Considering a family ski holiday? Ask the Ski Safari experts about skiing in Norway. Win a £100 voucher for taking part.

[geemumsnet]

Planning a family ski holiday can be exciting, but there’s a lot to think about too.

From choosing a resort that works for different ages and abilities to finding family-friendly accommodation, ski schools and activities away from the slopes, knowing where to start can sometimes feel overwhelming.

If you’re considering somewhere a little different for your next family ski trip, Norway could be worth exploring. Known for its spectacular scenery, reliable winter conditions and family-friendly approach to skiing, it offers plenty for beginners, experienced skiers and everyone in between.

That’s why we’ve invited the experts from Ski Safari to Mumsnet to answer your questions about planning a family ski holiday in Norway.

Whether you’re completely new to skiing or already have a few family ski trips under your belt, this is your chance to ask about everything from choosing the right Norwegian resort to what you can expect when you get there.

Post your questions for the Ski Safari team below by Friday 16th October and you could be in with a chance of winning an £100 voucher. T&Cs apply.

Our expert panel are all mums who have skied or snowboarded extensively across Norway: Abbie, Amy, Claire, Hannah, Maggie and Victoria. They’ll be answering your questions with their insider knowledge to help you decide whether Norway could be the destination for your next family ski adventure.

About Ski Safari
We know what matters to mums when it comes to skiing. Every year we help hundreds of families plan, book and enjoy their perfect family ski holiday, and more than half our team are parents who ski with their own children each winter.
Ski Safari started in Canada 30 years ago, but since joining our programme in 2012, Norway has become our most-visited and most-loved destination for families.

Between us, we’ve skied at every resort we offer, visited every property and sampled more than a few of the restaurants, bars and non-ski activities. We’re here to help with parent-to-parent advice.

Follow Ski Safari on Instagram or browse their website skisafari.com

We can book ski or snowboard equipment for you in all of the resorts in Norway that we feature. We can include these in your initial quote, so you have the total price, or we can add them at a later stage and add them to your final balance which is payable 10 weeks prior to departure. We receive competitive rates and sometimes have special offers on kids' rentals.

Geilo and Beitostolen are great resorts to switch between cross country and downhill skiing. Geilo has well-groomed cross-country tracks including floodlit evening loops, and it has 45 slopes for downhill, catering for both beginners and intermediate skiers. Beitostolen has 320km of cross-country trails with trail maps available at the Beito Resort Hotel. There is also downhill skiing in a quiet, family-run resort.

I took my son skiing to Norway for the first time when he was 16 and he had group lessons. He progressed very quickly. I still have lessons as an adult and they are great to improve technique and regain confidence when you haven't skied for a year!

We can advise on the best options for your children in each resort, whether that’s group ski school or private lessons.

Scandinavian resorts excel at this kind of inclusivity. I remember chatting with a Norwegian local who had skied his entire life (the norm!), and his absolute favourite spot was Beitostølen (Beito Resort). Because Beito is famous for its gentle, family-friendly, and highly accessible slopes, I was initially surprised by his choice. However, I soon realised that, alongside the immaculate groomers, many of these resorts offer an abundance of thrilling off-piste and backcountry terrain to keep advanced skiers just as happy.

My husband was a sceptic at first. Used to the towering peaks of the Alps, he initially dismissed Norway as "too flat" when I suggested Kvitfjell. He was pleasantly surprised. The terrain tested him on the world-famous Olympiabakken - the lightning-fast, hard-packed black run built for the 1994 Lillehammer Winter Olympics. It provided him with an icy, high-speed challenge, while the others in our group were perfectly content sticking to the gentler inclines!

I have a 2 year old and I probably would not start him skiing until he was 3 at the earliest, mainly because it is tiring for a little one and they have short attention spans.

Some resorts will allow short private lessons from age 3 to get the child used to being in the equipment and learning basic movements. Most resorts offer group lessons from the age of 4 years.

Geilo would be a great place if you have a 3 year old to start getting to know the basics.

There is also Trollklubben Childcare located next to the slopes on the Vestlia side. Children from 2 years can play in the snow and inside the cozy cabin while parents get some time to explore more. The Vestlia Resort also has a swimming pool and there are lots of activities in Geilo for a child who is just starting out and needs a mix of ski and non-ski time.

Thanks so much - that's really helpful! Now off to persuade my husband that it'll be a good thing.

When you say book with a private instructor - do you mean on site near the resort, or before you travel - we have an indoor ski slope which may help with the posture and balance, I feel that if we were to need one to one lessons they may be too expensive ? what sort of hourly rate would you expect ? Ty

This is really helpful thank you!

If we were to ski in Norway at Christmas/New Year time, how many daylight hours could we expect? What's snow cover like at that time of year? What resort would you recommend for strong intermediates/advanced skiers?

Thanks - that helps - always a worry

This sounds super exciting! We are a skiing family and go with friends. The least experienced has done 4 ski seasons, the men are black runners. The rest are in between so we need a decent number of lovely blues and reds. Would Norway suit us? We have done all the major French resorts, our faves are Val disere but we are now priced out, we love the courchevel slopes but La Tania is risky for snow, really liked Les arcs, La rosiere, and we are trying alpe d’huez in feb. Would love to know if Norway could suit us?

Thanks - any idea how much more I would be looking at percentage wise compared to the UK please ?

How much spending money do you take for a family of 4 - to have enough for a good holiday ?

Family here with 2 pensioner parents and 2 very able adult offspring who love reds and blacks. Is there a resort that will provide the excitement that the fit young'uns would like but have some nice gentle runs for the OAPs?

This website helps to give an outline of typical costs https://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/country_result.jsp?country=Norway&displayCurrency=GBP. Bearing in mind that costs at home have increased, the difference isn't as great when visiting Norway. I will say the quality and experience is excellent in Scandinavia.

Daylight is not an issue as most of Norway's downhill skiing is in the south of the country, which is further north than the Alps which helps with snow surety without the need for high altitude, but most importantly the resorts are not so far north that it really compromises anyone’s ski day. Even in December, the southern resorts have daylight skiing from 9.30-15.30 and if you'd like a bit more, most resorts offer night skiing until 8pm. You can read more about skiing in Norway at Christmas here https://www.skisafari.com/blog/skiing-in-norway-at-christmas

Gausta and Kvitfjell both offer skiing for all levels but also have plenty of terrain for advanced skiers.

Kvitfjell is one of only three resorts in the world that have been purpose-built for the Winter Olympics. It has great terrain to bring on everyone from first timers to Olympic downhill althetes. Despite being a regular venue on the FIS World Cup circuit, it seems to fly under the radar so you can enjoy world class slopes without the crowds.

Gausta offers a full mountain of off-piste as well as some great pisted slopes with incredible views. In addition, it offers fabulous floating saunas with the iconic Gaustatoppen as the backdrop.