The route to Klemsbu from Finse is literally straight up and I was a little worried it might be a little too much for Emma, but she went off like a shot and pretty much kept up quite a blistering pace.
As we approached Klemsbu the hytte appeared quite ghost like out of the windswept landscape. As we had climbed, the wind had got stronger and stronger and was blowing up the powder like snow to reduce visibility quite drastically. The hytte was a welcome sight and we were looking forward to some hot waffles.
Klemsbu is actually owned and run by Finse 1222, but what we hadn't checked was whether or not it was actually open today. We assumed that, with it being a weekend day so close to Easter, it must be open. Unfortunately, it wasn't. Instead, we found a small vestibule packed with about eight people sheltering from the weather whilst they grabbed a bite to eat. In fact, it was so packed there was just not room for us at all. Instead, we found ourselves perching precariously on a flight of steps leading up to some strange sort of loft door that seemed to lead to the roof. We later learned that this was actually the entrance to the hytte when the snowfall was so deep that the ground floor door couldn't be used.
By the time we had finished eating, the wind outside had picked up so much that to continue the circuit back to Finse would have been senseless, and very uncomfortable. Instead, we elected to just reverse our course and travel back the way we had come. The plus side to the return of course being it is all downhill! As good as that sounds, travelling downhill on mountain skis, which are basically cross country skis with a steel edge, can be a little daunting for the inexperienced, and I class myself amongst that group. There are none of the carving turns executed on Alpine skis or sudden changes in direction. Nonetheless, Emma excelled, zig zagging her way down the slope in a very feminine manner that ensured progress with safety. Sean and I took the more masculine approach, to hell with caution and we'll treat the injuries later!
Suffice to say, we made it down safely to comments from the kids as to how enjoyable a day they had had, so a good result for all. Our return to Finse saw a beeline to the bar for another of their wonderful home brewed ciders.
The end of the day saw a discussion as to what to do with our remaining days. I was happy that Emma could cope with a bit more of an epic journey rather than us remaining coupled up at Finse. A suggestion was to travel to Krækkja tomorrow, about 24km and not a trip for the faint hearted. The option from there would be to do another round trip the following day and spending a second night in Krækkja. Alternatively, we could ski to Tuva the following day and head back to Oslo the day after, cutting short the time in the mountains by a day but also allowing for a days sightseeing in Oslo. It's a team effort so the decision was open to a vote. The end result? Krækkja, Tuva then Oslo a day early to go to the Edvard Munch museum amongst others sights.
