Geilo

Geilo Ski Resort

Located halfway between Bergen and Oslo, Geilo is one of Norway’s most popular family ski destinations and is home to 34km of tree-lined slopes.

The vertical may be modest – you pick up a maximum descent of 275m – but an efficient lift system and two varied pods of trails mean that Geilo punches above its weight. It is one of the best Norwegian destinations for families, but also freestyle skiers and boarders, whilst several racecourses are set to make the ski day a more interesting proposition. The town itself is focussed around the train station (catching the train is definitely the best way to arrive), around which ten mid-sized hotels provide much of the catered accommodation – but if self-catering is your thing then there is a good range of cabins to choose from, quite a number of which are ski-in-ski-out.

Our Geilo Resort Ratings

• Beginner ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
• Intermediate ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
• Advanced ★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆
• Snow Reliability ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
• Fast Lifts ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
• Resort Activities ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
• Après ★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆
• Value ★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆

Geilo Skiing and Snowboarding

Of the two ski areas, the north side of the valley at Geiloheisen is the quickest to access from town. There is a fantastic beginner area at Slaatta, although progression on to longer greens requires getting across to the other side of the valley or tackling a blue down to Havsdalen. Most of the other terrain is rated red or blue, but there are some steeper challenges in the form of four marked blacks and a red run (number 22) that is left to mogul up throughout the winter.

A short bus ride over the other side of town is Vestlia. Here there is another great learner area at the base of the mountain, but better progression on to longer greens, including a top to bottom descent (piste 51) that allows you to clock up some decent mileage. The six-seater Kikutheisen Express then serves another nice pod of runs, which includes so great freestyle terrain.

• Total Pistes: 34km
• Green: 23%
• Blue: 30%
• Red: 35%
• Black: 12%
• Lifts: 19
• Altitude: 800m – 1178m

Geilo Piste Map

The local area map can be downloaded here.

Geilo Resort

You have two main options in Geilo, either stay at one of the well-appointed hotels in the town centre, or branch out and book your stay in one of the self-catered cabins in the woods either side of the town centre. If you choose the former then arriving by train is definitely the best option – fly to Bergen and get the train from there to experience the most impressive views, although the Oslo route isn’t bad either! Self caterers may want to hire a car to get to their accommodation and to and from the centrally located supermarkets, but if you’re close enough to town, picking up supplies is easy enough on foot.

The centre of town has several restaurants and bars, which do become lively on busy weekends – especially the Havdalskroa après ski bar – but otherwise Geilo is a mostly relaxed place. Off slopes activities are big here as they are in the rest of Norway and cross country skiing in particular is extremely popular, in fact the area around Geilo is home to an astonishing 550km of marked trails. There is also tobogganing, reindeer treks, dog-sledding and ice skating.

How to get to Geilo

As mentioned, the way to arrive is by train, either from Bergen (3.5 hours) or Oslo (4 hours). The former is definitely more scenic, but both journeys are pretty epic. Driving is also possible, expect similar travel times to those by train.

• Bergen airport: 3.5 hours
• Oslo airport: 4 hours

Geilo Contact Details

• Website: www.skigeilo.no
• Email: booking@skigeilo.no
• Telephone: +47 45 48 46 46
• Facebook: @SkiGeilo
• Instagram: @skigeilo