Few national capitals in the world offer such a bounty of winter sports opportunities as Oslo does. Ice rinks dot the city, slalom skiers and snowboarders have several nearby hills to choose from and sledders can zoom down a track once used by Olympic bobsledders.
But perhaps the best offer lies in Oslo's 2,600 kilometers of groomed cross-country ski trails that snake through the hills and forests surrounding the city on all sides.
It's a skier's paradise, with easy access to trail heads and all ski trails marked with wooden directional signs lettered in red. Oslo's local ski association Skiforeningen, always keen on attracting new members, handles most of the grooming, along with the city's parks and recreation department.
To ease your conscience as you glide over the tracks, and to support this tradition-rich endeavour, it's a good idea to join Skiforeningen. Their web site is in Norwegian, but it offers an update on trail conditions, tour tips and a host of other practical information. The NOK 490 annual membership fee includes discounts on bus transport to popular starting points, other special offers and a subscription to the association's magazine, Sno og ski. Even if you can't read Norwegian, you'll enjoy the photos.
While you're at it, join the Norwegian Mountain Touring Association (Den Norske Turistforening, DNT) as well. The local chapter, DNT Oslo og Omegn cooperates with Skiforeningen in many areas, and both share a goal of preserving Norway's rich open landscapes for recreational use.
How to get started
Buy local trail maps for the forest areas near you: Nordmarka and Romeriksaasen to the north and northeast, Østmarka to the east, Vestmarka and Kjekstadsmarka to the west and southwest. The maps are available at DNT's offices on Storgata downtown (your membership gives you a discount) as well as at local bookstores and stationery stores.
The maps also offer lots of practical information about the areas you're about to explore. Be sure to get winter editions, showing all the ski trails (in red) as well as summer trails (in blue).
All local sports stores can help outfit you with equipment and clothing. The forested areas (called marka in general) are dotted with cabins and lodges offering food and drink, but it's a good idea to also have provisions with you in a backpack, so you can feel free to wander farther off the beaten track(s) and enjoy the solitude and beauty of the great outdoors.
The ski association offers ski school at a variety of levels. If the classes are full for this year, it might be something to think about for next year.
Leave your car at home
Parking lots are often located near trail heads, but it's also entirely possible to start your ski trip via tram, train or bus. And often preferable, to avoid traffic jams.
One popular run, for example, is to take the Frognerseteren tram (T-bane) to the end of the line. There are a bewildering number of trails here, but ski down past Skistua and then pick up the trail that's lit up at night and heads for Ullevaalseter. It's a broad, double-track trail with great views over the city and mostly downhill to Ullevaalseter, where you can get something to eat and drink. Then continue down to Sognsvann, where you can take another tram back to town.
The Tonsenhagen bus, for example, can get you into Lillomarka, while the Ellingsrud T-bane line can deposit you into Ostmarka. Another option is to take taxis to or from trail heads... more expensive, but cheaper than the price of a lift ticket at slalom centers.
It's great fun to start your ski trip at one point, and end at another. That way, you get a feel for traveling on your skis, not just making round trips. You can ski from one valley to another (Sørkedalen to Maridalen, for example, or Lommedalen to Sorkedalen). Just consult your map, and local bus and tram time-tables.
The Holmenkollen-Frognerseteren area north of downtown is by far the most popular, but also the most crowded. Alternative starting points in Nordmarka are Laakeberget or Skar in Maridalen (from which it's a short trip up to Øyungen and beyond), or Skansebakken in Sorkedalen.
It doesn't take much effort to venture farther afield. The scenery and solitude can be spectacular.
Longer trips
The ski association also offers one-way bus rides every Saturday and Sunday morning to two popular starting points: Ringkollen on the far west side of the Nordmarka map, and Mylla-Bislingen at the northern end of Nordmarka.
Skiers then make their way back to town, about 30 kilometers from Ringkollen and 40 kilometers from Bislingen, depending on what route you take. It's a full-day project for most of us, but with ample opportunity for breaks along the way.
Another option is to take NSB's local train to Stryken. The station is a stone's throw from the ski trails back to Oslo (again, about 30 kilometers, with the popular Kikut lodge just over half-way. Kikut also offers overnight accommodation for those who'd like to break up the trip.)
The least-tiring end point to aim for from Bislingen or Stryken is probably Sørkedalen skole, the school in Sorkedalen where a bus can carry you back to town, or to the tram stop at Roa. The bus only runs once an hour these days, though, so try to time your arrival so you don't have to wait too long at the busstop.
These are just a few tips. Opportunities in all the marka-areas are endless. As the locals would say, God tur! (roughly, "Have a good trip!")
