7
T
rustNorway, thecountry
that gave theworld
beautiful roadside stops,
to glamup thehumble
hiking cabin. TheRabot
cabin, whichopened this August 1,200m
above sea level in theOkstindanmountain
range, is the500thcabin runby the
Norwegian TrekkingAssociation (NTA) –
and it’s abeauty. The30-bedpad, with an
airy living area and its ownboulderingwall,
was designedby Jarmund/Vigsnæs AS
Arkitekter, the teambehind Svalbard’s
Global SeedVault, and is the result of 10
years of planning andbuilding.
“We enjoy challenging the idea of the
cabin,” says theNTA’sMari Stephansen
of their latest design. “We’ve gone from
rudimentarymountainhuts to something
altogethermore sophisticated, but the
designs are always guidedbymembers of
the association.”
Five per cent of Norwegians are
members of theNTA, whichwas founded
in 1868, the same year the first cabin
was built near Rjukan in the Telemark
region. Since then, it’s been building
them apace, from a serviced cabinwith
170 beds inGjendesheim to converted
lighthouses and un-serviced forest
huts for two. If you’re an association
member, you pay NOK100-270 per
night; non-members with amember pay
NOK165-350.
Highlights include the spectacular
Tåkeheimencabinoverlooking the
Svartisen glacier near Bodo; the Torungen
Fyr lighthouse inAust-Agder, southern
Norway; and thecircularMount Skåla
tower, built almost 2,000m above sea
level in 1891.
turistforeningen.no
Norwegianflies tomore than15destinations
aroundNorway.Bookflightsandarental
caratnorwegian.com
If the500boltholesrunby theNorwegianTrekking
Associationareanything togoby, thenyes
Main picture
⁄
TheRabot cabin, near
theOkstindanglacier
innorthernNorway, is
designed towithstand
harshconditions
From far left
⁄
NorwegianTrekking
Associationcabins at
Tåkeheimen,Mount
Skåla, TorungenFyr and
Gullhorgabu
AreNorwegian
cabins thebest?
BERGEN TURLAG; TORBJØRN BJELLAND; SVEIN ARNE BRYGFJELD
n
A
n
/023
