalls at any time. Average daytime temperatures in winter range from 0C to 10C (32F-50F), though they can fall as low as -25C (-13F). At Christmas and New Year, daylight hours are limited, with about six hours of good light plus twilight. By mid-February, this increases to about eight hours and by mid-March there are about 12 hours of good daylight. In winter, you can hope for periods of clear bright weather and in February and March it can become surprisingly warm in the sun. Equally, you need to be ready for the occasional stormy day at all times.

Joining Instructions

Key information

Hotel: Skåbu Fjellhotell, Skåbuvegen 23-207, 2643 Skåbu, Norway
Phone: +47 61 29 55 00
Recommended arrival time: You need to arrive in Oslo on the morning/early afternoon of Day 1
Airport: Oslo Lufthavn Gardermoen (OSL)

Getting to the start hotel

To reach Skåbu Fjellhotell, you must arrive at Oslo Airport on the morning/early afternoon of Day 1. From here, you take the train to Vinstra railway station (exact timing to be confirmed before departure). Your train ticket is included, but there will be no representative to meet you at Oslo Airport. Arriving at Vinstra, you are met by our local representative, who transfers you to the hotel by minibus.

If you would like further information on joining this trip, please speak to your sales representative.

Catching your return flight

On your return, you take the reverse journey with a minibus transfer to Vinstra railway station and a self-guided train to Oslo Airport for your return flight home.

Full joining instructions including local emergency numbers will be sent to you as part of our Final Joining Instructions. If you do not receive these at least a week before departure, or require them earlier please contact our office or your travel agent.

Location start: Skåbu
Location end: Skåbu

What To Take

Essential Equipment

Small rucksack to carry the items you need during the day (20 litres recommended)

Outdoor/winter clothing as follows (layers are essential):

Waterproof jacket
Waterproof trousers (pants), ideally in a breathable fabric
Gaiters
Warm fleece (two thin fleeces that can be layered over one another are better than one thick one)
Warm hat or balaclava
Two pairs of gloves, so you can change them during the day if they get wet
Good-quality base layers top and bottom, are essential

You will be skiing in mountain weather so extra layers will be needed from December to the end of February. In March and April, the days are usually warmer and sunnier so fewer layers may be necessary; however, windproof outer layers are essential throughout the season.

Other essentials:

Flask for tea/coffee, which you can fill up for free
Insulated water bottle
Sunglasses
Ski goggles (if you have them)
High-factor sunscreen
Bags or containers for lunch
Comfortable shoes for the evenings
Sit mat to use when picnicking
A small head torch (flashlight) may be useful in December and January
Walking boots for the evening excursion in snowshoes

New Year: It is common for Norwegian hotel guests to dress smartly for the evenings over the New Year period. While this is entirely optional, you may like to bring some smarter clothes for the evenings.

Practical Information

Visa

Norway

Travellers from the UK, US and EU normally do not need a visa to enter Norway. Please note, visa requirements often change and it is your responsibility to obtain any required visas for this trip. Therefore, we recommend that you check with the nearest embassy or consulate of your chosen destination(s), including any countries you may be transiting or transferring through.

Some local governments provide guidance on what visas their citizens need. To help, we’ve gathered a selection of useful links below.

Vaccinations and Health

Norway

There are no required vaccinations. However, you may want to consider vaccinations for tetanus, rabies (bat lyssavirus) and tick-borne encephalitis (TBE). Please confirm with your doctor or travel clinic.

If you’re a UK citizen, please note that your UK-issued European Health Insurance Cards (EHIC) are still valid and offer the same cover as the Global Health Insurance Cards (GHIC) in the EU. This gives you medical care at a reduced cost, and in some cases for free, in many European countries, but should not be considered a substitute for adequate insurance. Once your EHIC has expired, replace it with a GHIC.

