"Hemsedal - Ski Norway!" Hemsedal by wyagi6

When Norwegians talk about skiing, often as not, they talk about cross country skiing however alpine (downhill) is equally popular as far as I can see.

Hemsedal is a major ski resort in a part of Norway often referred to as the "Scandanavian Alps". There are several ski resorts in the area but Hemsedal is the biggest, offering a selection of downhill slopes and cross country routes.

The snow conditions weren't bad but the ski instructors we spoke to said that there had only been one major fall of snow at the beginning of the season and that a lot had melted. The resort has a large number of snow making machines so they were able to maintain the quality on the lower slopes. Higher up, the snow was slightly crusty with ice making it slightly tricky for inexperienced skiers...

Bottom of the main run

Well, the icy conditions certainly dealt with me! I've never been good at skiing and after this holiday I probably never will ski again. To explain - on day two of our holiday, I managed to fall really badly, severely damaging the ligaments in one knee. Another bad fall on the downhill slopes and the knee could be permanently damaged...

I spent four painful days trapped in the apartment while my family were out having fun. I was not the best of patients I'm ashamed to say.

It's a great pity because Hemsedal is a really fantastic resort and I would recommend it to anyone keen on trying somewhere new. There are plenty of ski runs for people of all abilities, even knuckleheads like myself.

My son Christopher - on top of the world!

We intend going back in the next skiing season. If my knee is strong enough, I plan on trying some of the cross country runs. In particular, there are some cross country routes right on the top of the mountains where they flatten out into a plateau. As you can see from the pictures, we had some excellent weather and the scenery is wonderful.

The lower runs were quite crowded. For more peaceful skiing, it was best to go higher up.

It can get quite cold at Hemsedal. They won't allow anyone on the slopes if it drops below -20°C. We had one morning where it was marginal with temperatures around -18°C. If you're staying at the main resort, the instructors put on a night time show. In fact, some of the slopes are floodlit allowing people to ski up until about 8 or 9 o'clock in the evening. After that, the slopes are closed so they can prepare them for the following day.

If you're tempted to try skiing in Norway, consider coming to Hemsedal.

• Pros:A good selection of downhill and cross country ski runs
• Cons:Can't compete with the French alps but not bad