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Winter Holidays > Ski Touring and Cross Country > Choosing a Ski Tour

Ski Touring in Sweden, Finland & Norway - mountain passes, alpine summits or quiet forests

Cross country skiing and ski touring have become increasingly popular in recent years, as travellers become more aware of the negative environmental impact of downhill resorts and discover the enormous potential of this quieter, less intrusive way to enjoy the beauty of the winter landscape.

The Nordic countries are some of the world's top destinations for cross country skiing, ski touring or alpine touring, with thousands of kilometres of well-prepared tracks and waymarked trails as well as endless possibilities for off-track adventures:

• Sweden's fjäll landscape in the north offers tremendous hut-hut touring possibilities, bringing you deep into the mountain wilderness, often using the routes that are also popular as hiking tours in summer.
• Norway's stunning mountain peaks rising right from sea level allow for exhilarating alpine climbs and off-piste descents amid breathtaking scenery at much lower altitudes than would be possible in other locations.
• Finland's quiet forests and tranquil nature are perfect, both for our cross country tours travelling between local guest houses steeped in tradition and with a warm welcome, sauna and excellent food awaiting at the end of the day, or for our challenging expeditions into the wilderness of Finnish Lapland.

Nature Travels offers a range of cross county and ski touring holidays, from family-friendly winter breaks to challenging ski touring expeditions.

If you have young children, have not skied before or would like to combine cross country skiing with other winter activities, you may like to choose one of our winter log cabin experiences such as Winter Log Cabin Getaway in Päijänne Tavastia. Equipment is available to hire from your hosts and the surrounding forests offer opportunities for cross country skiing right from the door.

For those seeking a greater challenge, take the plunge for a dedicated cross country or ski touring adventure!

Hut to Hut Ski Touring in Sweden

If you have some experience of cross country skiing but are yet to discover the challenge and adventure of mountain ski touring, you will find Discover Mountain Ski Touring in Lapland an ideal introduction to this marvellous sport. A 7-day experience running on the central section of the King's Trail, Discover Mountain Ski Touring combines guided day training tours from mountain station with a cabin-cabin expedition component. Discover Mountain Ski Touring will give you the opportunity to improve your technique and build your confidence for future extended tours under the tuition of your local guide.

For those with previous experience of mountain ski touring (and an ideal "next step" if you have already done the Discover tour), we offer an option for guided tours with additional level of challenge: Ski Touring on the King's Trail from Abisko to Kebnekaise.

The Abisko-Kebnekaise tour takes you through the dramatic mountain landscape of Lapland into the shadow of Sweden's highest mountain, Mt. Kebnekaise, following the Kungsleden trail, one of Sweden's best-known hiking routes in summer. Accommodation is in mountain cabins and mountain stations along the trail. One of the world's classic ski touring experiences and an adventure not to be missed!

This tour is considerably more challenging than Discover Mountain Ski Touring, as you will be skiing each day with pack weight 10-14kg. It is important if considering this tour that you have previous experience of ski touring and are comfortable with the itinerary.

Summit Touring in Norway

Very different from the point-to-point tours we offer in Sweden and Finland, Alpine Ski Touring in Romsdal is an adrenalin junkie's adventure set amongst the dramatic mountain landscape of one of Norway's, and indeed the world's, premier alpine summit touring regions.

From your base at comfortable, modern cabin, there is a wide choice of peaks within easy travelling distance. You will head out each day with the intention of climbing one of the summits before a thrilling off-piste run to the bottom! This tour is suitable for competent downhill skiers who have some experience of skiing off-piste, and you will need to be prepared for some hard days' climbing! It's not necessary to have done summit tours before and the tour is intended to allow participants to extend their skills and confidence under the leadership of experienced mountain guides.

Cross Country Skiing and Hut to Hut Touring in Finland

Cross Country Skiing in Eastern Finland is a guided guest house to guest house tour suitable for adults or older children (min. age 15) with some previous cross country skiing experience and comfortable skiing distances of 15-30km with light daypack. This experience differs from our other tours both in that luggage transfer is included, meaning you will be skiing with only a daypack during the day, and that accommodation each night is in local guest houses rather than wilderness cabins. Your local hosts offer a warm welcome and insight into the culture and cuisine of the area and of course, being Finland, sauna is an important feature of each evening! Ski equipment is available to hire as an optional extra.

In the far north of Finland, Backcountry Skiing and Northern Lights in Finnish Lapland offers two itineraries for hut-to-hut exploring the Lemmenjoki and Halti regions. These tours are physically challenging and take place in very remote areas, with accommodation in simple wilderness cabins, but do not require previous ski touring experience, so can be a good option for participants with good level of fitness seeking to participate in a real winter expedition but without the requirement for technique necessary for other options such as the King's Trail in Sweden.