Norwegian Mountain Touring Association

Infobox Organization
name = Den Norske Turistforening
Norwegian Mountain Touring Association


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motto = Naturopplevelser for livet
Nature experiences for life
formation = January 21 1868
extinction =
type = Mountain Touring Association
headquarters =
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membership = 210 000
language = Norwegian
leader_title = Secretary-General
leader_name = Kristin Krohn Devold
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website = http://www.turistforeningen.no/The Norwegian Mountain Touring Association (In Norwegian, "Den Norske Turistforening" – DNT) is a Norwegian association which maintains mountain trails and cabins in Norway. The association was founded on January 21, 1868 with the scope "to help and develop tourism in this country". Today the goal is to work for simple, secure and environmentally friendly outdoor activities. DNT has currently more than 200,000 individual members. The secretary-general of the association is Kristin Krohn Devold, the former defense minister of Norway.

The mountains of Norway have always been utilised by the Norwegian people since the first Norwegians followed the reindeer when the ice cap retracted ten thousand years ago.

DNT's first hut was Krokan by the Rjukan waterfall. The waterfall was later harnessed for hydropower production and the hut was sold. Today it is re-opened, situated by the main road from Rjukan (Tinn) to Vinje. Together with local organisations all over Norway, it operates more than 400 cabins in Norwegian mountains and forest areas.

Olav Thon, a Norwegian real-estate investor, has so far donated 55 million NOK to the association. [cite web | url=http://www.kjendis.no/2006/03/30/462315.html | title=De er de fattiges styrtrike onkler | language=Norwegian | date=30 March 2006 | accessdate=2007-01-28 ] The money has been spent to build new and refurbish existing cabins.

Using the huts

41 of the huts are staffed. The rest are self-service, some with provisions and some without. The self-service huts are locked, and to use them it is necessary to get a key from the DNT for a 100 NOK deposit (if the key is returned, so is the money). Every self-service hut contains a stack of debit/credit card forms for payment. This form must be filled out at the conclusion of a stay and dropped into the payment box.

The self-service huts do not have electricity or running water, so they are usually located very close to a river from which buckets may be filled. Before leaving a self-service hut, it is considered good etiquette to carry in firewood, do the dishes, clean the floor and lock the door behind you.

ee also

*Tourism in Norway
*List of national parks of Norway

Footnotes

External links

* [http://www.turistforeningen.no/english/ Norwegian Mountain Touring Association]
* [http://yr.no/ver-nytt/1.2982563 Weather forecasts for the DNT huts (yr.no)]