Learn About Our Goaty History, Spanning Across The Globe, From New Zealand to Norway! You can read the full history here.
Meet the Mad Goats!
About Us – Our Mission
Mad Goat’s mission is to provide joy on the water, whether that’s jumping into the Oslo Fjord after a hot sauna, or exploring the islands of Oslofjord or city waterfront by kayak – it achieves the same result!
We live and breathe our profession and want to share our passion and joy with you! Mad Goats guarantees countless smiles, and lots of laughs while pushing you to jump out of your comfort zone (in a safe environment) and embrace “Goat Life”!
We are perhaps best known for our guided paddle tour down the Akerselva river, kayaking and packrafting through the heart of Oslo (we were the first company to start guiding tours down Akerselva over 9 years ago). We also run våttkort kayak courses for beginners kayakers, sea kayak tour on Oslofjord and recently we set up a floating sauna experience in the lovely waterside district of Tjuvholmen – paddling and sauna is the best combo! Few things match the feeling of freedom you have on the water, and we want you to be able to experience this for yourself!
All our instructors are certified by the Norwegian Paddle Association and have many years of experience teaching paddling (kayaking, SUP, and packrafting) and other outdoor activities. We pride ourselves on a high-level of competence in paddle sports, outdoor leadership and safety – as well as making sure you have an awesome time with us out on the water! If you are interested in joining our team please check out our jobs page.
We are proud partners of Akerselva Padleklubb and Fjord CleanUP, two organisations very dear to our hearts and aligned with our values.
Did you know that goats are tribal animals?
No, literally, a group of goats is called a “Tribe” – we love this! We are always stronger as a team and life is a lot more fun when we experience it together! #GoatTribe
About Us – The History of Mad Goats
What do Mad Goats have to do with kayaking and sauna, you wonder? The idea of Mad Goats came about when Tomas was walking up the Rangitata River (in his home country, New Zealand) with a kayak on his back and the wind in his hair.
When he heard wild goats bleating up on a mountainside, he started to bleat back (and has never stopped). Finally, Tomas was so good at bleating, that the goats answered him! Goats have the qualities we believe are important in the outdoors and for life in general: they are smart, fun, adaptable and tough. #GOATLIFE is about being authentic, staying playful, and living life to the fullest! At Mad Goats we try to embue in you some of our Goat Spirit, encouraging you to walk the path less travelled, to be your authentic, weird and lovely self and to follow your dreams with passion, determination and unwavering dedication! Where sheep follow the flock, do what they are told and try their best to fit in; Goats create a Tribe of likeminded indivduals who push one another to be their best selves and to conquer the world together. You become the 5 people you hang out with the most – so choose to hang out with GOATS!!
”Kayaking allows me to satisfy my curiosity for the natural world, while experiencing epic landscapes and exercising at the same time. While you breathe in a lungful of fresh sea air, your kayak cuts smoothly through the waves, and you lose yourself in a perfect moment – let’s go kayaking!
Tomas HanssonFounder of Mad Goats
About Us
– How Mad Goats Started Fjord CleanUP
For many years, Mad Goats has been picking plastic and trash out of the waterways around Oslo, particularly in Akerselva and Oslofjord – and we still do on every kayak/packraft tour! It started by Tomas (the founder of Mad Goats) realising this beautiful river needed some more love, so he began giving free kayak tours down Akerselva in exchange for collecting one full bag of trash while on the trip – an easy thing to achieve on Akerselva, unfortunately. Some years later, and after realising that this issue needed far more attention and that the demand for people wanting to contribute was so huge – the much loved Fjord CleanUP Voluntary Environmental Organisation was born.
Even though Fjord CleanUP is now a strong and effective organisation, we still team up to support their tireless cleaning efforts with use of our kayaks and SUP for cleaning and free floating sauna when they clean in Tjuvholmen. However, Fjord CleanUP is now able to stand on its own two feet having acquired their own floating saunas (Oslo Fjord Sauna) in Bjørvika, a cleaning boat and even an electric van – thanks to support from the Oslo City Council and sponsors such as OsloBukta and Selvaag Eiendom. Mad Goats can still take groups out on kayak and stand up paddle-boards to pick up plastic and other rubbish from the water and waterside, so get in touch if this sounds like something for your team – 25% of clean up events are donated to Fjord CleanUP. The amazing thing about this concept is that it is team building, fun and cleaning up the planet all in one activity!
Fjord CleanUP is an inclusive organisation, and is open for everyone to join. They clean almost every Sunday all year around and you get a free sauna and burger afterwards, so you can warm up and satiate your hunger after working hard cleaning up Oslo Fjord! Fjord CleanUP has quickly become the Inner-Oslofjord’s largest and most consistent voluntary cleaning effort, in fact it has become so popular you need to become a member to join!
Your membership will give you a free burger from Døgnvill Burger every time you join a clean up, also a free floating sauna session at Fjord CleanUP’s Oslo Fjord Sauna. Fjord CleanUP regularly cleans at Lysaker, Tjuvholmen/Aker Brygge and Frognerkilen, so you will get to sauna at Fjordtokt, Mad Goats, or at the Kongen Marina Sauna when you are on these missions. As a member, you will get free use of Fjord CleanUPs free-diving equipment and participate in free-dive lessons, which are held every 3 months. Fjord CleanUP also arranges several group trips per year for free-diving and other outdoor activities. So you see, a Fjord CleanUP membership will quickly pay itself off. After-all, improving the planet and hanging out with awesome people is a pretty good return on your investment!
#FjordCleanUP
Meet the Mad Goats
Thug the whippet
“The King and Master of all humans” – also a companion dog who will be there to support you in your hour of need!
Thug the Whippet is a true Mad Goat and is much beloved by the Mad Goats team. He is a kind-hearted dog that does not necessarily like the wet and cold, but still wants to join on every adventure, regardless. You will find him sniffing butts and licking the pavement around the Oslo waterfront and frolicking in the woods up at Mad Goats Sjoa
Tomas Lars Hansson
“Goat Chieftain and Founder” – also a driver, kayak guide & instructor, business strategy and development, Thugs father, and most importantly, a Mad Goat!
Tomas is the founder and CEO of Mad Goats. He has always been a fun-loving and cheeky goat that has never walked the beaten track! Tomas is passionate about health and longevity, growth mindset and always striving to make a better future for himself and the people around him. Get in touch with Tomas if you think you have business development opportunities for Mad Goats – his email in tomas@madgoats.no and phone +47 98677019.
Dean Hansson
“Kayak Instructor, Sauna Master, and Guide” – also a level 4 PT at SATS and founder of the “Monday Immortals movement” helping you reach your maximum health and longevity goals – and a Mad Goat!
Dean Hansson is a very amicable and gregarious goat, who’s super power is making you feel at ease and safe, both on and off the water. Dean works both at our floating saunas in Tjuvholmen, and is able to teach and instruct all our paddling activities from kayaking, SUP and packrafting. He is the founder of Tribu Motion, an exercise and training platform that can help you reach your optimal fitness and health goals. Get in touch with him to join his training community, and/or book private a PT session or a health coaching consultation – if you want to stay in share until you are 150 years old then Dean is you guy!
Mad Goats
[ˈmad ɡoʊts] noun
An adventure company in Oslo, commonly referred to as the “GOAT” (Greatest Of All Time) for offering unparalleled kayaking, SUP and sauna experiences along the city’s stunning waterways.