About Elgåløpet
Elgå is located far north in Engerdal municipality, where the road on the east side of Femunden ends, and where the wilderness adventure in Femundsmarka begins. People come from far away, both from home and abroad, to visit the famous national park they have read about or seen on TV. For four or five weeks in midsummer, Elgå is bustling with life, during the busiest period for the ferry Fæmund II, which plies Norway's second largest natural lake. Femunden is cold, deep, crystal clear and clean, a pearl of a lake, and the pride of the village, in addition to the immediate proximity to the national parks Femundsmarka and Gutulia.
In winter, however, it is quiet on Elgå. Until February, the two long-distance dog races Femundløpet, then Elgåløpet, start. Femund Lodge has a checkpoint for both of these races, and is itself the organizer of Elgåløpet.
Here is some information about checkpoint Elgå:
A field will be plowed and reserved for the dog mushers’ teams, meaning those arriving with a car and trailer. An alternative will likely be on the upper side of Femund Nasjonalparkhotell, right by the church. Signs will be put up with a Vipps number for parking, where you will be asked to pay a modest amount so they can recover the diesel expenses. Thank you for remembering this.
Femund Lodge (phone 90872222, post@femundlodge.no) is run by Lars Monsen, and is the heart of Checkpoint Elgå. There is a café, sports shop and a few rooms, cabins and lavvus for rent here. The dog mushers will stake out on the neighboring field (kindly made available by the owners) and on the grounds of Femund Lodge. See more detailed description below. The dog mushers will pass right by the fire pit at the main entrance on their way out.
Checkpoint Elgå
The dog mushers will come in at the top of the neighboring field, up toward the forest edge. NB: where you are clocked in, your depot bag will be by a sign with your start number. If, for example, your start number is 27, look for sign number 27. This is to make it easy to find your depot bag. If you are going to rest, you will be offered a jug with 10–12 liters of water immediately upon arrival. NB: do not run off with the jug after use, but attach it to the pole or fence with the strap provided, so we avoid jugs blowing into the way of teams heading out. If you are going to rest for a long time at the checkpoint and need more water, there is an outdoor tap on the wall of the main building, clearly marked. And of course, if you are going straight through and need water down toward Drevsjø, take out your own water container and ask a volunteer for help transferring water from a jug as quickly as possible. “As quickly as possible” so you do not end up standing in the way of other teams coming behind you.
Straw is by the pole.
You will stake out where you are directed. Staking out will mostly be on the neighboring field, but also on the grounds of Femund Lodge. The first ten teams that are going to rest will do so on the grounds of Femund Lodge.
Driving out follows a well-marked, long horseshoe.
NB: if you are going straight through, keep to the far left edge of the field, drive up and onto the grounds of Femund Lodge, continue straight ahead and follow the trail around the cabins, turn right and sign out in front of the main entrance to the lodge. This will be well marked. If everything is as usual, you sign out when driving out and state how many dogs you are continuing with.
Handlers will have access to rakes and plastic bags for cleaning up straw. We appreciate this job being done thoroughly. The full bags (feel free to use two) should be placed against the pole or fence, or in one of the fenced-in triangles by the stake-out areas.
In many places, two poles have been set up 1.5 meters apart, with a small triangle of red alpine fencing directly in front of the sleds. The point of the triangle is to ensure sufficient distance between the teams, in addition to serving as storage space for rakes, plastic bags and possibly trash bag stands (not sure we will manage everything). This is a new setup that we are trying out this first year.
The mushers will have access to the large lavvu, where a fire will be burning and hot water will be boiled if you need to fill your thermos. The handler can also do this themselves in the café: by the counter inside the café there is a coffee machine; hold down the button for “Hot water.” Anyone can do this without asking, and it costs nothing. The button next to it says coffee; you have to pay a little for that...
It is uncertain how many veterinarians and TDs will be at the checkpoint, but they are usually clearly visible. The veterinarians/TDs will have their own heated cabin at Femund Lodge, and it will be marked “VET/TD”. This will be cabin 3, the one closest to the main entrance.
The café will be open until quite a while after the last musher has left Elgå. Here it will be possible to buy dinner, burgers, pizza, waffles, or just a cup of coffee.
WC for the mushers: three festival toilets outside in the drifting snow on the grounds of Femund Lodge, as well as four toilets inside the main building. The public also uses the latter.
The public will be able to follow the mushers at close range, with a traditional wooden fence or clear barrier fencing separating them from the mushers’ area.
Parking in Elgå
Those of you who do not have a trailer will be able to park at Femund Lodge and on the neighboring property, more specifically the regular long-term parking area in the direction of the shop. Those of you who have a trailer will be directed to the right place. The alternatives will likely be Elgåen Søndre Opplevelser (two white houses between Femunden itself and Femund Lodge), Femund Nasjonalparkhotell and possibly the soccer field.
Ready? OK!
