In the area around Ådneram, Sirekrok, Grydalen and Suleskard, several exciting cross-country ski trails have been developed over the years through good cooperation between landowners, local businesses, Sirdal Ski Marathon, Øverst i Sirdal and others – made possible via generous financial support from, among others, Sirdal Municipality and the Gjensidige Foundation. Here, people of all age groups and with varying skill levels can enjoy lovely trips in scenic surroundings.
Grydalsløypa is often the best place at the start of the winter season. The trail is ideally situated, high above sea level and on the winter-closed Lyseveien – so little snow is needed before a track can be groomed. As soon as more snow arrives, the trail network is expanded with the pleasant Sirekrokløypen. This trail is well suited if some members of the party want to head to the popular Ådneram ski resort, while others go for a tour on cross-country skis.
If the Sirekrokløypen trail is a bit too long, it is possible to make do with a shorter circular walk around Bergetjødn, for example.
The trail along the construction road in Flatstøldalen is perhaps the best known and most popular trail in the area. With its flat profile, it is particularly well suited for children and families with children. The trail is groomed as soon as there is enough snow on the construction road for Sira-Kvina Kraftselskap to use snowmobiles instead of cars. Many people also do it as a circular trip, taking parts of the route on the other side of Flatstølåni. The western side of the trail runs through slightly more undulating terrain, with varied slopes for both young and old. The Flatstøl trail also forms a fine gateway for trips further into the mountains, and many head into Taumevatn and other places inside the beautiful protected landscape area and beyond the groomed trail network.
Work has been ongoing to expand the trail network on the eastern side of the area with a circular route up to Indre Suleskard and back down via Moltekvæven. A great deal of good work has been put in here recently, both through voluntary effort and by skilled local businesses. However, some work remains and this trail still requires quite a bit more snow before it can be groomed. The goal, however, is to link this part more closely with the other areas and to achieve a cohesive and robust foundation for the trail network.
The Suleskard area is also a great starting point for those who enjoy touring on mountain skis further into the moors, or perhaps a nice summit hike to Hilleknuten, for example.
As is well known, ski tracks do not just snow down, and a solid piece of work must be put in by track groomers to make conditions as good as possible. It is important to achieve a frequency and volume of grooming that makes it financially viable for the groomers, while at the same time keeping the quality of the tracks at such a good level that the willingness of users to pay is maintained and further strengthened. Sirdal municipality contributes important and good grants in this context. In addition, funds are raised by Øverst i Sirdal (ØiS), which is a cooperative committee formed by the cabin associations in the area. The administrative work put in by ØiS is based on voluntary unpaid work, and the funds raised are used for the actual track grooming. ØiS reports great support for the work, and almost all cabin associations in the area now pay a joint solidarity track fee of NOK 500 per cabin per year. In addition, there are several other good supporters such as campsites, Fjellbutikken and others who contribute well. Day visitors and others who do not pay through their cabin association are welcome to support the work by Vippsing an amount to At the top of Sirdal #134629. The usual is 50kr for a day visit, 100 kr for a week and 500 kr for a season – but all donations are welcome. Otherwise, it is also possible to support the work by recycling bottles at Fjellbutikk, which is so kind as to donate the profit from the bottle deposit to the trail grooming.
If skisporet.no for an updated overview of groomed ski trails and feel free to plan your next trip to idyllic upper Sirdal.
Extra info:
Players at Norsk Tipping can contribute further to ØiS's work by registering ØiS as a grassroots recipient. 7 percent of the gaming stake then goes to ØiS without affecting the stake, prizes or winning chances. The funds that ØiS receives from the grassroots scheme are also used for other good causes. For example, support for the purchase of a defibrillator at Fjellbutikken.