59°55′N · 10°44′E

Femundsmarka, Norway

Course

Norway: The Femundsmarka

Nine days hauling a pulk across frozen Femundsmarka, learning what polar expeditions run on.

Photos

Duration: 9 days
Group size: 7–10 travellers
Operating window: 20–28 February 2027
The departure: Sat, 20 Feb 2027
Gateway: Oslo (OSL)

Remoteness: Deep
Self-reliance: Shared
Comfort: Wild
Environment: Arctic

How to read these

These terms compare trips across Atlas51. Environment describes terrain, not difficulty.

Remoteness

Edge
Established support remains relatively close.
Deep
Help or an exit may take time.
Extreme
Help and an exit may be days away.

Self-reliance

Supported
The crew runs the core systems.
Shared
You take on part of the work.
Self-reliant
Your skills and decisions are central.

Comfort

Basic
A roof every night.
Wild
Camped, with camp made for you.
Spartan
You build your own shelter.

Environment

Desert
Sand, rock and arid ground.
Arctic
Snow, ice and sustained cold.
Jungle
Dense, humid forest.
Mountain
Steep, high or broken ground.
Inland water
Rivers, lakes and wetlands.
Ocean
Open-coast or offshore water.
Forest
Woodland and trail terrain.
Steppe
Open grassland with few trees.
Savanna
Warm grassland with scattered trees.
Reef
Shallow coastal water and coral ground.
Mixed
Several distinct terrains in one trip.

A good fit if

You want the undertaking, not just the backdrop

01
Want serious disconnection.
02
Want to learn genuine expedition skills rather than simply visit wild places.
03
Enjoy being challenged physically and mentally.
04
Want to understand how real expeditions actually work.
05
Get excited by the idea of pulling a pulk across frozen wilderness.
06
Want to camp in serious Arctic conditions.
07
Believe the best adventures genuinely teach you something.

Red tunnel tents and loaded pulks pitched on the snow at dusk, a spruce to one side and low lit peaks behind.

The trip

What you’ll learn and how it’s taught

Course

Skills-led travel, taught to a stated level.

There are no prepared pistes, no signs telling you where to go and no easy escape routes.

Ski and pulk through frozen lakes and pine forest on the Swedish border, living the systems rather than being shown them.

Because it's truly one of the planet's last wild winter frontiers. Because every Arctic expedition has to start somewhere with a heap of snow. Because it's an amazing place to learn real survival skills in a serious Arctic environment.

Deep in the forests, frozen lakes and wilderness of Femundsmarka National Park lies one of Scandinavia's last great winter frontiers. There are no prepared pistes, no signs telling you where to go and no easy escape routes. Just snow, silence and the skills that matter.

Red tunnel tents going up on open snow in flat white light, skis planted upright beside them, loaded pulks in the foreground and several people working in hooded jackets. — Skis planted where they stopped, tents going up in light with no horizon in it. Camp is the evening's work, every day of the trip.

A line of skiers follows a single track across an open snowy slope towards a low sun. — One track crosses the snow ahead of the group. The course travels on skis with equipment carried in pulks.

The open round door of a red tent frames bare trees and a deep blue evening sky, with a second red tent pitched outside. — The door of one tent, and the next tent along. This is the view once camp is up and the day's work is done.

A skier upside down in deep snow with both skis in the air, another skier standing beside them. — Skis up, head down, and a witness. Learning to travel on skis with a loaded pulk includes this part.

Femundsmarka is steeped in Scandinavian folklore, like the tales of the Huldra, seductive forest spirits. Moose, wild reindeer, oxen, bears, wolves, lynx and wolverines also roam the park in the summer months.

This is a challenging winter expedition. Expect long days skiing through snow while pulling a loaded pulk. Expect cold mornings. Expect to spend your evenings building camp rather than checking into hotels. There are no warm lodges waiting at the end of each day. No shortcuts. No prepared trails.

A typical day

The shape of the days

A winter expedition rhythm shaped by snow, ice and the steady pull of the pulk.

Break camp in the cold
Wake early in the tents, light the stoves and get breakfast and hot water underway. Sleeping systems and tents are packed, equipment is shared between the pulks and the group gathers for a briefing on the terrain, conditions and skills ahead.
Travel at expedition pace
Ski steadily through snow-covered forest, open ground and frozen lake systems, stopping to adjust layers, eat and assess the route. Along the way, practise efficient movement, load hauling, lake crossings, ice assessment and emergency systems.
Build a winter camp
Choose a safe place to stop while there is still light. Pitch the tents, secure the snow anchors and organise the stove and cooking systems together, then change into warm layers, make dinner and review the day with the expedition leaders.
Settle into the silence
Prepare equipment for the morning and listen for the quiet signs of life beyond camp. Once the stoves are safely shut down and everything is secured, climb into the sleeping bag for a proper expedition sleep before another day on skis.

FilmHauling the pulks up, in the flat light of a snowing day.

From the field

People with large duffel bags and loaded pulks fitted with skis and straps stand on a slushy city pavement beside tram tracks at dusk.

Two figures and a yellow pulk on a broad wind-scoured snow slope under a grey sky, with a third figure lower down.

Snow-loaded spruce branches frame a distant line of red tents on a white plain, with low white hills behind.

A person indoors holds a very large glass of beer in each hand, with bar benches, a candle and a painted mural behind.

View all 16 photographs

Trip dossier

Route, arrival, kit and operating detail

Geography, arrival, flight handoff and equipment in one place. Final joining times are confirmed in writing for each departure.

