Best time to go to Norway for family ski holiday

A snowHead

For reasons I'm not going to bore you with (all to do with low altitude), we're considering going to Norway for family ski hols in 2013-14.

When's the best time of year to go?

Cheers

Dobby

A snowHead

Avoid Christmas at cost! Scandinavia is a lot colder there and may not have enough snow. Easter time snow will disappear as quick as in the Alps. In between should be OK.

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

saikee, thanks. In that case, probably looking at Feb half term due to kids being in school.

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Remember as well that there are limited daylight hours early on there. My first skiing holiday was in Geilo straight after New Year. Although it wasn't too cold the lifts opened, from memory, 10 - 3. There was floodlit skiing though on a number of evenings.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

I think by Feb half term time, the daylight is not an issue. No worse than Alps at Christmas. Friend usually goes to Finland about then and claims it's not really a problem.

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I went to Geilo on a school trip in mid April - there was plenty of snow but of course that doesn't really tell you much! Especially as it was 1963. wink

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pam w, was everything in black and white?

After all it is free

dobby, funny you should ask. Sepia, perhaps. An old school friend, who was not on that trip, kept a postcard sent her by someone who was. It looks like something out of the 1920s - hilariously old gear and the Geilo youth hostel looks like a Soviet work camp dormitory. We all fell in love with Hans, the bronzed blond ski instructor - who told us constantly to "face ze walley". To get fitted with skis we stretched a hand up above our head - that was the right length for beginners, it seems. And we did stem christie turns. And adored it. I couldn't afford to go skiing again till I was 40.

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dobby, The best time to go to Norway on a family holiday might be the day after winning the Lottery wink

I have never been but my brother and his wife skied there several years ago and have only recently got over the shock of paying £9 for a small glass of wine.

I have no more helpful advice to offer I'm afraid

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Anniepen, given comments on other threads, probably cheaper than going to some French resorts.

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You know it makes sense.

When I went, which was almost 10 years go, it was £8 for a pint and £25 for a bottle of wine. I didn't see anyone drink in the hotel bar at all which killed the social side. Regulars we met took loads of wine out and drunk it in their room (it was before some of the current luggage restrictions).

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

pam w, Smashed for £9 in FR. Indeed and I (don't) remember it well. Also reminds me of the youngsters in the queue at the Spar shop in Risoul. Drinking their purchases of £3 bottles of wine before getting to the till.

A snowHead

Dobby, Buy your booze duty-free in the UK airport, it's a not an EU destination, so it's cheaper. I usually get a litre of brandy Very Happy

IMO, Norway is fantastic at Christmas!, you might meet Santa and the reindeer.
Ok, so yeah 'Scandinavia is a lot colder there and may not have enough snow', but it's usually up around 60cm on the pistes and there is a distinct nip in the air, even at village level. V Christmassy Very Happy

The big minus is the GBP vs NOK exchange rate these days.

I learned to ski in Geilo and have been to Voss and Beitostolen too.

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

Rudolph the red nose reindeer
Got shot and made into tea...

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dobby, I don't know what you are thinking of. This is snowHeads - the people here have only heard of France, they think Austria has kangaroos. They think Norway is some mythical Tolkein invention and everything you learn here will be folklore at best.

I did the drive from Oslo to Hemsedal, which was v nice on the snowy highway and stopped at some quaint places along the way. Stayed in a log cabin with only a wood burner for heat (too much heat actually) and generally had more of a winter holiday than a ski trip. Did a fair amount of downhill and also some snowmobiling etc. Alcohol is pricey there but bar crawling isn't the thing. Most just grab carry-outs from the off licence and apres centres around your cabin. It's gloomier for sure, not necessarily that cold but there are lights! Basically, it's a different kind of trip. Think I'd look at Finland next time Scandinavia comes a calling though.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

dobby, went to Norway ski ing 10 years ago and had a really good time. We stayed half board in Hafjell. Our eldest was 2 at the time and spent time in the child care (why do children still watch cartoons in a foreign language? The staff all spoke English so quite enjoyed testing their English out on a 2 year old, lots of play in the snow as well).

It is not like going to the Alps and the big resorts, but it is fun. We went in late January. I gather Easter is to be avoided because all the locals go then so it is really busy

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chrisb, thanks for the Easter tip. My elder will be 13 and will be hooning down everything at warp factor 64. I will be doing my best to keep up. She has a core of steel and the balance of someone who will shortly be a karate black belt. I have the strength (and sense of balance) of an ox.

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After all it is free

pam w, Try taking off your blinkers for a change, it is sadly all too true! For many British skiers,anywhere outside of Espace Killy or the Three Valleys is bandit country, let alone another country up north! The SCGB don't even recognise that there is skiing in the UK outside of dry slopes and Fridges!

Bode Swiller actually gave some good advice about his trip from Oslo to Helmsdal.

dobby, Lots of Germans like to go Norway, many of my Bavarian friends have made trips there and we have ski resorts on our doorsteps AND cheap booze! Shocked

dobby, Norway is a great place to visit whether skiing or not!
I first skied there in '72 - two resorts................. Kvamskogen ( I doubt even Google go there!!), and Voss. - (AND Hardanger plateau that summer!!) Both at Easter or thereabouts. I skied at Voss again late 80's mid February, and also the Ski tour Ulriken - Floyen - Monedal around Bergen. Great experiences, both rather COLD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Since then I;ve skied mainly late season at Geilo, Voss (again) Hafjell/Lillehammer, and Beitestolen. All of these later in the season, say mid to late March.

Drinks can be expensive. But the experience is well worth any overspend! One of my all time fave pistes is at Lillehammer - Kringelaslopen....... the Olympic GS run into Lillehammer. snowHead

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Samerberg Sue, The comment I quoted from Mr Swiller is simply not true; Snowheads is full of folk who provide joyful reports of skiing in a wide range of places, including Japan, Canada, the USA, Scotland, the Brecon Beacons and - last winter - quite a few from Norway and even Iceland. I honestly can't recall anybody suggesting that there was nowhere worth skiing outside France though sometimes people who have skied mainly in France seek advice on some new places to try. On the other hand I do recall many suggestions that anyone who does go to France is certain to be ripped off and shrugged at.

I don't much care for the Tarentaise myself but if it is providing what many people want from their holidays, why should we worry? I don't care for noisy smoky bars playing "apres" music either but some people just love them to bits. If the majority of British skiers, in both countries, tend to congregate in a handful of resorts, all the better for those of us who enjoy the others, isn't it?

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Samerberg Sue, Bavarians going to Norway? Must be some sort of detox treatment (having visited Munich many times I always come back about half a stone heavier and with a bigger liver). Drink prices won't be a major issue on hols because Mrs Dobby won't be drinking much and I'll take a bottle of something.

As for the general "my resort's better than yours, France is wayyyy too expensive and Austria is full of p1ss heads hooning around" issue, I haven't yet been to a bad resort...(only been to Livigno, La Thuile, Soldeu, LDA [twice] and Risoul).

You know it makes sense.

dobby, yep - but don't forget the National Cross Country Skiing area is just along the road from me and many go there because the cross-country skiing is fantastic and because they can drive there, they can schlepp as much Bavarian beer as they want with them and make a killing selling it to the locals! Laughing

Probably covers more than 50% of their costs too! Laughing

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

Samerberg Sue, best beer hall has to be Schneider's.....

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dobby, If you mean the Schneider-Weisse in Tal, it's OK but the Dürbräu just around the corner is way, way better! wink

A snowHead

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

miranda, there were some trip reports from the Lofoten Islands that showed fantastic snow in late April/May. They are fairly far up the coast towards the north - I think Narvik is the nearest mainland town of any significance. But the people concerned were all using touring gear. The snow looked fantastic, but it is way out of my league (and energy levels! Laughing

)

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I wouldn't spend a lot to go downhill skiing in Norway, given that I can ski for next to no marginal cost in France, but I would like to do one of those "organised" cross-country holidays there - they don't all require fantastic skill/fitness levels. Expensive, though. Those touring trips are well beyond me, too, sadly.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

I have skied in Geilo in May and the snow was fine. It is really expensive there though.

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Got a brother working in Trodheim so I have spent some time skiing Scandinavia.

In one Christmas Are did not get enough snow and closed for the first few days. When it opened only a handful of lifts were operational and the Swedes let everybody ski free for the next two days.

Went once in Easter and the snow was slushy same as in the Alps.

Norway has "warm" huts for letting skiers to warm themselves in the middle of skiing and sometimes this is needed after spending an hour or so outside say at -20 degree C. I once skied at -26 degree C in Hemsedal and later experienced it again at the top of Les Arc Aguille de Rouge. So Alps does have cold environment but not as frequent as Scandinavia which can be significantly colder when the weather is windy due to the wind chill effect. I once got up to the top of a cable car in Are and did not see anybody dare to go outside the cable car station. It was like in the Arctic. The self catering accommodation we stayed have frozen snow on the "inside face" of the front door. We often need to wax the rubber seal of the car doors to ensure they could be open after finishing skiing.

Scandinavia has its own charm. The resorts are generally family orientated and small. Booze is so expensive that you don't expect drunken skiers running into you. People are a lot friendlier and the scenery is fantastic due to small population.

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

I've skied in Norway twice - once at New year and once at Easter. I loved both in their own way.

January is cold (-27 one day) but crisp and beautiful. April was warm and sunny some days. Night skiing is common - either later in the evening or just keeping the slopes open until 8pm and turnign the lights on when they are needed.

Norway is expensive for food and drink, especially alcoholic drink in restaurants. But a self-catering holiday doesn't have to break the bank - transport/petrol is cheap; self-catering cabins are a lot cheaper than we've had elsewhere; lessons, lift passes and ski hire are at least comparable to the alps; hot chocolate on the mountain is about a pound.

I would go back in a flash because to me it is real value for money. Yes, it might be slightly more expensive than other places I'd choose to go, but slopes are immaculate, quality of equipment and lessons is excellent and (most important for me) slopes are fairly quiet (even empty mid-week) with very few skiers moving at speeds they can't control. I also enjoy exploring some small resorts, with a day or two in each.

Don't go if you want to party hard and eat out every night. Do go if the skiing matters most to you, if you are content with quiet evenings or if you fancy trying cross country.

A few trip reports here:
Trysil: http://snowheads.com/ski-forum/viewtopic.php?t=88373&highlight=

Roldal and Sauda - small resorts: http://snowheads.com/ski-forum/viewtopic.php?p=2026322&highlight=sauda#2026322

a bit of info on Hemsedal: http://snowheads.com/ski-forum/viewtopic.php?t=74246&highlight=

After all it is free

Samerberg Sue, is the durbray the little pub down the tal on the left?

dobby, yep - down a lane just before the Schneider-Weisse- Serve the best Weißwurst in Munich but you have to get there early as they sell out fast! wink

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Best time to go to Norway for family ski holiday

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