Stranda Ski Festival is Uteguiden's annual long weekend of guided skiing in Stranda, in the heart of Norway's Sunnmøre Alps. It is usually held in early February. Guests choose between guided ski touring at two levels, an avalanche safety workshop and a freeride clinic at Strandafjellet. Après-ski, talks and festival dinners fill the evenings. Current dates, prices and availability are on the festival booking page.
Join us at Stranda Ski Festival
You. Snow. Ski. The Sunnmøre Alps.
These four words embody everything we want you to feel: expectations, dreams, ideas and inspiration. You, snow, ski and the Sunnmøre Alps, four elements united as one.
There are many ski festivals, but there is only one at Stranda, one of the most spectacular and exotic ski destinations in the world. Here, snow sometimes falls in quantities that remind you of Alaska. The mountains are so dramatic that they might bring British Columbia to mind. As a legendary journalist once wrote in the 1990s: “Stranda is the La Grave of the North.”
He was comparing the ski area at Strandafjellet with La Grave in France, the iconic Alpine destination where off-piste skiing dominates, with steep peaks and deep snow. That is exactly what Stranda is like. So call us whatever you like: the La Grave of the North, Scandinavia’s Alagna or Norway’s Kicking Horse. What matters is that you come here yourself and discover that Stranda truly is incomparable.
Because Stranda is unique.
What is Stranda Ski Festival?
Every winter, we invite you to Stranda Ski Festival to show you our mountains and our skiing. The festival is a long weekend of guided skiing, learning and socialising, based in the small fjord town of Stranda. Uteguiden was founded here, and our head office is still in Stranda, so these are our home mountains.
These festival days are sacred to us at Uteguiden. We may not be the largest ski festival in the world, but we wholeheartedly believe we are one of the most spectacular. Part of that comes from the mountains and fjords that surround us.
The rest comes from us, the people of Uteguiden. Over the festival weekend we want to show you everything we can: every skill in our toolkit, the most adventurous peaks, the secret powder lines in the ski area, the friendliest après-ski and the best talks.
Each edition creates new stories, new lines and new memories, together with you and your friends.
Why ski in Stranda?
- Fjord-to-summit terrain: In the Sunnmøre Alps, peaks rise straight out of the fjords. You can often see the sea from the summit and ski long descents towards it.
- Powder and steeps: Strandafjellet is known for its freeride terrain, with off-piste lines both inside and just outside the lift-served area.
- Big variety in a small area: Ski touring peaks, lift-served freeride and quieter tours can all be reached from the same town base. That makes it easy to adapt each day to snow and weather.
- Local guides: Our certified guides live and ski here. They choose terrain based on the day's conditions, not on a fixed plan.
Who is the festival for?
The festival suits skiers and snowboarders who are comfortable on skis and want more than lift laps:
- Experienced ski tourers looking for a big, guided day on one of Stranda's top mountains
- Newer ski tourers who want a safe, guided introduction to touring in the Sunnmøre Alps
- Freeriders who want to improve their technique and find the best lines around Strandafjellet
- Anyone who wants to learn more about avalanche safety and mountain decision-making
- Groups of friends looking for a ski weekend with a social programme already planned
Splitboarders are welcome too. See our Stranda splitboard guide for more about riding here.
Book early – the festival often fills fast
Places are limited because we keep our guided groups small. Check current dates, prices and availability on the Stranda Ski Festival booking page, and read on for an overview of how the festival weekend works.
