Early season cross country ski trips to Beitostølen Norway
-
Sunday 7 to Sunday 14 December 2025, and
-
Friday 12 to Friday 19 December 2025
;)
About these trips
Join us for an early-season on-snow Club trip to Beitostølen, Norway which is aimed at anyone who is able to ski independently: improver, intermediate or advanced. Whether you want to improve your ski technique, prepare for races later in the season, or just to ski with others, Beitostølen is one of the best areas for track skiing in Norway. It’s on the edge of the Jotunheimen mountain range, and the Club has run successful trips to this resort in 2019, 2020 and 2023.
There are two separate weeks being organised, so it could also be possible to choose a shorter or longer trip between 7 to 19 December 2025.
About Beitøstolen
There are up to 170 km of cross-country skiing tracks in the area, including 5 km floodlit. The Beitøstolen World Cup sprint races kick off the season here and take place in the last week of November. From that date, the tracks in the stadium are maintained regularly, providing a variety of short routes for honing technique and fitness. Other tracks are groomed in the area dependent on the snowfall. In 2023 we had plenty on the high plateau and westwards to explore but this cannot be guaranteed.
The town is compact and has very good facilities including three supermarkets, restaurants, bars, ski shops etc partly due to the downhill ski facilities in the area. Accommodation is also good value for money by Norwegian standards.
The daytime temperatures may be low; possibly minus 5C to minus 15C. The days aren’t too short though as sunrise is about 0930 and sun set is around 1510 which gives plenty of time for skiing.
About the Skiing (dependent on snow conditions)
- The area to the south of the town is mostly gentle tracks with a ski stadium/practice area and adjacent biathlon range. From the stadium there’s also the option of the hilly and challenging World Cup circuit.
- To the west there are moderate undulating tracks leading to the viewpoint for local landmark, the Bitihorn mountain, and a variety of tracks beyond in open areas away from trees. Also a well placed hut for shelter.
- The high mountain plateau to the north and east contains extensive tracks in undulating terrain. This is above the tree line, up to 1150m, offering outstanding views of the Jotunheim mountains & lakes, and uniquely Norwegian scenery. Access involves a large height gain from the town at 850-900m, but we aim to take all climbs at an easy pace
For more information:
Who this trip is for
This trip is available to LRNSC members and to anyone from another Snowsport England affiliated cross-country ski club. If you are not a member of either you can join LRNSC here.
It is not suitable for beginners. You should be able to ski safely and independently – coaching is optional so not all skiing will be led by an instructor/coach.
What’s on offer?
7 – 14 December
- Optional coaching for improvers/intermediates led by Snowsport England/BASI Level 2 instructor Mary Wray.
The aim will be to help you ski more efficiently and build on your skills so you can get the most out of your early season skiing. Sessions will focus on refreshing your skiing technique, classic and/or skate, both in the stadium area and progressing to 'on the go tuition' on short tours. They will take place early in the trip so you can ski more confidently and safely on longer independent tours as the week progresses. Actual timing and content will depend on participants' skill levels, preferences and skiing conditions, maximum 8 people per session. It’s not a course, and you can decide if you wish to join sessions or choose to do your own skiing.
- Recreational skiing within a self-arranged group.
- Independent skiing to tour the area, practice or follow your own training plan.
12- 19 December
- Optional coaching for up to eight participants [more if some do not want coaching every day] led by Snowsport England Level 3 coach Adam Pinney.
Its main aim is to give you the chance to practice your skiing skills. Coaching will be informal and available on an ad-hoc basis, but most time will be spent on the tracks, practising skills such as down-hilling, climbing and cornering. Each session (one or two per day) will have a theme, but this will not be a ‘coached course’ in the normal sense; if there’s something you want to work on, we will work on it! Equally, if you don't want coaching for a specific session or day, you're free to do your own thing.
- Recreational skiing. Members can tour the area and the organiser is willing to help with knowledge of the track system, leading tours if requested. We can also combine morning coaching sessions with a tour following on from that, according to demand.
Transport
Flights to Oslo Gardemoen
At time of writing 8 direct flights by BA, Norwegian, SAS arrive in time for the recommended bus. Alternatively you could travel earlier and take the indirect bus, or travel the day before and stay in Oslo, or at the airport.
