Photo: © Visit Geilo
With 17 lifts, 35km of piste, and a vertical drop of only 378m, Geilo is best suited to beginners, low intermediates and families. The two main ski areas – Geilohovda and Geilolia/Kikut – are inconveniently situated on either side of a fjord, with the resort situated in the centre.
Most of the skiing is at the larger Geilohovda area at the foot of the famous Hardangervidda, which is Northern Europe’s largest mountain plateau. Geilolia is the smaller of the two ski areas and a five-minute bus-ride from town. The ski centre here houses the ski school, an equipment hire shop and a restaurant, and is right next to the nursery slope and the Troll Club, and a minute from the nearest chair-lift. The area links by chair to the Kikut ski area. Geilo has floodlit night skiing four evenings a week.
The snowparks are sensational
Geilo has five snowparks in all. Winterpark 1 is situated on the west side of Geilo, with two parallel courses and 12 rails, all accessed by a four-seater chair-lift. One course offers varying levels of difficulty, while the other is a rail park for beginners to advanced freestylers.
Geilolia Snowpark is a freestyle skiing and snowboard playground, with a separate green park away from the larger parks. It includes jumps, box rails and a boardercross course through the forest for kids. Vestli Loypa park has around 25 different obstacles including rails, boxes, bonks, pvc pipes, jumps and a big-air bag. The Black Park, accessed from Randiloypa, is for serious and professional riders only, with two extra-large jumps and some challenging rails.
From cross-country to kiteskiing
Geilo is home to the famous Hardangervidda Plateau which is Northern Europe’s largest mountain plateau and cross-country ski area. It provides a total of 220km of track in the immediate area. Loiping around the lake you might encounter the odd person but, on the whole, it is a delightfully peaceful experience
As a complete contrast, Geilo is also one of the most important places in the world for the fast-growing sport of kiteskiing (using wind-force for skiing), with both the World Championships and World Cup events having been held here. The landscape and wind conditions on the Hardangervidda Plateau make Geilo ideal for the sport.
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