Huso Lodge & Farm · Hemsedal, Norway · 800 m
Three generations, one mountain farm.
1600sA homestead inside the skigard, on the mountain above Hemsedal.
The historic Huso farm has a long history dating back to the 17th century where the farmland was used for agriculture and raising animals. Today’s farm buildings have been added over the centuries.
The Huso farmstead
From the 17th century, Huso was a traditional homestead which developed into a mountain farm. In the 19th century, the farm became home to three generations who cultivated and sustainably lived off the farmland.
Mekkel Huso – the last traditional farmer
Mekkel Huso, born 1890, was the last traditional farmer to use a horse and sled. In January 1914, his family was struck by tragedy: his father and two siblings died of influenza.
Together with his surviving brother, Embrik, Mekkel built a new farmhouse and barn between 1928 and 1930. Both buildings have a signature stacked stone foundation wall that can still be seen today. Despite his age, Mekkel kept a horse to work the forest until his late seventies.
Per Herbrand Rustberggard establishes the guest farm
In the early 1970s, Per Herbrand Rustberggard took over the farm from his relative Mekkel Huso, while also taking care of him. He introduced pig farming and renovated the large farmhouse to share local meals with visitors interested in traditional life on the farm. The old food storage (Stabbur) in the picture above was renovated, and the barn was extended to house more than 100 pigs.
Torbjørn Rustberggard preserves local cultural heritage
Torbjørn took over from his father in 1985 and over the next 20 years he moved and built in average one building per year, many of them old timber houses from Hallingdal because Torbjørn wanted to take care of local building customs and traditions. After extensive building activity, the lodge had 25 houses and 140 beds.
Torbjørn also erected Huso’s signature event spaces – a Chieftain’s Hall inspired by the Viking Age and the fantasy building Earth Dome inspired by the Nordic folklore. He also converted the pig barn into a laundry and later into apartments.
Technology entrepreneurs with lifestyle changes
After 20+ years working as impact-oriented technology entrepreneurs in the US and Norway, Danae Ringelmann and Bjørn Rustberggaard (Torbjørn’s son), made the intentional and life-shifting decision to take over the family reins of Huso in 2019.
Inspired by the positive impact Huso’s rooted past and its surrounding untouched nature has had on their family of five, Danae and Bjørn now aim for Huso Lodge to inspire guests alike to take a pause from the increasingly hectic, “always-on” world we live in in order to taste the invigorating nourishment of slow, healthy, nature-immersed living too.
Nature as a source of well-being
To realise the dream of nature as a source of well-being at Huso Lodge, Danae and Bjørn embarked on a five year “elevation project” for Huso Lodge:
- Revive Huso’s historical buildings while preserving their historical charm, design social spaces and make them energy efficient
- Re-establish the homestead’s original farm as a climate-friendly and human-health promoting market garden
- Build outdoor, forest-immersed spa facilities in order to leverage the most impactful healing power on earth – nature
Kitchens and common areas have been re-designed to inspire social cooking and comfortable quality-time connection. Thermal wells, solar panels and water-borne heating systems have been innovatively connected to enable cosy yet energy efficient living. Modern organic and regenerative farming practices and home-grown “seed-to-plate” planning systems have been crafted to provide nourishing, farm-to-table, local food experiences, despite the farm’s 800-metre elevation. And finally, wood-fired hot tubs and panoramic barrel saunas have been erected lake-side to remind all of us of the reinvigorating yet simple power of nature’s cold, heat, and fresh air.
Landmarks on the farm
The skigard, the log houses, the slate walls and the open, grazed land were here long before the lodge. Read where they come from, and where to find them at Huso.