Week 1 - Episode 1 and 2
The Family Expedition challenge is on! Over the course of the first three days we get to meet the families and watch as their exciting outdoor experience begins in earnest. Some of the participants have never even put up a tent before, but that’s an activity they quickly have to come to terms with – if they want a good night’s sleep! On their first trip, undertaken amongst stunning scenery, we see them paddling canoes, sleeping in hammocks in the rain, and cycling deep into the woods of Hallingdal. But, it turns out to be the weather that really puts them to the test: in pouring rain they have to drag heavy canoes through a swamp and then the families are forced to put their best foot forward and demonstrate their all-weather hiking skills. However, when they finally reach the campsite and dinner is ready, the campfire is burning and the boys go fishing, it seems that the outdoor life isn’t so bad after all.
Week 2 - Episode 3 and 4
The families are ready for the second trip, and this time things are looking up – as well as down! The rain is still pouring down in Dagali in Hallingdal, but that doesn’t matter as everyone is going rafting! Saima is very afraid of water, but after days of convincing her sons that they shouldn’t give up, she can’t let let them down now. They all get a spectacular raft down Numedalslågen. The trip then continues up to the mountain of Lauvdalsbrea, where they all have to spend the night. Having received orientation and map reading training before setting off, reaching the summit should all prove child’s play. Sleeping in a tent on a wind-battered mountaintop leaves everybody feeling a little tired the next day. But they are heading back to basecamp and taking a shortcut - they are all going to rappel down a steep rock face. This isn’t good news for Trond though. He was in a serious accident five years ago where he fell and ended up in coma for weeks; it has left him with a real fear of heights.
Week 3 - Episode 5 and 6
For their third trip, the families have some new friends along for the ride. Six horses will accompany them on their expedition over Hardangervidda. The horses can carry their luggage, and sometimes the kids, but they need to be led by the families. Unfortunately, none of them have a lot of experience with horses so this turns out to be quite the challenge. For the first time since leaving home they get to sleep indoors when they stay at Heinsæter in the middle of Hardangervidda. On the track towards Heinsæter 17 year-old Sander gets stepped on by one of the horses and hurts his foot. The following day he has to go to the hospital for a checkup. Will he be able to continue the expedition?
Week 4 - Episode 7 and 8
After three walks taking in woods and mountains, the families reach the fjords. Nærøyfjorden is one of Norway's narrowest and most spectacular fjords – and they get to explore it from a number of angles. The participants will row in an old wooden boat and then walk steep fjord sides – nowadays more suitable for goats, but once a postal route. The also get the chance to drive RIBs (rigid inflatable boats) at great speed in and out of the fjord inlets. The overnight stay is at Little Stigen farm – only reached via a 300 metre narrow – and very vertical – trail. straight up and to Little Stigen farm. Next morning they can enjoy a paddle in the waters of Undredal, an idyllic village with a population of 100 people and 500 goats!
Week 5 - Episode 9 and 10
There are many different ways to enjoy the great outdoors. In week five, the families will not go from place to place, but instead will remain at the same camp throughout the trip –a large new campsite specially built at the foot of the Jostedalsbreen glacier. Here, in the midst of high mountains and ice-cold green rivers, the families will live for three days. Expect some shouts and screams as they jump and tumble in the icy waters. On the last day they will cycle the length of the whole Fortun valley in Breheimen. In the middle of the Sognefjord this is "Norway's longest downhill": a 30 km long stretch that slopes down between stunning waterfalls and beautiful mountains.
Week 6 - Episode 11 and 12
This week the trip heads west. At the far west of Sogn and Fjordane is the island region of Bremanger. The families take a boat out to Vetvika, one of the most beautiful beaches in Norway. Here they will live in splendid isolation and have the entire beach to themselves. Thoughts turn to dinner and the participants take a fishing boat out in anticipation of a big catch. They are in luck and catch some crabs, which they then cook on the beach. On the last day they go to Grotlesanden before a helicopter arrives and takes them up into the mountains!
Week 7 - episode 13 and 14
Jotunheimen: home to Norway’s highest, steepest and most spectacular mountains. Here the families will try something new to each of them: they are going up on to a glacier. The Smørstabbreen glacier - located in the middle of Jotunheimen – has sharp, spikey peaks and lots of crevasses. The participants must climb up the glacier, make camp and spend the night on the ice. There will be snow, ice and it’s bitterly cold, but the scenery makes it all worthwhile; it’s unlike anything else they’ve seen. Some of the participants will also try a proper mountain ascent and climb mountain Skeie (2,188 m).
Week 8 – episode 15 and 16
The final goal is straight ahead. Galdhøpiggen. It’s Norway's highest mountain, and one that offers a truly classic hike. The participants will go from Juvasshytta, cross Styggbre glacier and get to ‘the top of Norway’, 2469 meters above sea level. It’s a struggle to the top but everyone makes and along the way the families get to use all the skills and knowledge they have learned in the last month. Only one thing remains; to find the winner of the Family Expedition. For the finale, the families are now in direct competition, getting to show just how far they have come since they started. They also get to reminisce about their experiences and celebrate their relationships with their fellow hikers – and new friends. The families accrue points across three different competitions, and finally, the Azeem family, the family with the least experience to begin with, is named the winner of Family Expedition.