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Types of Skiing Explained: Alpine, Nordic, Touring & SkateSweden
Feb - Mar
Master skate skiing – the faster, more demanding cross-country technique – in the Swedish mountains, with snowshoeing, ice bathing and potential northern lights spotting too.
Beginner
Challenging
Home Comforts
From
£2,250
(USD $3,532.50)
Active Trip in the Mountains
This active winter holiday is for women ready to master skate skiing, the faster, more demanding version of cross-country, that’ll give you a proper workout in the Swedish mountains.
The trip is perfect if you’ve tried classic cross-country, downhill skiing, or ice skating and want the next challenge.
Expert instruction takes you from the basics to moving fast across snowy mountain terrain. Between ski sessions, snowshoe through frozen mountain landscapes, brave the Swedish ice bath tradition, and recover with yoga and sauna sessions. Evenings bring great food and night sky scanning on the look out for possible northern lights sightings.
An Active Agenda
No Hidden Costs
Expert lessons and guided tours
Guided winter hike on lightweight modern snowshoes
Daily stretching sessions to ease and strengthen tired muscles
Unwind in the sauna, then plunge into a frozen lake
Traditional family-run mountain hotel
Breakfast buffets, packed lunches, plus 3-course dinners
Professional ski instructors, plus your Gutsy Girls host
Pick-up and drop-off at Trondheim airport
Activity Overview
Skate skiing is the faster, more demanding version of cross-country skiing. Instead of keeping your skis parallel, you’re pushing off at angles. Think ice skating, but on snow.
You’ll need some experience first, either from classic cross-country skiing, downhill skiing, ice skating or rollerblading. If you’re new to winter sports, start with our classic cross-country trip first.
It’s a proper workout so expect to be sweaty and breathless. The payoff? More speed, more power, and way more freedom on the snow once you’ve cracked it.
Activity Overview
Swap your skis for snowshoes and tackle the Swedish wilderness on foot. Less technique to master, more time to actually look around and take in the views.
We’ll head deep into forests where the trees are heavy with snow and the trails are wherever we make them. You’re more likely to spot wildlife tracks than other people’s footprints.
Activity Overview
Take a snowcat – think tank meets ski lift – to reach your private dinner in a mountain cabin. From up there you’ll have fantastic local food and views that stretch for miles.
Activity Overview
The hotel sits right by a frozen lake, and we’ve cut a hole that’s perfect for a quick dip. The sauna’s a short walk away for when you need to defrost.
Get in or don’t, either way, you’ll get entertainment from watching your fellow Gutsy Girls discover exactly how cold Swedish lake water gets in winter.
Activity Overview
After a long day skiing, there’s nothing better than unwinding in a relaxing yoga class. The in-house instructor will guide you through a gentle flow, helping you stretch out your muscles and reset for the next active day.
The Destination
Your Adventure Starts Here
Arrive at Trondheim airport and we'll pick you up for the transfer to the hotel. Once everyone's arrived, you’ll meet the group over dinner and your host will brief you on the week ahead.
Fuel up with breakfast, then head straight into your first skate ski lesson. We'll break down the technique as this feels completely different from classic cross-country.
Lunch back at the hotel, then another lesson to work on that angled push-off technique. After that, it's time for your first skate ski tour. Over fika (coffee and cake), learn about different equipment.
Hit the sauna; you'll need it after working those new muscles. Three-course dinner at the hotel.
Morning lesson combining technique work with exploration. You're starting to find your rhythm with the skate technique.
Refuel with lunch, then get out for a longer skate ski tour. When you're back, the guide will give a lesson in snow safety.
Yoga session to work out those leg muscles, optional sauna, then dinner at a local brasserie to taste regional dishes.
Time for the real test: a full-day skate ski tour. This is where you'll feel the power and speed this technique delivers.
Continue the tour through the winding landscape.
Back to base for an evening yoga session and three-course dinner. Your legs will thank you.
Switch things up and trade your skis for snowshoes. Head up the mountain, making your own trails through fresh snow.
Packed lunch on the mountain, then free time back at the hotel. Hit the sauna, read, or just chill.
Yoga session, then snowcat ride up the mountain for dinner at a mountain hut.
Breakfast, then gear up for another full-day skate ski tour. After mastering the technique, it's time to enjoy the speed and freedom.
Continue exploring and take is just how much you've improved so far.
Head out for a night skate ski with headtorches then brave the Swedish ice bath tradition, followed by dinner back at the hotel.
Final full-day skate ski tour covering some serious distance and serious speed.
After lunch continue exploring the terrain.
Final yoga session, then farewell dinner at a local brasserie to celebrate your epic week.
