Skardåsen, Mar 23 2016

Peaks visited:

Peak Height PF Municipality
Skardåsen 1071m 171m Nord-Aurdal
IMG_0000
The 13,7km cross-country track from Valdres Skisenter, across Skardåsen

Our stay at Beitostølen had come to an end and our next stop was at Hov by Randsfjorden, where we planned to stay at friends for a couple of days.

It was a gorgeous day, by far the best day so far this easter, and our plan was to visit Skardåsen above Skrautvål, on our way to Hov.

We drove up to Valdres Skisenter and there was only one car at the parking area. Although the time was just passed 11:30am, we seemed to be early. Given this wonderful day, I found that a bit strange.

Anne chose cross-country skis, a very wise and obvious choice. Me, on the other hand, chose mountain skis and short skins. I hadn’t studied the terrain good enough and thought that it would be an ascent all the way to the top. I was wrong.Very wrong.

IMG_2603
I am falling behind due to a bad choice of skis

Skiing with the skins was just tormenting, so I gave up on that. My next move was to let Karma tow me. But as she seemed a bit tired after some long trips in the recent days, she wasn’t much help. So the only option left was skating – but that wasn’t easy with a lousy technique combined with skis not suitable for skating. The trip up to Skardåsen was tough, but the upside was good exercise! And once we reached the top, all the hard work was forgotten. The view was just incredible.

IMG_2611
On top of Skardåsen with magnificent views in all directions

The trip back to Valdres Skisenter was one long pleasure ride. There were a few steep hills where I could let the skis run as fast as they possibly could and Anne and Karma was far behind. On the flats, I was able to keep momentum by skating and when I got to the point where I got tired, there were more downhills awaiting.

I really enjoyed this area, and hope to return with a proper choice of skis.

Trip statistics:

13,7km, 300 vertical meters, 2 hours.

Pictures from the trip:

Leave a Reply