Jo Gjende's cabin at Gjendesheim, Norway. Jo Gjende who lived from 1794 to 1884 was a legendary reindeer hunter. He lived a hermit-like existence in the mountains for most of his adult life. Around 1840 he build a cabin at Gjendesheim, which is still standing today.

Winter scenery from the Jotunheimen mountain range, Norway. A strong Norwegian tradition is to climb a mountain peak on backcountry or telemark skis and ski down again. This kind of trips are especially popular from April to June.

Winter landscape from Blefjell, Norway. Typical wildlife found in the norwegian mountains are reindeer, elk, deer, different kind of grouse and hare. All of them can be hunted during autumn.

Snow scenery, Norway. As a rule of thumb, the snow needs to be removed from a roof when it become more than about half a meter thick. Otherwise the weight of the snow might cause it to collapse.

Rondvassbu mountain cabin, Norway. The Norwegian mountain touring association (DNT) has 450 mountain lodges across the country. A number of them are staffed and serve meals, while others are so-called 'self-service' or 'no-service' cabins. The self-service cabins are provisioned while the no-service cabins are not.

Landscape scenery from the Jotunheimen mountain region, Norway. In Jotunheimen national park, the winter snow only starts to melt during the month of June and it returns already in October. Therefore, the hiking season is limited to about 3 to 4 months in the year.

Snow clad mountains in Rondane national park, Norway. The Rondane mountains are usually covered in snow from the middle of October until the end of April. This means that the winter season lasts as much as 6 months.

Snow covered cabin, Norway. Many Norwegians have a cabin in the mountains, where they spend their Easter holidays cross-country skiing. During Easter there is still lots of snow in the mountains and the days are longer and brighter than in the midst of winter.

Mountain scenery from Jostedal, Norway. The river Jostedøla in the Jostedalen valley is surrounded by high mountains and many glaciers coming down from the largest glacier on the European continent, Jostedal glacier.

Near whiteout conditions, Norway. Diffuse lighting from overcast clouds combined with a snow covered landscape can reduce the visibility and contrasts to almost zero, creating a whiteout. Being caught in a whiteout in the middle of the mountains can be a very dangerous situation.

Landscape between Øvre Årdal and Turtagrø, Norway. The scenic mountain road between Øvre Årdal and Turtagrø closes for the winter, usually from early November to May.

Winter at Sognefjellet, Norway. The Sognefjellet mountain pass is closed during winter, normally from November until the start of May. Driving the newly opened road between walls of snow reaching sometimes up to 10 meters high is an incredible experience.

Rondvassbu cabin, Norway. Ski touring from cabin to cabin is extremely popular in the Norwegian mountains. One of the most popular cabins is the Rondvassbu lodge in the middle of Rondane national park.

Marked ski trail, Norway. During winter, the Norwegian mountain touring association (DNT) marks many thousands of kilometers of ski trails throughout the mountains using large twigs as ski trail markings.

Winter halo, Norway. A halo is an optical phenomenon created by reflections or refractions on hexagonal ice-crystals in the upper troposphere. As compared to a rainbow, the colors of a halo are in reversed order. Halos are most common in colder climates.

Winter scene from the Norwegian mountains, Norway.The scandinavian mountain range is the longest mountain range in Europe with a total length of 1762 kilometers. The mountain range runs from north to south, occupying most of Norway and parts of western Sweden.

Beautiful winter scenery at Blefjell, Norway. About one hour drive from the city of Kongsberg, the Blefjell mountain area is popular for backcountry skiing during winter and for hiking and fishing during summer.

Beautiful mountain scenery in Hemsedal, Norway. After Trysil, Hemsedal ski resort is the largest alpine ski resort in Norway, with 47 km of prepared downhill slopes. It is a 3.5 hours drive from the capital Oslo to Hemsedal.

Ski touring in Rondane, Norway. Ski touring and cross-country skiing are a favorite past time amongst Norwegians during winter. There are roughly 30.000 kilometer of groomed ski trails throughout the country.

Dog sled in the Jotunheimen mountains, Norway. Dog sledding has a long tradition in Norway. The expedition led by the Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen used sled dogs to reach the South Pole. Today, dog sled tours are organized many placed throughout the country.

Mountain scenery from Jotunheimen, Norway. Jotunheimen, which means 'home of the giants', is the mountain range with the highest mountains in Norway. In fact all of Scandinavia's 26 highest mountains are found there, including its highest summit, Galdhøppigen (2.469 m).

The first snowfall in Jotunheimen, Norway. The Norwegian law allows anyone to hike and camp everywhere, even on privately held land. The only restriction is that you have to keep away from someone's garden and the property immediately surrounding their home.

Sunrise on the snow covered mountains of Blefjell, Norway. Evidence of reindeer hunting dating back to the 15-16th century has been found on Blefjell. Today the wild reindeer population on Blefjell is estimated to be 150 to 200 animals, and only a very limited number of reindeer are allowed to be hunted every year.

Skiing towards Gjendebu, Norway. At the end of Gjende lake, at 995 meter altitude, lays the mountain cabin Gjendebu. It is the oldest cabin of the Norwegian mountain touring association (DNT) and today it has a capacity of 119 beds.