In late March 2023, our group meets in Oslo for 7 days of Nordic ski touring in Jotunheimen. From the Sjoa valley to Spiterstulen, Marie Raphaëlle recounts the mountain huts, the changing weather and everyone’s progress.
Our guide’s flight from Lapland is delayed. Even so, Bernard manages to make his connection and joins us with all the luggage. After taking the train, then a bus and finally a taxi, we settle into the hotel in Hindseter, east of the Jotunheimen massif.
The group comes from the Pyrenees, the Vosges, the Vercors and the Mont Blanc massif. Myriam arrives from Paris. Conversations get underway on the very first evening.
© Raphaelle Mollard
We share a love of travel and a care for nature. This common ground makes life together as a group easier.
On the very first day, in the Sjoa valley, the skiers from the Vosges impressed us, charging “straight down the steep slope”, as the saying goes in the Savoyard dialect!
Sjoa valley © Raphaelle Mollard
A few ptarmigan tracks, a snow shelter abandoned by a grouse and our knowledgeable guide’s explanations of their secret lives fired our imaginations.
After a stop in a hamlet, we cross a pass and share a snack on a rock. Our first descent weaves between birches and pines.
Mountain huts in the Sjoa valley © Arnaud Dumortier
Trying to stop, Dodo attempted to uproot a few alarmed young trees, and the grouse must have been quite surprised to find such competition deep inside their snowy shelters!
Sadly, the reindeer had moved away, leaving their tracks in the snow. One last lake to cross, and we made it back to our cosy hotel safe and sound.
On the way to Glitterheim mountain hut © Raphaelle Mollard
The following day, we reached Glitterheim mountain hut after travelling through sunshine, cold and then a small snowstorm.
Outside Glitterheim mountain hut © Raphaelle Mollard
Heading towards Gjendesheim on the third day, with beards and faces frosted by the cold, we make our way through valleys large and small—Veodalen, Russadalen and Sjoadalen—with pristine mountains as our backdrop.
Between Glitterheim and Gjendesheim © Raphaelle Mollard
A welcome stop in the sunshine gives us a chance to eat outside a Norwegian cabin nestled beside a lake.
Picnic outside the little house above Lake Gjende © Raphaelle Mollard
Finally, we begin the descent through powder snow, guided by the expert, thoroughly professional advice of Raphaëlle, our highly skilled skier, before admiring the sunset that evening.
Sunset over Gjendesheim © Arnaud Dumortier
At the mountain hut, the fireplace and delicious dinner bring welcome comfort. Even Dudu enjoys the Norwegian soup!
To reach Gjendebu via an alternative route chosen by our guide, we climb through a canyon, then descend through light powder snow. Bernard and Raphaëlle’s telemark turns set the rhythm.
Climbing through the canyon towards Lake Gjende © Arnaud Dumortier
A few falls punctuate the descent. On the lake, most of us follow the snowmobile track. Véronique chooses the deep snow, and our guide joins her to keep her company.
Crossing Lake Gjende © Raphaelle Mollard
The hut keeper at Gjendebu had forecast a “storm of blue skies” for the following day.
Having set off in the fog early that morning, we thought it was playing a trick on us, but when the fog parted over Olavsbu and its otherworldly peaks, we were filled with wonder.
The clouds lift, revealing blue skies © Raphaelle Mollard
The marten had been there before us and returned to its shelter, leaving its mysterious tracks in the powder snow.
Olavsbu, a comfortable unstaffed mountain hut, was all ours. Everyone got busy with their own task: gathering snow, carrying logs, cooking… The stove hummed away cheerfully. Dudu cooked us a risotto in his own style. Bernard and Dodo teamed up to make a lentil and fresh carrot soup with cardamom! Sadly, there were no pancakes left.
Olavsbu mountain hut © Raphaelle Mollard
A few more massages and bandages were requested by our lady from the Vosges from her favourite physiotherapist. As night fell, it was time to pop the champagne to celebrate birthdays, retirements, friendships… And Dodo was unanimously crowned “Queen of Jotunheimen” for her spectacular falls and her tenacity.
© Raphaelle Mollard
Our last day already, and this time we admire the sunrise and its pastel colours at dawn.
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At the crack of dawn, with the hut cleaned and the duvets folded, we glided far from the beaten track and the noise of the world, beyond time, from pass to pass, between the Norwegian mountains, seemingly without end.
Norway’s vast wilderness © Raphaelle Mollard
Véronique, always eager to push herself, tackling the climbs without climbing skins; Myriam, enjoying the glide of skis without fish-scale bases; Raphaëlle, an uncompromising technician; Dodo, making great progress; Dudu, ever patient; and yours truly, taking the climbs calmly and impatient for the descents. One final long descent to Spiterstulen, at the end of our tour. All our aches forgotten, our spirits revived.
Descent to Spiterstulen © Raphaelle Mollard
The finish-line photo! © Arnaud Dumortier
The next day, we go our separate ways in Oslo, keen to return to Norway another winter.
Preparing for a Nordic ski tour in Norway
If this 2023 account inspires a similar journey, check the current route, difficulty, equipment requirements and availability before making travel plans.
To compare other terrain, explore our trips in Norway, the Rondane traverse, Hardangervidda National Park and the route from Finse to Filefjell.
