Testing Norway’s Famously Quiet Slopes

Back in February, I travelled with Andy, Helen and Jack during one of Hafjell’s peak weeks to find out just how quiet a resort that’s only 2 hours from Oslo and hosted the Winter Olympic Games back in 1994 could be. We also visited nearby Kvitfjell which we'll be reporting on soon.

Getting there really couldn’t have been much easier. Once we collected our bags at Oslo Airport, we headed to the rail station. The train goes direct from the airport, with several departures a day allowing lots of flight choices from around the UK.

The 1 hour 40 min rail journey to Lillehammer flew by with some interesting architecture (as you might expect from Scandinavia), such as the upside-down Viking Ship and the world’s tallest wooden building (Mjøstårnet at 85 meters), stealing the crown from Vancouver - sorry Whistler! It’s then just a short taxi trip of 15 minutes to your hotel or cabin in Hafjell, making the overall transfer under two hours from Oslo Airport.

For one of the busiest weeks in one of Norway’s biggest resorts, we were so surprised at just how quiet Hafjell was. There was a short queue at the start of the day for the gondola as ski school heads off but there are two ways up the mountain - gondola or chairlift - meaning people are moved really quickly. The very short queue (of around 5 minutes) was reduced to nothing by the time we skied down!

For intermediate and advanced skiers, there are lots of options with wide open pistes that give everyone space to carve and cruise their way down. The World Cup Run is one for the experts that want to get the adrenaline going!

Something we appreciated was how beginners get a real sense of progression as the more mellow and easy-going terrain is toward the top of the slopes. Nervous or beginner skiers can enjoy appropriate terrain at three different levels of the mountain meaning they don’t just get restricted to one run over and over again near the base. There’s so much variety for them that they’ll make the most of the lift pass - something very few other resorts can match. I had just come back from an injury and it was a great place to build up confidence again!

The top of Hafjell, known as Hafjelltoppen, is accessed by a fast 6-person, heated chairlift with a wind cover too! Up here, you’ll find a nursery zone and five potential routes down that open up into even more runs. It’s possible to ski from the very top to the bottom by green and blue runs only - allowing complete beginners to get a feel for the whole ski area.

The gondola access gives cross country skiers an easy route to the many trails as well as allowing non skiers to meet friends and family for lunch on the mountain.

Hafjell is one of the best resorts in Scandinavia for non-skiers. The famous town of Lillehammer is just 20 minutes away by regular bus shuttle, providing shopping and city attractions, while the Olympic Park there allows for a variety of winter activities including bobsledding and tobogganing.

Even closer to Hafjell, you'll find the Hunderfossen Family Park. This is simply amazing for children with a fairy-tale castle, troll museum and of course, in typical Scandinavian fashion, an ice hotel with its own ice bar. There are horse sleigh rides too. It’s easy to add this as an activity for one evening.

The gondola also allows those who don’t want to ski to meet the family for lunch at one of many mountain restaurants. Very handy for guests at the Hafjell hotel who have a mountain lunch included in their package.

We stayed at the Scandic Hafjell which has modern, connecting rooms as well as an indoor pool and a gym. The slopes are accessible with a very short ski bus (about three minutes!) or it’s an 800m walk to the slopes. You can rent a locker at the base of the slopes to avoid carrying your kit.

Another popular choice is the Hafjell Hotel, just down the road from the Scandic Hafjell Hotel. It’s a really good choice for families and your stay includes full board (breakfast, lunch and dinner). You can eat lunch at any of three mountain restaurants, making your stay that bit more affordable.

The breakfast at both hotels is fantastic and very substantial with smoked salmon and waffles being our highlight. For those wanting a bit more space and a kitchen, the Solsiden Apartments are a great alternative, located beside slopes with ski school on the doorstep.

Lastly, the Nermo Hotel is a historic, award-winning boutique hotel that will make sure you get well looked after. Dating back to 1877, the food is locally sourced and we can testify that it’s very good.

If you want to avoid crowds, have a large and diverse ski area with great snow - even early or late into the season - then this is the place for you.

Watch some of the highlights from our trip to Hafjell and Kvitfjell: