The twin tracks of a cross-country ski trail stretched ahead of us, bisecting a treeless, snow-covered plateau. Rounded mountains fringed the far horizon, like gigantic scoops of vanilla ice cream piled high against an ice-cold blue sky. Closer lay a 2,000-foot-high triangle of sheer black rock, Svartnuten, its coal-black face a clear landmark in Rondane National Park in Norway.

Svartnuten towered over our evening's destination 10 miles away. In its shadow lay Rondvassbu Hut, where we'd spend the night in cozy quarters. It's the kind of trip cross-country ski fanatics dream of -- a long day's ski into the wilds, through stunning glaciated scenery -- but with creature comforts at day's end, and no need to carry huge backpacks weighted with food or camping gear.

Such is the beauty of Norway's extensive hut system, where nearly 350 mountain huts link an 11,000-mile trail system through some of the finest mountain skiing in the world. As a result of its maritime climate and northern latitude, Norway's mountains are guaranteed to be wrapped in snow from late November or early December into May. The trails can be long, but they provide mostly safe, manageable skiing, even for older children.

Many mountain huts are open on a limited basis throughout the winter, but it is during Eastertime that skiers will find Norwegian skiing at its best. Days are long and often sunny, temperatures are moderate, and the snow is generally stable.

The lure of Norway's mountains has not been lost on John Brodhead, Nordic director for the Craftsbury Outdoor Center in Craftsbury. Brodhead is in a unique position to judge these things: at 58, he's been a medalist numerous times at the World Master's Championships in cross-country skiing. It takes something special to coax Brodhead away from Craftsbury, which offers some of the best and most dependable snow in Vermont. But when the sap starts to run and Brodhead is looking to jump back into mid-winter, he thinks of Norway.

Brodhead traveled to Norway in late March with his 14-year-old son, Luc, to ski hut-to-hut for a week. He said before he left that his family has made a tradition of ski trips to Norway. His parents and his older siblings journeyed to Norway to ski in the 1950s. Brodhead and his wife, Gina Campoli, came in 1984 to ski hut-to-hut. Now, Brodhead says, he's eager to expose his own children to the beauty and simplicity of skiing through Norwegian mountains.

"Norway has the absolute best conditions for cross-country skiing anywhere," Brodhead said of his choice. "I have cross-country skied almost everywhere in North America and Europe. Nothing compares with Norway, except possibly the Gaspe region in Quebec (Norwegians) have built the most user-friendly and extensive network of trails and system of huts anywhere in the world."

Where to go

Norway is a land of mountains. Only 4 percent of its 124,004 square miles (a little bigger than New Mexico) is arable. The country has responded to this wealth of mountains by protecting scenic and ecologically significant areas in 18 national parks -- and by making cross-country skiing a national obsession.

Each national park has its own character. Hardangervidda, in the south-central part of the country, is a high-mountain plateau dotted with bogs, lakes, and the occasional glacier that's home to Europe's largest wild reindeer herd. Dovrefjell, to the north of Hardangervidda, is home to the country's sole herd of musk ox.

But skiers looking for the widest variety of choices will likely find themselves either in Rondane National Park, as we did, or Jotunheimen National Park. Both are in central Norway. Skiers with young children, like us, will be happiest in Rondane. The terrain is spectacular but the trails are relatively easy, at least compared to other areas of Norway. Even so, skiers need to be capable of traveling 10 miles a day or more with a pack, and be skilled with map and compass to ski safely here.

Jotunheimen (literally, land of the giants) contains Norway's three highest peaks and numerous glaciers. The Brodheads are experienced skiers, undaunted by the idea of skiing 15 or 20 miles a day in challenging terrain. They chose Jotunheimen for their week in the mountains.

The huts

It can be tough planning a ski trip in Norway, because there's relatively little published in English to serve as a guide. The best resource for overseas visitors is the national hiking organization, the DNT (Den Norske Turistforening, which translates to the Norwegian Touring Association), based in Oslo. Its online site gives basic information in English, including hut opening and closing dates.

The DNT and 50 local affiliates operate the bulk of all backcountry huts. Some huts are privately owned but open to all (with significant lodging discounts for DNT members, as in the case of all DNT and affiliate-operated huts). The huts range widely in size and services. At the rustic (and cheaper) end of the spectrum are self-service huts, where you get a roof over your head, a duvet to huddle under, and a small cook stove to boil water for your meal. These huts typically have pantries where you can buy canned and dried foods. All you really need is a sleeping sheet, lunch food, extra clothing and emergency equipment.

Larger, full-service huts can accommodate 100 people or more and offer hot showers, hot meals and small but comprehensive shops where you can buy ski wax, some camping equipment, snacks and even a cold beer or a bottle of wine. Full-service huts typically open beginning in mid-to-late March, when there's more ski traffic.

Probably the best tip I can offer for trip planning is to stop at the main DNT office in Oslo for suggestions and help. The office stocks maps for major trail networks, as well as a free map that shows hut locations with marked routes and the average travel time between destinations. DNT staffers are fluent in English (as are most Norwegians you're likely to meet in the huts) and can make trip suggestions based on your skills and interests. They can update you on snow conditions and they even have rail and bus timetables. You can also join the club; if you're planning on spending more than four days in the huts you more than make up your membership fee in discounts. Club membership also allows you to borrow a key (by leaving a 100 kr. deposit, or about $13) that will open the door of every self-service DNT hut in the country.

Northern lights, company

We traveled to Rondvassbu in late February, at a time when the normally bustling hut is open only on self-service mode. A 10-mile ski from the small resort town of Mysuseter (accessible by bus from the train station in Otta, about six hours north of Oslo by train) brought us to the hut in about six hours more, traveling with our 8- and 12-year-old daughters.

The weak February sun transformed the snow into a blinding white pillow that stretched as far as the eye could see. Stunted evergreens huddled in the deep clefts of valleys that chopped into the plateau at random. The treeless plain plays tricks on your perception: a lump of rock sticking out of the snow morphs into a gargantuan boulder, signposts become people, nearby hills appear as distant mountains. It's a little disorienting, in an almost physical way, like standing on the deck of a rocking boat and having your body register the motion before your brain.

Svartnuten forms one wall of a narrow valley filled with Rondvatnet, a long slender lake. Refrigerator-sized bulges of blue ice clung to sheer rock walls ringing the lake. After our mid-afternoon arrival, we staked out a bed in the group bunkroom, amused ourselves with a short ski down the lake, and then returned to the hut for a pasta dinner.

As evening drew on, the other travelers (all Norwegians, save for one Dane) told of the previous night's spectacular aurora borealis, the northern lights. We regretted that we hadn't been clever enough to step outside the night before for a peek. "Mom, I want to see the northern lights," our 8-year-old said eagerly. So did I.

Every now and then I ducked outside as twilight gave way to dark to check the sky -- with no luck. By the time we took the toothbrushes out, I'd just about given up. We three girls went out in the chill arctic air, our toothbrushes smeared with toothpaste, and water bottle in hand.

I glanced up reflexively, but not expectantly. This time, the heavens provided. Faint, iridescent green curtains shimmered in the northern sky, framing Rondvatnet's narrow valley in a neon arch. I turned to tell the girls, and stopped. Their silent upturned faces said it all.

Things to know if you go

MONEY: A trip to Norway is not for the faint of heart or light of pocket. Norway has the dubious honor of being the second most expensive country in the world, not far behind Switzerland. Nonetheless, Norway's hut system is one of the best bargains in the country, with two hot meals and accommodations for a family of four costing just over $200 a night.

-- RESERVATIONS: Generally not necessary, as DNT huts have a policy of welcoming all. Even if every bed in the hut is full, each hut stocks spare mattresses and you can sleep on the floor for a very reduced fee.

LANGUAGE: Don't worry about it. Virtually every Norwegian speaks some English, and everyone who works in the tourist industry is fluent. A phrase book can be comforting, but is unnecessary. If you want to be polite, you can ask people "Snakker du engelsk?" which is said "Snak-ah doo eng-elsek?" and which means "Do you speak English?" "Ja," means yes and "Nei" means no, "Takk" means "thank you."

EQUIPMENT: Although many of the hut-to-hut trips are not technically challenging, the distances are long and the weather can be highly unpredictable. Bring waxless skis or plan for weather extremes: On one weeklong trip in Jotunheimen, we experienced everything from 40 degrees and rain to a howling blizzard that dumped 18 inches of heavy snow on us as we skied 15 miles to our evening's destination. Good windproof and waterproof jackets and pants are an absolute necessity, as are a map and compass and the knowledge needed to use them. (And don't forget to check the declination -- the North Pole isn't so very far away!)