For a brand that has spent nearly a century perfecting the cut of a jacket and the resilience of a seam, Norrøna is now making a confident, almost inevitable move beyond outfitting adventure and into curating it.
The Norwegian heritage brand has unveiled its 2026 Norrøna Adventure Festival lineup, a deliberately crafted circuit of immersive outdoor experiences spanning ice climbing, freeriding, mountain biking and trail running across Norway and France. These are not glossy brand showcases or influencer jamborees. They are hands-on, skills-first gatherings designed for people who prefer frozen waterfalls, high-alpine descents and remote trail networks to soft-focus lifestyle shots.
At the heart of the strategy is community and credibility. Norrøna Adventure, the brand’s destination and experience arm, is investing in festivals that place participants shoulder-to-shoulder with elite athletes, seasoned guides and Norrøna ambassadors. At the same time, testing premium gear in environments that make marketing claims either hold up or fall apart very quickly.
“We’ve been obsessed with creating the ultimate outdoor gear and experiences for 96 years,” says Jørgen Jørgensen, leader and fourth-generation owner of Norrøna. “While other brands can outfit you, Norrøna takes things one step further: these festivals are where passion, community, and expert knowledge come together for the definitive adventure. We are proud to offer them to our loyal community of nature lovers.”
It is a statement that neatly captures the brand’s long-held philosophy: that true loyalty is built not in a shop, but in the field, preferably somewhere cold, steep or remote.
Ice, Altitude and a Serious Sense of Purpose
The 2026 calendar opens in February with the Norrøna Ice Festival, staged from 12–15 February in Rjukan, Telemark, a location that needs no embellishment. With more than 150 icefalls, Rjukan is widely regarded as one of the world’s premier ice climbing destinations, and the four-day festival is unapologetically comprehensive.
Participants can expect guided ice climbing and ski touring with Norrøna ambassadors and local experts, speed climbing competitions, technical talks and presentations, as well as clinics spanning beginner to advanced levels, rescue skills and touring techniques. Partnering with Scarpa and Petzl, the festival allows climbers to test top-tier equipment where it matters most: mid-route, mid-winter.
Evenings soften the edges, with communal social gatherings, three-course dinners, BBQs and live music, a reminder that adventure culture has always been as much about the campfire as the climb.
Chamonix, Freeride and Alpine Pedigree
From frozen waterfalls to big mountain lines, March sees Norrøna team up with Gore-Tex for the Norrøna x Gore-Tex Freeride Festival, running 19–22 March in Chamonix.
Here, the focus shifts to freeriding and backcountry skiing, including the iconic Vallée Blanche descent from the Aiguille du Midi — a rite of passage for serious skiers. Clinics cover steep skiing, lift-accessed backcountry freestyle, avalanche awareness, and newly introduced girls-only sessions. Inspirational talks from industry icons, including Chris Davenport, add depth to the program.
Après-ski is handled with appropriate Alpine seriousness at Moö Bar, alongside refined French dining, spa access and outdoor pools — proof that suffering and sophistication can coexist.
Telemark Takes Centre Stage
Spring and summer bring the action back to Norway, with Telemark emerging as the spiritual home of Norrøna’s experiential ambitions.
The Norrøna x Specialised Mountain Bike Festival, held 14–16 May at the off-grid Norrøna Canvas, delivers three days of guided riding, technique clinics, maintenance workshops, and injury-prevention sessions. Ambassadors Remy Metailler and Kathi Kuypers headline a program designed for riders from beginner to expert.
Days end with après-bike sessions, lakeside recovery, sauna access and bonfire gatherings, a rhythm that feels distinctly Scandinavian in its balance of exertion and restoration.
In August, the calendar closes with the Norrøna x Nnormal Trail Running Festival, running 7–9 August, again at Norrøna Canvas. This event blends high-performance trail running with a holistic focus on recovery, featuring guided runs, technique clinics, nutrition sessions and morning yoga. Ambassadors Kyle Curtin and Hilary McCloy anchor a program that emphasises longevity in sport, not just speed.
Communal dining, lake swims, sauna sessions, and evening talks reinforce the sense that these festivals are as much about belonging as biomechanics.
More Than Events, Less Than Ordinary
“These aren’t ordinary gatherings; they’re basecamps for skill mastery,” says Christian Schmidt, Norrøna Adventure’s Chief Experience Officer. “Beyond new skills, guests train directly alongside top athletes and experts in their field, leave with friends for life, and a renewed passion for the wild.”
Bookings are now open for the Norrøna Ice Festival and the Norrøna x Gore-Tex Freeride Festival. Tickets for the Norrøna x Specialised Mountain Bike Festival go on sale on 10 December, while the Norrøna x Nnormal Trail Running Festival opens bookings on 2 January 2026.
For a brand that has always believed adventure is earned rather than staged, Norrøna’s 2026 festival lineup feels less like a marketing exercise and more like a natural extension of its DNA, carefully considered, quietly confident, and built to last.
Information & Bookings
Bookings are now open for the Norrøna Ice Festival and the Norrøna x Gore-Tex Freeride Festival, with tickets for the remaining 2026 events scheduled for release in December and January.
Full details, festival schedules, ticket availability and registration information are available via Norrøna Adventure’s official platform: https://adventure.norrona.com/norrona-festivals.
by Bridget Gomez – (c) 2025
Read Time: 4 minutes.
About the Writer.
Bridget has never been one to sit still. Of Portuguese heritage, she first trained as a nurse. She threw herself into work at the Commonwealth Veteran Affairs Repatriation Hospital, tending to old soldiers with stories almost as colourful as her own would become. It was rewarding, steady work — but wanderlust has a louder voice than routine.
So, she swapped starched uniforms for a backpack and set off on a twelve-month gallop around the globe. Along the way, she scribbled in journals, capturing the dust, the laughter, the odd missed train, and the occasional glass of wine too many. Those notebooks soon became a travel blog, her way of reliving and sharing the journeys with anyone willing to read.
Eventually, Bridget stumbled across Global Travel Media and, in her words, “the rest is history.” Now she writes with the same mix of heart and mischief that fuelled her travels.
