Trysil, Norway - any Snowhead experience / input ?

A snowHead

So, Canada at Xmas priced us out as a family of 4 and it wasn't worth the domestic strife to suggest I went 'sans famille'. Rather randomly we then went for Trysil in Norway. Never skied outside of the Alps but a quick bit of research suggested something completely different. All booked now and should make for a good week - not much info on SH so just wondering who has any views / tips / recommendations on the place, especially over Xmas week ?

A snowHead

Been there many times. By Norwegian standards, it's a big resort. Not a great deal of off-piste, but perfect for a family based, groomer holiday. If you get the chance, the best après is at a bar called låven.

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Lilledonmarco, hi, thanks for the reply. Not really looking for off piste, just a varied mountain which we can all ski to our own level which it seems to be. We have booked the Radisson Blu. How is the snow quality ? Any issues with temperature / snow quality over Xmas ? Thanks again

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Prepare for colder weather and darkness. Temperatures can drop to 25 minus C, but can also be around 0 C.

Twisted Evil

If you like scandinavia for skiing try Åre in Sweden, but wait until spring - then its warmer and lighter.

Lifts do not run that long becourse of the short days. Crying or Very sad

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

Hi,, Trysil is a nice familyresort, big if you compare with other Scandinavian places, but at xmas its cold and dark, down to -35 in village is possible early mornings, Im Swedish that lives in france, so I will give the advice for xmas to go to alpes or Pyrenees for better value for your money, and go to Trysil from mid february, they use to have open to end of april Very Happy

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freeheelskier, Hyst,Thanks. Sounds chilly! Am prepared for it being colder (ave Dec temps -10 but did see a few days when it hit -25 last Dec!!). Good excuse for a new ski jacket though. It's normally the wind that's the killer for me. I hope the cold also means fairly static snow conditions without too much freeze / thaw ? How does the snow quality compare to the Alps - I heard it was 'dryer'.

Lifts are open 9am - 3.30pm in Dec so slightly shorter ski days I know. I did compare Xmas prices with the Alps but Norway came out very favourably especially with the quality of the accommodation. While Norway is known to be pricey, I don't think the French resorts are that different with some of their inflated prices.

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ok, a bit more time to type now Happy

As Hyst wrote, Trysil can get very cold around that time of year. But, it is very snow sure. Groomers of all levels abound, so perfect for a family. Yes, I have stayed at the Radisson Blu resort - its very good. Thankfully, my company picked up the bill Shocked

After all it is free

Snow quality and grooming is generally very good in Scandinavia, and the slopes will usually stay in good shape throughout the day. Colder temperatures means lighter, 'dryer' snow.

Norway is insanely pricey though, especially when it comes to alcohol and food.

Very cold, short days, extremely expensive booze. If none of these are a negative to you then you will enjoy! Not been xmas week, but New year which was a great night with a valley full of fire work displays.

Been twice, first year snow was fantastic, the next time not so good and not as many runs were open - what was (although groomed each morning) cut up within an hour. mainly tree lined runs leading down to Trysil centre, so great when low vis and lots of cheeky routes through the trees! Other side of the 'mountain' is a bit more exposed so some of the chairs are covered.

Good resort for young kids with the junior park, race days, treasure hunt days etc. Just cold.

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damobloke1, I hope you've got half board accommodation and are happy to be on the wagon for the week! I can't imagine there are many French resorts where prices approach those of Norway - certainly not in my neck of the woods where a perfectly acceptable litre picher of house wine will cost around 6 or 7 euros.

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pam w, Not really going to be a drinking holiday. But regularly paid 7-8 Euro for a pint in French Alps. Plus lift passes and ski hire are surprisingly cheaper than France (accepting it's a smaller ski area). On balance I don't think the overall costs are so much different that it would be a deal breaker. Maybe I'll come back from a ski holiday having lost weight for a change !

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damobloke1,

Have a nice trip - nature is nice up there! snowHead

damobloke1, unless I've got the conversions wrong ski pass is considerably more than any comparable area in France, ski hire slightly more, beer more too. But I'm sure you'll have a great time - I skied in Geilo in 1963 and loved it, but I was too young to drink. wink

You know it makes sense.

Ski pass is £160 or so.

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

Filthyphil30k, according to this link it is quite a bit more. http://www.skistar.com/en/Trysil/Ski-Pass/Prices/ A lift pass in Crest Voland, to give just one example (though I think it's quite a bit bigger than Trysil) is £127.

A snowHead

pam w, sorry Pam, I must be reading it wrong, 1850 kroner for 6-8 days? About £170?

And as you say "comparable" is key. I wanted to try skiing there but other half prefers France/ Austria so go with the flow.

A snowHead

google convert says 1850 kroner is €228 euro. I can't imagine that any small French ski resorts (including many far bigger than Trysil) charge that much. The Espace Killy is €252. I must be missing something if damobloke1 has done his homework and reckons it's cheaper.

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

pam w, 'the peddler of doom and gloom'...... Very Happy

- can't really compare prices with size of ski area. I've paid over £200 for full area passes in some resorts yet skied just a fraction of the pistes. So £180 in Trysil is a fair trade off imo. Intermediate ski & boot hire £100

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damobloke1,

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damobloke1, I'm not into gloom and doom, just truth. Was surprised at your claim, that turns out not to be true, that lift prices in Norway are cheaper than France. Of course you can compare prices of ski passes - you are comparing apples and pears. If you go to a huge expensive area and only ski a fraction of the pistes then certainly it's not good value (and arguably not good sense). In the majority of French resorts passes will be a lot cheaper and even beer a bit cheaper than Trysil. Doesn't mean you won't have a great holiday in Trysil - I'm sure you will and it will be good to get your report, as we don't have many from Norwegian family resorts. But it won't be a budget option.

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

If you have transfere by own car, there is the possibity to cross over to swedish resort "Sälen", witch you can se form Trysil top.

But remember it should be a ok car, as you are in the middel of nowhere!

After all it is free

damobloke1, 3 years ago it was around 100 NOK for a pint. Hot chocolates around half of that. Ski Lessons also expensive. We had a fantastic ski in self catering chalet which accommodated 12 of us. Supermarkets were excessive and so was eating out (£25 for a pizza). All that said, we had a great time, and its a different and more intimate experience to the bigger resorts in the Alps.

Are you flying into OSLO and getting the trysilexpressen?

Can I recommend the resort of Sälen/ Lindvallen in Sweden, extremely organised for ski in/ski out family accomodation, one big aparthotel (Ski Lodge) complex, one entertainment complex (Experium with adults only spa, kids waterpark and pools, cinema (movies are not dubbed), bowling and bar), excellent ski schools.
I learnt to ski there and there are loads of green runs and easy blues and it was perfect in march. even warm!

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pam w, Imo a fair proportion of your posts have an air of negativity. This post was aimed at getting info and tips on Trysil. Your contribution has offered nothing other than 'Norway is expensive' - no sh*t Sherlock! If I was looking for skiing on a budget I probably just wouldn't go skiing - or else it ceases to be a 'holiday'.

To all other contributors, thank you. Keep it coming.

Peterjones3, Flying to Oslo but have transfers arranged direct to hotel. Am actually looking forward to a different ski experience. I can 'large it up' in Tignes in Feb wink

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damobloke1, me, negative? It wasn't me that said a beer was £10, a pizza £25 and that it would be dark and cold. wink

I said I learnt to ski in Norway and it was terrific and that I was sure you'd have a good time.

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Hahahaha. Honestly Pam is really helpful, perhaps a bit pragmatic.

damobloke1, I don't know anything about Norway (other than strong advice not to go till mid February)

But IMO regarding the general air of pam w's 33000 posts is more like optimism to the point of driving one mad!

I think a lot of the replies are a bit "negative" at the idea of Norway at Christmas. Certainly they would put me off

Was it necessary to edit the title of the thread?

You know it makes sense.

Helpful...... at stating the blindingly obvious. Anyway, I'm teetotal and hate pizza ! I just eat carrots so I can see in the dark. And I won't get cold 'cos I'll be keeping warm burning my cash Very Happy

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

I haven't skied Trysil but have been to Hemsedal 3 times in last 3 years. In fact, my 1st ever ski holiday was in Hemsedal. I've skied twice at Easter and once over Christmas.

The Christmas holiday was properly cold and so cold in fact that we cut short our skiing on two of the days. The warmest temperature all week was about -15 and it dropped down to -25 at times. It was borderline unbearable on the more exposed chairlifts with a bit of windchill. Of course, it's not always this cold but the odds are higher in Norway than say the Alps.

Otherwise, Norway is a terrific place to ski. Everyone is very very friendly. Interesting mix of nationalities - Norwegians, Swedes, Danes, Germans, Dutch, Russians and a few Brits. English spoken everywhere. Prices are high but no higher than the more expensive French resorts. Snow quality excellent. Alcohol pretty expensive but that may not be a problem if you don't drink much (I don't)

Like Hemsedal, Trysil will be on the small side compared to many resorts in the Alps. By the 3rd visit we were wanting more mileage and variance and have since skied Espace Killy and Paradiski.

A snowHead

damobloke1,
We've been to Trysil about five or six times, always before Christmas although the last visit was about six years ago. When our boys were younger, we would sneak an early ski holiday flying out from Heathrow late Friday afternoon and flying back Sunday evening. We hired a car at Oslo and drove to Lilehammer and skied the Lillehammer resorts on the Saturday (Kvitfjell was the most reliable for early season snow) and then drove down to Trysil on the Sunday. The temperatures were fine except for one occasion when we experienced the wind that Freehellskier mentions and then it was really cold. That said, we've experienced colder temperatures in Stowe and the top of the Kleine Matterhorne at about the same time of the year so see the comments about cold in that context. There was a nice cafe/ restaurant at the bottom of the lifts and we kept warm with occaional stops for hot chocolate/soup etc. The lift system was very efficient and never busy although we were there at a quiet time. The snow cover was usually very good. One year, natural snow was in relatively short supply but the snow making facilities in Trysil really helped and we had plenty of good quality pistes to ski on. The skiing was good but not overly challenging. It was ideal for a family group. We could let the children ski on their own knowing that they couldn't really get lost and we were never far away. The view from the top of the slopes is spectacular. It might not be the rugged mountain views you get in the Alps but it is beautiful in its own way with a vista that spreads out to Sweden. The daylight hours must have been short but we never particularly noticed it as you still had enough light to do a pretty full day. Despite the comments, I don't think you willl find it a huge issue. The Radisson Bleu was built over the period we were visiting but we never stayed there so I can make no comments other than it looked pretty impressive and was very well positioned for the slopes. If you like cross-country skiing or fancy giving it a go as a new experience, the cross-country trails are also very convenient and take you through some lovely countryside. The ski area is outide the town and there were regular shuttle buses into town.
All in all, we found it a very good family resort and I'm sure you'll have a great holiday. The cost of living might be more than some resorts in th Alps but , for us, the plus points outweighed any cost issues.
Hope this helps

A snowHead

bedrock barney, Welshcakes, Thanks for your comments, always good to get constructive views from people who have been there. I'm realistic about what it offers compared to my usual trips to the Alps but want to embrace it as something different. Prepared for the cold (isn't that a pre-requisite of going skiing?), and overall price of holiday for the quality of accommodation compares well to previous holidays elsewhere. This is a family trip with the OH competent but not confident, and as a festive treat isn't aimed at being a full-on ski bash. Does anyone have any experience of non-ski activities - esp dog sledding / snowmobiling ?

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

I think it was my favourite ski holiday - I loved it

trip report here

http://snowheads.com/ski-forum/viewtopic.php?t=88373&highlight=

That was March, but I enjoyed a week in Hemsedal at new year a few years earlier too

http://snowheads.com/ski-forum/viewtopic.php?t=100623&highlight=

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janeed, hi, I did see your reports earlier and they helped persuade me to book! Thanks

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

Re. 'other activities' for our first trip to Hemsedal we took a day out and went dog sledding. It was incredibly good fun. From memory it wasn't cheap (maybe £250 for a family of 4?). We were picked up and driven to an area about 15 miles from the resort. Myself and my wife were given a sled and dog team each (after 2 minutes of 'instruction' - the owner of the place was virtually horizontal he was so relaxed) and we then followed our Norwegian guide for a couple of hours amongst trees and across frozen lakes. The strength and stamina of the dogs is amazing. Our two children sat at the front of each sled inside a sort of zipped up bag.

