A weekend in Oslo
CITY AND NATURE SIDE BY SIDE One of the aspects of Oslo that the locals value the most is having nature in the immediate vicinity. Sunday hikes, skiing in the winter, beach life in the summer – Norwegians need no excuse to take a break from city life and step into the more rural areas surrounding the city. From Oslo city centre, you can use public transport to travel to nearby mountains, forests, islands, farms and ski slopes, all less than an hour away. If you’re travelling to Oslo during the winter, you have a lot of chances to try your hand (or legs) at winter sports, whether you’re a professional or have never seen a pair of skis in your life. Legend has it that Norwegians are born with skis on their feet, but don’t let that discourage you; it doesn’t take much practice to get a whole lot of fun out of the various skiing options.
SKI LIKE A NORWEGIAN
Tryvann Skisenter. © Nancy Bundt, VisitNorway.com
The largest ski resort in Oslo is Oslo Vinterpark (Oslo Winter Park), located at Tryvann. The park is 40 minutes away from the city centre on metro #1, and offers slopes for alpine skiing, snowboarding and cross-country skiing for all levels, including beginners. There are also O S L O V I N T E R PA R K terrain parks with elements like jumps, rails and a halfpipe for even more fun. Equipment for alpine skiing, cross-country skiing and snowboarding can be rented at the park, including clothes. The park also offers lessons through its ski school, where all instructors are certified. The park is open from December through to late April. Get metro #1 to Voksenkollen station, and walk the remaining 15 minutes or get a corresponding Ruter-bus (located next to Voksenkollen Station) straight to the park entrance.
© VisitNorway.com
GO TOBOGGANING DOWN KORKETREKKEREN If you’re after a different kind of winter fun, how about going tobogganing? Get metro #1 all the way out to Frognerseteren station, where’ll you find the start of the biggest and most popular sledding KORKETREKKEREN run in Oslo, Korketrekkeren (The cork screw). Korketrekkeren is two kilometres long, and one trip down the whole run takes between eight and ten minutes. When you reach the end, you’ll find yourself at Midstuen metro station where, if you’re keen to go again, you can get the metro straight back up to Frognerseteren. Enjoying the slope is free of charge, and toboggans for hire are available from several outlets at Frognerseteren. The slope itself can get busy when the weather is nice, and adults outweigh kids both in size and numbers, so a lot of families visiting with small children prefer to play in the hill marking the beginning of the run. Also be aware that there are moose in the area, and people have been known to bump into them on the way down the run – quite literally. Stop for a break and a hot drink at the beautiful Kafé Seterstua and enjoy the view afterwards.
© Nancy Bundt, VisitNorway.com
30 | Lørdag/Saturday
Korketrekkeren is only open for tobogganing if conditions are good enough, so keep an eye on akeforeningen.no for updates.
