It does not get any better than this! The home to Star Wars planet Hoth and Red Bull Ragnarok, this is one of the best places to snow kite in the world.
The mountain road RV7 crosses over the plateau. From this road, you have access to over 3,422 km2 of fantastic snowkiting terrain.
Spots
The guys at Haugastøl have worked hard to provide great guides to snowkiting on Hardangervidda:
An intro to snowkiting on Hardangervidda:
www.haugastol.no/en/snowkiting
An excellent guide to all the kite spots along RV7:
www.haugastol.no/en/spots
An interactive map of all the kite spots along RV7:
www.haugastol.no/en/spot-map
They even have an app with readings from weather stations:
Haugastøl Wind Meter App
Wind
The wind is incredibly stable on Hardangervidda. You can kite from RV7 on any wind direction.
Beginners
This is a fantastic place to learn to kite.
Accomodation
Haugastøl offer apartments style accommodation. The atmosphere at Haugastøl is fantastic. The only down side is that you need to drive back up onto the plateau to kite. If the road is closed, you might not get to kite.
www.haugastol.no/en/accommodation
Halne Fjellstova sits right in the middle of the plateau. You can kite on the doorstep! They offer apartments, cabins and hotel rooms. It is more quiet and less trendy than Haugastøl, with a more traditional Norwegian mountain experience, but the ability to kite without driving first is fantastic. Also, when the road closes, you can still kite.
www.halne.no/en_index.shtml
Warning and dangers
It is very challenging to keep RV7 open in the winter. The snow plough crew do a fantastic job, but sometimes mother nature is too strong and the road goes to convoy or closes completely. If you plan to drive up here in the winter, you must have: full tank, winter tires, chains, shovel, warm clothes food and drinks. It is not unheard of that people have to spend the night in the car.
Also be aware that if you park in one of the car parks along the road, the road may close whilst you are out kiting and you will have to wait for a plough to come and get you.
The fog can come in really quickly on Hardangervidda. When this happens, it is very easy to get disorientated and lost. The chances of surviving an night out in -25C are slim. So, if you plan to venture far from the road, you must carry a compass and a GPS and know how to use them.
Best not to go out on white out days, but if you insist, a good plan is to follow one of the marked cross country tracks. They will bring you home again.
How about snow kiting in the summer? There is a summer ski resort on the Folgefonna glacier. From the top of the lift it is possible to kite.
www.folgefonn.no
Wind
If the forecast winds are light and the weather in the valley is warm, then there will be a fall wind coming off the glacier and running down into the valley. From the lift this will be a south wind. It is possible to kite this wind, but you will struggle to go up wind up hill. The ideal wind would be a strong north wind that would over power the fall wind and allow you to easily kite up the glacier.
Beginners
There is plenty of space above the lift, but it is on a slope, so not the greatest place to learn, but not impossible either.
Accommodation
There are several accommodation options in and around Jondal.
Warning and dangers
It is a glacier, so there are crevasses. Don’t stray far from the cross country tracks and don’t go anywhere near the edges of the glacier. Rapid changes in slope angle are the most dangerous places.
Haukeliseter is a great place to learn and progress. A fantastic place to go from Stavanger for a weekend of kiting. The conditions are not as good as Hardangervidda, but the combined experience of great food, great views, hot tub sauna and a fantastic kiting atmosphere is hard to beat.
Spots
The main kite spot is out on the lake in front of the cabin. But there are many more fantastic spots along the E134. Check out
Asbjørn's fantastic E134 spot guide
Wind
Lighter winds are fairly stable, but medium to strong winds tend to be gusty. NE and SE winds work best. N winds leave the cabin in shadow. However, with a short drive, it is normally possible to find a spot to match the conditions.
Read more about this spot...
Beginners
In light to medium winds, this is a fantastic place to learn to kite.
Accomodation
Haukeliseter is a DNT cabin. They offer many accommodation options from dormitory, to self-catering to posh hotel rooms. They have a fantastic restaurant and cafe, so you will never go hungry.
www.haukeliseter.no
Warning and dangers
Even in the depths of winter, there is normally somewhere on the lake with open water. Ask at reception about the conditions before you go out.
Haukeliseter is in the middle of a winter road, E134. The road can be on convoy or close completely. If you plan to drive up here in the winter, you must have: full tank, winter tires, chains, shovel, warm clothes food and drinks. It is not unheard of that people have to spend the night in the car.
A great spot for a day trip. Unfortunately in the last couple of years the conditions at Sandvatnet have not been so good.
If the lake freezes and there is a good snow cover low down, this can be a fantastic place to kite.
Spots
If the road is open, it is possible to drive up to the lake, jump out of the car and kite on the lake. If the barrier is down, then you either have to walk up to the lake, or kite from the barrier. There are some really nice hills around the lake that are kitable.
Wind
Probably works on all wind directions, but will be gusty in medium to strong winds.
Read more about this spot...
Beginners
The lake is suitable for beginners, if the wind is stable. The area around the barrier has lots of rocks and trees and is therefore not good for beginners. With snow shoes or skins, it is a half hour walk up to the lake.
Warning and dangers
This is not a winter road. If it is open and a snow storm comes in, they will let it close and open it in the spring. So you don’t want to be up past the barrier in a snow storm.
The lake does not always freeze, so contact the people at Forsand Folkehjelp to find out if it is safe.
www.folkehjelp.no/Medlem/Lokallag-og-regioner/Fylker/Rogaland/Strand-og-Forsand/Kontakt-oss
Many great spots for day trips. Peter is the pioneer of snowkiting in Hunnedalen and Sirdal areas. He has created an incredibly detailed guide that was built up from many days of exploration, trial, error and success.
Spots
snowkite.thewaves.de
Wind
All directions. Read the guide to find the best spot for the conditions. Winds can be gusty. Winds can vary greatly from spot to spot and from valley to peak.
Beginners
Some of the spots are good for beginners, but not all, so be sure to check the guide carefully.
Warning and dangers
Some of the spots are vulnerable to avalanche, some to thin ice, cliffs, rocks, etc. Read the guide carefully and always be cautious.
A kiters paradise. Possibly the best kiting destination in southern Norway outside the Hardanger Vidda. Peter has added Hovden to his Hunnedalen and Sirdal website. He has created an incredibly detailed guide that was built up from many days of exploration, trial, error and success.
Spots
snowkite.thewaves.de/hovden
Wind
All directions. Read the guide to find the best spot for the conditions. The weather is more stable here than on the western side of the mountains and the winds are a bit more tamed.
Beginners
Some of the spots are good for beginners, but not all, so be sure to check the guide carefully.
Warning and dangers
Some of the spots are vulnerable to avalanche, some to thin ice, cliffs, rocks, etc. Read the guide carefully and always be cautious.