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10Best Skis Norway
Long Season, Beautiful Scenery
What better way to enjoy Norway's stunning natural beauty than through its national sport: skiing. Most ski resorts in the United States feel blessed if they manage to squeeze in a four-month season. At Norway's dozens of resorts, six months in the norm with guaranteed snow the entire time.
Family-Friendly
Norway's resorts offer excellent kid-friendly facilities, including ski schools with instructors fluent in English. Hemsedal's children's area is the largest in the country, and includes an outdoor activity area with tobogganing and a carousel as well as an indoor childcare area for your little ones too young to ski.
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Snowboarders Welcome Too
Skiing may be the winter sport of choice among Norwegians, but snowboarders are always welcome. Some of the best boarding action goes down at Oslo Winter Park, located a few minutes outside the city center. For kids learning the sport, Geilo has a child-dedicated park with a half-pipe, rails and a fun box.
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Cross-Country Skiing Everywhere You Look
You don't really need a resort to enjoy cross-country skiing, especially in a place with as much natural beauty as Norway. If you're having trouble picking a spot, try Nordseter near Lillehammer, one of Northern Europe's best Nordic skiing areas. Another popular area, Jotunheimen, boasts nearly 200 miles of cross-country tracks open until early summer.
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Try Telemark
Telemark skiing – a variation of the sport using a shorter ski and a boot only attached at the toe – got its start in Norway and remains popular at nearly all the country's resorts. Rental shops throughout the country stock modern equipment for rent if you choose to give telemark skiing a try.
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Laid-Back Apres-Ski
Unlike many mega-resorts in Europe, the Norwegian ski scene is a bit more laid-back and relaxed. You'll find plenty of off-slope action no matter which resort you choose, and accommodation ranges from locally owned lodges to luxury chalets. When you're not skiing, try dog-sledding, tobogganing or ice skating.
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Pistes for All Levels
Norefjell, site of the Alpine skiing events during the 1952 Winter Olympics in Oslo, offers some of the best vericals in the country for expert skiers looking for an adrenaline rush. With 51 slopes and 24 lifts, Hemsedal is also considered one of the best options in the country for beginners and experts alike.
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The Lovely Lofoten Islands
Skiing on an island may sound weird, but the Lofoten Islands – considered some of the most beautiful in the world – offer steep slopes overlooking fjords below. At night, you can see the Northern Lights paint the skies above the area's small fishing villages. If you need a break from skiing, you can also surf in Lofoten, but we'd suggest bringing a wetsuit.
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Ski Year-Round
Most of Norway's ski areas operate from November through April, but even summer travelers can hit the slopes at some of Norway's high altitude resorts. If you really want to get in some mid-summer skiing, Stryn, Galdhøpiggen and Folgefonna are your best bets.
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Fast Lifts, No Lines
Stunning scenery, six months of excellent snow and a welcoming culture...add to that fast, state-of-the-art lifts and hardly any wait in lift lines, and Norway sounds too good to be true. If you don't believe it, see for yourself.
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About Lydia Schrandt
Lydia, photo editor and Readers' Choice Production Manager for USA TODAY 10Best, has traveled to more than 30 countries in Europe, Asia and North and South America, and has lived in Albuquerque, Galveston, Austin, Thailand, Korea, China, Ecuador, Colombia, Argentina, Brazil and now Spain. When she's not at her computer in a cafe, she's out photographing the city, writing fiction or cheering on Barça.
Read more about Lydia Schrandt here.
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