Jul 20 2007
Norwegian have been skiing for more than
four thousand years, which is proved by the ancient rock carvings found here. It
is in Norway that this kind of entertainment was turned into sports. Skiing
spread all around Europe and the North America, and skis, which were created as
means of transport, were turned into a good way to spend your time.
The
distance between local attractions is rather small, which makes traveling
easier. People come here alone or with their families and Norway does its best
to take care of its guests.
The longest ski season
is in Norway: it lasts from November till May. This means a good and stable
blanket of snow and good tracks, thanks to which winter Olympics and
competitions can be organised here. Those are the reasons why Norwegian resorts
have long been popular with European
travelers.
Use
comfortable public transport, like train or bus, to get to any ski resort
from
Oslo.
Nowadays there are more than 60 ski centers
inthe country.
Some of them are: Geilo,
Trysil,
Hemsedal, Kvitfjell,
Hafjell, Kongsberg, Gautefall and some others. All of them offer
various landscapes and tracks, no queues to stand in when you want to get to the
lift and reasonable ski-pass prices. For instance, the main advantages of
Gautefall are modern snowboard park and excellent tracks for skiing. Mountain
climbing is available only in Oppdal whereas there is a huge children’s winter
park and attractions found in Bo, Telemark
county.
What else is popular at
Norwegian ski resorts? Snowboarding, skiing, glacier climbing, scooter riding
(16 years and older) and skating, “five people on two skis”, snow-shoes
competition, toboggan, ice fishing. You are also offered an opportunity to drive
in a sledge or rush down a bobsled track at 120 km/h speed. There are various
discounts and privileges. For instance, those older than 70 and younger than 7
can ride for free. Much attention is paid to safety that is why many resorts
offer free children’s hard hats. In addition to various lessons local tourist
centers offer one-day excursions around local attractions.
Finally, let us give you
some useful information about the country:
- Transport. Tourists coming to Oslo are advised to buy
Oslo-kortet (The Oslo Card), which provides a free trip in public transport and
various discounts when visiting local museums, restaurants and shops. Cards
similar to these are sold in all the large Norwegian cities. Skis and sledge can
be transported for free, but you have to pay when transporting a bicycle. 
- Museums are opened from 10 am to 4 pm. Some of
them work 8 am – 10 pm at tourist season. There are also museums with individual
schedule and days when they are opened only for travel groups.
- Banks work Monday to Friday: 8.15 am – 3 pm,
Thursday – till 5 pm. Some Postbank offices work till 6 pm on workdays and till
2 pm on Saturdays.
- Shops are opened Monday – Friday usually from 9 am to 5 pm.
Saturday: 9 am – 3 pm. But it all depends on one definite shop. 
