Crossing Finnmarksvidda

Crossing Finmarksvidda is a “cool” challenge for those who want to get the polar expedition feeling but do not want to spend weeks away from home. Many use this trip as a “warm up” or test before a Greenland crossing or more serious expeditions. As the trip goes early in the year when the sun is low on the horizon you will be introduced to skiing and camping in the cold. We have the same routines and equipment as on our expeditions and the night this far North tend to offer spectacular Northern Lights as an additional outdoor experience.

  • Icon Tour Length

    Tour Length

    Approximately 5 days

  • Icon Participants

    Participants

    8 + 1 guide

  • Difficulty

    Icon Star Icon Star Icon Star Icon Star Icon Star

Tour Operators

  • Børge Ousland

  • Bengt Rotmo

Equipment

Joining a trip to the cold world, being outdoors for many days in a row, sleeping in a tent, skiing for about 8 hours on an average a day, still being able to keep up the pace, spirit, motivation, strength and also being able to enjoy it, obviously requires some attention to equipment.

Once you sign up for one of our trips, we will send you the complete and detailed equipmentlist that explains thoroughly what you need for the specific trip, why and how to use the equipment.

One of the main reasons we have had great success on our many trips, is because we supply the essential equipment that is not easy (nor practical) for you to get yourself. These items are essential in getting you through the day in a good way and ensure that you have a safe and trustworthy experience.

The equipment you need to get yourself might look like a lot, but this is usually items people will already have or could borrow from friends. You might have to buy some of it, but we will help you choosing the right equipment and all this will be discussed in detail with each and one of you. Then you should have a good set of usable equipment that you will be able to enjoy for many future trips as well.

SLEDS/BACKPACKS

The weight of the sled will depend on which trip you are going on as fuel and food adds up for each day with about 1,3 kilos. Some trips also require special equipment like climbing gear, polar bear protection, waterproof bags, etc. Sometimes we have to carry our stuff in backpacks to reach the glacier or good skiing ground, but we do not load to more than max 30 kilos, it is better to go two times.

On an average we can say that a sled weigh as follows:

  • North Pole Last Degree 40 kg
  • North Pole Full Length (with/without supplies) 75 kg /110 kilos
  • South Pole Last Degree 40 kg
  • Patagonia, Northern Icecap, 50 kg
  • Greenland Spring 52 kg
  • Greenland Fall 55 kg
  • Svalbard – Nordaustlandet 40 kg
  • Svalbard – Spisbergen crossing 40 kg
  • Hardangervidda 25 Kg
  • Finnmarksvidda 25 kg
  • South Georgia 35 kg

To best prepare for pulling the sled and carrying in backpacks, refer to the training and preparations info. This topic will also be covered more into detail once you have signed up. If you are curious and want some more info either way, let us know.

FOOD

We provide nutritious expedition food for each participant for all the days skiing. It will be enough calories for the trip, but if you feel like having some extra snacks, please feel free to bring it.

There will always be personal choices. We provide several types of freeze-dried dinners, and lunch with a mix of what you like best. Our selection of food to choose from is based on long experience where energy, taste and also preparation are key factors. We have limited time for breaks during the day, about 12-15 minutes at normally every 1,5 hours intervals.

OUR NORMAL DAY-TO-DAY DIET:

Breakfast:
Børge’s homemade enriched oatmeal/porridge mix.

Lunch:
Choice of: Fruit soup or energy drink for hot water. Compressed biscuits rations and/or Flapjack (oatmeal cakes).

And/or potatochips, nuts and dried fruit.100-150 g chocolate per day. About 100 g piece of dried meat.

Dinner:
Choise of freeze dried dinners. Our partner for dinner is Real Turmat www.real.no. Instant soup, hot chocolate, coffee or tea as you wish.

All the food will be packed by you in daily rations and stored in bags provided by us prior to departure. There is always a day or so with packing and organizing before we start the trip. You will carry your own food and be responsible for it during the expedition.

Food- allergies or intolerances:

If you have any food- intolerances or allergies, we will together with you (and possibly with your doctor) advice the different ingredients you need to ensure the best nutrition but which is adapted to the diet you follow. You should test this beforehand to avoid any unpleasant surprises on the way.

If you need to be on a special diet, we recommend that you yourself prepare most of your food at home before we leave, so that you are sure to get what you need. It will in most cases be a possibility to ship the food to the destination beforehand together with the rest of the equipment.

Please let us know if you have special needs or concerns regarding food or nutrition, we will do our best to help.