The Estenstadhytta was built in 1958, with much of the work being done on a volunteer basis. There was some discussion among the board about whether to build a road to the cabin to access the materials, but the idea was rejected. For the relatively young people at the time, entering the field was unthinkable. Then only one option remained: transporting the materials from Tømmerholt to the construction site. Since there were no Saturdays off at that time, Sundays were mainly used for transporting the materials. Then there was a long caravan of sandbags and stones, in good weather, rain, and sleet, until all the materials were in place and work could begin. A few brave ladies stood at the construction site, brewing propane coffee, frying waffles, and serving the transport crew.
The Estenstadhytta was built in 1974. Photo: Greta and John Heggem
In 1966, an association was founded: Strindamarka Vel, where members paid a fixed annual membership fee. This money was to be used for repairs, maintenance, and any new purchases of the cabin. Hosts were hired to handle all sales and serve food from the cabin's kitchen. Eventually, space became limited, so in 1974, an extension had to be built. By then, a road had been built, and goods were being transported right to the front. Later, the municipality took over all cross-country ski trail maintenance with its own machines. The first trail was built from Lohove in 1965. It was later extended to Stokkanmarka.
As already mentioned, Strindamarka Vel was founded in 1966. The first board of directors was Idar Dahl, Birger Evensen, Sverre S. Klingenberg, and Erling Sletbak as chairman. The charity did an excellent job maintaining the cabin, as well as the cross-country ski trails and ski slopes in both summer and winter.
The board elected a separate trail committee with responsibility for the trails and one for the cabin. However, Strindamarkas Vel was dissolved (unanimously) at the annual meeting on October 16, 1990. The last board consisted of Øistein Solum (chairman), Bjarne Granmo, Helge Hoff, and Ole Brevik. After this date, the municipality of Trondheim is fully responsible for the maintenance of paths and trails, as well as for Estenstadhytta.