Join us on a journey through snow-covered landscapes, shimmering northern lights, and dog sleds that will take your breath away. And most importantly, join us as Alexander shares his experiences with Heat Experience's fantastic warm mittens that kept him warm and comfortable throughout his stay. Let's just say that once you've tried battery-powered warm mittens from Heat Experience, you'll probably never go back to regular mittens or gloves again!

So come along with Alexander and discover the magic of Karasjok, and let yourself be inspired by his steadfast courage and sense of adventure.

It feels good to turn the mittens on full power when the thermometer shows -30 degrees Celsius. Photo: Alexander Kofoed

8 energetic huskies in full speed My fingers and toes started to sting, but it was far from a fire causing it. Around me, it was freezing cold. -30 degrees Celsius to be exact. I decided to activate the heating system in my mittens, hoping it would take me all the way from Northern Norway to the Bahamas or at least Southern Germany. I looked around, but unfortunately, I saw neither palm trees nor sand. Only white snow and birch trees. Not even the sun peeked out. My beard had turned into ice, and in front of me were 8 energetic Alaskan huskies running at full speed, pulling my sled. Quite awesome!

One month earlier, I had arrived at Engholm Husky Lodge after a long day of travel. On the way north, I could slowly see the sun disappear and the temperature drop. Now I stood in front of what looked like Santa Claus's residence. The only difference was that the reindeer were large, strong, cute Alaskan Huskies, and the sled was... well, still a sled, but Santa Claus was not huge, and his name was not Santa, it was Sven. He was clearly the boss, a man who had won the famous Finnmarksløpet race several times and owned the place. I had come to work for him, train huskies, and practice the art of dog sledding. It was a tough environment, with an average temperature of -15 degrees Celsius, sometimes reaching -30 degrees, which I would painfully discover later. But I came prepared. Before my journey, I sought out sponsors to help me get equipped with the right gear. I had obtained a big thermal suit, fur hat, thick socks, and self-heating mittens from yours truly, Heat Experience. Still, I was worried that I might end up having a freezing experience instead. Only one way to find out.

Photo: Alexander Kofoed

Want an easy life? Don't become a dog musher!

1. Feeding the dogs. This involved giving them meat soup every morning (from 7 to 10 am)! It may sound okay, but believe me, you won't see it as a trendy dish on TikTok anytime soon. In the evenings, they got more meat. Yes, large amounts of frozen meat. They loved it!
2. Cleaning cabins. Not so fun, but necessary.
3. Cooking for the guests. Breakfast and dinner, just like with the dogs, but the food here wasn't all 100% meat (or frozen).
4. Repairing sleds. We had a workshop with a million tools to fix whatever happened to the sleds, and things happened from time to time.
5. Puppy training! And before you picture cute little puppies, let me stop you. These puppies were as big as the adults. But they were softer and still behaved like children. Sometimes training was simply taking them for a walk or a run while driving the ATV at high speeds, but often we taught them to sled.
6. Trail preparation. This was one of my favorite tasks because it involved driving the sled without tourists. The purpose was to run the trails so that it would be easier and faster to take the heavy tourists later on.
7. Grocery shopping. It's self-explanatory.
8. Dog sledding on day trips. Here we ran for 4-5 hours with the tourists. We drove through forests, over rivers, across hills, and took breaks with a bonfire along the way.
9. Lifting doghouses. This was physically demanding. Since it was constantly snowing, the doghouses gradually sink into the ground. So we had the pleasure of lifting them. And it was tough when they were frozen into the ground. Deadlifts, here we go.
10. Cleaning up dog poop. Was that why I came there? No. But if you think it's gross to pick up dog poop, imagine what it would be like to leave it there. You would essentially create a MOUNTAIN of dog poop and live in the middle of it.

Ice fishing suddenly becomes more comfortable with our All-Mountain battery-powered warm mittens.

Total silence and snow everywhere

In other words, if you want an easy life, you shouldn't become a dog musher. You may wonder why I spent a month at the Husky Lodge in Karasjok and why you should do the same.

The answer is dogs, dogs, dogs. If you love dogs, you will love Engholm Husky Lodge. With only 40 huskies that will always greet you in pure ecstasy every time they see you. There is a legend that sled dogs are bad dogs and cannot help but bite people. This may be true for some dogs (I'm looking at you, Greenland), but not here. Cuddling was a big part of my day there, and the dogs were just amazing.

The nature is another reason to visit the place. It's truly special to be in such an isolated place, with total silence and snow everywhere. Honestly, I had never seen anything like it. And yes, the Northern Lights are often visible.

Do it for the experience because there is truly nothing that compares to this. It's tough, you have to run uphill, manage huge dogs, and handle your own sled and gear. But it's incredibly rewarding, and it will definitely be an experience you'll never forget.

Thanks to Heat Experience for keeping my fingers warm. I could never have written this without them. Thumbs up!

Text and photo: Daniel Engen and Alexander Kofoed.