After breakfast, you’ve got free time until your transfer back to Trondheim airport. You're heading home with serious skate skiing skills!
Rest & Refuel
A traditional mountain hotel with scenery for days. The rooms are simple, but the location is unbeatable and this family-run place will have you feeling at home from day one. The sauna though - it's one of our favourites!
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Hearty buffet breakfasts and packed lunches fuel you through the day. Dinner is served at three different spots - the seriously good three-course meals at the hotel, as well as two nights at a local brasserie for proper local produce, and one mountain-top hut meal with epic views.
We accommodate most dietary requirements with advance notice. Just tell us early as sourcing specialty ingredients in the mountains takes planning.
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Book now
The Essentials
| Accommodation |
Home Comforts A cosy, family-run mountain hotel with private and shared bedrooms and hotel restaurant.
|
|---|---|
| Food |
All meals included. We accommodate most dietary requirements with advance notice, but if your allergy is severe, please get in touch before you book
|
| Fitness Level |
3
Challenging Skate skiing is a full-body workout combining endurance, strength and coordination. You’ll be breaking a serious sweat for up to seven hours daily across a mix of technique sessions and longer tours. It feels demanding at first, but good technique makes a real difference as the week progresses and everything starts to click. If you’re training three or more times a week – running, cycling, spin, strength work – and back-to-back active days don’t faze you, you’re in the right place. You'll Need to Be
|
| Skill Level |
1
Beginner No skate skiing experience needed, but prior experience in skiing, skating or balance-focused sports is essential. If you’re starting completely from scratch, our classic cross-country beginner trip is the better starting point. Beginner is the skill level. It’s not an easy trip. Check the Fitness Level above. Not sure what level you are? Our Trip Rating Guide explains how we score fitness and skill. |
| Packing List |
Below is an indication of the specialist items you will need, and might have to invest in before your adventure! For a full list of what you’ll need to bring, check out the trip guide. We Provide
You’ll Need
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| Travel |
The meeting point for this trip is Trondheim Airport. Alternative routes and travel information are in our trip guide. |
| Not Included |
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| Trip Code |
SWEBRUSSK |
We’ve got you covered
You can fly direct from Gatwick to Trondheim with Norwegian on the way out. There’s no direct flight home, so the return routes via Oslo.
We include one shared transfer on both the arrival and departure days of your trip.
Not sure if your flight works? Just ask, we’re happy to help.
Whilst you don’t need skate skiing experience, this trip isn’t for complete beginners to winter sports. You need prior experience in at least one of the following: classic cross-country skiing, downhill skiing, ice skating, or rollerblading. These sports offer transferable balance, coordination, and gliding skills.
Skate skiing is basically “running on skis”. It’s physically intense, with several hours of skiing daily across morning and afternoon sessions, or full day tours. You need very good cardiovascular fitness and must be comfortable with consecutive active days. You’ll be active for up to seven hours daily.
Expect tumbles while learning, it’s normal. If you’re uncomfortable with the sliding sensation, speed, or falling and are worried about injury, this might not be right for you.
We provide all the technical kit: skate skis, ski boots and ski poles. You just need to bring the right clothing and personal gear. Check our detailed packing list for everything else.
They’re completely different sports. Instead of keeping skis parallel like classic skiing, you push off the ground like ice skating or rollerblading. You generate power by driving your legs outward, making it way more intense and physically demanding.
The yoga sessions are slow and restorative to help you recover from a day of skiing. Our instructor will guide you through a gentle flow, helping you stretch out those muscles and reset for the next active day.
Snowshoeing is basically hiking with extra-wide shoes that stop you sinking into snow. You’ll get a technique session on day one, then you’re equipped to access the winter wilderness. It’s surprisingly easy to learn.
The nearest airport is Trondheim in Norway, where your set-time group transfer collects you for the final three hour drive to the hotel.
From London you can fly direct to Trondheim with Norwegian, or take a connecting flight via Oslo or Bergen. On the way home there’s no direct London flight, but the route via Oslo is easy, with plenty of time to change planes. Flying from elsewhere, connect through Oslo or Bergen. Norwegian and SAS are the best places to start looking.
Whichever route you pick, make sure you land in time to meet the transfer. It leaves at a set time and won’t wait.
Transfers run like trains – they leave on time and don’t wait. If you miss it, we can arrange a taxi for NOK 2700 (approx. £200). This is why comprehensive travel insurance covering delays, cancellations, and missed connections is vital.
Temperatures are around -10°C, with an occasional drop to more like -20°C. This sounds cold, however, for most of the winter in Sweden it is a “dry” cold which tends to feel less cold than a “damp” winter. Mountain weather can be unpredictable.
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