Definitely worth doing if you can fit it in.

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Just on my last evening here after a week's family ski holiday to Trysil in Norway. This was our first time in Norway and I was slightly hesitant about booking Xmas week in a country where everyone seems to dismiss it by telling you it's expensive, dark and cold. But having had a really enjoyable week, the positives certainly far outweighed any downsides.

The Norwegian countryside is beautiful. Trysil and surrounds are nothing like the mountainous Alpine peaks so less dramatic views but it is full of tree-lined hills and peaks for miles around. Catch it in the sunlight and you get some stunning sights. Trysil itself starts off at 350m so very low compared to Alpine resorts, it tops out at 1100m. However, given it is much further north, altitude becomes less important. There was decent enough snow cover before we arrived and during our stay. We only had rain rather than snow at town level one day, other times it ranged from slightly damp snow to feathery white stuff higher up (not dissimilar to my memories of Morzine). The snow line was never far off.

They were running 90% of the lifts and 75% pistes during our stay which wasn't bad for Xmas week. Wind high up caused a few problems but much of the pisted area runs through the trees which shelter you from the wind and break up any flat light. Pistes were very well maintained, some nice wide areas, rarely busy and finding you had the piste to yourself wasn't unusual. Likewise, lift queues - until the Friday and Sat (when people started to arrive for New Year's week) - were fairly non-existent. The lift system is efficient although I do wonder why modern resorts still bother with T bars ?!? True, the ski area isn't huge but as this was a family trip and never meant as a hard-core ski holiday, there was plenty to entertain us. Mainly reds and blues in the main area with a series of blacks in the mid section and mostly greens / blues on the far side. Trysil is made up of 3 main areas across the same mountain, each of which can be easily accessed from the other. I'm not into off piste so can't comment on that although there was some fun to be had playing around in the trees between pistes.

A big plus is the layout and accessibility of the resort. Much of the area is ski in / out. We stayed at the Radisson Blu, the ski room leading right out onto a nursery slope then button lift up to the main chair. Alternatively, a covered escalator would take you effortlessly up the 100 yds to the same lift. The ski hire is close by and staff were very friendly and efficient, happy to change skis for free during the stay (the OH swapped hers for blades after a couple of days). Ski boots were the best I have ever hired and helmets provided free of charge. Overall, ski hire was cheaper than anywhere I've been in a France (booked in advance = 20% discount).

As for the short days, lifts in Dec open at 9am and close at 3.30pm so yes, shorter ski time than the alpine equivalent. Light wasn't really a problem, daylight was good until at least 3.45pm, the lower slopes were lit up anyway and there is night time skiing until 8pm three nights per week. As for the cold, maybe we were lucky but lowest temp all week was minus 3, often around the -1 degree mark in the day. I've certainly been much colder in other places, even with a bit of wind chill.

The Radisson is a very smart hotel (fantastic buffet breakfast), we booked a 2 bedroom apartment which was well appointed and had plenty of space. Hotel had a pool, spa area, bowling, games room, small gym, après ski bar, extremely cool piano bar and 5 restaurants. I would certainly stay here again.

As for price, the total cost was relatively comparable to big French resorts. Yes, alcohol is pricey (£8 for a small beer, £9 glass of wine) but this is off-set by mountain-side hot chocolate for £1 (as said, this was a family holiday). However, buy your wine and spirits from duty free at the airport and job done. Eating out could be expensive but all depends where and what you wanted. We found we were full up from breakfast (taking the obligatory supplies back to our room for later) so didn't need to spend extra on lunch - cheapskates that we are.

Overall, I was really impressed by what Norway had to offer as a ski holiday. I would certainly come back.

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Trysil, Norway - any Snowhead experience / input ?

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