Classic tours | Snuitide

Norway has a handful of tour-skating areas that are classics — large lakes or mountain terrain where natural-ice tour skating has a deep-rooted tradition. Mjøsa, Tyrifjorden, Femund and Hardangervidda dominate the Norwegian tour-skating scene, and the tours arranged there are often the goal of the season for beginners and experienced skaters alike.

For anyone planning: each area has its own logic. Mjøsa is large and open — it gives long day trips on good ice. Tyrifjorden has several smaller surfaces that connect to one another and is often accessible earlier in the season. Femund is wilderness with less infrastructure but quiet and dramatic. Hardangervidda gives an early season on mountain tarns from October/November. Classic routes on Vansjø in Østfold are run by active local groups.

What they all have in common is that classic tours require local knowledge. Active Facebook groups and Foreningen Turskøyting publish ice reports daily during the season. You cannot tell from a map that a specific stretch is safe or productive — you learn that from experiences shared over years.

Mjøsa — the classic big lake

Mjøsa is Norway’s largest lake, about 100 km north of Oslo, surrounded by Hamar, Lillehammer and Gjøvik. A classic tour-skating mecca — large, open surfaces, long possibilities once the ice is in.

Season: typically January–April. Mjøsa is large and deep, so freezing over takes time. Stable from February in most years.

Classic stretches:

Skreia–Hamar — about 30 km across the flat areas of southern Mjøsa
Lillehammer–Gjøvik — about 35 km along the west shore
The Toten side — several local routes
All the way round Mjøsa — about 130 km, a classic expedition tour for the fit

Traffic pattern: organised group tours are arranged by Foreningen Turskøyting and local groups. The Skreia area is a classic gathering point for the early season, where the wind may have kept the ice open while other areas are snow-covered.

Specific challenges: a large lake means varied conditions. Areas exposed to current at the Lågen inflow (north) and the Vorma outflow (Minnesund, south) call for extra caution. Wind on open water can be strong.

For anyone planning a Mjøsa tour: join a group tour the first time. Local familiarity makes the difference between a good day and a demanding one.

Tyrifjorden — eastern Norway’s second largest

Tyrifjorden is eastern Norway’s second largest body of water (after Mjøsa), at 63 m above sea level, consisting of the main basin Storfjorden plus the arms Holsfjorden, Nordfjorden and Steinsfjorden. Foreningen Turskøyting has its own category overview for Tyrifjorden tours.

Season: often earlier than Mjøsa because of less depth and volume. Classic from December/January.

Classic stretches:

Holsfjorden — several routes between Hole, Sundvollen and Sylling
Nordfjorden — routes between Sundvollen and Vikersund
Steinsfjorden — smaller, often earlier ice

Traffic pattern: active local groups. Turskøyter Hole og Ringerike is an active Facebook group.

Specific challenges: varied depth and current patterns between the parts. The connection from Tyrifjorden to the Drammen watercourse means current exposure in certain areas.

For anyone planning a Tyrifjorden tour: the area is a classic for beginners because it has local infrastructure, shorter distances than Mjøsa, and good ice reporting.

The Ringerike region — a varied season

The Ringerike region is described by Foreningen Turskøyting as “perfect for tour skating” because of the difference in elevation from Tyrifjorden (63 m above sea level) to mountain tarns above 1,000 m above sea level. That gives a long and varied season:

Early season (October–November): mountain tarns above 800 m above sea level freeze first
Mid-season (December–January): lower mountain lakes
Main season (February–March): Tyrifjorden and the lowland areas
Late season (April): combinations with the spring season in the mountains

For anyone wanting to build season experience: Ringerike is a good starting point because you have access to the whole range — from early mountain-lake skating to classic lowland tour skating — within a short driving distance.

Femund — wilderness character

Femund is Norway’s second largest natural lake, third largest overall, about 13 km west of the Swedish border in Innlandet/Trøndelag. More wilderness tour skating than Mjøsa or Tyrifjorden.

Season: a long season thanks to the cool mountain climate. Typically from December to April.

Classic stretches:

The main lake Femund — over 200 km² of surface, large open expanses
Femundsmarka tarns — smaller mountain lakes in the same area
Røros–Femund — combined tours linking Femund to smaller lakes

Traffic pattern: less established than Mjøsa or Tyrifjorden. Local knowledge matters even more. Local mountain-sports clubs have ice reports.

Specific challenges: longer access (from Røros, Tolga, or from the Swedish side). Limited infrastructure. Winter weather can be more severe than in the lowlands.

For anyone planning a Femund tour: preferably in the company of experienced locals, and prepared for the weather to change quickly. Femund is not for a first season.

Hardangervidda — the early-season mecca

The mountain tarns of Hardangervidda freeze early in the autumn — northern Europe’s largest high-mountain plateau. A classic for an early start to the season.

Season: October–November for the higher mountain tarns, before the snow begins to settle. The main season in the lowlands is often over by the time Hardangervidda becomes unskateable because of snow.

