Prices will be based on dates (ahead of time) rather than divided by the total number of guests (afterwards) for a few reasons:
• it’s less stressful to sort everything out ahead of time
• it’s nice knowing the exact price going in rather than a (more expensive) surprise later
• it’s a built in “thank you” for not waiting to the last minute
To find out exactly what the current prices are for the cabin trip you’re thinking about attending, please visit it’s corresponding page for more details.
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Payments are sent via Vipps, Revolut, or normal bank transfer. Payment to hold your spot will be the price listed on Tier 4 (the most expensive price listed), but you’ll get the overpaid difference back. For example, if you sign up over than a month ahead of time, and “overpay” by 600kr, you’ll get that 600kr back at the end of the weekend. Think of it as a deposit to hold your space.
Q: Why do I need to overpay and then get money back later?
This is for a few reasons:
(1) Since prices fluctuate depending on sign-up date and whether or not you’re a driver, it’s easier to make all reservations one kroner amount, and then calculate the difference later (because things might change – if you sign up to be a driver, for example, and then your car is not drivable that weekend)…
(2) To make sure that all common costs are covered: petrol, toll roads, parking fees (if we ever have to drive to the resort, but all cabins are ski-in-ski-out), rental cars (if we need to rent an extra because there weren’t enough drivers), toilet paper, firewood, etc. There really aren’t a lot of expenses, but this just ensures that everything is covered and that I don’t have to track down tiny payments after the trip from 15 or so people. Usually, every gets money back from me in the end (which is a nice bonus at the end of a ski weekend).
Q: Why are the cabins more expensive than last year?
Well, if I could control the cost of housing in Norway, I would do so for my own apartment. Rent has been going up regularly and cheap cabins are hard to come by these days. Moreover, from the feedback given last year, everyone said they would rathe spend a bit more to have a cabin right on the slope than to save a few hundred kroner but then need to rely on a driver and schedules to enjoy the mountain… so that’s exactly how this year is set up, and we’ll see how it goes and what feedback is given. All cabins are either directly on the slope, or close enough to ski-in/ski-out.
The weekends are arranged from Thursday evening to Sunday morning.
The group will leave on Thursday evening (or other time coordinated with your driver) after everyone is finished with work and then drive to the cabin. Most likely each car will stop for dinner for that night, groceries (before 8pm), and whatever other supplies are needed (usually firewood is always a safe item to pick up – we can never have enough of that).
Friday and Saturday are spent all day skiing and then dinner in the cabin (either on your own, or coordinated with the group). Sometimes there are restaurants on the slopes, so feel free to get dinner on your own at any time, of course. Also, perhaps there are other things on the slope such as Afterski, a Spa, or other events happening that evening (TBD).
Sunday is usually a chill morning – breakfast, packing, and then heading out sometime before noon (typically, unless otherwise stated). Some people have done cross country skiing early Sunday morning and then packed when they returned – Sunday morning is completely up to you =)
Yes, that is no problem! Getting to the resorts from Oslo is pretty easy (specific directions on each cabin page) and anyone who would like to leave on Friday can coordinate with each other so that you can travel together. Once you arrive in the resort town (either by bus or train), message me and I’ll organize for one of the drivers (or myself) to go pick you up. If you’d like to catch a ride with us back on Sunday, let me know so that I can arrange a space in the car (if available). However, if you’d like to take the same public transportation back to Oslo, that could be in your benefit because then you won’t have to worry about splitting any of the petrol expenses. Basically, transportation is flexible to whatever best fits your schedule and budget – just let me know so that arrangements can be made.
This is a possibility, but please clear this with me first so that I can make sure there are enough parking spots at the cabin. Also, you then will not be included in the split petrol costs. If you drive alone, then those costs are your own (probably not the best economically and environmentally, but the choice is yours).
Once you’ve sent me the money in full, you’ll be added to the WhatsApp group created specifically for that cabin weekend. In there, we’ll organize the cars, the rooms, meals, times to meets, etc. If you don’t have WhatsApp and really don’t want to download it, then let me know and I can try my best to keep you updated by other means.
Besides warms clothes, of course, you should bring bed sheets (fitted sheet, duvet cover, and pillow case). The size of the bedsheets should be for a single bed, but sometimes there are double beds as well – in which case, I will let you know if you have a double bed beforehand.
If you prefer to bring a sleeping bag in lieu of bedsheets, that is perfectly fine, of course.
You should also bring a towel. A travel towel is ideal, or two if you’d like separate towels for shower vs. sauna / hot tub.
No problem. We’ll simply find another person who is willing to take your spot (there is usually a waiting list, so just ask and I can help). That new person will then just Vipps you the same full-amount of money (if within the same date-tier, so that you are fully reimbursed, and so that the new person pays their share, in full). If they’re booking at a different date than when you booked, then they will have to pay the price in whichever tier the transfer date corresponds to. If there is no one on the waiting list, then you’ll have to ask around and find someone on your own. But either way, it’s not a problem because all are welcome, so it’s just a matter of finding that willing soul.
Absolutely! And this year, there’s an even better system! Now, drivers will be paid per additional person that their car is able to accommodate. Each additional person will be an extra 100kr to the driver (which actually saves a lot if you have a bigger car). Last year, it was just a flat rate of 100kr (instead of 100kr per person) to each driver, but (1) I didn’t think that was enough because the drivers actually do quite a lot, and (2) it wasn’t really fair if a driver just had one passenger and another driver was able to accommodate 5 passengers. This way, it’s a bit more fair to everyone and hopefully shows more appreciation with bigger savings.
Unlike last year where we had a flat rate of 100kr that was credited back to each driver, this year, we’ll try something new: Drivers now will get money back for every additional person they can fit into their car (100kr per additional person)! So if you have a small car that can only hold 2 extra people, then the rate that you’ll receive as credit back isn’t any different than last year. However, if you have a large vehicle, or perhaps a roof rack with all the gear so that more passengers can fit inside, then you should be credited accordingly!
Not only will drivers receive money back, but if the group needs to rent an additional vehicle, drivers are exempt from this extra cost! As a driver, you are also determine your own pick-up point and schedule.
Note: Drivers are determined by a first-come-first-served basis. Meaning if you’re the last driver to sign up, and we only need 2 additional people in a car, then you’ll only be credited for those last 2 people (even if your car can fit 5). It is in the driver’s benefit to register as a driver as early as possible to maximize space and credited money.
What we’ve done in the past is I send out a text in the group chat about food preferences (vegetarian, vegan, meat-eater, no preference, etc.) and then people with similar preferences can organize meals amongst themselves. This has worked in the cabin trips last year, but if you have other suggestions, please let me know (food is where my organizational enthusiasm falls short).
Petrol and tolls are split with the entire group (of those who participate in carpooling and not taking public transportation). Some cars might have 2 people, while others might have 5 (or more, who knows)… but since the cars are usually allocated semi- “randomly” (based on schedules and where in Oslo one lives), then it’s really not fair to be forced to split costs based on things out of one’s control. Therefore, it’s the most fair to split car costs with everyone who is carpooling. It works out to almost the same overall, but definitely more fair. Take a look at an example below (based loosely on a cabin trip last year):
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. Have a question that you didn’t see here? Feel free to message me anytime with questions! Send me a message on WhatsApp: +47.413.45.952
