This trip is cross-country skiing and Arctic outdoor life in a nutshell. A fabulous experience for anyone with a dream of a real winter adventure, but lacking the time to do a long duration “expedition style” trip. It is suitable for any level of experience, from those that have never seen on a pair of skis up to the very experienced skier.
 
We leave the hustle and bustle of  civilization behind and we focus on making this a stress free outdoor experience. We take the time to enjoying the environment and to make our camps as comfortable as possible. We will be cross-country skiing the whole way and we transport everything we need in pulks and backpacks. Your very experienced guide will make sure safety is a priority at all times.
 
The terrain is open with only small hills and it is easy to ski across. We will decide what route to follow shortly before the trip to ensure we get the best possible experience with regards to current snow and weather conditions. This will also allow us to enjoy the interesting things to see and do along the way. The Arctic weather can sometimes present some challenges, but do not worry! Your guides are highly professional and have years of experience in this environment. He or she will make sure you are well taken care of in any situation.
 
Turgleder only uses highly experienced and trained guides and they pride themselves on giving their guests the best possible learning experience. Everyone has the opportunity to pick up tips or learn new "tricks of the trade" - making even the most experienced guest better suited for Arctic camping and expedition life. During these few days we will experience every part of basic winter expedition skills such as Nordic skiing with pulk, orienteering, correct use of winter clothing, camping in snow, food preparation and cooking and much, much more. Changing winter weather conditions might also be a great and positive learning experience. In other words, after completing this short trip not only will you have had a fantastic experience, you will also be much better prepared to do a longer trip, such as our 17 day “North-south trip” and our new “78 degrees North expedition” to high Arctic Svalbard.
 
This trip is not only about learning, but also enjoying. As such we focus on comfort, good food and, as with all Turgleder trips, safety. Our daily skiing distance will be between 5 and 15km, depending on snow conditions and weather.
 
The Northern Lights, Aurora Borealis, make for one of the most specular sights nature has to offer and they have become a very popular tourist attraction in themselves. If you are you looking for a unique and genuine Northern Lights experience, you should get away from civilization and any artificial light and surround yourself with wilderness and darkness. This means going into the wilderness during the dark polar night - the time of year with the best possible chance to see them. The polar night will amaze you with its variety of lights and colours; from the midday blue to the pink twilight and the mystical Northern Lights of the night.
This 3 day ski trip presents you with the very best possibilities and makes for a great polar night adventure.
 

Day 1       Arrival to Karasjok, supper, briefing about the details of the trip and checking your
                personal equipment. Lodging at Engholm Husky Lodge
 
Day 2-4   Packing the equipment and starting the expedition. Camping in tents
 
Day 4      Skiing back to civilization, Lodging and dinner at Engholm Husky Lodge
 
Day 5      Breakfast and program ends
 
Day 1
Arriving to Engholm Husky Lodge in Karasjok, you will have time before dinner to look around the dog yard, pet the friendly sled dogs and explore the landscapes around the lodge. After a nice dinner, your guide will go through the details of the plan for the trip, showing you the planned route, talk about and sort out equipment and make sure you are ready for the next few days.
 
Day 2
After breakfast at the lodge, we pack our equipment and start out straight from the lodge and will be stepping straight out into the wilderness. We will eat lunch on the way and make our first tent camp at a nice and suitable spot. In camp we will prepare dinner and keep our eyes peeled for signs of northern light. When we cannot stay awake anymore we crawl into our sleeping bags for a night in the arctic silence.
 
Day 3
A full day of skiing! We prepare breakfast and eat together in the tent, before we take down the camp and set off deep into the wilderness. Now we are all getting a feel for the routine and setting up camp for our second night will be much easier than yesterday.
 
Day 4
Time to head back towards civilisation. We will spend most of the day outside but will be back at the lodge in time to settle into our cabins and have a hot shower before another delicious dinner is served in the lodge kitchen.
 
Day 5
The program ends after breakfast, but we highly recommend that you spend some extra days in Karasjok. At the Husky Lodge there is always many things happening and you can, among other things, take part in the daily handling of the husky sled dogs. You can visit the sights of Karasjok or you can relax with a good book from the “mushers library”. You can also experience the Sámi culture by visiting the Sámi Museum, buy Sámi art and hand craft, visit the local Sámi knife smith or get a guided tour at the Sámi parliament. You can also book a dog sledding trip or a trip to visit a reindeer herder.

- Items marked with * can be provided by Turgleder on request for free or at an additional cost. Any additional cost is given in parenthesis. Information about equipment you need must be conveyed to Turgleder minimum 1 week before arrival

- Please note that this is the minimum required clothing and equipment for this holiday. You are of course welcome to bring other clothes and equipment in addition to this.

- You should pack your clothing in waterproof bags to avoid equipment from becoming wet during the tour.

- We also recommend that you bring a down jacket to put on when we are in camp or not moving, however this is only for comfort and is not vital for the trip.

- If you choose to bring your own sleeping bag, this needs to be a warm winter sleeping bag with minimum comfort temperature >/=-20˚ Celsius.

- If you choose to bring your own sleeping mat, it must be suitable for camping on snow. A foam mat (roll mat) should be thick /insulated enough (≈14mm). If you have a inflatable mat you can bring that and combine it with the roll mat we provide you with for extra comfort if you like.

- We do also recommend that you bring a camera with extra memory cards and battery.

- You are of course welcome to bring your own skis on this trip. The skis must, however, be mountain/expedition skis (back country skis) or touring skis. Racing skis or other narrow and/or short skis will not do the job. The skis are vital on this trip and anything other than mountain/expedition skis or touring skis are not considered safe to use on this trip.

- Turgleder can provide a modern expedition ski package;
The package contains modern light weight expedition skis (Åsnes Amundsen) and poles (Åsnes Horgi/Vidda), skins and boots (Alfa Polar A/P/S or Alfa Quest A/P/S).

Turgleder also provides:  

• • • • Tents
      • Stoves, cutlery and cooking equipment
      • Pulks (sledges for equipment transport)
      • Other common equipment necessary for this trip

Equipment that you do not need on the expedition can be stored at Engholm Husky Lodge.

Dates 2024

• 26th - 30th January 
• 15th - 19th April

Minimum 3 participants is required. In case of less participants, we will inform and refund no later than 8 weeks prior.

Private trips
Are available on request from December to May.

The price includes
All meals from dinner on day 1 to breakfast on day 5, some equipment (specified in equipment list), lodging in Karasjok.

• The price does not include
  · Travel to and from Karasjok
  · Personal equipment (please check the equipment list)
  · Travel insurance
  · Alcoholic beverages
  · Snacks to eat between the meals (we recommend sweets, dried fruit, nuts, chocolate etc)
  · Any unforseen expenses due to delays due to weather or safety considerations or if you have to leave the expedition miday for any reason.

Lodging
- In Karasjok you will be lodged at the truly unique Engholm Husky Lodge in double rooms in design cabins with one or two rooms.
- Single rooms are available for an additional cost.
- The nights in tents, teams of 2 to 3 persons will share one tent.

Extra days in Karasjok:
We would like to encourage you to stay a few extra days at Engholm Husky Lodge to explore Karasjok and the neighbouring town Kautokeino. At the Husky Lodge there is always many things happening and you can, among other things, take part in the daily handling of the husky sled dogs. You can visit the sights of Karasjok or you can relax with a good book from the “mushers library”. You can also experience the Sami culture by visiting the Sámi Museum, buy Sámi art and hand craft, visit the local Sámi knife smith or get a guided tour at the Sami parliament. You can aslo book a dog sledding trip or a trip to visit a reindeer herder.

For lodging prices and options, please go to the "Lodging" tab under "General information".

If you need more information about this adventure before you make your reservation/booking, please feel free to contact us via mail@turgleder.com or call us on +47 91167303 (Thomas) or +47 90855556 (Liv).

When you are ready to book, please go to “booking” under the «general information» tab and fill in and submit the booking/registration form. When we receive your booking/registration form we will reserve a place for you and send you a booking confirmation also including some questions if necessary. When all details surrounding your participation are in place, we will send you an invoice. Your reservation is valid for 7 days after the invoice is sent.
For more information, please see our booking terms and condition under the “general information” tab.

Note: If you do not receive a reply right away, please be patient with us. We might be out on other adventures without any internet connections. However, if you have not received a response within 3 days, let us know.

FILM: Guest tells about his experience, with northern lights 7th-feb-2017