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Extreme Sports
Here we present the ultimate thrills. Your adreline will rush.... Neither words, photograps nor films do the world`s places justice - they must been seen, heard and touched.

Rafting down the wild Sjoa River

2003-12-30
The river which gives and takes….
Norway is absolute an alternative you should consider. Norway is the world's most northern country and has an unique wild nature. It is famous for the Vikings and Trolls, deep valleys, caves, high mountains, and wild rivers.

If you are looking for real adventures, try for example rafting in Sjoa! Use you power to the fullest!

Photo. Preparations, the final count down, 1-2-3…. 

Norway - an Eldorado for safaris and extreme sports
- Whales, polar bears and elk safaris
- Riding horses on the countryside
- Climbing high mountains
- Glacier tours
- Parachuting
- Rafting and kayaking
- And even more

The disreputable Sjoa River
One of the most exciting activities you can experience is rafting on the disreputable river Sjoa. This river is world famous for fishing, rafting and kayaking. Today the river has a modern infrastructure for several water activities. Many international competitions have been arranged in the area, and Sjoa is now probably one of the most attractive rivers in Europe for extreme water adventures.

Invitation to a new experience
In 1992 I invited a group of friends up to my family's cottage in Heidalen in Gudbrandsdalen (in the southern part of the country, located 350 km from the capital Oslo). There we stayed over for one night to make our finale preparations for an adventurous rafting tour down the white wild river Sjoa. Actual, I had to admit it, some of us where little bit nervous, included me, and didn't sleep well the last night. We were all 100 percent beware of that the river was disreputable for several incidents. But this didn't frightened us from accomplish our "wet" mission.

Funny names
Early in the morning we drove to a place called Steinholet by Ransverk (not so far from Heidalen). There we met a rafting instructor who briefed us shortly how we should navigate the raft, and so we were divided in to two groups. After we had put on the wet suits we were ready for take off on the rubber boats. We started slowly on flat-water stretches. But after a while we had the great pleasure to experience the big volume river's high waves and strong forces.

It was great fun floating down the Sjoa River. Many of the places we past by down the river had funny names. One of the places was called "The mother in law's ass (buttocks)". It was a big stone standing out in the middle of the river, and I can ensure you; it doesn't look good! 

Paddling the wrong way
Many times we lost control on the wild river. It didn't make it easier for us that one of my friends paddled the opposite of what he should do. He sat in the front of the raft and had a very important role. He misunderstood the commands, and all the shouting made him even more confused. There was no other alternative; we had to replace him. But it was not easy for anyone of us to do it right the first time. But the most important: we just needed one captain!

Photo. Rafting in general is good for team work.

It has been popular for companies inviting their employees on rafting trips for team building.

Photo copyright Norwegian Tourist Board, NTR. Links: www.visitnorway.com and www.ntr.no

Dramatic incident
At the end of a perfect rafting day….. So far we were very proud, and not to be too modest; we were also impressed by our self. We had been out for a while, and we expected that the tour was come to an end. We believed that we had it made without any involuntary bathing in the cold water.

We thought we were almost invulnerable and could manage any challenge on the river. But this was definitely a big mistake for us new beginners. SURPRISE! The tour was not finished yet. Something emerged on the river, which really challenged us more than we were prepared for. High water falls stood in our way. In one way or another we had to come around it, or another alternative; we had to go through it.

Photo.  Rafting down the Sjoa River is suspense thrill.  

To put it in another way: rafting is extreme fun for they who have good nerves.  

Photo copyright Norwegian Tourist Board, number 102000-6#175, photographer Terje Rakke/Nordic life/NTR.  Links: www.visitnorway.com and www.ntr.no


After a while we took off, paddling for our lives and hoped the best. In the middle of the falls, we had to face it; we didn't have a chance. The water foamed. For the first time in my life I experienced the "Sentralifugal kraften" - "centrifugal force (power) ". We floated straight in to a horrible swirl. The raft went around and around, and was totally out of control. Suddenly it rose up and turned us all off. It was like a nightmare.

