The Heroes of Telemark Expedition

  1 of 7

  A thoroughly enjoyable and worthwhile course which covers an awful lot of ground both figuratively and literally. Brian, the course leader, is an absolute legend. His breadth of historical knowledge of the Telemark saboteurs is quite without equal and it was fascinating to listen to his views and anecdotes (especially when he presents them in such an engaging and accessible way). His passion for the subject is palpable and I'm certain a case could be made for him being the world's number one expert on the subject of the Telemark saboteurs. Mat, the lead instructor, is a professional in every sense of the word. His skillset and experience is about as broad as you can imagine and his ability to get to the core of the subject matter is be hard to beat. I found him to be an engaging and knowledgable instructor and a great deal of fun to be around. Chris, the secondary instructor was also a wonderful addition to the team. His skillset was obviously very broad and his knowledge of Norway and Nordic skiing was great to dip into. A very interesting chap who was both helpful and supportive whenever necessary. I had never skied before this trip yet at no point did I feel out of my depth. My teammates (all previous skiers in one form or another) were encouraging and I rapidly fell in love with Nordic skiing thanks to the training, the support and, not to mention, the true magnificence of Norway. The hotels we stayed at were wonderful, especially the first hotel (the Revsnes) which was extremely welcoming and well presented. The food was excellent and I made a point of thanking the chef personally for his hard and very much appreciated efforts. I could discuss the trip in much greater detail but simply don't want to give away too much! Instead, I'll close by saying that if you have reasonable fitness, at least a passing interest in history and a true love of the outdoors, I cannot recommend this course highly enough. Many thanks to Brian, Mat, Chris and Diane for all of their hard work and attention to detail, not to mention Ray's drive and vision for offering the course in the first place. J Fairhead  

  Jono Fairhead

  2 of 7

  The Norway end was well organised, and very well run. The bringing us all up to standard skiing was well done and well judged. The Expo phase was excellent and the final phase a good finale. What was not well done was the recommended flights. We had 4.5 hours hanging around at Oslo airport, and could have easily got a whole series of earlier flights. Recommended flights were via Amsterdam. Why? This just added yet more time, another two hours of hanging about. The flight out, had us all up around three in the morning, and gave most of us a logistical challenge of being at the airport for 04:30. Tubes and trains not running at that time, a later flight arrangement would have worked better. Maximise time in Norway, but not to the expense of being at an airport for 04:30. On the whole I would easily recommend this course, just don't take the advised travel arrangements at face value. Do your own.  

  Martin Sheward

  3 of 7

  I have just completed the HOT Expedition and as I am sure you have seen from the blog we had a great time. The end to end process was brilliant. Your team in the UK were always able to help in preparation and promotion of our blogging and charity fundraising efforts. Your team in Norway are professional, passionate and fun to work with. Brian and Glyn provide a safe, enjoyable, progressive learning environment and are adept at bringing the saboteurs' story to life. The unique combination of skills, environment, military and local history, team work, personal journey, hard work, fun and the beauty of Norway, in particular the Hardanger Vidda is what makes this expedition amazing - the course director and guide as well as support from the local Norwegians made this come alive for us. In particular I would like to express admiration for Brian's depth of knowledge of the saboteurs' story - I wish I could interview him and learn how to write it all down. I would also like to mention Glyn's training style. We never felt like we were being taught but we all learn't a lot. Glyn also prepared us, helped us form in to a team that would succeed in the task and lead us on the expedition. All with good humor. If you are reading this and are undecided if you should do this - then do it, an amazing allround experience. Thanks Alex  

  Alexander Laurie

  4 of 7

  We have just returned from the Heroes of Telemark course and I just wanted to share our feedback with Woodlore. This is the second course we have done with Woodlore having done the Arctic Survival course in 2008. Once again it competely exceeded our expectations. It was one of the most special and emotional trips we have ever done. To follow in the footsteps of the saboteurs was fascinating and humbling. Crossing the Hardanger Vidda was spectacular and to re-enact the final assault on the hydroelectric power plant at Vemork was a perfect end to an awesome adventure. Brian Desmond and Glyn Sheppard delivered the course to an exceptionally high standard. With their indepth knowledge and years of experience we felt very honoured to be with them. Thank you Woodlore once again for an amazing adventure. Kind Regards Rosie and Andy Deamer  

  Rosanna Deamer

  5 of 7

  This fantastic expedition does exactly what it says on the tin. It retraces the footsteps of some remarkable WW2 heroes and stays as close as possible to the exact route they took - right down to sleeping in the same beds! However, what makes this expedition extra special is the people who lead the course; Brian Desmond and Glyn Sheppard. Both former British Military men with a wealth of knowledge about the saboteurs, the operations of Grouse, Freshman and Gunnerside and an exellent knowledge of Norweigan customs and history. Brian's vast cross-country skiing and biathlon experience assisted in bringing the group up to the base level of skiing ability required for the expedition. Glyn's mountaineering and navigational ability was invaluable up on the vidda and his sense of humour and laid back but professional approach added to the overall enjoyment of the expedition. Although I am well travelled, this expedition goes down in my books as one of this best things I have ever done. Highly recommended - Big thanks to all.  

  Dave Hall

  6 of 7

  I have just returned from what was a truly exhilarating experience, namely, the Heroes of Telemark skiing expedition. From start to finish the training and the expedition itself were superbly well organised and carried out with military precision. Both Brian, the course leader, and Glynn, the expedition guide, were superb in every respect. At age 61, even with many years of normal Alpine skiing holiday experience, I did not expect this undertaking to be physically easy - and I was so right! For the first two days of training I had pains where I never thought I had muscles and there were indeed times when will power - and a little help from my team mates - picked me up and kept me going. The raw beauty of the Hardanger Vidda landscape was breathtaking and knowing that one was following the skisteps of true Norwegian heroes was quite a spiritual experience. The conviviality of the Norwegian dog sleigh team - Olav and Isaach - who shadowed us from a distance, greatly added to the enjoyment and authenticity of the trip. Perhaps I was particularly fortunate in finding myself part of a team that gelled together so well. On the other hand, I would expect that anyone who undertakes this trip would share a true sense of adventure and a deep appreciation of its historical context. Thank you for the opportunity to relive such a remarkable piece of Nordic history.  

  James R Kehoe

  7 of 7

  The course was excellant. Brian and Glyn are legends! The build up was just right with all the team hitting the right fitness levels for journey across the Vidda. The landscape will stay with me as will the passion of the said legends for their commitment and attention to detail. Awesome!!  

  Bob Hoskins