About Uteguiden AS
Uteguiden AS is the leading guide company on the northwestern coast of Norway. We offer a wide range of experiences all year round – from skiing and climbing to rafting, kayaking and biking tours. Our goal has always been and will always be to offer unique experiences between deep fjords and pointed peaks.
Our history
Uteguiden was established by Oscar Almgren in 2012. Oscar came to Stranda in 2009 and immediately saw the area’s potential, based on previous experience with guiding and activities.
The last couple of years, the company has grown rapidly and Uteguiden AS now employs multiple guides full time through our high season winter and summer.
In 2021 Uteguiden merged with Valldal Naturopplevingar and strengthen Uteguiden position as the leading company with a wider offer with higher quality than before!
Customer focus and the best experiences
Our goal has always been to focus on the customer and deliver something that outmatch our competitors. It`s not a goal for us to be biggest. Our goal is to offer the best professional guides and the highest quality on our outdoor adventures!
Among our customers, we have had Salomon Freeski TV, Field Productions, Warren Miller Entertainment, O’Neill, Nuit de la Glisse, Helly Hansen, Peak Performance, and many others.
In 2017, we opened a new office in Brosundet in Ålesund. Here, you can book trips and courses throughout the year, join guided tours, rent a kayak, SUP, bicycles, skis, and lot more.
In 2019, we opened our own coffee bar Hygge on Stranda – an ultimate hangout with a license to serve alcohol. You can also join guided tours here, rent equipment, book tours, and much more here.
In 2020, Uteguiden merged with Valldal Naturopplevingar with the aim to become the best provider of outdoor adventures in Western Norway. Uteguiden offers activities throughout the year from our bases at Stranda, in Valldal, and in Ålesund.
We look forward to welcoming you to us!
Our support to the planet
Uteguiden is proud to be a Conservation Circle Partner of Rainforest Trust, one of the world’s most effective conservation charities. Uteguiden is donating to Rainforest Trust to support and protect endangered species, threatened rainforests and other tropical ecosystems around the world. Our donations will safeguard real acres of rainforest!
1 percent for the planet member. We have been a member here many years now and it´s an great way for us to give back to the nature we love and live of.
“The intent of 1% for the Planet is to help fund these diverse environmental organizations so that collectively they can be a more powerful source in solving the world’s problems.” – YVON CHOUINARD
Company details
Address for our main office in Stranda
Uteguiden AS
Storgata 10
6200 STRANDA
Organization Number NO 925 481 114
Our fulltime employees
Our full time employees work at Uteguiden all year around, and is the foundation for everything we do. We have a team of employees with a broad expertise in tourism, guiding, health and safety, entrepreneurship, sales and marketing, and administration. What unite us is the passionate about outdoor adventures in the spectacular nature in our region. We love to give our guests a taste of this when they are joining our tours!
Oscar Almgren
Manager
Founder of Uteguiden and the man who steers the ship forward from his base at Hygge by Uteguiden on Stranda. Oscar is an experienced mountaineer from Stockholm! if there are powder conditions on Strandafjellet, it’s all right to leave the office for a few hours, according to him. Despite his Swedish dialect, he has been living in Stranda for ten years. If you are lucky, you will meet Oscar on one of our trips or courses in the mountains.
Erlend Kløvjan Ringstad
Guide- & Valldal manager
Born and raised in Sunnmøre’s nature. Holds a master’s degree in nature-based tourism from NMBU (Norwegian University of Life Sciences). Has been part of Valldal Naturopplevingar since 2012, and manager since 2016. Following the merger of Valldal Naturopplevingar and Uteguiden in 2021, Erlend K. is now one of the owners of Uteguiden and is responsible for the guides. You can meet him in Valldal, and do not be surprised if he guide one of your tours!
Nicolas Bourdillat
Sales manger
Frenchman who has settled in Norway and has been with Uteguiden since 2018. He is our sales manager, roadbiking guru! Many of you who have called or sent us an e-mail, has probably spoken to Nico. He has a past as a professional cyclist in France, and above average fond of road cycling! Don`t be surprised if you meet Nico on our weeklong roadbiking tours or kayaking in Brosundet in Ålesund.
