Skiing Nordmarka from north to south.

Tverrsjøen

What a day! Skiing in excellent conditions through some of Nordmarkas finest spots. Mylla, the lakes Ølja, Skravvatnet, Pershusvatnet and Spålen. Further on Butleren, Langli, Kikut, Bjørnsjøhelvete and ending at Sognsvann after 47,5 km of skiing and 5h and 20 minutes later.
Not the only one present at Grua station after a short travel with the train from Oslo this morning. In total we were 10 eager people occupying a taxi from Grua to Mylla. Spirit was good as we headed towards Mylla. Nearly perfect conditions with sun, -7 degrees and no wind.
I looked forward to a full day in the woods skiing. I'd planned a course that would lead me to some new places I'd never been before-Finstad, Spålen and Butleren.
Starting out at Mylla dam shortly after arriving I felt almost immidiately that I wasn't in top shape. For some reason I felt worn and my lower back was causing me some trouble. As always I focused on executing as good technique as possible and that is the key to perform good no matter what shape I'm in. In addition my skies needed some attending-more kick-wax. I decided to await my first break-scheduled at the north of the lake Spålen. It's a pleasure to ski over the lake Mylla and this time-in oppose to 6 weeks ago-the tracks were in better condition(not so icy). Skiing almost westwards I quickly focus on the mountain-top Helgehaugen-one of Nordmarkas five tops with an elevation of 700 metres above sea level. It is also one of the demanding check-points of an ultrarun I'm attending later this year-Kristins Runde.

Pershusvatnet

Before long I arrive at the western shore of lake Mylla continue towards the lake Ølja. The lake is not big, but it's a delightful place to visit. You ski over the lake and directly towards the sun. Good to fully realise then that this is what is goin' to be the rest of the day-skiing towards the sun in wonderful nature.
Shrortly after the place Tverssjøstallen is approaching and rigth after that the tracks splits into three possibilities. I took the one-hopefully, less travelled by-and for a while it was..What a place! Crusing over three lovely lakes in a row with the majestic mountain ridge Pershusfjellet hoovering above along the whole way until I arrived at one of the oldest settlements in Nordmarka-Finstad. Life doesn't get any better than this.
And I had what I expected to be the finest part lef-Spålen. Stopping at Finstad  for a montent before heading on to Spålen. Only a short distance between those two places, but the "track" was pretty demanding, leading me through densed woods in deep, rotten snow. Anyhow, it was exciting and I soon arrived at the northern part of the lake Spålen, and yes, it was a nice place, but the part leading up to Finstad was even better.
Time for a well deserved rest, something to eat and a cup of coffee. The view southwards was promising. While resting there were lots of people passing by, Actually, this was one of the most crowded places on the whole trip-except the part between Ullevålsæter and Sognsvann later on. Well, I finished my lunch, added some kick-wax on my skies and headed soutwards. Still pretty crowded, but at the end of the lake the track diverged in thre directions and I took the one less travelled by :-) Leading me through a narrow valley and after a short, but steep ascend it was going downwards-not to steep and long..wonderful, I needed that one right then.

Spålen

Not so long after I passed the place Butleren. An interesting place deep in the woods a short distance from Langlia-I need to read some more history. Langlia is a low-point-above sea level that is. After that the course ascends. I think it was a nice place a while ago, but there has been a lot of forresting there's a power-line passsing right through the area. In total this doesn't make this area my favourite. The view from the top of the ascend though is nice, overlooking the mountain-top Oppkuven.
Shortly after the course levelled and I looked really forward to my next break, the cottage Kikut. Just before 4 after the start I arrived at Kikut. The place was crowded as I expected it to be and I had my break at the front overlooking the lake Bjørnsjøen. From there I could see large part of the last part of the course,leading me through Bjørnsjøhelvete and ending at Sognsvann. I reckoned I had short of 2 hours skiing left. I was wrong, it went much quicker.
However, it was very nice to have a brek, eat some food and drink some coffee. The view, the day and the moods were excellent.I'd managed to keep a steady pace in spite of this not being my best day in physical terms. I'd skied Bjørnsjøhelvete one time before and I vaguely remebered some pretty steep ascends and descends. They were there, but more negotiable this time than last time and the course was just lovely. It's my favourite so far from Kikut to Sogsnvann. Long, levelled parts and some nice descends.

Butleren

Before I knew it I was encountering the last part from Ullevålsæter to Sognsvann. There are also some long descends here. A month ago I was a bit terryfied experincing thes, but now I look forward to them. Apparantly, my technique has improved. Arriving at Sognsvann is always a pleasure and especially when the kiosk is open. A wonderful day spent in Nordmarka has come to and end.







Technicals:
-Distance: 47,41 km
-Time: 5h 21m 49s
-Average pace: 6:47 min/km
-Average moving pace: 5:49 min/km
-Elevation gained: 537 m(11,3 m/km)-mostly levelled and overall downwards.
-Calories: 3.131 kcal.
-Average heart rate(max): didn't measure
-Skies: Madshus
-Weather: Sunny, blu skies, no wind, -3 to -7 degrees celsius-excellent conditions