Value of Outdoor Life

A break with a view over a fjord landscape.

What value does friluftsliv really have? Does it matter to us as human beings? Is it healthy? What does it take for you actually to have good experiences when you are out?

Friluftsliv is, first and foremost, a contrast to much of what we otherwise do. Busy days, social media, and a cultural expectation that everything should be perfect are not prominent outdoors. In nature you can experience calm — if you have the time.

Two traditions — two different purposes

Modern Norwegian friluftsliv is built on two different traditions that still compete for the space:

The Norwegian tradition comes from a useful relationship with nature. Until around 150 years ago, Norwegians did not go on a tur for the sake of the experience. Nature was a workplace: people herded livestock, rowed across the fjord to trade grain, moved animals over the glaciers because it was the shortest way. Friluftsliv was not optional, and it was not something people cultivated for fun.

The British tradition is something quite different. In the 1800s, English gentlemen had so much leisure and abundance that they invented “outdoor activities”. They wanted to conquer — to conquer mountain summits and moors. When they discovered that Norwegian mountains were larger than English ones, they came here. With them came the notion of “experiencing nature” as a goal in itself.

Today Norwegian friluftsliv carries both traditions. One says that we should be in nature. The other says that we should master it. Snu i tide stands clearly in the first: we go in order to be, not to conquer. There is no shame in turning back.

Snu i tide as a philosophy →

What the research says

A life without contact with nature is not healthy for us, the Ministry of the Environment (Miljøverndepartementet) (2009) states plainly. The research confirms it:

Mental restoration — a short time in nature reduces cortisol and stress hormones (Berman et al. 2008, among others)
Better concentration — Attention Restoration Theory (Kaplan 1995) describes how nature lets directed attention rest
Better physical health — even 20-30 minutes outdoors a day has a measurable effect on blood pressure, the immune system and sleep quality
Social connection — a shared tur is one of the most durable ways of building relationships over time

The Norwegian authorities have written this into public policy. Friluftsliv is a central part of the Norwegian way of life, the 2015–2016 white paper on outdoor recreation (Friluftsmeldingen) states plainly — and it should be available to everyone.

What we experience outdoors

Experiences in nature have several distinct dimensions that all help us come home more whole:

The aesthetics — the views, the light, the forms
The calm and harmony — the absence of alerts and demands
The existential — the encounter with something greater than yourself
The fellowship — the tur as a shared project
The interconnection — seeing how things are connected in nature
The freedom — being able to choose your own rhythm
The mystery — that which cannot be explained

The bodily side — physical exertion, feeling the calm after a hard day, the fear on steep terrain — is part of it. The relational side — the sense of belonging, the kinship with nature — is another.

The bad weather, too, is an experience of nature. The fog closing in. The frost in the sleeping bag. Sleet in your face. Not everything is comfortable — but all of it is real.

Allemannsretten — our particular resource

Norwegian friluftsliv is privileged. We have allemannsrett to move freely in utmark. We can pitch a tent where we like (with certain rules). We can pick berries and mushrooms. We can paddle, fish, light a fire. Few countries in the world have this.

It also means that we have a responsibility — to use that resource wisely, and to pass it on to the next generation in the same condition.

The Outdoor Recreation Act and the right to roam →

Friluftsliv in education

In Norwegian schools, friluftsliv is part of the curriculum — both in physical education and as its own programme subject in upper-secondary school. It is not only about skills (map and compass, winter overnighting), but about dannelse. Learning to be in nature, not just to use it.

Snuitide was originally built for the friluftsliv programme subject in upper-secondary school. The pedagogical dimension is preserved in the teacher resources under the Teachers’ Room.

Central Norwegian voices

The Norwegian friluftsliv tradition has been shaped by thinkers who wrote clearly about why nature matters — and how we are best in it:

Nils Faarlund (1937–) — founder of the friluftsliv programme at the Norwegian School of Sport Sciences (Norges Idrettshøgskole), the man behind the formulation “tur etter evne” and much of the modern Norwegian pedagogical framework for friluftsliv
Bjørn Tordsson — friluftsliv philosopher, who has written widely about the existential and pedagogical side of friluftsliv
Sigmund Kvaløy Setreng — eco-philosopher, who linked friluftsliv to deep ecology
Hans Børli — poet, who captured nature and the work within it in poetry that is still read

These are not merely historical figures — they remain reference points for today’s discussion of what Norwegian friluftsliv should be.

Learn more

Text: Gina Wigestrand, Snuitide (2021), revised 2026.

Sources: Faarlund, N. (1974). Friluftsliv. Hva — Hvorfor — Hvordan. · Tordsson, B. (2007). Perspektiv på friluftslivets pedagogikk. · Kaplan, S. (1995). The restorative benefits of nature. Journal of Environmental Psychology. · Berman, M.G. et al. (2008). The cognitive benefits of interacting with nature. Psychological Science. · Miljøverndepartementet (2009). Naturopplevelse, friluftsliv og vår psykiske helse.