HEMSEDAL: Why you should be getting excited about wintering in this mountain paradise

Hemsedal is everything you would expect from a Norwegian winter hideout….rugged mountains, magical forest and Hygge Norweigan cabins…there’s a reason they call it the ‘Scandinavian Alps’.

 But we’re not going just for the atmosphere…so let’s get down to the good stuff

Ice Ice Baby!!!

Hemsedal is the birth place of Norwegian ice climbing…so you can’t ask for a more authentic place to test out your tools either for the first time or as a seasoned pro.

The endless opportunities and stable climate offer visiting ice climbers good ice conditions from November through till April and has a massive variety of venues.

Hydnefossen is a fantastic beginner venue and is a Norwegian classic. Whilst Grotenutbekken has some of the countries most demanding mixed and alpine winter routes.

Hemsedal is the very essence of ice and winter climbing and has everything an ice warrior could wish for

Snow Fun when there’s no sun…or is there???

With the number of skiable daylight hours noticeably less than in Europe, many people worry about getting their moneys worth from their ski pass…not in Hemseldal

Four evenings a week the piste stays open into the evening and are served by four lifts: the Hollvin Express, the Skarsnuten lift, Ulven and Elgen

And if you didn’t think skiing into the evening was enough you can night ski...wait for it….after breakfast!!!!! How is this possible you ask? Some of the pistes are open at 0730 but are floodlit giving you the crazy feeling of skiing at night but in the morning!!!! Even better the piste is groomed overnight and so if there’s been fresh snow in the early hours you can ski powder

To piste or not to piste??

If you wanted a break for skinning up the mountain then Hemsedal has 49 runs, over 50km of piste, and respectable vert thanks to northern Europe’s highest lift – 1497m And they even have a – wait for it – six-person high-speed chair so you can lift party with all your pals!!

There’s also 140 km machine-groomed trails through the valleys and forests of Hemsedal, and 110 km marked mountain trails especially for the cross country fans.

However is you fancy something a little more adventurous then Hemsedal has an incredible range of off piste powder:

Try skier’s left of Røgjin or screw back towards the friendly town from the rear of Totten.

Imaginatively titled Sentrumslopya (easy this Norge language lark!) it’s 40 minutes of creamy, over-the-boot pow perfection.

The curiously named Rubber Forest (Gummiskogen) is one of Hemsedal’s easiest off-piste areas to access, but still gives you a feeling of real adventure. You reach it from the top of Roniheisen chairlift, and goes all the way down to the main road – approximately 1,750 metres in length, with a vertical drop of 500 metres.

The top part of the descent is a wide-open powder field. The lower two-thirds of the area is birch forest. There’s a wide variety of runs, with some sections steeper than others. You’ll find open ski fields, small pillows of powder and some really narrowly spaced trees, but in spite of its name, it would be a mistake to think you will bounce off the trees here! The forest helps prevent the wind getting to the snow, so you can often find good conditions some time after snowfall

Apres Ski? Yes Please!

If you still had energy after all those hours on the powder and you don’t feel like another night in front of the fire then Hemsedal has plenty of apres ski on offer.

If a quieter post pow drink is more your thing then head too Skistuar, they have something for everyone including live Rock n Roll at the weekends. But if its dancing you’re into then the world famous Stravkroer is the place for you. The huge nightclub area has been voted one of the best après-ski bars in Europe, and is built in the style of a medieval “stave” church, with a 65ft space between revellers and the ceiling. This void has a DJ perched high up, almost in the rafters, and is strafed with a dazzling array of multi-coloured lighting, giving the whole jam-packed interior a wild, frenetic yet friendly ambience. There are three long rustic tables on which revellers are encouraged to dance by signs saying “Only allowed to dance on the tables”