Veronika Valderhaug
Booking- & Ålesund manager
Has a bachelor’s degree in tourism management and has worked in tourism for almost 20 years, ranging from being a guide, project coordinator and general manager. Has a lot of knowledge about the region, loves to be active and prefers to be out in nature all year round. Manager in Ålesund and is in charge of our booking- & logistics team in Ålesund. She is happy to help you find unique activity offers and tour programs according to your wishes.
Amy Schevik
Booking & logistics
Erlend Hjelme
Webmaster
Born and raised in Valldal. Has been a part of Valldal Naturopplevingar since the end of the ’90s, both as a guide and general manager. After the merger between Valldal Naturopplevingar and Uteguiden, Erlend H. is one of the owners of Uteguiden. Has created Uteguiden’s website and controls technical issues. Do also guiding on the fjord, in the river and on the mountains.
Jakob Skog
Baker at Hygge by Uteguiden
Born and raised in Umeå, Sweden. Grew up in a family that believes “coffee” is an important part of every day. The smell of freshly baked buns baked by his mother or sourdough bread baked by his father was something Jacob could not get enough of. Has been baking ever since he left home. He admits that thoughts of sourdough sometimes give him sleep problems, but it’s worth it!
Our guides
Our guides are our most valuable recourse! We have established a unique network of guides in the area who will do just about anything to offer you a nice experience during your visit. A combination of local guides with guides from Norway and abroad creates a unique and positive atmosphere, with a high level of experience! However, all the guides have one thing in common – their wish to provide you with a memory for life!
All guides or instructors we use on our guided tours or courses are guides with a Norwegian or international recognized education or qualification. As our guest you should feel safe when it comes to the safety and quality of our offer of courses and guided tours.
Are you interested in what education or qualification your guide has – ask us, or your guide!
Urban Axelsson
Urban comes from Sweden, but travels to Sunnmøre every winter to find the best snow and the most beautiful trips. Everyone should experience a trip with Urban, he is always happy and has always got some good stories up his sleeve – you do not want to miss him.
Gordie Smith
An avalanche expert and kiwi from New Zealand who has moved to Sunnmøre, and thrives well here in the Norwegian fjords. If you are with us on a guided ski trip, a trip to the mountains, or on the fjord, there is a great chance you will meet Gordie.
Alejandro C. Giordano
A more experienced and skilled rafting guide than Alejandro is hard to find. He manages the river activities in Valldal, and in addition to guiding tours, he takes photos, paddles river kayaks, and instruct our guides.
Philip Mansfield
Head Sea kayak Guide. British/ Dutchman who settled in Norway a couple of years ago. Holds a bachelor degree in Outdoor education, worked many years as a safety trainer, outdoor instructor and tour guide (Iceland). He enjoys to share his knowledge and passion for the outdoors with others. Responsible for leading the group of guides in Ålesund during high season. You can meet him as a guide on sea kayaking tours, cross country skiing and other activities along the coast.
Alex Lechner
Austrian UIAGM-guide who will join our team for the 2024 season in the Sunnmøre Alps. Alex have been guiding down in the alps for many years and are now ready to explore the Sunnmøre Alps with us in Uteguiden. He´s looking forward to loads of turns in good snow conditions, lonely hikes in a stunning landscape, good times with guests playing and teaching on the snow
Olivier Ballari
French UIAGM-guide who moved with his family to the region and will be guiding with us in Uteguiden. He´s looking forward to working in a bigger team of guides and to explore the wild Sunnmøre Alps together with our clients.
Anne Julku
Anne comes from Finland and have been guiding in Uteguiden for several seasons, both winter and summer. She´s a Swedish Mountain Leader and Nordic Wilderness guide. She´s looking forward to introducing the beautiful Sunnmore to people and also exploring it more herself. Anne is one of few of our guides that rides snowboard.
Michal Kowalski
Michal comes from Poland and has been living in Valldal since 2015. He is a trained “Tatra Mountain Guide”, in addition to being a rafting guide. If you are so lucky to join Michal on a trip, do not be surprised if you receive many great photos from the trip afterwards!
Andreas Gustafson
Has a Swedish mountain leader certification from Campus Åre in Sweden and doing his first season here with us in Uteguiden. Andreas have doing intership with us before so if you have been skiing with us before it´s not unlikely you have met him before. Andreas is an overall really nice guy who loves skiing!
