February 2024
Snowmobiling at Camp Tamok – Tromsø, Norway
Even though our trip to Tromso was short, I really wanted to squeeze in an overnight experience at Camp Tamok. This winter wonderland is located outside of Tromso and takes you into the Tamok Valley for an arctic wilderness experience. While there are many day trip options to visit Camp Tamok, something about the overnight option was very attractive, especially as it added another chance to see the Northern Lights.
We were part of a small group that were actually staying over at Camp Tamok. When we arrived, we were instructed to go straight to the snowmobiling changing room to get gear on for the activity. We dropped our bags in the changing room then used one of the few bathrooms that everyone on the bus was also now using – definitely set our start time back a bit but we also had nowhere else to be. If you are visiting just for one of the activities, make sure to go directly to the bathrooms before the changing rooms to beat the crowd. Our gear included a thermal one piece bodysuit, thermal boots, baklava head and face cover, helmet, and gloves. We certainly looked ready for the part of being in the Arctic and this gear was so great in keeping us warm.
While the group snowmobiling was large, each guide took five vehicles at a time so it was definitely more of a small group experience. We met our guide and listened intently to all the instructions. He also taught us all the hand motions he would use to communicate with us and similar to the checkout counters at Trader Joe’s, everyone is expected to mimic the hand gesture so the snowmobile behind gets the signal that then continues to the next one. All the snowmobiles are for two people with the option of switching places half way through the journey. We boarded our snowmobile and off we went!
Kevin had such a fun time drive and was a great experience. While it was different than riding the Vespa, it is definitely reminiscent like riding a much larger version. There is not a steep learning curve and it is pretty easy to learn. The brakes were responsive, the accelerator was a throttle lever, and the steering, while slower in the snow, was not difficult to get used to since you are mostly following in groves on the trail. We expected more skidding but the traction is surprisingly strong. There is a risk of tipping your snowmobile so it is important to keep turns gentle and speed lower – there is a max speed they allow for the tourist snowmobiles to go as well to reduce this risk. As a passenger, it was really fun to explore the area this way.
Snowmobiling at night came with an eeriness – the mountains were enormous but covered in night with the only reflection of the moon illuminated the snow. The wind was intense – some of the strongest winds we have experienced in our lives. And the thermal gear did a fantastic job keeping us warm. At the halfway point, we got off and took a break observing the landscape around us. Our guide explained we were only a few kilometers from Finland and Sweden which was hard to believe. Somehow, I had enough service to show on the map just where in the world we were and indeed, we were very close to the neighboring counties. Kevin took a few steps away from the snowmobiles and our guide immediately asked if he wanted to see the top of the hill in the distance. He laughed and said of course then before we knew it, Kevin was on the back of our guides much more powerful snowmobile climbing up the to top of the hill. Kevin reported that it was an exhilarating rush due to the increased speed and being driven by our experienced guide. Due to the wind and snow, visibility was very tricky so the darkness of climbing was a bit crazy. Once at the top, there was a clear enough view of the group at the bottom as well as lights to the Camp as well as streams of lights from the other groups of snowmobiles and the dog sledders throughout the valley. I continued to look up at the sky in hopes of a clearing in the clouds but there was no such luck – the clouds were thick and the wind and snow were not helping. The guide took a few others up as well before we hopped back on to head back to the Camp. All in, the trail is several kilometers long and we were out on the course for an hour and a half.
At our return to the Camp, we parked our snowmobiles and removed all our gear in the changing room. The thermal suit was so effective I wanted to take one for the road, I would never be cold again! While we had a cloud and wind storm during our snowmobiling, I bet this is a fantastic way to see the Northern Lights when the sky is clear!
