 Poster: A snowHead
|
Today went spent the day skiing at Skimore Oslo. Skimore is a small resort located just outside Oslo City Centre, taking around 30 minutes by the Metro. Access to the resort is easy, with a direct Metro (T-banen) from the city centre. Take Line 1 Westbound and alight at Voksenkollen, which is the penultimate stop. Only the doors in the centre of the train open due to a short platform, and because it was very busy onboard, we didn’t get to the doors in time, and nor did some others. No problem though as the next and final stop was two minutes up the track, where we got off, crossed the tracks and waited a couple of minutes for the return train.
The journey up was a slow one, but incredibly pleasant as we passed through snow covered neighbourhoods, with some really beautiful houses. As the train climbs the hill, looking out to the left of the train if you’re facing forward, you are treated to a view of all of Oslo below you. The train was filled with skiers, snowboarders, families and groups of children with sledges, and a lot of cross-country skiers. Most of the sledging folk got off at the final stop and immediately sledged down the hill. As they all got on at a stop further down we assumed that’s where the hill pops you out.
When we alighted at Voksenkollen, we walked up to the road that ran alongside it. It’s a 15 minute walk up to Skimore or a 5 minute shuttle bus. We opted for the shuttle bus. The correct stop is on the opposite side of the road from the station. Don’t be deceived by the road facing downhill. The bus has Tryvann on the front of it.
The bus dropped us right outside the ski hire shop and the cafe. I went straight to the self service machines to collect our passes, which I purchased online last night (more on that below) and then we headed into the hire shop. Prebooked hire was served from desks 4 & 5 at the end of the shop, or you can hire on arrival. It was definitely worth having prebooked as I had filled out all of the information, so our equipment was ready to go. We hired 2 x adult skis and 2 x junior ones as well as 1 x adult boots and 2 x child’s boots. Poles came with them all and we took our own helmets and I took my boots.
Skimore is a fairly small resort and can easily be covered repeatedly in a day. There are a couple of snow parks with rails and pipes as well as several off piste style snow parks with large snow made hills and jumps (like a BMX track). The green and blue runs are fairly short, but there is plenty of scope to go off piste and exploring through the trees. The locals were doing a lot of that and even ducking under the rope of closed runs to go straight across them.
We spent a bit of time playing around on these and were quite happy for our children (10 and 12) to go off by themselves. After a warming coffee in the cafe, we headed over to Wyller, where the map showed longer more challenging runs (a couple of reds and a black). To get to Wyller, head down from the cafe either immediately to the left (signposted Wyller) and follow the blue down or through the Red snow park. Just before you get to the chair lift, that blue turns red and you have no alternative route. Mr. O, nervous skier extraordinaire, was absolutely fine on it though, and I’d say it was no steeper than some blue sections we encountered in both Austria and France. At the end of this red, there’s a lift back up, but off to the left is a signpost for Wyller, follow it round and there’s another lift, going in the opposite direction.
By this time, it was Mr. O, 10, and I as we’d lost 12 to the snow parks. However, on arrival at Wyller, Mr. O didn’t fancy the look of the reds, so we skied the short, gentle green back to the chair that would take him back up to the greens and blues. 10 opted to return to Wyller with me. There we tackled the black, which was our first ever time skiing a black run.
It was in good condition, though there were some icy patches on the obvious lines down. There was lovely powder to be found by taking less obvious routes down, such a directly under the chair. I wouldn’t say it was a particularly difficult slope, certainly no steeper than Grand Renard (red) in Les Arcs, though admittedly, longer. 10 managed fine, though had a tumble part way down, which, combined with the cold, meant he was ready to call it a day after we stopped in the cafe at the bottom for a hot dog and a drink. 12 met us at the cafe after phoning me, and we went back up to the main cafe to meet Mr. O who had also decided he was done.
10 dropped off, 12 and I headed back to Wyller via the snow park where I fell for the first time attempting a tiny jump. I am not a gymnast on skis! I then took my a second tumble following him through some trees as I got stuck on an exposed rock and then all twisted trying to get myself back on piste. I learned my lesson and stuck exclusively to the piste after that.
Back at Wyller, we went down the reds that ran alongside the black as 12 led the way. These were the most fun for me all day as the snow cover was beautiful, the run was long, and just FUN! It reminded me a little of Rauris in Austria, where we learned to ski. Really interesting to see how different countries grade their runs. We went back up Wyller lift and back down via the black. By this time (about 15:45), the temperature had plummeted and 12 was feeling the cold in his fingers. The Wyller lift was incredibly exposed and windy. Our visors had stuck to our helmets and were covered with ice, so when we did manage to pull them down, we couldn’t see anyway. Though they did help keep the chill out a bit on the lift despite being almost blind. Our coats actually went hard, it was that cold. So we decided to finish there as as much as he wanted to do the red again, he didn’t want to face the lift again.
