Women only cross country ski, snowshoe and yoga week
Created for beginners, no previous experience required!
Expert coaching in small groups
Explore the beautiful Nordic wilderness by snowshoe
Daily yoga to relax and unwind
Drive your own husky sleigh experience
Staying in cosy traditional mountain hotel
Delicious breakfast, lunch and 3-course dinners daily
Saunas, sledges and a chance to see the northern lights 🤞
Skis, boots and transfers included!
HIGHLIGHTS
What to Expect
Join us for our exclusive women only cross country ski, snowshoe, yoga and husky adventure in Norway! Specially designed for beginners, this is the perfect active escape to learn a new sport, get out into nature and explore beautiful nordic wilderness with new friends.
Our learn to cross country ski holiday requires no previous experience and we can’t wait to share the joys of nordic and cross country skiing with you. Working with fantastic ski instructors and guides, you’ll receive excellent tuition progressing your skills throughout the week, learning new techniques and building your mileage to explore incredible remote and snowy landscapes.
On this week long retreat we’ll be cross country skiing, snowshoeing, mushing huskies and unwinding with yoga. It’s an action filled retreat in a beautiful snow covered landscape.
FITNESS
We believe cross-country skiing is a fantastic sport for beginners with no previous skiing experience, but it may not be the sport for everyone. We encourage you to be kind to yourself when deciding if this is the sport for you, if not, there are loads more winter adventures coming your way!
This trip is rated moderate
It’s perfect for beginners, with no previous ski or winter sport experience, however you’ll need a good level of fitness to get the most from this experience.
Sample Itinerary
Here’s a little taster of how your week will look! Please see it as a rough guide as we may make changes to suit the weather conditions and energy levels of the group, we focus of getting the best experience for our groups rather than ticking off checklists!
2024 DATES
Sun 31 March - Sun 7 April ⚡️ 1 spot left
Sat 6 - Sat 13 April ⚡️ 3 spots left
2024 PRICE PER PERSON
Twin Room Ensuite £1975
Private Room Ensuite £2150
2024 / 2025 DATES
Sun 22 - Sun 29 December 2024
Sun 29 December 2024 - Sun 5 January 2025
Sun 5 - Sun 12 January 2025
Sun 12 - Sun 19 January 2025
Sun 9 - Sun 16 February 2025
Sun 16 - Sun 23 February 2025
Sun 23 February - Sun 2 March 2025
Sun 30 March - Sun 6 April 2025
Sun 6 - Sun 13 April 2025
Sun 13 - Sun 20 April 2025
2024 / 2025 PRICE PER PERSON
Christmas 2024 & New Years
Twin Room Ensuite £2050
Private Room Ensuite £2250
Before 20 Jan 2025 (excluding Christmas and New Years)
Twin Room Ensuite £1950
Private Room Ensuite £2150
After 20 Jan 2025
Twin Room Ensuite £2050
Private Room Ensuite £2250
If you book 1 spot in a twin room, we’ll pair you up with another Gutsy Girl!
WHAT'S INCLUDED
7 nights accommodation in cosy mountain hotel
5 full days of cross country skiing
Cross country ski lessons and guiding from instructor
1 full day snowshoe tour
5 yoga sessions
Dog sledding experience (1h) *
Horse sleigh ride *
Breakfast, lunch and 3 course dinner
Free coffee and teas in lounge at all times
Pre-dinner aperitif on the final evening
Transfers to and from Ringebu train station
Ski hire and waxes for skiing
Transfers for skiing
Expert ski guides
Gutsy Girl host
*Dependent on snow conditions in January, you’ll be refunded the cost of dog sledding and horse sleigh rides if we are unable to run these activities.
WHAT’S NOT INCLUDED
Flights
Train tickets - approx £30 each way
Drinks
Travel Insurance
Personal clothing/gear - see our guide
✨ Kick Off Your New Year with an Adventure
Secure your spot on our January dates with a 30% deposit. Enjoy more flexibility and pay the balance 10 days before travel.
Standard 45-day balance policy applies for other dates.
-
This cross country ski holiday is rated moderate.
The trip is perfect for beginners, with no previous ski or winter sport experience, however you’ll need a good level of fitness to get the most from this experience.
Fitness Requirements
You take part in medium to high-intensity cardio exercise 3 times a week, for around 45 minutes each time.
What That Might Look Like
Your weekly routine regularly includes activities like running, HIIT sessions, crossfit, cycling, or spin classes. While you don’t need to be a world-class athlete or breaking records, you're accustomed to workouts that raise your heart rate and leave you breathing heavily for about 45 minutes each time.
Engaging in low-intensity activities, like walking, yoga, and pilates will be beneficial, but these alone won't be enough to meet the cardio demands of this trip.
What to Expect
Duration: Daily, you'll be active for 6-7 hours, split into 2-3 hour sessions or occasionally full-day tours.
Distance: We'll cover between 8km to 25km daily. Consider if you can comfortably walk these distances and on consecutive days.
Intensity: Cross country skiing often feels like "running with skis on" long flat sections and uphill climbs can be physically demanding.
Downhill & Speed: Expect gentle slopes, they aren't very steep, but you will pick up speed. If past downhill experiences left you apprehensive, this sport might not be for you.
Gliding Motion: Cross country skiing is all about the glide, you’ll be aiming to generate speed and momentum! If sliding isn't your thing, this sport might not be for you.
Falling: You’re likely to take a few tumbles when learning to ski, so you shouldn’t feel nervous about falling.
Consecutive Activity: This trip involves several days of consecutive skiing, which can be tiring.
If you have any questions about this, please do get in touch, we're happy to help!
-
Nature of the Sport: Cross country skiing involves gliding and sliding. If you're not keen on sliding motion or have concerns about falling, this might not be your sport.
Downhill Sections: There are downhill sections in cross country skiing. They aren't excessively steep, but they do allow you to gain some speed. We'll teach you to navigate these descents and control your speed. If past downhill skiing experiences left you uneasy, cross country skiing might not be the sport for you.
Comparison with Alpine Skiing: Cross country and alpine skiing are distinct. Any prior ski knowledge can help, but foundational training for cross country is essential. Even experienced alpine skiers start as beginners here.
-
We can accommodate all dietary needs.
Included is a buffet breakfast, packed lunch and 3-course dinners.
-
Flights are not included in our packages.
The best airport to fly into is Oslo, then catch the train directly to Ringebu. We’ll pick you up and drop you off at the train station,
See our FAQs for details on train times.
-
Whenever possible we use female instructors and guides, however we cannot always guarantee this, simply because there are fewer female instructors available!
Our first priority is to work with the most highly experienced and considerate instructors and guides, who are patient, friendly and as passionate as we are about building women’s confidence in the outdoors.
Simply due to the ratio of men to women in the outdoors industry, sometimes this means our guides and instructors are male.
We keep a close eye on the feedback our guides receive from our guests as we believe that overall this is more important than their gender. We sincerely hope that as more women are introduced to adventure sports and activities, the amount of female guides and instructors in our industry will increase.
-
In January the snow conditions may not allow for our dog sledging or horse sleigh activities. This does not affect the ski conditions!
If we are unable to run this dog sledding, we have an additional ski lesson and you’ll receive a £25 refund for the difference in activity pricing.
If we are unable to run our horse sleigh ride, we’ll refund £25.
-
For those of you who may have dog allergies or simply don’t like dogs, please be aware that this hotel is dog friendly and there are at least three resident (very gentle) dogs. They won’t enter any bedrooms, but you are likely to encounter them in the lounge area, which is big and airy. There is no obligation to engage with them at all if you would rather not, but please be aware of this.
-
Personal travel insurance that covers you for cross country skiing / nordic skiing is required.
We highly recommend you buy your travel insurance as soon as you book your spot to cover yourself should you fall ill or injure yourself before your trip.
-
The cancellation will only be effective from the date that the cancellation is received in writing by email. Cancellation charges will be payable as follows:
• Cancellation fee of 100% is charged if cancelled 44 days or less before the trip
• Cancellation fee of 30% is charged if cancelled 45 days or more before the trip
-
A 30% deposit is required to confirm your spot. Remaining balance is due 45 days before travel.
If we are less than 45 days before travel the remaining balance will be due shortly after confirming your place with a deposit.
Questions?
PACKING LIST
The weather is likely to be cold and changeable. Of course we cannot predict the weather on any given week, but temperatures around -10°C are considered perfect for cross country skiing, and we may sometimes have temperatures of more like -20°C. This sounds cold, however, for most of the winter in Norway it is a “dry” cold which tends to feel less cold than “damp” cold. You do need enough clothes to stay warm and comfortable though! Please read our blog post for more information on what we recommend you wear whilst cross country skiing!
WE PROVIDE
Cross country skis
Ski boots
Ski poles
YOU WILL NEED
Cross country ski kit - for more info see our blog post:
25 litre backpack
Base layers (a selection - you might want to wear more than one on a cold day)
Long johns
Fleece
A breathable, waterproof shell jacket - a hiking waterproof is ideal
Soft shell winter hiking trousers (windproof, water repellent, breathable)
A warm packable insulated / down jacket
A selection of socks of different thicknesses to help you get the best fit in your hire boots (wool is best)
Sunglasses (ideally polarised)
Warm hat
Buff (you might want two - one for your neck, one as a headband)
Ski gloves (2 pairs, ideally, in case one gets wet - normal ski gloves will do - warm mittens are best if you are prone to getting cold)
Thinner gloves in case it is warm (you will get hot if you’re working hard!)
Glove liners and/or disposable hand warmers if you suffer from cold hands
Waterproof trousers (optional - recommended for a cold / snowy week or to keep your legs warm if you have thin trousers)
Off the skis:
Yoga wear
Casual evening clothes
Night wear
Toiletries
Swimwear for the sauna if you wish (Norwegians will happily go nude!)
Sunscreen (high factor)
Any prescription medication
Other medication (paracetamol/ibuprofen) is significantly more expensive in Norway so bring some if you need to
Compeed or moleskin for blisters, just in case!
Slippers for the hotel
Sturdy shoes / hiking boots / snow boots (you can wear the warm xc ski boots we provide for snowshoeing / sledging / all other activities so no need for investing in special footwear)
Other Stuff
Camera
Dry bags for inside your day pack to keep stuff dry
Waterproof case for your phone might be handy
Snacks
Medium sized tupperware for carrying your lunch out on the trails
Thermos so you can take hot drinks out on the trails
Water bottle (not a camelbak style bladder which will freeze)
If you’re packing light, you could bring soap flakes/wash to hand wash thermals if required