Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
See “Lillehammer of Olympic
Glory” in chapter 7.
•
Geilo:
Superior to Voss but not an
Olympic ski spectacle like Lille-
hammer, Geilo features five differ-
ent ski centers. The best is the
Geilo Skiheiser, with 24km (15
miles) of slopes, many as exciting
as those in Gstaad, Switzerland.
The area is also equipped with 18
lifts and a “ski-board” tunnel.
Cable cars will take you to the top
of the resort at 1,060m (3,477 ft.)
above sea level. From that point,
marked trails split off in many
directions. See “Geilo: Summer &
Winter Fun” in chapter 11.
•
Voss:
This winter resort is a virtual
ski circus with eight chairlifts and
an aerial cableway carrying pas-
sengers up to a peak of 788m
(2,625 ft.). In all, there are 40km
(25 miles) of alpine slopes that
have been compared favorably to
those in western Austria. One ski
lift climbs 900m (3,000 ft.) from
Traastolen to the top of the moun-
tain of Slettafjell, with a wide and
varied choice of downhill runs.
See “Voss: A Winter Playground”
in chapter 11.
7 The Best Cross-Country Skiing
•
Lillehammer:
The Olympic
resort in central Norway boasts
402km (250 miles) of prepared
cross-country tracks, 6km (3
miles) of which are illuminated.
From mid-December, cross-coun-
try skiers arrive from all over
Europe and sometimes America to
test out the well-groomed trails.
The landscape is even more beau-
tiful than that found in Geilo (see
below), though it may be gross to
some to compare one scenic land-
scape with another. However,
Lillehammer is set in an area of
Norway that contains its highest
mountains and its best-known
national parks, making it a cross-
country-skiing paradise as you
glide across the dramatic
Hardanggervidda Plateau. See
“Lillehammer of Olympic Glory”
in chapter 7.
•
Peer Gynt Ski Area:
Consistently,
Norwegian skiers rate this beauti-
ful countryside as one of the best
venues for cross-country skiing.
Since it's a part of the same region,
the landscape encountered cross
country is virtually the same as for
Lillehammer. This vast ski region
in central Norway is most suitable
for those skiers who'd like to com-
bine cross-country skiing with
alpinelike slopes. For cross-coun-
try skiers, there are 460km (285
miles) of well-prepared trails; in
winter, floodlit trails in Espedalen
and in Gålå make it possible to go
cross-country skiing at night. A
ski bus links all the main resorts,
such as Espedalen, Fefor, and
Gålå. See p. 199.
•
Geilo:
For more than a century,
Geilo, in a central location in
southern Norway, has excelled as a
ski resort. At 800m (2,624 ft.)
above sea level, it lies halfway
between Bergen and Oslo, and is
even more dramatically situated
than Voss, its major competitor.
The Hallingskarvet Mountain—
frosted with several small gla-
ciers—is its “backbone,” and it
stands on the largest mountain
plateau. Cross-country skiers will
find a total of 220km (137 miles)
of well-groomed and -marked
trails through forests, hills, and
moors. You'll traverse the Hardan-
gervidda National Park, which is
3,430 sq. km (1,324 sq. miles) in
area. This is some of the most
beautiful and protected tundra in
