Femundsmarka Itinerary & Logistics
The Overview
Femundsmarka is not a crossing on marked winter trails. There are no willow sticks, no prepared tracks, and no fixed line through the landscape.
For this group, the crossing also forms a first polar training course. The aim is to give you the basic knowledge and expedition habits needed to get started in polar travel, and to build towards bigger objectives later such as Hardangervidda, Svalbard, Greenland, and the polar regions. Across the journey we will cover the core skills that underpin safe and efficient polar travel: cross-country ski movement and load carrying, campcraft, emergency shelters, crevasse rescue, avalanche emergency procedures, ice thickness assessment, lake crossing procedures, snowpack analysis, and ice fishing.
The route travels through forest, over open ground, and across the border between Norway and Sweden. This is a landscape shaped by reindeer movement and by the long-standing seasonal use of the land by Sámi communities. It is also an area where you may see, or find signs of, reindeer, moose, beaver, otter, bear and wolverine. In the far north of the park there is also a small musk ox population.
You should expect to finish the course with tired legs, a full head, and a clear understanding of the stepping stones needed to achieve that.
The Itinerary
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Meet @ the Anker hotel in Oslo at 12:00(we will be about earlier in the morning so earlier the better). We load the vehicles and drive north-east towards the Swedish border and into Femundsmarka National Park, finishing at the end of the road in the small settlement of Elgå. We organise kit, pack pulks, look at load distribution and clothing systems, and set off into the hills for our first night out. The first evening is a chance to settle into camp routine, stove use, tent systems, and the basics of working efficiently in cold conditions.
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We travel around the western flanks of Gråvola into the Revlingsjøan valley, below the summit of Revlingkletten. The day focuses on the foundations of polar travel: movement on skis with a loaded pulk, pacing and efficiency, layering and temperature management, and building good habits through the day. In camp we continue with tent craft, stove management, snow anchoring, and general systems for living well in winter.
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We continue east, crossing into Sweden and moving through the Brunsdalsbekken area towards the slopes beneath Høgpiken. Through the day we cover avalanche emergency procedures, transceiver use, probing and shovelling, group response, and how these fit into wider journey decision-making. We also continue to build confidence in movement, camp routine, and general expedition management.
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We cross the open plateau of Kratstjønnan, threading a route through more than thirty small frozen lakes. This is a good setting to look at snowpack analysis in more detail, digging and interpreting the snowpack, and discussing how that feeds into decisions on terrain and travel. We also aim to cover emergency shelters and snow shelter construction. If conditions allow, there may be time for ice fishing.
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We move towards the frozen expanse of Femunden lake, watching for wildlife and preparing for lake travel. The focus is on ice thickness assessment, lake crossing procedures, identifying hazards, and building a clear process for judging when and how to travel on frozen water. We continue refining camp systems and expedition habits, with time for ice fishing if conditions allow.
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An early start as we push south down the length of Femunden towards Elgå. This final day brings the course together in a practical way, using the systems covered through the week: movement on skis, pulk management, lake travel, cold management, and general expedition decisionmaking. We aim to arrive back at the vehicles early afternoon, then transfer south to Oslo to the Anker hotel, a well needed shower and for a final meal before departure the following day.
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The detail
Cost per person £2095
Inclusions
All Meals - Day 1 Dinner through to Day 6 Lunch
All in country transfers
Equipment – Pulk system, Tent system, stove system, group safety/comms equipment
Polar/Arctic guide (Jamie the director + another if numbers require)
1 night hotel 5 nights tents.
Exclusions
Flights and transfer to UK airport
Insurance
Anything not stated in Inclusions
Personal equipment