Route & terrain

9 days · Ski touring + winter survival training · 4 route points

North-east from Oslo to the Swedish border, then on skis and pulks through Femundsmarka's frozen lakes and pine forest. The map shows the region the trip covers rather than a surveyed route: waypoints are indicative, and the day-by-day is not yet confirmed.

Not for navigation
About this map
Rivers use HydroSHEDS/HydroRIVERS; the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC) provides observed water extent, Copernicus relief, and Natural Earth land and country boundaries. These layers provide geographic context, not navigation.

Open the full route plate

Risk & conditions

Five dimensions · highest rating 4/5

Read this before you apply

The risks are part of the decision

How we handle risk →

The conditions that give this trip its character are the same ones that decide who should be on it. Each rating compares this trip with the others on the site; the line beside it says what that means here.

Physical

04 / 05

Long days on skis hauling a loaded pulk, in snow, carrying your own camp.

Technical

03 / 05

Telemark skiing, stove management and snow shelters — taught on the trip, not assumed.

Environment

04 / 05

Sub-zero throughout, no huts, no easy exit.

Activity

03 / 05

Frozen-lake travel and avalanche terrain, mitigated by instruction.

Geopolitical

01 / 05

Norway. No advisory of any kind.

When it goes wrong

On the ground, the trip lead makes the immediate safety call — changing the route, changing the day or stopping the activity. The communications, medical and evacuation arrangements confirmed for this departure will be set out in your written trip information. If a service is not named there, do not assume it is included. Emergency and legal limits →

Where you sleep

Winter tents and wilderness camps during the course; no lodge at the end of a ski day.

On the course: Winter tents, snow camps and remote wilderness campsites.

Sharing arrangements and any single option have not yet been confirmed for this trip. Tell us what you need before booking.

What you eat

Expedition food is provided during the course.

Meals: The group works with stove and cooking systems as part of winter campcraft.

Arrival & orientation

Oslo (OSL) · Norway

Oslo

Oslo Airport Gardermoen

Oslo is the international gateway rather than the trip start. The wilderness is a long onward journey north-east by road or rail, so allow for the connection given in the joining instructions and avoid a tight same-day booking.

Airport: OSL
Country: Norway
Time zone: Europe/Oslo

60.2028, 11.0839Open in OpenStreetMap ↗

Flights & joining dates

Oslo (OSL) · Sat, 20 Feb 2027 – Sun, 28 Feb 2027

Start with flights into Oslo (OSL).

The search below opens an external site with the recommended travel dates already filled in. Wait for the written arrival deadline before buying a fare you cannot change. Atlas51 does not sell flights or take payment for them.

Sat, 20 Feb 2027 – Sun, 28 Feb 2027

Recommended travel dates · A51-FEM-FEB27

Into and out of Oslo (OSL)

Search flights ↗

Kit & equipment

Confirm the trip-specific kit with us before booking

Ask us to confirm the kit required for your departure, what is provided and any hire costs before you book or buy equipment. The trip inclusions state what is currently included in the price.

Practical detail

Cancellation, insurance and what's included

Details & pricing: Enquire.; International flights are excluded unless the written offer explicitly includes them.
If you cancel: Charges scale with how close to departure you cancel.; Read the cancellation schedule →
Entry & health: Passport, visa and health requirements are yours to confirm.; We tell you what we know before you apply. Disclose anything relevant to your safety or the trip's.
Sleeping arrangements: Confirmed in your written offer.; Ask about a single/solo supplement when you apply.
Insurance: A condition of travel — cover for medical treatment, emergency evacuation and repatriation.; We introduce a specialist broker if you'd like one.
What's covered: The trip as described on this page — the operator's services, in-trip logistics and issued equipment.; Excludes flights, personal spending, visas and anything marked excluded in your written offer.

What's included

Training & Support — Experienced expedition leaders and winter wilderness instructors throughout, guiding every aspect of expedition life from ski technique and campcraft through to avalanche awareness and polar systems. Expedition food provided.
Expedition Training — Expedition skiing instruction; pulk management tuition; winter camping training; avalanche awareness and rescue techniques; ice travel and safety instruction; emergency shelter construction; expedition decision-making and planning skills.
Accommodation — Winter tents; snow camps; remote wilderness campsites. This is training for polar travel, not a hotel-based adventure.
Transport — Return transport from Oslo to the expedition start point; all internal expedition logistics.

What's not included

International travel to Norway
Travel insurance
Personal equipment unless specifically stated
Alcoholic drinks
Personal spending money
Any costs arising from changes to personal travel plans
Arctic sleeping bag, coat, boots etc. are available for rent and may be required if personal sleeping bags are not safe for Arctic conditions

Common questions

3 questions answered specifically for this trip, rather than in general.

Is this a ski holiday or a course?: It is a winter skills course. You practise ski and pulk travel, winter camping, stove systems, ice travel, emergency shelters and expedition decision-making.
What if I've never done this before?: Ski technique, stove management and winter campcraft are taught on the course. You still need to be ready for long days hauling a loaded pulk in cold conditions; discuss your existing experience and fitness before applying.
Do we stay in lodges at the end of each ski day?: No. The course uses winter tents, snow camps and wilderness campsites, and the group works together to build camp.

Run by Jamie

Jamie standing in a trench cut into deep snow, frost in his beard, with a low sun behind him.

Jamie · Mountain & polar

Run by people who know one place well

For more than seventeen years, Jamie has worked in remote mountain and polar environments where practical systems, equipment and judgement have to hold.

How Jamie works →Our approach to responsible travel →

01 · Apply

Nothing is booked or charged online.

02 · Tommy replies

Tommy will aim to reply within one business day.

03 · Written offer

The trip, price and next step—in writing.

One date