From mid-February to early May is probably the best time to see the Finnmark Plateau. The dark polar night is over, and the light returns with higher temperatures and longer days. The skiing conditions are normally excellent, making it easy to get to almost anywhere you want to go. The weather is often good, and the ice fishing gets better every day.

We leave the hustle and bustle of civilization behind, and we focus on making this a stress-free outdoor experience. Every day brings new scenery as we ski across wide open plateaus, over hills and around mountains. We take the time to enjoy the environment and to make our tent camps as comfortable as possible. On our way we might, if time allows it, try ice fishing. Your very experienced guide will make sure safety is taken care of at all times.

We will be cross-country skiing the whole way and we transport everything we need in pulks. On most trips, we bring a dog who will help us pull some of the equipment. These happy, social and hardworking Alaska Huskies give the trip an added social dimension. Your guide will show you how to handle the dog in the best way possible. Our daily skiing distance is between 4 and 16 kilometers. Total distance is approx. 80 km.

The terrain is open, flat and easy to ski across. The weather is normally good with cold nights and "mild" sunny days. The Arctic weather, however, can sometimes present some challenges. But do not worry! Your guides are highly professional and have years of experience in this environment, he/she will make sure you are well taken care of in any situation. On this trip we focus on comfort, good food and, as with all Turgleder trips, safety.

You do not have to be an experienced cross-country skier to do this trip. Several first-time skiers have already done it. However, if you wish to learn the basics of skiing or improve your cross-country skiing skills before you go, we can offer you a skiing instruction program at 10 am in Karasjok, day two of the program. A reasonable level of fitness is necessary and some outdoor experience is helpful.

Day 1        Arrival Engholm Husky in Karasjok during the day. Program start with dinner at 7pm. Then your guide will give information regarding the tour. Lodging in log cabins at Engholm Husky.

Day 2        Breakfast and then the day is spent packing and preparing the equipment, both personal and group gear. The day can also be spent doing a day activity or the skiing instruction program.

Day 3       Trip starts with 14km from the road to Ravnastua mountain cabin. Loding at Ravnastua.

Day 3- 7   Skiing across the Finnmark Plateau. Sleeping in tents.

Day 8      Skiing to Jotka mountain cabin, where we will have shower, a nice dinner and sleep inside.

Day 9       Breakfast and journey home.  

Under "General information" and "getting here" you will find information about how to travel to/from Karasjok to preferred airport. 

- 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 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 or Nansen) 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 transported from Karasjok to Alta.

Dates 2024

• 2nd - 10th February
• 8th - 16th March
• 12th to 20th April

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

Private trips
Are available on request from January to May.

The price includes
· All meals from dinner on day 1 to breakfast on day 9
· Some equipment (specified in equipment list),
· Lodging in Karasjok, Ravnastua, Jotka and 4 nights in tent.

The price does not include
· Travel to Karasjok and from Alta   (for more information see "getting here".)
· Personal equipment (please check the equipment list)
· Travel insurance
· 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
- You must be prepared to share rooms in Karasjok, Ravnastua and Jotka mountain cabin.
- In Karasjok you will be lodged at the truly unique Engholm Husky Lodge in double rooms in design cabins with one or two rooms.
- First night two nights in Karasjok, 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.

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 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.

An amazing night with northern lights from the Finnmark Plateau West-East skiing expedition:

One of the nights with northern lights from the Finnmark Plateau West-East skiing expedition:

Feel good film from the Finnmark Plateau West-East skiing expedition: