Head to Oslo, Norway for the perfect balance of the two!
I’ve been going to Norway for years now and not once did I ever consider it a viable skiing option. That was until a Norwegian friend mentioned it over the festive period on her visit to London. I had casually mentioned I might struggle to get a trip in this year when she dropped the bombshell ‘why don’t you come to Norway for it?’, my response ‘You can ski in Norway?’.
The thought that I could combine a weekend away and see said friend plus get a ski fix in at the same time was just something that I couldn’t ignore. I booked my getaway and I am so glad I did – this option is now forever on my radar and here’s why it should be on yours too.
Getting there
It’s less than 2 hours on the plane, if like me you are travelling from London. So, if you limited time on your hands you can easily do it in a few days. I flew via Heathrow which is my closest airport and travelled via SAS but you can also fly BA or get regular flights out of Gatwick on Norwegian Air.
From the airport it’s pretty easy to get to Oslo City, about 30-35mins direct on the train.
I stayed at The Thief (more on that in a sec), which was in the centre so that I could easily explore other ‘City’ parts pre or post skiing.
From our hotel it was less than an hour to the slopes and a pretty direct route on the train. From The Thief I was 10 mins way to the Nationaltheatret station which is where I picked up my train going in the direction of Frognerseteren but, you need to get off one stop before at Voksenkollen. From there you take a shuttle (5 mins) straight up to the Tryvann vinterpark.
Stay
We stayed at The Thief, which is a wonderfully quirky boutique hotel right in the center of Oslo. Apparently, the Tjuvholmen (Thief Islet) used to be a haven for smugglers, thieves and scoundrels. Everything from the location, inspired bar menu and artwork in the hotel which they have in partnership with the Astrup Fearnley Museum which is adjacent to the hotel. The hotel therefore alludes that Art is its dominant feature and its’ not something they are afraid to shout about – it’s ever present.
The room on the 6th floor had a truly wonderful view of the sea. Their onsite offerings were a delight, we had a delicious Nordic dinner there one night and drinks in the lobby another. It was elegant yet cosy and of course convenient for what we were there for.
The Resort
Tryvann vinterpark, well it’s not a bells and whistles kinda place but you can definitely ski there and there’s a decent amount of slopes to choose from offering a variety of challenges. There’s 18 runs and a vertical fall of 381 metres. The area has 11 lifts, of which 2 are 4-seater chairlifts and 1 is a new 6-seater express chairlift. It’s also the most used ski resort of Norway. I managed two of the slopes on my trip – a blue and a green but that was good enough for me to get my legs gliding on the snow this year to get a mini fix.
A two day consecutive ski pass will cost you around £70 and approximately £50 to hire equipment for two days.
Sadly, there’s only two café’s on site so apres ski doesn’t really exist here, you’ll have to head back into the City for that.
Apres Ski (in the City)
This trip was less about ‘apres skiing’ and more about getting the ski fix so post ski across the two days. I found a delicious burger place called Døgnvill Burger, a hearty option for post ski lunch and a healthier one the next day at Bjerke Sushi. Both very reasonable considering Norwegian prices and absolutely delicious.
For drinks, which I mostly limited to dinner with a few exceptions , The Thief’s bar had a great art from Astrup Fearnley Museum inspired cocktail menu and also served our favourite Ruinart blanc de blanc champagne by their fire place. Also, a great find en-route home from dinner one evening was the Fuglen Oslo, a café by day but a cute little vintage style cocktail bar in the evening and a great place for a night cap. I also enjoyed speaking to the bartender about their selection and settled for a sake and an off menu concoction.
For more info Visit Norway
