THE AIR CASTLE

We have done our utmost to build the place we have been dreaming of – and can with hand on heart say that we, with exactly the same good helpers as Askeladden, have succeeded above all expectations.

Eagle Nest Eco Lodge is the wild dream that became reality – against all odds and in record time, thanks to a team of Champions.

The sprouts of this wild project were sown during the lockdown in Norway due to the covid-19 pandemic in the spring of 2020. A short year later we received the building permit, and we started working on that very day! The mountain top where the eagles nest would be placed didn’t have a road, and so we used a snowcat to transport materials and equipment on the snow. During the course of three intense months in steep and difficult terrain, the fundamentals were ready for assembly of the glulam construction in the spring of 2021. Without a road for the crane, the enormous construction had to be raised 8 meters out in mid-air, on a 25 degree angle. We only had one attempt, which required a massive amount of planning and many sleepless nights! When the day was finally over, with beaming sunshine and no wind, a skilled group of workers stood ready and the whole front wall popped into place without a hitch. In that moment, the tears streamed down the faces of many of us.

The next hurdle was constructing the panoramic windows. Over five meters long and with a triangle shape. In late spring, the massive windows were transported to the top using a tracked vehicle and was winched along on a wire path. In the moment the final window slotted into place in the structure, sighs of relief could be heard throughout the mountains!

Eight trying months after the building commenced, a unique building was finally standing on the mountain top where nobody would believe that anyone could live – and talks began to circulate of a modern variant of Soria Moria castle, sky-high over Gudbrandsdalen.

The last hurdle was building of the lodge’s “stairway to heaven” – an airy arrival-bridge constructed on the mountain wall, from the car park up to the lodge. At the same time, the terrace arrived with the hot tub, and the outside log burner was in place. Electricity, water, and drainage are brought up from the service house located close to the carpark – and the interior.

When visiting the Eagle Nest Eco Lodge, we believe you will se that the adventure has been nerve-wracking, challenging, tiresome, informative, exciting, and last, but not least, very fun to accomplish. You are welcome to send warm thoughts to the wildly skilled and enthusiastic team of local workers and volunteers that have put Eagle Nest in place.

We hope the lodge can be of inspiration to other wild ideas and show that the “impossible” actually is possible as long as you want it!

PS! The first guests checked-in on the 9th of September 2021 at 3pm. Geir only had to mount the lock in the front door first…

A heartfelt welcome!