An Australian who fell for winter
The story begins far from Trondheim. John Fagerlund came from Australia and found something unexpected in Norway: snow, winter, Norwegian people and the small forest community of Lian on the outskirts of the city. What could have remained a fascination became a way of life.
John began dogsledding in 1987. From 1995 he welcomed delighted children from kindergartens across Trondheim, and during the 1997 Nordic World Ski Championships he took athletes and spectators out on daytime and evening rides. Over the years, schools, sports clubs, families and local groups followed the dogs into Bymarka.
His base near Fjellsætermyran was simple and grounded: dogs, forest, a fixed fire place and a lavvo. Not a polished resort, but a place where people could spend time outside and understand why winter matters here.
This is not about counting kilometres. It is about entering the everyday world of a local musher, his family and his dogs.
Growing up in the team
For Rino, the dogs were never a staged attraction. They were part of childhood. He grew up helping to tend them, watching their different personalities and learning mushing from his father—not only how to steer a sled, but how to read the team and care for it.
That knowledge is learned slowly. It lives in daily routines: feeding, training, preparing equipment, noticing small changes and understanding when each dog is ready to work. Long before a guest arrives, the relationship between musher and team has already shaped the day.
John and Rino have kept the family operation moving together. As John gradually steps back from life as a musher, Rino is taking on more responsibility and shaping a new way of life for himself and his own team of dogs.
Heritage that has to move
Rino is not trying to turn the forest into a production line of long trail tours. His idea is more personal: invite visitors from near and far into a real day outdoors, share what he has grown up with and let a small group become part of the rhythm for a few hours.
Since 2023, Rino has gradually developed the family business with visitor rides and forest activities for cruise guests, working in partnership with Trondheim by Foot. This has opened the family's everyday world to travellers while keeping the experience local, small-scale and close to the dogs.
It is a continuation, but not a copy. John built decades of local memories around dogsledding. Rino is creating the next chapter by bringing guests closer to the dogs, the family story and a distinctly Norwegian way of being outside together.
A family trail through time
1987: John begins dogsledding.
1995: He starts taking Trondheim kindergarten groups on rides.
1997: Athletes and visitors join his tours during the Nordic World Ski Championships.
2023: Rino begins developing visitor rides and cruise activities with Trondheim by Foot.
Today: Rino continues the family business with one local dog team and small groups.
A day in the woods
Guests meet the dogs and learn about the team before the activity begins. Two at a time try the sled under Rino's guidance, while the rest of the small group stays active nearby—trying snowshoes, building snowmen or shaping snow lanterns when conditions allow.
The lavvo provides a warm centre to the day, with a hot drink, a simple snack and time to talk. Nobody is left waiting for a performance. The experience is designed as shared forest time: playful, unhurried and close to the people and animals who make it possible.
This is Norwegian outdoor culture at its most approachable. You do not need to be an athlete. You need warm clothes, curiosity and a willingness to step into the weather.
Come snow, come shine
Winter in Bymarka is not a backdrop that can be ordered in advance. Snow may fall. Wind may move through the trees. The light changes, tracks disappear and cheeks turn red. That is not a flaw in the experience—it is part of the experience.
Like the generations who travelled and worked outdoors before us, we adapt to the elements. Routes and activities may change with conditions, always with safety first. The reward is a day that feels real: not winter observed through glass, but winter lived for a little while.
Rino's story is still being written. Every day with the dogs, and every visitor who shares the fire, helps make a future for the family knowledge John began building nearly four decades ago.
Historical details about John's work are based on Trondheim Hundekjøring's own website. Personal and present-day details about Rino are supplied by the family and Trondheim by Boat & Foot.