Vi tar et stavtak med begge skistavene.

Stavtak is a skiing word. It is a compound noun:

• stav = pole
• tak = stroke, pull, thrust, or a single movement

So et stavtak means something like a pole stroke or a push/pull with the poles.

In cross-country skiing, it refers to one movement where you use the poles to push yourself forward.

Because stavtak is a neuter noun in Norwegian, so it takes et in the indefinite singular:

• et stavtak = a pole stroke
• stavtaket = the pole stroke

This is something you simply have to learn with the noun.

Yes, tar is the present tense of ta, which often means take. But Norwegian, like English, uses take in many fixed expressions.

Here, ta et stavtak is an idiomatic way to say make/do a pole stroke.

It works a bit like English expressions such as:

• take a step
• take a breath
• take a look

So Vi tar et stavtak is not literally about grabbing something. It means we perform one pole stroke.

It means with both ski poles.

Breaking it down:

• med = with
• begge = both
• skistavene = the ski poles

So this part tells you what is being used to do the action.

Because after begge in this kind of meaning, Norwegian often uses the definite plural.

So:

• begge skistavene = both of the ski poles / both ski poles

This sounds natural because we are talking about a specific pair of poles, not ski poles in general.

Compare:

• Jeg ser begge bilene. = I see both cars.
• Hun holder begge hendene opp. = She holds both hands up.

Using begge skistaver would sound unnatural here.

Norwegian very often makes compound nouns as one word.

So:

• ski
  • stav = skistav = ski pole
• plural indefinite: skistaver
• plural definite: skistavene

This is very normal in Norwegian. English often writes these as two words, but Norwegian usually combines them.

• skistaver = ski poles
• skistavene = the ski poles

So -ene is the ending for definite plural here.

You can think of it as:

• en skistav = a ski pole
• skistaven = the ski pole
• skistaver = ski poles
• skistavene = the ski poles

In this sentence, the definite form is used because it means both of the poles being used.

Yes, that is a very helpful way to understand it.

Although med usually means with, in this sentence it can be understood as:

• with both ski poles
• using both ski poles

So med introduces the instrument used for the action.

Yes. This is normal Norwegian main-clause word order:

• Vi = subject
• tar = verb
• et stavtak = object
• med begge skistavene = prepositional phrase

So the structure is:

Subject + verb + object + extra information

That is completely standard.

Not exactly.

• to = two
• begge = both

So begge emphasizes that you mean the full pair together.

Compare:

• to skistaver = two ski poles
• begge skistavene = both ski poles

In this sentence, begge is better because the idea is that both poles are being used together.

Yes. Norwegian has a lot of specific vocabulary for skiing, and compounds like stavtak are very common.

You will often see words built like this in sports and outdoor language. Norwegian especially likes compact compound nouns, so a learner should get used to them.

In skiing contexts, a sentence like Vi tar et stavtak med begge skistavene sounds natural and practical.

A very natural English rendering might be:

• We take a pole stroke with both ski poles.
• We make one pole push using both ski poles.
• We push with both ski poles.

The exact best translation depends on the skiing context, but the Norwegian sentence clearly describes one pole action done with both poles.