When choosing the ski resort, one rarely thinks of Norway as a skiing destination, this privilege usually being left to the Alps. Skiing in Austria, France or Italy sounds reasonable, skiing in Norway sounds weird. And that’s a shame, because, believe it or not, but Norway has some fantastic ski resorts hidden from the mainstream tourists, think about it. :)
Craving for snow, we spontaneously decided to come back to Norway and see what a skiing experience there might look like. Our goal was to have one or two days of descent skiing in the Bergen area and a proper New Year celebration and it was exactly what we got in the end.
If you are interested in skiing in Norway, begin with the site SKI NORWAY which provides a detailed information for each of the resorts (and now we want to go to all of them, of course)
VOSS RESORT
Why Voss?
Even if we are not too experienced skiers, we were impressed by the size and variety of the slopes. They are perfect for the advanced skiers, those with some experience, or not at all. Not forgetting the snowboarders! 40 km of slopes – you need to be motivated to cover them all!
18 km of cross-country trails – we didn’t even dare to think of trying them.
Two cafés on two different altitudes with a cup of coffee in a very right moment.
Operating every day during the season.
Without doubt, amazing and almost surreal sceneries. Probably ordinary for the active skiers, but absolutely fantastic for us.
Vast and large – we hardly crossed anyone higher the first slope for kids, so we felt safe and more or less alone.
10 lifts with a convenient automatic skipass – honestly, we could have spent that day just riding on those lifts.
Two spacious parking
An hour drive from Bergen
A free shuttle to the skiing station three times per day
Our experience
Voss resort was our first proper skiing experience after a tiny slope in Ukraine we had tried a year ago. It just made us realize what a long way of learning is still has to be covered. What we enjoyed the most, was the huge amount of slopes and lifts so we could easily refuge in a less crowded ones which is so important, when you are not too confident in your moves. Anyway, were both surprised at how little crowded was the place in comparison to what we had been expecting. The slopes and lifts are in excellent condition, while going up we had an impression that the resort was not the same anymore – the sceneries were so much different from down to up. Our friend tested a patience of a snowboard tutor and we were all happy to see the result at the end of our day.
USEFUL INFO:
Official site of Voss Resort
Approximate price for the Ski Rental and Lift Pass for one day is 1000 NOK per person (~ 105 EUR). The full price list can be found here.
Voss Resort proposes the accommodation in cabins or apartments, or else you can stay in an Airbnb in the city centre and use the free shuttle to get to the skiing station.
MYRKDALEN
Why Myrkdalen?
It is incredibly cozy – the whole resort of Myrkdalen has a warm family atmosphere.
It is 100% (or so it seemed) Norwegian population, and we all avoid being tourists, don’t we?
It’s snow-safe till the beginning of April (or even May!)
The rental equipment looks to be brand-new. The system of equipment rental is modern and partially based on self-service, which saves a lot of time.
22 slopes with 3 lifts (not to mention the cross-country trails) – the slopes are large and wide, so you don’t feel claustrophobic
The café proposes an amazing cinnamon whirl ;) The food in Myrkdalen hotel is also very delicious.
Our experience
To be honest, we felt in love with Myrkdalen instantly. The fluffy snow, a happy atmosphere, large space, so you don’t feel cluttered in, easy slopes (for us lol). Probably too easy for the big pros, but I can hardly imagine a place better for a family skiing holiday. After the previous day in Voss we moved our limbs with a great difficulty, but still gliding on the slopes of Myrkdalen was an immense joy (as well as having a bowl of soup after all these adventures.)
USEFUL INFO:
How to get: if you don’t have your own car, you can use a daily shuttle bus departing from Voss station towards Myrkdalen (approximately 40 minutes ride)
Approximate price for the Ski Rental and Lift Pass for one day is 1325 NOK per person (~ 135 EUR). The full price list can be found here.
New Year in Myrkdalen
It was out of the question to miss the celebration and stay gloomily in an Airbnb, that’s how we ended up at the festive dinner in Myrkdalen Hotel. What can we say, the celebration was splendid starting with a selection of delicious wine (even alcohol-free one – never suspected that it existed!) followed by a four-course dinner with elaborate, traditional but at the same time modernized meals just enough to appreciate it without feeling stuffed.
Sitting near the windows at the same level as the ground, we could enjoy the fluffy snow as if we could touch it.
Beautiful and very festive.
After a dessert we went down to a live music show (we even danced, how do you like that?) and after midnight watched a magnificent firework, which lasted forever! Honestly, it was a, how do they call it in the travel blogs? – right, an unforgettable experience! Well, probably because we ended up stuffing each other with snowballs. To cut story short – it was fantastic.
So next time before fetching your ski from garage, think twice about your next skiing destination.
We would love to thank VossResort, Myrkdalen Hotel, but first of all – Sara from VisitVoss for her help and support in our skiing adventure – we had a lovely time enjoying this skiing and New Year experience.
Pin it!
![[:en]North Cape, Norway[:fr]Cape Nord, Norvège[:]](https://i0.wp.com/www.independentpeople.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Norway-North-Cape19.jpg?resize=700%2C441&ssl=1)
![[:en]North Cape, Norway[:fr]Cape Nord, Norvège[:]](https://i0.wp.com/www.independentpeople.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Norway-North-Cape14.jpg?resize=700%2C441&ssl=1)
OMG skiing in Norway would be so much fun! Thanks for sharing.
I’ve never been skiing but when bobby is a little older it’s something I’d live us to do as a family! Fantastic tips which will come in handy for ski virgins like me!
Good luck to you then!