Cheers guys... here's the blurb
FRIDAY 16th of February
"Good morning, nice of you guys to drop by!»
For you arriving at THURSDAY: check with reception about actitivites like ski-sailing or dogsleighs on friday!
16:20 ARRIVAL from Oslo - welcomed at the platform by owner of FINSE 1222 Mr. Trygve K. Norman. Trygve is the guy who said YES to our VISIT HOTH initiative and a true lover of everything Star Wars. He´s a outdoorsy type, really tall and laughs a LOT! He´ll tell you stories about the past, present and the future - and he´ll gladly take you to location on mountain-skis as your personal guide, Saturday!
So PHEW! Arrival! Time to check in at the hotel, find your room - look at the mesmerizing Finse panorama and breathe out. Let the mood settle - and get warmer.
17:30 NEWS on the WALL. We have collected archival news clippings and imagery of the shoot and the Finse location. They will be displayed prominently on the walls. Time to read the 1979 news!
18:00 MEET AND GREET The official «welcome everyone» from Andreas Frølich (VISIT HOTH brainchild) and Trygve K. Norman (owner, Finse 1222 hotel), introducing our MC for the weekend, mr. Petter Aagaard.
19:00 - 21:00 GALACTIC DINNER A long, long time ago - in a galaxy far, far away…they really knew their way around the kitchen! Enjoy the galactic fantastic food from Finse! Look out for wampa-snout in the dessert! It´s the chunky pieces!
AFTER DINNER: THE BAR IS OPEN FOR THE EVENING. Children should be nicely tucked inside a TAUN TAUNs warm belly in the small hours!
21:00 CREW INTERVIEWS - HOSTED BY MR. PETTER AAGAARD. Our host for the weekend, mr. Petter Aagaard, will interview people from mr. Greg Dupre and mr. Christian Berrum, who both worked on the Norwegian side of the crew. And you? You lounge back and enjoy their stories! Hoth is just beyond the large windows…in the dark…
After the session, time to get to know your fellow travelers - let´s mingle! Be nice, say hello to everyone you don´t know and let´s get to know each other!
SATURDAY 17th of February
08:00 - 10:00 IMPERIAL BREAKFAST. An enjoyable start to your very special Saturday - at HOTH! Fill your Taun Taun belly with our delicious breakfast - getting you all ready and psyched for what comes next!
11:00 BACK TO THE EMPIRE: A VISUAL JOURNEY - with MR. MARTIN DAHL. Martin Dahl is a true fan and has through several years collected stories and imagery from crew and extras. He will serve up anecdotes and stories, as told to him by the people that were actually there - accompanied by beautiful images from the production in 1979.
THE GLACIER TOUR
"The transports are away!"
THE TWO GUIDED OPTIONS
The HARDANGERJØKUL GLACIER hangs above Finse and has numerous Empire Strikes Back filming locations that is available to you.
There are two guided options to explore the various shooting-locations, and both have to be pre-booked through the Finse Hotel and will be a memory to last you a lifetime!
11:00 GLACIER TOURS WITH DOGSLEIGHS - MUST BE BOOKED AT RECEPTION
Visit the glacier on a dog sleigh. We have 40 dogs booked for this weekend who trek out with you nicely tucked in, enjoying the view - giving you a memorable experience. Remember, this must be booked at a specific time for you, so choose wisely! The dogs are also available sunday.
11:00 ON SKIS TO LOCATION WITH TRYGVE . The owner of the Finse 1222 hotel, Mr. Trygve K. Norman will guide guests on ski to location. Wearing rented mountain-skis, you will be able to walk up to the glacier and see for yourself, what you only before have seen on film! Walk the very same terrain you´ve seen in Empire and live to tell the story!
The Finse 1222 hotel has all necessary equipment for this, and can be booked at the reception. Do it right away, if you want this option! The guided tour itself is free.
The Rebel soldiers, single file - march 1979, FINSE.
MEANWHILE - AND AFTER AT THE FINSE 1222 HOTEL
11:00 - 15:00 SHOP is open. Our friends in ZOO COMICS will set up a wonderful merch-shop, available for all to enjoy. Here you will find official STAR WARS items in various formats: books, figurines - etc. The shop will be open to all - during and after the glacier tours!