Some swam desperately around like crazy dolphins, and others enjoyed riding on the white water waves. One thing is sure: we all get soaked wet! It was very shallow below the falls. One friend of mine fell under the raft. He had a scary experience because he became captured between the raft and the bottom of the river. Fortunately that brave man found his way up from the water again, and praised his fortune for still being among us.

We took a short rest on the riverbank, and so we set out again. Further down the river is it a place called the "Vaskemaskinen" - "Washing machine", but we stopped long before that. And thank God for that! 

Victories have to be celebrated

Of course rafting and other extreme sports is risky. Actual is a calculated risk. It all depends on qualified instructors, equipment, and local knowledge of the places. My friends and I were all agree that we had a unique experience that day.

For us it was a kind of milestone in our life. We were really satisfied with our tour, and so we started our preparations for part II; a big barbecue party in my parent's home at Vinstra (where the world famous man Peer Gynt came from, ref. the Norwegian author Henrik Ibsen`s book). We celebrated that we conquered the Sjoa River. We did it for whole the night and until the sun rose.

Rafting is an experience far more than surfing down the river. You can learn about useful gears, safety precautions, elementary rescue technique and teamwork. But first and foremost; rafting is fun and social! If you have better time than we had, you can also do fishing, hunting, hanggliding, climbing, visiting canyons and caves.In Sjoa and its surroundings, you can find some regions of Norway`s most beautiful and extreme nature. You can do it too!

Stein Morten Lund, 7 August 2000

Additional information
Read more about Norway on our website.

Sjoa is located in Oppland county in Norway. Sjoa, which is also called the land of the Trolls, is surrounded with high mountains, and has huge and steep rock walls.

Sjoa River in Gudbrandsdalen floats along the road 257 in the Heidal valley. The rafting trips start ca. 8 km from the intersection with E6 road at Sjoa. It`s about 1,5 hours drive north from the Olympic City Lillehammer.

In addition to Sjoa, there are other popular rivers for rafting in Norway as Driva in Sør-Trøndelag county, Trysilelva River in Hedmark, Dagali River in Voss and the rivers in the Setesdalen valley.

Rafting demands co-operation. It has during years been very popular among companies which use rafting for teambuilding.

The rafting companies provide the participants with necessary equipment such as helmets, wetsuits, and life vests, but the participants must bring their own wool sweaters, wool underwear and thick woollen socks.

Untouched and wild - more than real:
The area nearby offers the most fantastic nature you ever have dreamed about. Jotunheimen is a mountain region, where you find several of the highest mountains in Norway (and the north of Europe). Among these are: Galdhøpiggen (2469 m), Glittertind (2452 m), Store Skagastølstind (2405 m) and Fannaråken (2069 m).

The mountain range Jotunheimen is located 350 km north of Oslo, Norway. The summits are 2000 m or more above sea level, and there are quite a number of smaller glaciers in the area. Most of Jotunheimen has status as National Park, which means that special environmental regulations apply, the most important one being that no motor vehicles are allowed. This makes Jotunheimen ideally suited for hikers and climbers that enjoy the experience of basically undisturbed nature.

Spreading north and east from Otta towards the Swedish border, the Rondane National Park (Rondane Nasjonalpark), established in 1962 as Norway's first national park, is now one of the country's most popular hiking areas. Its 580 square kilometres, one-third of which are in the high alpine zone, appeal to walkers of all ages and abilities. The soil is poor, so vegetation is sparse and lichens, especially reindeer moss, predominate, but the views across this bare landscape are serenely beautiful, and a handful of lakes and rivers along with patches of dwarf birch forest provide some variety.

Wild mountain peaks divide the Rondane into three distinct areas. To the west of the centrally located lake, Rondvatn, are the wild cirques and jagged peaks of Storsmeden (2017m), Sagtinden (2018m) and Veslesmeden (2015m), while to the east of the lake tower Rondslottet (2178m), Vinjeronden (2044m) and Storronden (2138m). Further east still, the park is dominated by Høgronden (2115m). Most of the mountains, ten of which exceed the 2000-metre mark, are accessible to any reasonably fit walker via a dense network of trails and hiking huts.

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