Trip Report – Wild Musk Oxen in the Mountains of Norway - February 2023 — Kevin Pepper Photography (2024)

Packing for this type of adventure

There is so much to consider when you go this far off the grid to camp in cold winter conditions, and spend the day out in the winter elements. You have to consider the physical activity to get to the wildlife, then spend extended hours with the wildlife. That are two types of winter clothing. I packed a 90L roller bag as a checked bag, then I had my camera bag as my carry-on.

Clothing
Fjalraven Expedition Down Jacket –A long and well-insulated down jacket for really cold winter climates. It has a warm hood and generous pockets with extra openings that let you put your hands in from the sides. Padded with high-quality ethically produced down. Offset down channel construction eliminates heat loss. Shoulders are reinforced with synthetic padding to resist moisture and pressure.

My boots were the Baffin SNOW MONSTER. They are rated for adventurous pursuits in extremely cold temperatures. Polar Proven® in some of the world's harshest climates, SNOW MONSTER is not only technically superior, but also lightweight and flexible. They are recommended for moderate levels of activity, offering everything you need in a performance winter footwear companion.

The rest of my clothing is going to seem like redundancy. We had to consider sweating during our hikes and ensure we had dry, warm clothes each day.
1 Columbia thin puffer coat and 1 thin mid-layer puffer vest
4 Pairs of base layers
2 Pairs of winter snow pants
3 Thin layer gloves to work my camera.
2 Outer mittens and gloves
5 Pairs of merino wool socks
4 Winter hats
Various t-shirts and flannel sleeping pants.
1 Flannel sleeping bag liner
3 Fleece sweaters from Kuhl and Patagonia
2 Balaclavas
1 Pair of goggles
1 Neck gator
I did not wear everything I packed. But the redundancy of the extra gear gave me peace of mind in case it was needed.

Camera Gear
Cameras –Nikon z9 and Nikon z7ii
Lenses –Nikon 100-400 f4.5-6.3, Nikon 70-200 f2.8, Nikon 20mm f1.8
4 batteries for the z9 and 4 batteries for the z7ii, with battery chargers for both. I also brought USB charging cables and 3 Anker power bricks for charging the batteries in the camera without power when camping.
A tripod would be helpful to rest your camera on when at the Musk Ox, or on nights the aurora may show up in the skies at night. I did not bring mine. I wanted to be nimble so I could walk amongst the participants to make sure they were getting their images.
A rain cover to keep your camera and lens protected from the snow.

The Accommodations

When we arrived in Oslo we spent the first two nights at the Raddison at the Oslo airport. Separated from the airport by a mere 100m covered walkway, the hotel's location makes it the perfect accommodation for us to get into Oslo and get prepared for our trip to the mountains in Dovrefjell. Make sure you check out the 26 North Restaurant & Social Club. Great food in there.

From Oslo, we traveled 4 hours north through Lillehammer to the mountains of Dovrefjell near the city of Dombås. Our destination, the Furuhaugli fjellhytter cabins just on the boundary of Dovrefjell National Park.

Our time near The Mountains of Dovrefjell National Park

We had to make an audible right at the beginning of this trip. We had been watching the weather reports for our camping area in the mountains. A winter storm was bearing down on us. The day we were to ascend into the mountains by dog sleds to set up our tents called for 80km/h winds, and our first-day camping was forecasted to have 110km/h winds with 18cm of fresh snow.

While sitting in the warmth of the cabin the forecast sounded like a photographer’s delight to photograph winter animals, but the reality of the situation gave me pause. Those kinds of winds and snow would bring whiteout conditions in a mountain environment. That much wind and snow could also bury our tents while we slept. Both a scary thought.

We decided to stay in the cabins and trek out each day at lower elevations to photograph a few groups of male Musk-Ox our guide knew of.

The benefit … warm nights in a cabin, flat conditions to walk in, and a lifeline of vehicles that were only 4km away from our photography locations.

The downside … no mothers and calves, no epic mountain backdrops, and the loss of the feeling of being totally off-grid in an area very few get to enter.

But!!! Safety comes above all else… and as you can see, we did photograph Musk Ox in the foothills of the mountains. Something that had been on my bucket list for many years.

The Wildlife We Encountered

Nothing, and I mean NOTHING, will ever prepare you for that first moment when you see a prehistoric species that have roamed the earth for the last 20,000 years. Goosebumps covered my body, and that wasn’t because I was cold; it was because I had waited for this for so long; I traveled halfway around the world to physically challenge myself to walk miles in these mountains in relenting winter winds and blowing snow.

And then it happened… my favorite wild animal appeared – the Musk Oxen.

Photographs From This Workshop

Post Trip Thoughts

This trip is not for the faint of heart. If you think that you might not be able to handle the cold, the wind, and the lack of amenities… this trip is probably not for you. I wouldn’t even take you if you hesitate when I ask you about your ability to handle the physical and mental challenges one can face in a snowy winter atmosphere up in a mountain landscape. Having said this, even I questioned my ability to handle this before my first trip there. Now that I have done it once… BRING ON TRIP #2 IN 2024, BABY!!!

As I reflect on our encounters with the Musk-Ox in the mountains of Dovrefjell, this experience will go down as one of my favorite wildlife experiences behind the camera. The challenge to get there, the harsh weather conditions, the patience to get the photo, and being in the presence of the wildlife itself; all make for an experience that every wildlife photographer should want to have. And I don’t say that lightly. I have photographed a lot of exotic animals at many locations in my lifetime. So… trust me when I say, “This is a must-do wildlife photography experience!”

Physical Abilities

I put this in here because some of you have already asked me. I would tell you that you must be able to walk in snowshoes up to 10km (4km to 5km each way) in sometimes extreme winter conditions with your camera gear, thermos, and food for the day on your back. The terrain will have elevation changes, and we could be breaking new trails in fresh snow each day.

MY NEXT Musk-ox Workshop ADVENTURE

If you would like to join me on one of my next adventures to photograph Musk Ox, please see my wildlife workshops. Click Here

If you would like to discuss the trip in more detail, please feel free to contact me through my Contact Me page. I will set up a phone call to discuss the trip in more detail.