Cross-Country Skiing in Skåbu, Norway

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.

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 through 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.

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.

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.

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.

• Australia: www.smartraveller.gov.au/destinations/europe/norway
• Canada: www.travel.gc.ca/destinations/norway
• United Kingdom: www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/norway/entry-requirements
• USA: www.travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/International-Travel-Country-Information-Pages/Norway.html

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).

Weather

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.