Winter Getaway in Norway

Best things to do: Downhill skiing in the area is quite nice. The hill at the resort is small, but there are two larger mountains - Rauland and Hovden - within an hour's drive. The Badland (bathhouse) is a small indoor water park in Hovden (pronouced Howden), which was nice and relaxing after a day of skiing.

Memorable experiences: Moose on the roads and the trip up to Holmenkollen in Oslo. We saw the Nordic tournament ski jumping for free - and sledded down the most harrowing sledding hill of my life! Only to go back up and do it again! There was an exquisite restaurant by the ski jump called the Holmenkollen Restaurant.

Quick Tips:

Driving distances are accurate, but the time it takes is very different from driving in North America. A 124-mile trip took us 5 hours, including a few stops for directions and a stop by the local R.I.D.E. program where the police were friendly and very surprised to see a couple of Canadians on a Norwegian highway at 11pm. Be wary of avalanches blocking the roads when driving in winter; ask the locals at gas stations what the roads are like up ahead. Make sure you rent a good car, and not something cheap because the mountains are steep. Restaurants and hotels in Oslo are VERY expensive, so be prepared.

Best Way To Get Around:

By car is the ONLY way to get around in Norway, as everything else is extremely expensive (and the car rentals aren't cheap, either). When in Oslo, stick with public transportation, as it is very easy and cheap. One ticket will do you for the entire day!

The accommodations were nice and cozy, with an all wood interior and exterior and room that were nicely laid out. The bedrooms were small but functional, with wonderful individual duvets for each person. We slept like logs because there was no fighting over covers!!!! There was a nice kitchen and living room. The bathroom had its own heated floor. There’s nothing like stepping onto a warm floor in the middle of the night.

The main facility had a nice little restaurant and gift shop, along with some food supplies, as the main supermarket was down in the valley city of Dalen. The host was very nice, hospitable, and very helpful. He really went the extra mile to ensure you had a good time, with plenty of hints and tips for a good stay.

Local dining at its finest! The restaurant is just down the lane from the ski jump hill and has a spectacular view overlooking Oslo. The food was beyond my wildest expectations. I’ve never had anything like it that good! I had a moose steak in a morey sauce with potatoes and greens. My wife had elk in white wine sauce with sautéed potatoes and mushrooms. The dessert was made of a local berry called a cloudberry (kinda orange coloured and very sweet; some people call them bakeapples) and served warm in cinnamon schnapps with a scoop of French vanilla ice cream. It was absolutely divine and recommended for a special evening for anyone!

They have all-natural snow, no manmade snow, at both mountains. There are very safe conditions (they even set off an avalanche to protect the skiers). There are friendly people, but they're all surprised to hear well-spoken English (even though they all speak it). The temperature in March is fantastic! It's just cold enough to ski without having to dress too heavily.