Transfers between Oslo Gardermoen to Beitostolen by Valdresekspressen (The Valdres Express)
The recommended direct bus NW163 leaves at 1700 from the airport (stand 100m from arrivals exit), arriving at 2030. The direct bus runs only on Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays, and only once per day. Otherwise the indirect bus NW161 leaves Oslo Central Bus Station at at 1000, 1200, 1700, 2000 and takes 3 hours 45m.
The recommended return direct bus NW163 leaves Beitostolen at at1045 and arrives at 1430.
Advance booking required - book here NB Bus timings are based on the previous winter timetables but are not expected to change much. Cost ~£40 each way.
Accommodation
There are various options offered by the central booking website (see below) - if you click on the “BOOK NOW” in the top RH corner of the webpage and input dates, it should come up with available accommodations. We have stayed at most of these and they are of a good standard.
On previous trips we have socialised & planned the next day by getting together after dinner – we also usually eat together at a restaurant on several evenings, or participants staying in cabins/apartments arrange informal get-togethers.
TOWN LAYOUT – Ski hire plus one large supermarket are at the north (N) end of the main street, near the Radisson Hotel, which acts as central reception for the resort. It takes about 10 minutes to walk the length of the main street. There is another supermarket half way down and another at the south (S) end. Access to the ski tracks is easy from all locations.
HOTEL OPTION - The Radisson, modern, highly recommended if hotel facilities are required. However, outside of a tour package they are expensive. Cost: approx. £100 per night for single.
B&B SELF CATERING OPTIONS (LEILIGHETER in Norwegian).
- Bitihorn apartments – at the N end, basic but inexpensive.Gjestegaarden apartments – at the N end, very modern & highly recommended, mid priced.
- Bergo apartments – at the N end, modern, mid-priced. NB some have complained of late noise from the public bar at the Radisson Hotel end of the building, so check where it is – the middle/far end should be fine.
- Hovi cabins – large well equipped, higher priced wooden cabins. At the middle of the main street.
- Knuts-hyttegrend – a large group of wooden cabins from 1 to 3 Bedrooms. Inexpensive for cabins. At the S end. BOOKS DIRECT ONLY - https://knuts-hyttegrend.no/ OR Booking.com in English.
Cost : £400-700 per week single occupancy, £200-300 sharing. Remember to select cleaning/linen, as these are extra.
Most except Knuts are best directly booked with the resort website (in Norwegian but easy to use). The resort responds to email/phone enquiries in English, plus booking confirmations are in English. Booking@beitostolen.com is the direct email.
The Radisson Hotel reception (open 24/7) holds all keys for centrally booked rentals but not for Knuts-Hytte, which has its own reception building in front of the huts. All self catering options allow for late check-in, consistent with the bus times.
NB
- For 7 – 14 December a number of Knuts Hyttegrend cabins have been pre booked as this option is close to a supermarket and they are closest to the stadium area . But see all the other options above.
- For 12 – 19 December you should liase with the organiser, who will also aim to pre book some accommodation in due course.
Other Expenses to budget for:
Ski Hire if needed. Cleaning/linen hire if using self-catering accommodation. Track use is free.
Travel rules
The trip will be run in accordance with English and Norwegian regulations and guidance in force at the time. See the latest information.
Medical/travel insurance
Everyone on the trip is recommended to have their own travel insurance policy. For medical treatment you are recommended to take either your EHIC card (these remain valid unless expired), or the new GHIC (Global Health Insurance Card) issued by Gov.uk. You can also use your UK passport to get medically necessary healthcare in Norway if you're a UK resident.
What to do next
Stage 1
If you are interested in booking either week please register using this form.
If you have any questions please email the relevant organiser:
- 7-14/12 Pauline Styles
- 12–19/12 Greg Clack
Stage 2
Once you have registered your interest, see above, either Pauline or Greg will get back to you to confirm arrangements and liaise regarding accommodation. Previous experience suggests that we will probably be distributed across several cabins and apartments that are close to each other. Sharing accommodation can help to reduce costs, although single occupancy is also possible.
Flights can be booked as soon as accommodation is confirmed. Bus bookings will not be open until October/November, when the winter timetable is available.
;)