Hemsedal, Norway - March/April, 2023
Posted: Wed Apr 12, 2023 2:31 pm
Several weeks ago, a friend of mine, who lives in Gothenburg, Sweden, invited me over to ski with him and his 10 year old son. It had been a while since I had been in Norway, so I jumped at the chance to get out of the 80 degree heat of Atlanta and headed over.
We found the right bar in Gothenburg before leaving to ski.
There's no easy way to get to Hemsedal, so we decided to rent a car and drive the approx. 6 hours there from the city. The drive is actually not bad at all, but you do have to watch for speed cameras in Sweden and Norway. Signs are always posted to warn you of an upcoming camera, but the distance to the actual camera can vary widely. There was also one area where the first camera records the time you pass it and then a second camera does the same a couple of kilometers down the road, and if your average speed is higher than the posted speed, you get a ticket. Fun times.
We stayed at Skigaarden up on the mountain and really enjoyed the lodging (which included breakfast and dinner). Scandinavian countries have a weird practice of not providing linens with lodging rentals for some reason, but fortunately towels and sheets were provided here. It was also a nice spot for apres ski.
Here are some photos from the mountain.
We spent a lot of time on and around the peak in the distance.
Our lodging is the grouping of buildings down on the right.
Apres ski at Skigaarden. Generally, apres ski in Norway gets pretty crazy during major holidays. If you are ever here and really want an experience, go to Stavkroa (the Hemsedal Cafe is also fun).
We found the right bar in Gothenburg before leaving to ski.
There's no easy way to get to Hemsedal, so we decided to rent a car and drive the approx. 6 hours there from the city. The drive is actually not bad at all, but you do have to watch for speed cameras in Sweden and Norway. Signs are always posted to warn you of an upcoming camera, but the distance to the actual camera can vary widely. There was also one area where the first camera records the time you pass it and then a second camera does the same a couple of kilometers down the road, and if your average speed is higher than the posted speed, you get a ticket. Fun times.
We stayed at Skigaarden up on the mountain and really enjoyed the lodging (which included breakfast and dinner). Scandinavian countries have a weird practice of not providing linens with lodging rentals for some reason, but fortunately towels and sheets were provided here. It was also a nice spot for apres ski.
Here are some photos from the mountain.
We spent a lot of time on and around the peak in the distance.
Our lodging is the grouping of buildings down on the right.
Apres ski at Skigaarden. Generally, apres ski in Norway gets pretty crazy during major holidays. If you are ever here and really want an experience, go to Stavkroa (the Hemsedal Cafe is also fun).