

Arctic Bushcraft
- Pasvik Folkehøgskole – Svanvik
- Telephone: 78 96 41 00
- E-mail: pasvik@ffk.no
- Course length: Halvår — høst
- Start-up date: 22.08.2023
- Price: from 57 000,-
- Location: Pasvik
- Study tour: The Sami of the North
Spend a year acquiring skills and developing knowledge to survive and thrive in the European Arctic.
In the “Arctic Bushcraft – Indigenous traditions” course we try to live in harmony with nature and utilize its resources. We collect and preserve berries, hide, meat, fish, herbs, mushrooms, and vegetables. We study local traditions from the indigenous people in the European Arctic. We learn Duodji – the handicraft of the Sami people, and we learn how to fix and make our own tools, clothing, and equipment in a sustainable manner. We set out on a journey to a simpler and more harmonious life with nature. One of the highlights is to live alongside the reindeer herding Nenets people of the vast Russian tundra.
For more info in English visit our webpage!
Mandatory: Yes
Price: Included in course price
On the first trip in fall, we visit Sami areas in Finnmark and Finnish Lapland. We get to know the people, traditional building customs, crafts and food.
Vi ønsker med våre fellesturer å styrke skolens felleskap, gjennom å dele fine natur- og reiseopplevelser. Et viktig poeng er også å bli kjent i våre nærområder slik at du lærer litt om hvordan det er å leve i Finnmark og i Barentsregionen, nære naturen og i en region hvor ulike kulturer smelter sammen.
Mandatory: Yes
Price: Included in course price
As a student at Pasvik Folkehøgskole, you play a central role in Europe's longest and tougthest sled dog race, the Finnmarksløpet. The whole school participates in this event. We operate the checkpoints in Neiden and Øvre Pasvik, where the mushers come to rest with their dogs. You'll get to work with many of the world's best dog handlers and experience the endurance of the Alaskan huskies.
Mandatory: Yes
Price: Included in course price
This trip is for the whole school. You can choose from three alternatives:
Mandatory: Yes
Price: Included in course price
At the end of the school year, the whole school travels around the Varanger Fjord. We join Hurtigruta to Vardø, and travel from there with bus. Finnmark and Varanger has a lot to offer, both nature and culture. The birds are coming back this time of year, and there is a good chance for exciting bird watching. Together we enjoy the spring in Varanger!
Mandatory: Yes
Price: Included in course price
I november ved inngangen til mørketid drar hele skolen på en rundreise hvor vi er innom ulike destinasjoner på Nord-kalotten. Ved Enaresjøen i Nord-Finland besøker vi Siida, et museum om samisk kultur. I Kautokeino får du sjansen til å gå innom den fantastiske sølvsmia Juhls, hvor både selve bygget og smykkene er verdt en titt. Vi besøker også Sametinget i Karasjok.
I Alta får du to dager hvor du kan bruke fritiden til å gjøre ting du har savnet etter en høst i villmarka. Her kan du bade, shoppe og gå på kafé med mer. Vi besøker Alta museum-verdensarvsenteret for bergkunst og den omdiskuterte Nordlyskatedralen.
Foreign students
Pasvik Folkehøgskole has a program for foreigners who want to explore life in Norway and learn Norwegian. You follow one of our main subjects and study Norwegian for 8 hours a week. We currently have students from the Netherlands, the U.S., Germany, the U.K. and Scandinavia.
The school
Our school has a climbing wall, a gym, a swimming pool, football fields, ski tracks and three saunas. We have a big dining hall, where students share their meals and a common area with a piano. We have several dorms, which have been renovated recently with single and double rooms. Outside the school there's plenty of opportunities for outdoor life, hunting and fishing. The school also has its own dog kennel with around 30 Alaskan huskies. In summer, we go canoeing and hiking, whereas in winter we go skiing, kiting, and ice fishing. One of the school's three saunas is located right next to the Pasvik river, so you get to watch the northern lights in winter during sauna and get to take ice baths.
Our values
We emphasize tolerance, human dignity and equality. We are concerned with respect for cultural backgrounds, different sexual orientations, identities, political views and views on life. We are proud that our students get involved in everything from the PRIDE parade to solidarity work. Our core values are diversity, human development, community and joy of nature. With us, you get to be exactly who you are.