February 2024
Cross Country Skiing – Tromsø, Norway
We cross country skied for the first time in Engelberg last year when there was no snow. We selected this activity in lieu of downhill skiing which we could not do. We simply watched a Youtube video and rented the gear before trying to figure it out for ourselves. We did have a fun time doing it and I knew if we had the opportunity to do it again, I wanted to. And I have to say, this experience blew our first out of the water and made our little night of sleep completely worth it.
The bus departed the harbor at 8:10AM so after quickly eating our pastries from 7/11 (Sunday’s are rough in Norway), we hopped on a bus full of people that were excited to dog sled. We were in the small minority (four other people) going for cross country skiing. So once again, a large bus load of people and we were going to have a semi-private experience which we were very excited about. The drive to our activity was stunning and we even had a moose sighting!
Upon arrival at the Tromso Golfklubb in Breivikeidet, our small group was ushered into a separate building from the dog sledders to get ready for cross country skiing. Since it was a warm day, we did not need thermal suits, especially since we were going to be having a lot of physical activity. Our guides then gave us skis and poles and then took us out to the trail. For our group of six, we had two guides so out here, this was certainly a personal experience.
The course is over the golf course but with over three feet of snow. With an introduction instruction, we were off on the several kilometer course. In the beginning, the guides would come and assess our technique, give pointers to improve and once they felt you were competent just let us have a go at it. Kevin and I steamed ahead so we had the trail completely to ourselves. There were two tracks around where the right was a longer one so we opted to spend as much time as possible. The scenery here is simply epic. I could not stop admiring how amazing the mountains around us were – we even had Alps on one side. It was also a clear, beautiful sunny day so we could not have asked for a better day to cross country ski.
I am so happy we did not skip this – it would have been easy to justify after a super late night chasing the Northern Lights the night before, but skiing here was exceptional. With over three feet of snow, the skiing was seamless and when we fell, it was like being a kid in the snow as it just engulfed you. My arm would punch through the snow in an effort to break the fall and just keep going down without ever reaching resistance. So falling was actually pretty fun. Plus, this was a great exercise and a beautiful day to be outside.
Our guides instructed us that we could continue on the course and even explore a second course until 11:15AM when we would return the gear and enjoy a hot beverage and a snack. We enjoyed the second course and took another shot at the big hill. We each had a piece of cake – choice between chocolate or carrot – and then ventured outside to enjoy the dogs. These were the most husky looking dogs we have seen and they were so cuddly and affectionate. They had a particular interest in my water bottle, I have no idea why. But they loved the pets and snuggled against our legs. When they would jump up, they were as tall as I was. Be careful as they keep their nails long and sharp to have traction on the trail so pay attention to your clothes and skin. This was such a fun way to end the experience!
We board the bus back to Tromso for our last full day on this Arctic adventure.
If you like downhill skiing but don’t like boots or have a fear of falling / not stopping, I strongly recommend ring cross country skiing. The boots are super comfortable, it is easy to pick up, and falling over into a pile of snow is way more fun. Highly recommend adding this experience to your Tromso trip!