Are you ready for a real Norwegian winter experience? Situated in the magnificent Rondane mountains between Oslo and Trondheim, you find one of the friendliest hostels the HI Norway network has to offer: Høvringen Hostel.

The hostel

The hostel part of Høvringen is the perfect image of the Norwegian “hygge” (“cosyness”). Consisting of a large cabin with several rooms, a fire place room, dining room and a spacious guest kitchen (with a large dishwasher!). In addition, there is a sauna in the basement for ultimate relaxation after a long day of cross country skiing.

 

The café

In the main building you will find a café which is also run by the hostel. Here, guests and locals alike meet up to have a hot cocoa or a traditional “rømmegrøt” (sour cream porridge, it’s delicious by the way) in between the skiing activities. The café also sells local products such as “musk ox beer”. If you would like to host a party or an event, the hostel staff can help with arranging and making dinner with local products, for groups.

 

The staff

The best reason to go to Høvringen is in fact to meet the staff! The hostel is run by Maj-Britt and Hans, an ultra friendly local couple who have run the place for a long time. Whenever guests have questions about the area, hiking routes or where it’s best to ski that particular day, Maj-Britt and Hans are always eager to help. They both know the area extremely well and share their knowledge for the benefit of the rest of us… For Norwegians, their local dialect might take a little while to get used to, at least when they chat with other locals!

The activities

Høvringen Hostel is a great place to be if you’re looking for a mix of active and relaxed holidays. During the day, you can cross-country ski in the winter and go to other cabins such as the Peer Gynt cabin or to the mountain Formokampen which supposedly has a great view over the Rondane National Park. In the summer, there are marked paths for hiking. In addition, the hostel has annual activities such as sledging all the way down to the Gudbrandsdal Valley (that’s several hundred metres down!) or an Easter celebration with a dress-up party and a small skiing competition.

How to get here?

To get to Høvringen Hostel, there are several options. Some guests come with their own car, others take the train to Otta station which is situated in the bottom of the Gudbrandsdal Valley. From there, there are buses or the possibility to take a taxi. The road leading up from the valley to the mountain plateau of Høvringen is worth a visit in itself! Steep hairpin curves takes you to almost 1,000 metres above sea level.

Who to bring?

The hostel is well suited for groups of friends who want to spend some days together or for families who are eager to ski or hike. In fact, a lot of people could benefit from some days with clean mountain air, a friendly atmosphere, an evening next to the fireplace and a day in the marked ski tracks around Høvringen. We know we’ve enjoyed it a lot and are already looking forward to next year!

How to book?

It’s easy to book a stay at Høvringen Hostel, which is open from February to April and from June to September. You can call the hostel at +47 61 23 30 12 or book a stay at www.hihostels.no

Article written by Ragna Skøien