The Finnmark Plateau
SUN, 29 MAR 2020 – TUE, 14 APR 2020
**Full! Please email to join waiting list – booking@loveherwild.com**
The Finnmark Plateau – the name alone brings to mind images of grand nature and magnificent experiences for many European adventurers. The endless rolling terrain, the Northern Lights and the silence will always make a deep and lasting impression on those who see it.
This is the long way across the Finnmark Plateau. This time of year the weather is more stable and the days become longer and brighter. No other people in sight makes this an Arctic challenge for the true adventurers and explorers. The light and scenery is stunning!
-And the reward; images of magnificent untouched nature forever burned into your memory, the indescribable Arctic light, a relaxed mind and the rewarding feeling of having done one of the toughest Arctic challenges available in mainland Scandinavia.
The Plan
The route goes from north to south and ends up in Karasjok, the Norwegian Sami capital. We will be skiing the whole way transporting our equipment in pulks and back packs. Almost the entire route will be off track and our daily skiing distances will be between 7 and 22km. Total distance will be between 160- 210 km, depending on our starting point, which will be decided based on group size and composition, weather forecast, snow conditions and other factors that might influence us during the trip.
In Karasjok we will stay at the luxurious Engholm Husky Lodge….a luxury end to celbrate this tough expedition.
The mean temperature during this time is –6. But we can expect temperatures anywhere between -30 to +5. The winter conditions and being far away from civilization will challenge you both physically and mentally, but it will also bring forward friendship, character, cooperation, grand nature experiences and a wilderness feeling that few other places in Europe can offer.
This expedition is being delivered by Turgleder who are experts in the area of arctic expeditions. Your guide, Liv, has many years of experience and the gear they use is some of the best available for arctic conditions. You will be in very safe hands!
Itinerary
Day 1
Arrival day: You arrive at Alta airport where your guide will meet you and take you to a local guesthouse/cabin in the town of Alta. After dinner you will be briefed on the route of the expedition and we will go through your equipment to see and evaluate whether it will be sufficient for the expedition. We will talk through subjects like first aid, safety and how to avoid frost injuries.
Day 2
Day two we will spent preparing for the expedition and taking the first pole strokes on our way to Karasjok. We will put together teams of two or three that will work and stay together in the tents throughout the expedition. We will do our final purchases in the town, test and pack our equipment before we depart for our starting point. On this first day of the expedition we will be skiing only a few kilometres before we set up our camp for the night. This is to give you the best possible start and to give you the opportunity to adapt to the situation and to make adjustments to your equipment. The exact starting point will be desided based on group size and composition, weather forecast, snow conditions and other factors that could influence us on the trip.
Days 3-15
We will be skiing an average of 15 to 20 kilometers per day. Some days this will mean skiing into the dark hours of the day. Our goal is Karasjok and Engholm Husky Lodge where hot showers and a nice meal is waiting. The lanscape will vary from mountainous terrain with steep slopes and narrow vallies by the coast to the typically flat terrain with rooling hills and scattered patches of wood on the inland mountain plateau.
Day 16
Day sixteen is an extra day. We need to have this day as a back-up in the event that we get weather-bound while we are on the plateau or anything unforeseen should happen. If we reach our goal on day 14 or 15 these extra days can be spent exploring Karasjok and Engholm Husky Lodge.
Karasjok is a small town situated in the heartland of the Sámi culture. Here you can visit the Sámi parliament, the Sámi museum and the local knife smith or silver smith. You can also by other traditional Sámi handcraft.
At Engholm Husky lodge there are always many things happening. You can take part in the daily life at the lodge, you can choose to read a book from “the mushers library” or book a dogsledding daytrip or a visit to a reindeer herder.
Day 17
Day seventeen is your departure day. However we would like to encourage you to stay a few extra days to explore Karasjok, the neighbouring town Kautokeino or Engholm Husky Lodge.
