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 and ski 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 opportunities for challenging expedition and winter camping possibilities, bringing you deep into the mountain wilderness surrounded by spectacular mountain scenery, while our tour in Blaikfjället in South Lapland offers an adventurous yet accessible ski adventure with wild winter camping.
- Finland's quiet forests and tranquil wilderness areas 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.
- Norway's stunning landscapes are a wonderful backdrop to your adventure as you head to Rondane for glorious cross country and backcountry trails, to the far north to traverse the Finnmark Plateau or to the dramatic summits of Lyngen and Romsdal for alpine peak tours.
Cross Country Skiing in Hossa and Kalevala. Photo: UT.
Nature Travels offers a range of cross county and ski touring holidays, from introductory-level tours to challenging ski touring expeditions.
Take the plunge for a cross country or ski touring adventure - you'll discover it's one of the most rewarding ways to enjoy the winter!
If you have children, have not skied before or would just like to ombine cross country skiing with other winter activities, you may like
to consider oose 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.
Our options for ski touring in Sweden are located in the far north and in the southern areas of Swedish Lapland.
A wilderness expedition with a very high level of physical challenge, this tour uses pulks to transport the equipment and takes you deep into the wilderness of Swedish Lapland for a week of backcountry skiing off the trails, camping wild for five nights of the tour. The tour begins and ends with night in comfortable accommodation at Abisko Turiststation.
Ski equipment and camping equipment are all included, and tours are possible throughout the winter season, from the deep midwinter of December to the lovely, light early spring days of mid-May.
Suitable for those used to the outdoors and looking for a challenge and who have a very high level of fitness and stamina. Previous ski experience is required, though previous backcountry ski touring experience is not essential.
Backcountry Skiing and Winter Camping in Abisko. Photo: WH.
This tour offers a wonderful introduction to the adventure and challenge of backcountry skiing and winter camping and is an excellent foundation for further extended adventures.
Requiring a general good level of fitness and love of the outdoors, but with no previous ski or winter camping experience necessary, this tour takes you through the wild and beautiful Blaikfjället Nature Reserve, one of Sweden's largest wetland areas and an important conservation area, led by experienced guide.
Using short, wide skis that are ideal for beginners and bringing everything you need with you in "pulks", you will camp wild for three nights in the wilderness to enjoy the special magic of a winter expedition with the opportunity to learn essential skills along the way.
Ski and Wild Camp in South Lapland. Photo: ET.
Unlike our other options for ski touring, which use backcountry or cross country skis, two of our ski tours in Norway are Alpine tours using Randonné skis, where you will climb with skins before fastening your heels and skiing down (the really fun part!).
Norway is also the setting for Discover Cross Country Skiing in Rondane, a self-guided tour ideal for beginners learning to cross country ski but with the flexibility to adapt the distance and level of challenge for more experienced participants also.
Also in Rondane, Learn to Backcountry Ski in Rondane is ideal for those new either to skiing in general or backcountry touring in particular, with guided ski tours from comfortable lodge base and an overnight expedition to mountain cabin.
High up above the Arctic Circle, in the wilds of Finnmark, Ski Touring and Winter Camping on the Finnmark Plateau is a fully fledged expedition tour but made accessible to novice skiers - all you need is suitable fitness and a love of the outdoors!
Alpine Ski Touring in Lyngen. Photo: LOC.
Alpine Ski Touring in Lyngen is a peak-touring experience running weekly between February and May. Often chosen as a private tour for small groups of friends, some tour dates are offered as "open" tours where individuals are also welcome to book. Please see tour information under "Dates" for details.
Located in the Lyngen region at the very top of Norway, this is a challenging and adventurous experience which can nevertheless be adapted to suit a very wide range of levels from novice to expert (private tours can offer great flexibility to accommodate any level of experience and ability, while public tour dates will have more defined criteria for participation).
Set in some of the most dramatic scenery in the world, and with accommodation in comfortable apartment and meals prepared for you in the evening, this is a bucket-list ski trip of the highest order!
Alpine Ski Touring in Romsdal. Photo: UB.
A snow 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 on the lake shore, 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! Different tour dates have different requirements for previous experience and ability - for some dates, it is not essential 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.
There is also the choice of 5-day, 6-day and 8-day tour dates to offer flexibility depending on the time you have available for your adventure.
Discover Cross Country Skiing in Rondane. Photo: MON.
Learn to cross country ski in one of Norway's most beautiful mountain areas on this self-guided tour between comfortable accommodation. The week combines day tour and point-to-point elements. Day tours are completely flexible in length and level of challenge, while the cabin-to-cabin days have very manageable distances (6-8km) with your main luggage transferred.
This is a wonderful choice for novices seeking an introduction to cross country skiing but still with the sense of achievement and adventure that comes with moving between different overnight locations.
Participants with previous cross country skiing experience can choose to extend the minimum distances to make a more challenging tour, and the week also includes the option to add extra activities such as dog sledding and snowshoeing.
Tour dates are flexible between February and April and accommodation is at three traditional, welcoming mountain lodges along the route.
Hut to Hut Ski Touring in Rondane National Park. Photo: RRL.
A "next step" expedition for those with previous experience of backcountry and/or cross country skiing, this is a wonderful tour in beautiful surroundings. Beginning with a training day tour, you will then traverse Rondane National Park from north to south, with four nights in simple but comfortable DNT mountain cabins along the route.
The skiing can be challenging with some technical up and down sections, so it is important that you are confident on backcountry skis with good control in a range of conditions. You will be skiing with pulks shared between the group to carry the main equipment.
Accommodation before and after the tour is in cosy, family-run lodge, with three-course dinners served in the small restaurant and a sauna and hot tub session available on the last night after your tour.
For guests without sufficient experience for this tour, Learn to Backcountry Ski in Rondane described below is the perfect introduction and is based at the same location.
Learn to Backcountry Ski in Rondane. Photo: RRL.
Offered on flexible dates from late January to April, this experience features accommodation at a cosy, personal Lodge with three days of private guided backcountry skiing in the beautiful mountains of Rondane with the chance to ski both on prepared tracks and away from the trails. There is a strong focus on local cuisine and hospitality, with sauna also available.
Beginning with a day tour on the plateau to build your skills, this is followed with an overnight ski tour to stay in one of the mountain cabins in the area. The tour is ideal for those with previous ski experience looking to discover backcountry skiing, or even for complete novices. As the guided ski tours are private (for 1-6 persons), there is great flexibility to vary the level of challenge and distance covered to offer the best experience for you.
Ski Touring and Winter Camping on the Finnmark Plateau. Photo: PIR.
With tour dates offered from February to the "spring winter" in April and early May, this tour is a wonderful adventure and a real expedition through the wilderness of Finnmark in the far north of Norway, yet accessible to participants with little or no previous ski experience.
As a winter camping tour in a remote area, this can of course be a physically challenging tour - the group will bring everything necessary for the tour in "pulks" and camp wild along the way - but it is not necesssary to have previous experience of winter camping or skiing.
The tour will normally be chosen by adult participants, but is also open to active families with children minimum age 12, provided children have suitable level of fitness and previous outdoor experience for an extended winter tour of this kind.
Accompanying you on your trip for some warming hugs in the evening will be 1-2 huskies, adding an extra dimension to the experience.
In Finland, we offer cross country ski tours both from fixed base and skiing between overnight accommodation with luggage transfer, and tours using backcountry skis carrying full pack and/or using pulks.
This is a guided cross country skiing tour based at a traditional guesthouse during the week and suitable for both beginners and intermediate skiers. Daily distances are 8-20km and the itinerary offers the flexibility for novices to ski the minimum distance while more experienced skiers cover extra distance. Beginners also have "ski school" at the start of the week with instruction on technique.
In addition to four days of cross country skiing, this experience also features a guided snowshoe excursion to Koli National Park, as well as the chance to try "ski shoes". 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 included as standard.
Cross Country Skiing in Eastern Finland. Photo: AKA.
A little further north, in north-east Finland, this tour also offers an option for "classic" cross country ski tours between guest houses and cabins and also with luggage transfer included. The two 7-day itineraries offered here both require previous cross country skiing experience but are at two different challenge levels - one covering around 100km during 5 days of skiing, the other around 150km. As with the Eastern Finland tour, there is also a focus on local cuisine and culture (including visit to reindeer farm) as well as plenty of opportunities to enjoy the Finnish tradition of sauna at the end of the day!
In the far north of Finland, we offer two itineraries for hut-to-hut exploring the Lemmenjoki and Halti regions.
Backcountry Skiing and Northern Lights in Finnish Lapland. Photo: WH.
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.
For those who enjoy the extra dimension that winter camping brings to a trip, this tour in the remote north-east of Finland is a wonderful adventure, requiring a high level of fitness and love of the outdoors but, as the skiing is not technical, suitable for participants with limited ski experience.
Backcountry Skiing and Tipi Camping in Eastern Lapland. Photo: UT.
You will be skiing with your own pulk through remote protected areas, with overnight accommodation along the way in communal tipi heated by lightweight wood-burning stove. A wonderful opportunity to experience the stark beauty of the Lapalnd wilderness in wintertime, with very good chances for Norhern Lights during your tour.