Classic areas:

Tarns above 1,200 m above sea level — typically freeze in mid-October in cold years
The areas around Finse — a classic mountain-ski mecca, but the early season is possible for tour skating
Smaller tarns in central Hardangervidda — require walking in

Traffic pattern: not organised tour-skating activity to the same degree as Mjøsa or Tyrifjorden. More for those who combine a mountain trip with tour skating.

Specific challenges: walking in to the tarns before the ice is stable. Winter weather on Hardangervidda can be severe. The tarns are small — you will not get stretches of many kilometres.

For anyone wanting to try the early season: combine it with a walk or backcountry skis (fjellski). Many experienced tour skaters head to Hardangervidda in October to get a start to the season without waiting for the lowlands.

Vansjø — a DNT base in Østfold

Vansjø is a lake in Østfold with an active tour-skating tradition. DNT Vansjø’s tour-skating group is one of the country’s most active local groups, with group tours on Vansjø and other watercourses in Østfold.

Season: typically December–March.

Classic stretches:

The main lake — several routes
Adjoining watercourses — combinations give longer day trips

Traffic pattern: organised group tours are arranged regularly. All DNT members can join Vansjø’s tour-skating group free of charge.

For anyone living in Østfold or the Oslo area: Vansjø is a good choice for local tour skating with solid infrastructure.

The Trondheim region — Stålisgruppa

The Trondheim region has Stålisgruppa — an informal group in Trøndelag with over 7,000 followers on Facebook. They meet on freshly formed clear ice on Jonsvatnet and other lakes in the region.

Season: December–April, varies by lake.

Classic areas:

Jonsvatnet — a classic gathering point for Trondheim tour skaters
The Nidelva area — rarer, requires special conditions
Femund (partly in Trøndelag) — as described above
Smaller mountain lakes around Røros, Oppdal

Traffic pattern: Stålisgruppa is active with ice reports and spontaneous group tours. Launched a web-based video course in December 2020.

For anyone living in Trondheim or Trøndelag: the Stålisgruppa Facebook group is the most important information channel.

Longer tours — 50–100 km day trip

For fit tour skaters, longer tours are part of the tradition. How far?

Realistic daily distances on good clear ice:

Ordinary group tour: 20–40 km
A facilitated longer tour: 50–80 km
A fit individual: 100–150 km on good ice

Vikingarännet in Sweden (Uppsala–Stockholm, about 80 km) has had about 4,000 participants in a single day since 1999 — showing that 80 km is achievable for ordinary tour skaters on good ice.

Why it is possible: the glide on good clear ice is extremely efficient. A speed of 15–25 km/h is normal for the fit, and you save energy compared with a ski trip or a walk.

What it requires:

A fit body and good condition
A complete kit
A pack for an emergency (extra food, warmth, battery)
Solid ice along the whole stretch
Good daylight

For anyone wanting to build up to longer tours: build up gradually. 20 km, 40 km, 60 km, 80 km in successive seasons. Do not push yourself to 100 km early — it will be demanding in any case, but it is genuinely harmful if you go beyond your own capacity.

Ploughed skating tracks — an alternative for snowy winters

When the natural ice does not work because of snow, there are ploughed tracks:

Sognsvann (Oslo) — Bymiljøetaten clears a long-track about 1.5–2 km wide when the ice is at least 15 cm. Announced on Facebook.

Sognsvann (Oslo) — Bymiljøetaten clears a wide long-track of about 1.5–2 km when the ice is at least 15 cm. Maridalsvannet, the city’s drinking-water source, is by contrast not cleared as a skating track.

Bymarka (Trondheim) — several cleared lakes during the season.

Smaller municipalities — often clear local lakes, frequently announced via the municipality’s Facebook page or a hiking association.

For anyone new: cleared tracks give reassurance (thick ice that has been checked by the municipality) and a lower threshold (often laid out as a loop). Less drama than a natural-ice tour, but also less demanding.

Ploughed skating tracks goes through this in more detail.

Classic tours in a table

Area	Season	Length	Threshold
Mjøsa	Jan–Apr	30–130 km	Moderate
Tyrifjorden	Dec–Mar	15–50 km	Low
Ringerike mountains	Oct–Nov	5–20 km	Moderate
Femund	Dec–Apr	20–80 km	High (wilderness)
Hardangervidda mountain tarns	Oct–Nov	5–15 km	Moderate
Vansjø	Dec–Mar	10–40 km	Low
Jonsvatnet (Trøndelag)	Dec–Mar	5–20 km	Low

For anyone wanting to build experience: start with Tyrifjorden or Vansjø. Build up to Mjøsa. Experiment with Femund or mountain tarns once you have solid competence.

Next steps

If you are planning your first tour: join a local group tour on Tyrifjorden or Vansjø. These are classic beginner destinations with local support.

If you have done group tours and want to go further: build up to Mjøsa or extended routes. Femund is for later, when you have a solid foundation.

For longer tours: sign up for Vikingarännet in Sweden as a goal for the season, or take part in local Norwegian expedition tours arranged by Foreningen Turskøyting.

For more context: ice safety and first tour-skating trip go through the practicalities.

Learn more

Text: Snuitide (2026).