The liberal folk high schools are built on values that are not based on one particular belief. They encourage students with different interests and beliefs to apply.
Food: Vegetarian
Most schools will accommodate food allergies and other dietary needs. If you have questions, please contact the school directly.
Environmental certification:
Miljøfyrtårn
Location: Pasvik
Study tour for the course: Fjelluka – snørekjøring og vinterfriluftsliv, Backpacking with dogs in the Pasvik National Park, Med hund under åpen himmel, På egenhånd med hund og bål, First dog sledding of the year, Sledeekspedisjon på Finnmarksvidda, Vårens vakreste eventyr på slede, Mushing at Engholm Husky in Karasjok, Finnmarksløpet: Europe's longest dog-sled race, Autumn Training with wagons
Study tour for the school: Finnmarksløpet: Europe's longest dog-sled race, Autumn-trip, The Varanger Fjord, Nord-kalottur i mørketida
Is your dream mushing in the Arctic? To lead a team of dogs through the snow and wilderness?
Mushing and Outdoor Life are for those who dream of mastering a team of dogs. Our dogs are here only for the students, they should be trained and groomed every day and are always available. We have both Alaskan and Siberian husky. Pasvik is a dog sledding paradise with snow six months per year. You get to walk the dogs all year round and in March you get to experience Finnmarksløpet from the inside.
At Mushing and Outdoor Life you get really close to animals and nature. We travel on short and long trips in Pasvik, both hiking and of course sledding. No prior knowledge is required, as long as you like to be outside and really love dogs.
Get acquainted with the husky and its features
Autumn training with trolley
Sledding
Hiking with dog and leash
Training for young dogs
Animal health
Training leaders
Care and kennel work
Practical work on sleds, ropes and equipment
Arranging Finnmarksløpet, Europe's longest dog race
Spend the night in tents, shelters and under the open sky in Pasvik
Close cooperation with the King of Finnmarksløpet, Sven Engholm.
For more information in English visit our webpage!
Fjelluka – snørekjøring og vinterfriluftsliv
Mandatory: Yes
Price: Included in course price
Skolens hytte ligger i Ropelv. Dette er fjellterreng. Her boltrer vi oss på ski med hund i et unikt landskap, omgitt av hav på nesten alle kanter. Spektakulære solnedganger, hvite fjell og topptur til en av kommunens høyeste topper, Øretoppen. Det er og mulighet for røyefiske for de som ønsker å teste pilkestikka. Koselige kvelder på hytta med spill, prat og sauna, og selvfølgelig hunder i sofaen.
Backpacking with dogs in the Pasvik National Park
Mandatory: Yes
Price: Included in course price
Experience one of Europe's very last primeval forests: Together with a dog of your choice you and your dog both take backpacks and explore the wilderness. Campfires and the northern lights sky await you and reward after a day of hiking.
Med hund under åpen himmel
Mandatory: Yes
Price: Included in course price
Dette er en bli-kjent-tur på alle måter. Vi holder oss i nærheten av skolen, men sover ute alle nettene, enten i telt eller under tarp. Her blir vi kjent med hverandre rundt bålet, blir kjent i nærområdet gjennom turer og bruker god tid på å bli kjent med hundene og rutinene i hundegården. Vi går mye på tur med hundene og starter opplæring i kjøring med vogn og hundespann. Her legges grunnlaget for videre tradisjonell høsttrening og rutinene for trening av hundespann med vogn
På egenhånd med hund og bål
Mandatory: Yes
Price: Included in course price
Denne turen går inn som en del av kompetansebeviset. Her må du vise at du kan ta vare på deg selv og en hund på tur, lage deg en god leirplass, gjerne med ei barseng, og fyre bål. Dette er selvfølgelig ting du har gjort mye av utover høsten sammen med klassen. Vi er nå inne i nordlyssesongen og her har du en unik mulighet til å nyte stjernehimmel, nordlys, hundekos og eget selskap i Pasvikskogen.
First dog sledding of the year
Mandatory: Yes
Price: Included in course price
Most years, Pasvik offers a full six-month snow season. In November, you and the dogs will go sledding for the first time and experience the pine forest at its most magical, as we enter into the blue hours, the moonlight and the Northern Lights season. On this trip you will learn how to take car of your best friend while being out in the wild.
Sledeekspedisjon på Finnmarksvidda
Mandatory: Yes
Price: Included in course price
Sven Engholm er kongen av Finnmarksløpet. I tillegg til at han startet Finnmarksløpet i 1981, har han vunnet løpet hele 11 ganger. Fra midten av 80-tallet har han bygd opp Engholm Husky i Karasjok. I januar drar vi på tur til Sven for å kjøre slede på Finnmarksvidda. Dette er et helt annet terreng enn det vi har i Pasvik og det er fantastisk å ønske sola velkommen
tilbake oppå vidda. Her overnatter vi i hyttene som Sven har bygget og designet, deltar i stell i hundegården og spiser god tradisjonsmat i grillhytta, Bartaen.
Vårens vakreste eventyr på slede
Mandatory: Yes
Price: Included in course price
Ofte kalt vårens vakreste eventyr. Etter at Finnmarksløpet og Pasvik Trail er ferdig, bruker vi løypene for å komme oss ut i den vårlige Pasvikskogen. I april er dagene lange og temperaturen behagelig. Turen starter fra hundegården og går så langt som vær, føre og lys tillater. Der slår vi leir og setter opp telt og lavvo, fyrer stort bål og nyter at naturen våkner til liv. Fra leiren drar vi på ulike dagsturer, enten med slede eller på ski, og om man vil prøve fiskelykka er det gode muligheter for det også. På denne turen er det viktig med høy solfaktor og gode solbriller.
Mushing at Engholm Husky in Karasjok
Mandatory: Nei
Price: Included in course price
We have a good collaboration with Engholm Husky in Karasjok. Sven Engholm has won the Finnmarksløpet 11 times and has a lot of experience with both running and tourist driving. All students will go there in twos or threes and spend a week there before the whole dog mushing line goes there together during one of the last weeks before Christmas.
Finnmarksløpet: Europe's longest dog-sled race
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. You'll be responsible receiving and sending out the teams, having control of times in and out, and reporting all this to the organizers based in Alta.
Autumn Training with wagons
Mandatory: Yes
Price: Included in course price
We have several walks in Pasvik during the fall, where we sleep in shelters, Lavvu or under the open sky. This is also when we begin training the dogs by wagon. You'll learn how to steer and control the wagon with a team of up to 10 huskies. In addition, we have time to do a lot of other outdoor life, such as canoeing, hiking and fishing.
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.
Finnmarksløpet: Europe's longest dog-sled race
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.
Autumn-trip
Mandatory: Yes
Price: Included in course price
This trip is for the whole school. You can choose from three alternatives:
Canooing: We padle down the pasvik river. Good chance for fishing big trout and pike. We sleep in lavvu or under open sky.
From cabin to cabin: We hike throug the pasvik wood, staying at the open cabins. In the evenings we gather around the camp fire. Perhaps we can meet one of the pasvik bears?
The Schools hut by the sea: We go hiking, visit a fish farm, look at remains from ww2, and fish in the ocean. In the evenings we gather in the living room, playing cards and telling stories.
The Varanger Fjord
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!
Nord-kalottur i mørketida
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.