Kongsberg, an hour’s drive from Oslo
1 hour from Oslo: Kongsberg
Many an award-winning Norwegian ski jumping champion has practiced his or her art on this mountain, which is named after King Christian IV. In the Ski Museum, you can learn that, shortly after World War I, the first aerodynamic jumping technique was invented here, called the Kongsberg technique. At the Kongsberg Skisenter, alpine skiing enthusiasts can go down 10 runs, ranging from green to black level, with a total length of 10 kilometres and a height difference of 330 metres. The Kongsberg runs may not be the longest runs in Norway, but being only an hour from Oslo makes Kongsberg a great destination for a day of snow-filled fun.
Hafjell: 31 runs, ranging from green to black
2 hours from Oslo: Lillehammer
“Did you see the Olympic Games in ’94? It was beautiful. Clean air, fresh white snow, pretty girls…” Thus Lillehammer’s description by mafia boss Frank Tagliano in the Norwegian Netflix series Lilyhammer. Unfortunately, his Italian designer shoes turn out to be a poor choice for fresh snow – here in Lillehammer, warm snow boots or solid ski shoes are a better option. Lillehammer is located on the frozen Lake Mjøsa and is the best known ski resort in Norway, although the town is quite small and has only 1 slope. Nearby ski resorts Kvitfjell and Hafjell have 23 and 31 runs, respectively.
Geilo, the oldest ski resort in Norway
3 hours from Oslo: Geilo
Geilo, located in a snowed-in, mountainous interior halfway between Oslo and Bergen, is the oldest ski resort in Norway. This is where Queen Sonja of Norway learned to ski and where you can find the country’s most luxurious ski lodges. The town itself exists merely by the grace of the Bergen line, often called the most beautiful railway line in the world. When it reached Geilo in 1907, the entire beau monde of Oslo headed straight towards Geilo for fun in the snow. There are 20 lifts and 39 slopes with a total length of 33 kilometres. Apart from downhill skiing, you can also go cross-country skiing, snowboarding, Telemark skiing, husky sledding and kite skiing.