Local Time

Norway's time zone: Europe/Oslo (UTC +02:00)

Electricity

Norway's electricity: Plug types C (two round pins) and F (two round pins) – 230V, 50Hz

Money

Norway's currency: Norwegian krone (NOK)

ATM Availability

There is an ATM at Oslo airport, but not one in Skåbu. However, as Norway is a cashless society, it’s best to use card anyway. The only time you need cash is if you’d like to tip the guides at the end of the trip.

Extra Expenses & Spending Money

All meals and activities are included on this trip. You just need extra for drinks and personal expenses, such as souvenirs.

Tipping

Although optional, a tip for your guide(s) at the end of the trip is greatly appreciated. The sum you choose to give is entirely personal, but as a reasonable starting point, we suggest each group member contributes 250-300 kroner (US$25-US$30). If you switch guides midweek, you may want to divide your contribution as you see fit.

We also recommend each person leaves 250-300 kroner (US$25-US$30) for the hotel staff, which can be handed to your guide/tour leader.

Sustainability and Impact

As a certified B Corp, we’re on a mission to improve our social and environmental impact across all our adventures.

We do this through our innovative Thriving Nature, Thriving People plan.

This ‘nature positive’ approach is designed to help nature and communities thrive in harmony though practical solutions, such as reducing carbon and waste on our trips, supporting conservation projects through the Exodus Adventure Travels Foundation, and rewilding 100 square metres for every Exodus traveller.

Important Information

Your safe participation

When booking this trip, you should be confident in your ability to participate in all activities described in these Trip Notes. If you have any doubt about your suitability, please call us and ask to speak to one of the experts on this itinerary.

Although our leaders are well trained to deal with different capabilities, if they have any concerns about someone’s ability to safely take part in an activity, or their impact on other people’s enjoyment, we authorise them to take necessary action which, in some circumstances, may involve asking someone to miss that activity.

By booking this trip you agree to our Booking Conditions which clearly state that our leaders have the authority to do this. In these rare instances we will ensure anyone sitting out is safely provided for and offered alternative options where possible. Refunds will not be provided for activities missed and customers may be liable for additional costs incurred.

Seatbelts

All vehicles used by us should be equipped with working seatbelts, except where approved by us based on the vehicle type or journey. Wherever seatbelts are available, we require our customers to use them for their own safety, even where it may not be a legal requirement.

How to Book

Check availability: Go online to check availability, or contact us by phone or email.
Secure your place: You can provisionally hold a place on this trip, usually for between three and seven days.
Complete your booking and payment

When you’re ready to book, go to our website for online bookings, book over the phone or you can complete a booking form (available online or on request by calling us). We accept all major credit and debit cards.

After booking

You will receive your booking confirmation letter and invoice, which includes extra information and guidance about your travel arrangements.

Full joining instructions, including local emergency numbers and details of how to reach the start point, will be sent to you approximately two to three weeks prior to departure. If you do not receive these at least a week before departure, or require them earlier, please contact our office or your travel agent.

Trip Note validity

These Trip Notes are valid from the “Current as” date on page one. They will occasionally be updated after booking and before departure; if there are any updates that significantly impact the inclusions or itinerary, customers will be written to separately. They will also receive a link to the most up-to-date Trip Notes with their Final Joining Instructions before travelling.

The information in these Trip Notes is given in good faith. Where differences exist between the Trip Notes and our current brochure or website, the Trip Notes supersede the brochure and website. All holidays can be subject to unexpected changes; to enjoy them you should be prepared to be flexible where necessary. Occasionally, it may not be possible to follow the itinerary as planned. This may be for a variety of reasons – climatic, political, physical or other. In these circumstances we will make the best-possible alternative arrangements that maintain the integrity of the original itinerary.

Licensing

Exodus is fully licensed and bonded as a tour operator. We hold Air Traffic Organisers Licence (ATOL) number 2582, issued and bonded with the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). We are also bonded to the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and we are members of the Federation of Tour Operators (FTO) and ABTA – The Travel Association. This means you can book your Exodus holiday with confidence, as all money paid to us for your trip is fully protected.

Version 1