Kit
Getting your gear ready in advance is one of the biggest challenges of this expeditions and you will learn a lot in the process. You have a huge advantage that you can contact the Love Her Wild team who did the Finnmark expedition in 2018 who can pass on all their advice and suggestions.
The 2018 team used a UK Outdoor company to hire a lot of their gear (down jackets, waterproofs, gloves, hats, etc). The more specialist items (skis, boots, etc) can be hired directly from Turgleder.
You will want to make sure you include gear when working out your budget.
| Wind proof jacket (and preferably also waterproof e.g. GoreTex, BreTex or similar membrane fabric) | 1 |
| Windproof pants (Like the jacket) | 1 |
| Thick insulated jacket to put over your wind proof jacket during breaks | 1 |
| Thick woollen sweater or fleece jacket | 1 |
| T-shirts, thin woollen shirts or other technical underwear | 2 |
| Warm underwear (longjons and top with full length arms). Preferably wool or woollen terry | 2 sets (minimum) |
| Warm and wind proof hat that also protects your ears in the wind | 1 |
| Warm and wind proof mittens. Preferably wool or down mittens with wind proof over mittens. | 1 pair |
| Thin gloves (to protect fingers from direct contact with cold metal) | 1 pair |
| Thick woollen socks | 3 pairs |
| Scarf and/or balaclava | 1 |
| Headlamp | 1* |
| Gaiters/leggings (not needed if you rent ski/skiboots from us) | 1 pair |
| Ski boots, skis, skins and ski poles | 1 sett* (NOK 2200) |
| Back pack (40 liter +/- 20 liters) | 1 |
| Sleeping mat / roll mat | 1* |
| Sleeping bag (minimum comfort temperature >/=-20Celsius) | 1* (NOK 600) |
| Liner for sleepping bag or thin sleepingbag | 1* |
| Ski-gogles | 1* |
| Knife | 1* |
| Thermos flask | 1* |
| Compass | 1* |
| Towel | 1 |
| Toilet articles and other private equipment |
– 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.
– We also strongly recommend that you bring a down jacket (and pants) to put on in camp and when we are not moving, however this is only for comfort and is not vital for the expedition.
– If you choose to bring your own sleeping bag, this needs to be a warm winter sleeping bag with minimum comfort temperature >/=-20Celsius.
– 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.
– 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). The price for hiring the ski package is NOK 2200 for the whole trip.
Turgleder also provides free of charge:
– Warm winter boots (to use in the camp area when we are not skiing)
– Tents
– Stoves, cutlery and cooking equipment
– Pulks (sledges for equipment transport)
– Other equipment necessary for this trip
Equipment that you do not need on the expedition can be transported from Alta to Karasjok.
Included
– Local transportation
– all meals from dinner on day 1 to breakfast on day 17
– lodging in Alta and Karasjok
– some clothing and equipment (see equipment list)
– experienced Arctic expedition leader
Not Included
– Travel to Alta and from Karasjok
– Personal equipment (please check the equipment list)
– Travel insurance
– Alcoholic beverages
– any expenses should there be a change in plan or should you have to leave the expedition midway for any reason (travel, accomodation, food outside of your rations)
This expedition is suitable for adventurous people with strength of will and a can-do attitude. It requires a good level of fitness and previous camping and outdoor experience are very helpful.
Crossing Finnmark does not come cheap….arctic exploration is expensive! But this is one of the most affordable arctic trips you can do, especially accounting for the time you get with your pulks out in the vast wilderness.
Compared to our other Love Her Wild expeditions this one will be run a little differently as it is organised as a bespoke trip. We will put together a small team of 4-6 in advance. Most of your communication going forward will be with Turgleder and you will be making payment directly to the expedition company.
You will need to put a fair amount of effort into preparation – both training and getting your kit organised. But it is worth every effort. If you are looking for a unique challenge that will take you to a part of the world that so few get to experience…this is it!
Price: NOK 38,000
Date: 29th March – 14th April 2020
Where: Norway
If you are interested in joining the Finnmark 2020 team please send an email to bex – booking@loveherwild.com.