THE HISTORY
The story of Sirdal Huskyfarm is one of the roots and daring to follow a dream. It’s a true story. A tale of joy and courage in pursuit of a dream.
The Kvinen family is named after a remote, roadless mountain farm where the founder Odd Kvinen has his roots. “Grandmother” Gunhild Kvinen lived here for more than 50 years and wrote a popular book about her life in the mountains “Et liv i fjellheimen”. Sirdal Huskyfarm strives to maintain this proud heritage.
For more than 30 years, we have shared natural and cultural values while providing unique experiences for guests from home and abroad. Sirdal Huskyfarm is a family business runned by the second generation and co-workers from around the world drawn back year after year by the farm’s unique atmosphere.
The huskies are our key trademark and we have worked with sled dogs for more than 30 years. All dogs are safe, social, and love human companionship. A large fenced dog yard encourages play and challenges for our four-legged staff and their two-legged guests.
The last few years we have been upgrading the farm facilities with renovating the barn and building an outdoor stage. We have had two concerts and a local christmas market already. Currently, in 2023, we are in the process of finishing four tee-pee huts suitable for 30 people in total.
Sirdal Huskyfarm is a great place for people to meet for a real taste of culture, nature and history. We’d love to share it all with you!
THE PEOPLE OF SIRDAL HUSKYFARM
ODD
Odd left Oslo in 1980 to return to his roots in Sirdal with Tone, his wife. In 1989, Odd realized his lifelong dream by establishing Aktiv Villmark Opplevelse (Active Wilderness Experience), which is now called Sirdal Huskyfarm. Odd is still a dreamer and engages his guests through storytelling, nature experiences and fundamental values. Odd is genuinely committed to sharing knowledge about “the simple kind of outdoor life” and how we use and manage the blessings of nature.
FLORIAN
Florian first came to Sirdal Huskyfarm in 2013 as a dog handler. He commuted between Germany and Sirdal until he moved to the farm in 2018. He has become part of the family and is responsible for the daily operations and is our main guide. He has a bachelor degree in social work and is certified Team Instructor Expedition with ten years experience of outdoor activity guiding.
TONE
Tone is the girl from the posh Oslo suburb of Bærum who became a country lass and Odd’s wife. She is educated as a teacher, with music and social pedagogy as her majors. Apart from music, she is especially interested in mindfulness, yoga and meditation. In 2002, Tone was named “Sirdal Resident of the Year” and in 2007 was awarded Sirdal’s culture prize together with Odd.
FRØYDIS
Frøydis is the farm’s youngest daughter and grew up with a pack of 40 sled dogs and loves being outdoors. She works as an engineer and lives together with Florian and their daughter on the farm. Frøydis is a born organizer with an eye for details and works mostly in the background of things.
GUNHILD
Gunhild is the farm’s eldest daughter and is named after her great grandmother, Gunhild Kvinen, whose 1976 book “Et liv i fjellheimen” (“A Life in a Mountain World”) has become a Norwegian classic. The younger Gunhild also followed her dream and moved back home to the farm with her own family in 2012. She works as an offshore SAR (search and rescue) nurse but likes to participate in arrangements and activities at Sirdal Huskyfarm in her free periods.
GÜNTHER
Günther came to Sirdal Huskyfarm as a dog handler in 1997. Since then, Günther and Odd have had a close friendship and cooperation. Günther is based in Germany and runs his own activity company Event Nature. He is also the founder of the German school project in Sirdal called Outdoor College. Günther has more than 30 years experience with outdoor guiding in Norway.
LORY
Lory is born in France and has traveled together with her boyfriend Jimmy in Scandinavia in 2023. They fell in love with the Scandinavian countries and lifestyle. They worked in several dogsledding kennels both touristic and racing. First in Sweden and then in Norway. Guiding, taking care of the dogs and being outside in the nature are Lorys biggest passions.
JIMMY
THE DOGS AT SIRDAL HUSKYFARM
Our dogs are of the breed Alaska Husky. They live together two or three in smaller kennels under a roof with access to their own dog houses. No dogs are kept on a chain. All dogs are running free for several hours daily in a large common dog yard in groups. Here they can run, play and just be a dog together.
Our dogs get regular exercise and are trained in teams throughout the year. In addition, the dogs are trained to walk on a leash, to carry a backpack and get lots of social training. We focus on hygiene and all dog kennels are cleaned several times a day.
We are proud to invite you into the kennel, where you will be greeted by very trusting and safe dogs in a natural and healthy environment. We have many who visit us, and the dogs are used to visits and cuddles from all types of people such as families with children, elderly or people with disabilities. We share more about life on the husky farm during your visit with us.
HISTORY OF SIRDAL
A WORLD OF UNSPOILED NATURE EXPERIENCES
Sirdal is in the mountains of southern Norway. It has a population of just 1,800 people in an area of 1,500 square kilometers (about 580 square miles), so there is more than enough room for everyone. It is home to Europe’s southernmost herd of wild reindeer and Sirdal is part of Norway’s second-largest protected nature reserve, which you can read more about here.
In the old days, Sirdal was an isolated and impoverished community. However, the area has always been rich in natural, untarnished beauty. When part of this wild countryside was tamed by the dams for hydroelectric power plants, some economic benefits naturally trickled down to the municipality.
Sirdal has enough nature for everyone. Even though there are roughly 4,000 private cabins in the region, there is still plenty of room to enjoy pristine wilderness areas.
The area has southern Norway’s best network of cross-country ski trails and a variety of alpine slopes to choose from.
HUSKY CAMP - SUMMER CAMP FOR KIDS
HUSKY CAMP is a summer camp for children from ages 10 through 13, based on Sirdal Huskyfarm and is also offered for school trips. The children/students can join a range of activities such as dog sledding with wheels, horseback riding, raft building, archery, hiking, fishing, swimming and paddling to name a few. Participants enjoy wonderful experiences in nature where play and learning go hand in hand. The goal is to promote interest in outdoor life while increasing respect for nature and its flora and fauna. Click the button below to learn more.
OUTDOOR COLLEGE
A UNIQUE GERMAN SCHOOL PROJECT
Outdoor College is a German-Norwegian school project where German 14 and 15 year-olds spend eleven months of their school year in Sirdal. The pupils follow a German curriculum, while also learning Norwegian and having monthly tours where they can gain wilderness experiences. There is a close cooperation between Sirdal Huskyfarm and Outdoor College over the last ten years. The students are integrated in our daily farm routines such as training and taking care of the dogs. Learn more at outdoor-college.de or follow them on Facebook or Instagram.