Norway snow forecast

Skiing in Norway

Norway's ski resorts are lower than those in the Alps, with most lifts running between a few hundred metres and about 1,500 m, but a northern climate keeps snow on the ground through a long season, usually from November or December until Easter, and into May at some resorts. Slopes are generally well groomed and family friendly, many resorts run floodlit evening skiing in the short days of mid-winter, and March brings long, bright days.

This page compares three areas. Eastern Norway covers the resorts within a weekend drive of Oslo. Norefjell, under two hours from the capital, has around 1,010 m of vertical, which it bills as the most in northern Europe. Geilo, on the Bergen railway, suits beginners and families, while Hemsedal is the steepest and most varied, often open into early May. Hafjell and Kvitfjell, near Lillehammer, were venues for the 1994 Winter Olympics, with Hafjell known for long blue runs and Kvitfjell for its Olympic downhill.

Fjord Norway covers Voss and Myrkdalen in the west, within reach of Bergen. Voss has a gondola rising from beside the railway station, which makes it easy to reach by train, and Myrkdalen, nearby, is often promoted as one of the snowiest resorts in the country. Conditions in the west can differ markedly from those around Oslo on the same day.

Trøndelag covers Oppdal, the main alpine resort for central Norway, about two hours from Trondheim by road or rail.

Trysil, the largest resort in Norway, and Narvik in the far north are grouped with neighbouring Swedish resorts in the Trysil and Salen and Narvik and Riksgransen areas, which have their own pages.