MEET / PHOTO OP C3PO and R2D2
Our very good friend Simon Wilkie will perform for you everybodys golden heartwarming friend - right at and around the hotel! In addition, Geir Sire and Børge Vasshus´ AMAZING R2-D2 will glide across the reception floor to greet you all! Bring your camera - and your childhood memories!
MEET / PHOTO OP 501st NORDIC GARRISON
The steadfast 501st Nordic Garrison will appear - and troop around the hotel in costume all day! You will meet many of your favorite characters, who will gladly stand with you in front of a camera and say hi! Make sure to support their cause and follow their quest for goodness! You find them online at http://nordicgarrison.net/. They have the warmest hearts around: bad guys, doing good!
CREW PICTORAMA / PICTURES FROM THE SHOOT
A wonderful array of photographs showing the fun and high jinks during the shoot are in the FINSE archives, never-before-seen images - aquired from various sources of the Norwegian crew at the time.
19:00 - 21:00 THE HOTH DINNER Put on your fancy clothes and indulge the best food you´ll find along this train-track! Our main dinner, our big kahuna! The kitchen is amazing, the mood is vibrating with lightsaber energies; fried TAUN-TAUN leg anyone? Eat and drink up - it´s all for you!
Mr. Alan Tomkins. Art director.
21:00 MAIN SPEAKER: MR. ALAN TOMKINS - ART DIRECTOR, EMPIRE STRIKES BACK
Alan Tomkins was the guy who built the snowspeeder. How about ´them apples? Alan has a career spanning 160 films, and you´ve heard about most of them! Saving Private Ryan, Band of Brothers, Casino Royale, Batman Begins, Lawrence of Arabia, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Dr. No…the list goes on and on. Alan will give us a brief overview of his career before launching into everything Star Wars - and Finse! He loves to answer questions and in his 79th year - he´s still going full speed. This very evening: for us at VISIT HOTH. This is a must!
AFTER ALAN...
Later, we´ll all go downstairs and enjoy a Star Wars Quiz, hosted by mr. Petter Aagaard. Come join us, everyone! And feel free to have a drink in Finses very own «train-bar» called BUGGI´n.
SUNDAY
08:00 - 10:00 IMPERIAL BREAKFAST. Sink your teeth into our enjoyable, refreshing breakfast filled with everything you need to survive the harshe conditions of HOTH!
10:15 - 11:00 WHERE WE SHOT IT. The hotel itself and the environs are synonymous with Star Wars lore as various scenes were filmed here. Crew members Greg Dupre and Christian Berrum will host a tour, pointing out different filming locations and share on-site anecdotes, in close visinity of the hotel itself. You will see where Luke witnesses the vision of Ben Kenobi and Han slices the tauntaun open to save Luke, as well as where Luke was dragged by the Wampa. Also, where he ascended on a tow cable into the underbelly of an AT AT. Just how perfect Finse was for the crew, will be clear as ice for you!
10:00 - and as far as necessesary.
The dogs will continue their trek to location! So if you have saved your spot, then now´s the time!
THE FAREWELLS
"We better start the evacuation."
13:00 - 13:30
A last Norwegian farewell - we all gather in the main hall and sum up this weekend. Our galactic transport departs from Finse station at 14:34 and will take you straight back to Oslo. For those who wish to continue the journey and visit Bergen, the departure-time is 16:23.
NICE TO KNOW
Feel free to share any photos taken during the event with us! Mail your photos to
[email protected] or post them on our facebook-page!
Sharing through instagram? You find us at @visit.hoth and @finse1222 and hashtags is of course #visithoth and #finse1222.
Do you have suggestions for us? PLEASE write to us! Use our facebook page or write to
[email protected].
This weekend is all about meeting new people - so be nice and say hi to everyone you don´t know! Tell them your favorite Empire moments and swap stories. Let your passion for Finse and Hoth come out!
Tell the world about VISIT HOTH! Share your photos online as much as you want! By blog, facebook, snapchat or whatever tool you find handy to blast away with…!
Lastly - thank you for coming. Let´s keep the stories alive, next year also!