We went to meet the rest of the family as just as was returning 12’s skis, Mr. O came to find me to say that they had a hot chocolate each, so I could go and do another run. He knows me so well!! I headed over to Wyller and did the red again, but that final run back up that lift was enough for me, too.
Skis returned, the bus turned up promptly at 1706, but then the driver got off and headed into the cafe area, leaving us all stood there, without a word. He came back at 1715 and off we went. The journey back was uneventful.
Booking process:
When I was in the UK, visits to the Skimore site were fairly uninformative, with barely anything on the pages. Once I arrived in Norway, however, when I went to the website, it had ticked over to the Norwegian address, and suddenly all the booking and information opened up for me.
https://www.oslo.skimore.no/en
I was able to book all equipment last night, ready to ski this morning. To book our passes, I used the Skimore app, but that was also useable in the UK.
If you book Guest passes ahead of time, you can use them on any day of the season as they don't become valid until you collect them at Skimore. So I booked a one day pass each last night, and then collected then from the self service machine, which made them valid for today.
There's no deposit for the return of passes. Each were printed with my name on (as the booking name). They are NOK 60 each (£4.63 as it stands today). However, they are reusable, should you return.
Costs:
It is remarkably expensive to ski here. The cheapest equipment package are for this years Nordica and are NOK 380,00 for adults with boots, and 330,00 without. Children are 480,00 with boots and 450,00 without. There is no additional charge for adults helmets, but the child price jumps by 100,00 for children. There are other, more expensive options. The skis were excellent quality (in my uneducated opinion).
Ski passes cost NOK 470 for adults, 400 for children and seniors, and 180 for toddlers per day. Plus NOK 60 for each card.
Costs total:
Passes: NOK 1,980.00 or £153.82
Hire: NOK 1,670 or £129.74
The passes are valid for the whole day, and on a normal day Skimore is open from 0900 to 2200, so from a per hour cost, it is cheaper than a fridge in the UK. Still, £283 for a single days skiing (which doesn’t include food and transport costs) is still steep.
I’m so pleased we did it. The snow conditions were terrific. Their signage left a lot to be designed. It was non existent, so you’d often set off down a run and hope for the best, but that’s all I’ve got to complain about really. The staff were friendly and efficient, and there was generally a good vibe about the place. Great to have got my skiing fix to tide me over until Easter.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
|
Great report
|
|
|
|
|
|
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
|
Great report, @Owlette. We've driven past Tryvann several times on the way to other resorts and I've always meant to find a way to go there. Maybe I'll do an overnight trip on the train this winter.
Costs reflect two things - Norway is expensive, and the resort is basically in Oslo so there's a big, well off captive market. Still, can't be many capitals with a ski resort right there.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
| Quote: |
| We've driven past Tryvann several times on the way to other resorts |
Is Tryvann the same place that @Owlette is reporting on? If so, did a weekend trip there via cheap Ryanair flights a few years back. Loved it. It was both amazing and strange getting on a city centre metro in full ski kit and carrying skis. Nice little ski area for a short trip.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
@mountainaddict, Yes, it is.
We thought the same. I was carrying my boots and when we were on the metro platform, there were some guys with snowboards. We saw skis constantly all weekend. It was brilliantly weird.
The cutest thing I saw was a lad aged about 2, on those super skinny skis (are those cross country ones?) getting on the magic carpet. I think in Norway, if you can walk, you can ski!
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
|
Thanks for the report @Owlette, definitely sounds like a lot of fun. I think I saw the toboggan run on TV at some point and put it on the mental list as well. Certainly not your average city break activities!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
This is a lovely report: many thanks, @Owlette. Thanks in particular for this:
| Owlette wrote: |
When I was in the UK, visits to the Skimore site were fairly uninformative, with barely anything on the pages. Once I arrived in Norway, however, when I went to the website, it had ticked over to the Norwegian address, and suddenly all the booking and information opened up for me.
https://www.oslo.skimore.no/en |
I have the possibility of an Oslo trip for work, and had therefore looked up Skimore, and also found almost no useful information: that tip is enough to reveal pretty much everything I wanted to know: thank you!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
This thread and @ExSussexSnow's thread were what helped me to decide on Oslo and Lillehammer as the destination for my final slide of the season and I wasn't disappointed in the slightest.
Not got much to add that @Owlette hasn't already covered, other than I got excellent customer service from Odin (no, really) at the ticket office. The suggested wax of my snowboard definitely made a difference in what was rather slushy conditions, but totally expected considering the temperatures and it being the last few days of the season.
Oh and the cafe at the bottom of the Wyller section (Willerstua) is run by (I think) a Vietnamese family, as certainly some of the options were from there rather than just the usual "polsen". Reasonably priced for Norway and certainly no greater mark-up than you'd get eating out anywhere else over there.
I'm off to start on my TR for Lillehammer now!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
FAQ
