Holiday and tour dates
2023 dates:
Off track day tours available in the weeks:
26th February – 4th March 2023
5th – 11th March 2023
bookable locally, last places remaining
please contact us to enquire
2024 dates:
Off track nordic ski holiday
17th – 23rd March 2024
Off track day tours available in the weeks:
2nd – 9th March 2024
9th – 16th March 2024
bookable locally,
please contact us to enquire
Off Track Nordic Ski Holiday
2024 price
From: 17 390 NOK
Per person, based on a twin/double room share
Off Track Nordic Day Tours
2023 and 2024 prices
390 NOK per person, per day if you are changing a guided day of your Classic holiday to an off track day tour.
1050 NOK per person, per day when adding to your hotel stay or booking an off track day tour in addition to the five mornings guiding included the Classic holiday.
Price includes transport for guiding
Cross country ski grade
Guests should be confident that they can:
• control their speed and line downhill
• have an effective snowplough
• ski uphill effectively off track
• be able to ski in variable snow conditions away from the tracks
• get up independently after a tumble in soft snow
For the Off Track Holiday guests should also:
• have good ski fitness to ski off track with a day pack, on consecutive days, upto 25-36 km long tours
Small group size
Minimum age
Good to know
Off track nordic skiing holidays in Eastern Norway
Venabu´s off track nordic ski holiday and tours are a superb ski experience.
Off Track Nordic Ski Holiday
Explore the mountains away from the ski tracks and visit some of the more adventurous ski terrain accessible on nordic skis. Our Off Track Nordic Ski Holiday is a centre-based, guided nordic ski holiday for experienced skiers. With five days of guided tours you will discover panoramic summits and ski in wild reindeer country. Join us for ski adventures to remember.
Adventurous nordic skiing
The majority of the skiing is off track, though some tours, or parts of the tour, may be on track. The character of the tours is adventurous, and these day tours can be challenging. As we will be skiing in some beautiful, wild and remote areas guests should have experience of skiing in the mountains. Consequently this the holiday suits confident skiers with off track experience and good fitness.
Beautiful and remote places made accessible
Our skilled, experienced ski guides make remote areas accessible as day tours. The equipment we use is well suited to the terrain: we ski on stable, metal-edged nordic skis and use backcountry ski boots. These skis are light and narrow enough to fit the tracks with good stability for effective descents on variable snow.
Day tours
Join us for adventurous off track nordic day tours during your stay or Classic cross country ski holiday. As the days get longer we can ski further afield and into more remote terrain. Many guests would like to join our off track tours without wanting to commit to a full five days of tours. In response to this we offer two weeks in the season when off track day tours will be available. We plan for these tours to run on Monday, Wednesday and Friday in those weeks, though this may change with the conditions.
Adventurous skiing, a day at a time
These day tours offer an excellent opportunity to experience longer off track ski tours, and conditions, as a step towards a full week’s holiday or hut to hut tours. For the day tours we visit many of the same beautiful areas mentioned in the holiday programme below. A good level of skiing is required, please see the grade description though the fitness requirement is not so demanding as you’re able to have a day or two off. 😊
Our returning guests may have known the off track tours as our ‘Ski Safaris’.
This holiday and the day tours suit:
- Experienced cross country skiers who enjoy longer day tours in beautiful, wild landscapes
- Skiers who like to ski with a day pack and return to the comfort of a hotel each night
- Cross country skiers who would like to build experience and prepare for multi-day, hut to hut tours
- Solo travellers: Venabu’s friendly, inclusive atmosphere make our ski holidays ideal for solo travellers
Read about the full range of cross country skiing holidays at Venabu.
holiday highlights
- Discover these Norwegian mountains in winter: rolling terrain, summits, forests and wild open land
- Five days of expert ski guiding, making this wild area accessible to our guests
- Small group size
- Ski carrying only a day pack, returning to our comfortable hotel each night
- Delicious, plentiful food and our traditional Norwegian Dinner on Wednesday evening
- Ideal for solo travellers, share you ski holiday with like-minded people
- Venabu, Norway, has a great snow record
- Eco-certified hotel
Holiday itinerary
Day 1. Arrival day
After dinner we will meet for the holiday briefing and to issue equipment. We will talk about the week ahead and answer any questions.
Many of our guests choose to stay an extra night before the start of the holiday, to give them an extra day. They ´free ski´ for the day, to find their ski legs, before the start of the itinerary. This night can be added when you book your holiday.
Day 2
9.00 Ski waxing and preparation
9.30 Departure, some days may have earlier starts
Dynjefjellet 15km
This tour weaves through the ski area before ascending Dynjefjellet, 1151m, one of our local peaks. The views from the top are spectacular: to the Rondane and even to the Jotunheimen in the West. We then descend through trees to the summer farms and pastures before threading our way back to the hotel, between the tracks.
15.30-17.00 Return to the hotel
19.00 Dinner is served.
Day 3
9.00 Ski waxing and preparation
9.30 Departure, some days may have earlier starts
Svabudalen 20-25km
We depart on a remote tour today. A short minibus transfer takes us to the start point from where we ski into the Rondane National Park. We aim to visit Svabu, a hunting cabin that nestles behind the peak of Ramshøgda.
15.30-17.00 Return to the hotel
19.00 Dinner
Day 4
9.00 Ski waxing and preparation
9.30 Departure, some days may have earlier starts
Trolløypa and Måsaplassen, 25km
On this tour we follow the Trolløypa between Venabu and Måsaplassen. This is a marked track that is prepared once a week later in the season. It is a remote route all the way and takes us through wild reindeer country. We cross the river Remma, where we often stop for lunch creating a ‘picnic bench’ in the snow and perhaps having a fire.
15.30-17.00 Return to the hotel
19.00 Venabu serves its special dinner: ‘A Taste of Norwegian Tradition’.
Day 5
9.00 Ski waxing and preparation
9.30 Departure, some days may have earlier starts
Rondablikk 36km
If we have very good weather and a strong team we may ski the section of the Trolløypa between Rondablikk and Venabu. It is a long and impressive day.
After a minibus transfer through Gudbrandsdalen to Rondablikk. The route takes us around Furusjoen lake and into the Rondane National Park. We pass above the DNT cabin of Eldåbu and on, before making a welcome return to the tracks for the final 10km or so to Venabu.
There are many superb tours in the area, so if we need to change our choice of tour there are great options to suit the conditions and the team.
15.30-17.00 Return to the hotel
19.00 Dinner
Day 6
9.00 Ski waxing and preparation
9.30 Departure, some days may have earlier starts
Gunstadsætra 20-25km
A minibus transfer takes us out to our start point. We then ski into wild reindeer country again, below Muen and past the site of the old DNT cabin, Gråhøgdbu, before skiing alongside the impressive canyon of Dørjuvet.
15.30-17.00 Return to the hotel
19.00 Dinner is served
Day 7. Departure day
Departure after breakfast
Your holiday and tours day to day:
Expect to be out for about 6 to 8 hours in total. We give approximate distances for the tours. It’s important to understand that when skiing off track it’s the snow and weather conditions that determine the time for the tour and how ‘easy or difficult’ it feels. On each tour we may make adjustments to take account of this.
The itinerary described above illustrates typical days and tours. It is likely to change to adapt to the snow and weather conditions, and to the needs of the group.
“Thank you all for a most wonderful week of skiing!”
Esther and David (UK)
What’s included
- Expert ski guiding on five days
- Six nights accommodation. There is the option to book an extra night when you book your holiday.
- Breakfast and dinner, which are substantial! Packed lunch made up at breakfast
- Thermos filled with your choice of hot drink
- Venabu’s renowned “Taste of Norwegian Tradition” dinner is served on Wednesday evening
- Ski hire and ski wax
- All transfers for guiding
- Use of saunas and yoga room. Yoga classes and sports massage are available (optional extras) during the week to help you recover and relax
“Brilliant!”
Ava and Christine (UK)
Travel to Venabu
We haven´t included travel to Venabu in this package since many of our Off Track Nordic Ski Holiday guests travel to Venabu from other ski areas in Norway. Getting to Venabu is straightforward. We are 3.5 hours north of Oslo by train. Rail and also bus services arrive in Ringebu. It is then a short transfer by minibus from the station in Ringebu.
Choose the transfer that suits you best
Direct transfers to and from Oslo Gardermoen airport are available on Saturdays. Alternatively, the hotel offers minibus transfers from the railway station in Ringebu which takes 20 minutes.
For more information about travel to Venabu please visit our travel page.
You will find these travel options presented to you by our booking system when you book your holiday.
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Venabu's Classic Cross Country Ski Holiday
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“Fantastic holiday!”
“We had a fantastic holiday, new snow, fantastic tracks, superb hotel, food out of this world, staff so helpful and polite. Already booked for Christmas.”
