Skiing Nordmarka from north to south

Magnificent Nordmarka

What a day!!!
No winds, temperature a couple of degrees below zero, marvellous nature and a whole day to spend skiing from Mylla, north in Nordmarka to Sognsvann, south in Nordmarka.
I have never experienced better conditions skiing anywhere. Add to the fact that the nature in Nordmarka, especially in the northern part, is especially beautifull, and I was all set for a fantastic day-and a fantastic day it became. I had no time to get tired or hungry.
Waking up in Oslo the sky was clear, the temperature was just below zero and no wind to spot at all.
An hour by train(to Grua) and a short taxi-drive later I was ready to start skiing from Mylla. Temperature was considerably lower at Grua(- 15 degrees), but quickly turned upwards to -10 degrees as we arrived at Mylla.
Shortly afterwards I was on my way-crossing the lake Mylla towards the lake Trantjern. It was cold, but it felt good as I started skiing and started to produce some bodyheat.

Lake Ølja

My memories from this area in Nordmarka are very good. Some six months ago I participated in my first ultra race here-Kristins Runde. A different perspective to move on the lake, but the surrondings were familiar-wonderful place. I could easily spot the mountain top Lamannshaugen-the first check point at Kristins Runde and one of the 5 tops that rise over 700 metres above sea level.
Some km later I arrived at Trantjern-an idyllic little lake just south of the lake Mylla. Moving on south the sun had rose and it shon right at me. Before long I arrived at the lovely lake Ølja. The wood was quiet, not many people were present and that made the day even better. After crossing Ølja I soon passed the place Tverrsjøstallen. The place is situated just below another of Kristins Runde's check point-Svarttjernshøgda, which happens to be Nordmarkas highest mountain top-717 metres above sea level. Moving on southwards there are several alternatives. Through Sinderdalen, continue on lakes(first one is Skarvvatnet), southeast passing the place Holosætra and finally towards the lake Gjerdingen. I chose Holosætra and it turned out to be a thrilling choise.

From Holosætra towards Pershusfjellet

By doing this I added some variety to the day as the track was entirly on terrain. Upon ascending towards Holosætra I could easily spot another landmark-the mountain Pershusfjellet. Stretching about 3 km along a ridge it will be a blast passing on Nordmarka Ultra Challenge the coming autumn.

War-memorial

I didn't meet one person between Tverrsjøstallen and Katnosa. Shortly after passing Holosætra I made notice of a war-memorial. The place in question was used as a spot for a parachut-drop at the end of World War II. Nordmarka was a very welcome refugee place for the resitance-forces during this war. Some nervebraking ascends later and I entered the most northern part of the lake Katnosa. Crossing the lake requires a bit of time-it's pretty long. To be honest I was a bit sceptical when I planned the course as it went over a number of lakes. It's convenient to cross them but there's always a risk of the ice collapsing. Not on this session though. The conditions were good.
Midway on the lake Katnosa there's a possibilty to stop at a cottage and buy something to eat and hot drinks. Having planned a major stop at Kikut later on I passed without stopping. It turned out to be a bad decision as the cottage Kikut was very crowded. People were queing up all the way out in the front yard.

Sandvikhytta-cottage at Katnosa

However I soon finished the crossing of Katnosa and decided to make use of the road to the place Sandungen. The conditions on the road turned out to be unsatisfactory, but I arrived at Sandungen in one piece.
My plan thereafter was to cross the lake Store Sandungen, but that wasn't possible due to security reasons-the lake was not safe to cross. Instead I started the ascend on the last lap towards the cottage Kikut. It was a long ascent and I should have added some more kick-wax on my skies, but I decided not to. A long ascend, a levelled course for some km later on I was due for the descend towards Kikut. The descend was very enjoyable. I'm not very skilled descending and this was just the right angle and the descend was long. Just the thing I needed after nearly 30 km of skiing. Wonderful experience. 
3,5h after the start I arrived at Kikut. The place was crowded-more than crowded. I didn't want to use time queing for something to eat. A short trip to the toilette, a light snack and I headed towards my final destianation Sognsvann. Thinking back on what I experienced further north when it comes to number of people present, I'm surprised that not more people use the areas way up north more.

View from Kikut towards Bjørnsjøen

Leaving Kikut I crossed  the lake Bjørnsjøen and made use of the road to make my way to the lovely lake Skjærsjøen-a fantastic place. A short,steep ascend and I was starting for the last 5 km towards Sognsvann. Being near the city center and with good tracks, this section was crowded with people. It was nice to se all the children out in the tracks-enjoying the snow. Shortly after I started to descend markedly and a right after that I was arriving at my final target-Sognsvann, just over a marathon after Mylla and about 5 h after starting. There's no better way to spend a day than this. I'll cherish this day for a long while.


Technicals:
-Distance: 43,13 km
-Time: 5h 7m 14s
-Average pace: 7:07 min/km
-Average moving pace: 6:13 min/km
-Elevation gained: 388 m(9 m/km).
-Calories: 2.856 kcal.
-Average heart rate(max): didn't measure
-Skies: Madshus
-Weather: Sun, clear skies, no wind, -3 to -10 degrees celsius-excellent conditions!