Outdoor Norway - Norway - page 71

signposts) and ensuring that they have appropriate clothing, sufficient food and water, and
emergency supplies, such as matches and a source of warmth. You can either bring your
own equipment or hire it on site.
Most towns and villages provide some illuminated ski trails, but elsewhere it's still
worth carrying a good torch, as winter days are very short and in the north there's no day-
light at all in December and January. The ski season generally lasts from early December
to April. Snow conditions vary greatly from year to year and region to region, but Febru-
ary and March, as well as the Easter holiday period, tend to be the best (and busiest) times.
Downhill Skiing
Norway has dozens of downhill winter ski centres, although it can be an expensive pas-
time due to the costs of ski lifts, accommodation and the après-ski drinking sessions. The
spring season lasts longer than in the Alps and the snow is of better quality, too.
Skiing Resources
The Norwegian Tourist Board publishes the useful annual Skiing in Norway brochure.
Skiing Destinations
Norway's better and more popular skiing locations include the following:
Lillehammer The chance to ski the downhill slopes used in the 1994 Winter Olympics.
Trysil The largest network of trails in the country, with something to suit every standard and
style.
Holmenkollen, Oslo Has 2400km of cross-country trails, many of them floodlit.
Geilo The Oslo-Bergen railway line leaves you within sight of the ski lifts.
Voss Good trails in the Stølsheimen mountains high above Voss.
Myrkdalen One of Norway's newer ski resorts, close to Voss.
Hovden A popular winter resort in the southern Norwegian interior.
Karasjok Cross-country skiing in the far north.