Skiing in the Fjords in Voss, Norway

In het begin van 2011 was het team van Mijnsneeuw.nl te gast in een van de meest verrassende wintersportbestemmingen van Europa

In the Beginning of 2011 the Myslopes.com Team was a guest in one of the most surprising ski holiday destinations in Europe: Voss in Norway. Thanks to its location in the middle of the Fjords on Norway's Westcoast is a a flight to nearby Bergen Airport (Flesland Airport) a special experience right of the bat. With clear skies you can see parts of the wild Norwegian coast line, where Fjords, water and snowy mountaintops follow one another. Arriving at the airport in Bergen we rented a car (See Avis for cheap deals), and drove to the absolute ski capital of the Norwegian Fjords: Voss.

Accomodation

Hotel Fleisscher

After a beautifull tour through a Winter wonderland passing Fjords and lakes we arrived in Voss, a charming village where we checked into our Hotel: Hotel Fleischer. Hotel Fleisscher is an old hotel with a great atmosphere.

Both from inside as well as from the outside the Hotel is a gem. We stayed there half-board, Hotel Fleischer has an extensive vreakfast buffet and a 4-course dinner. Apart from Hotel Fleischer we visited a number of other accommodations in Voss, with the wooden cabins of Voss Bavalstunet (at Voss Bavallen ski resort) and the cabins of Voss Fjellandsby (at the Voss Fellandsby ski resort in Myrkdalen) highly recommended according to our review. (some other accommodation in the region is found on http://www.myslopes.com/norway/ski-holidays-voss.php) You do need a car to stay in this area, so that you can get groceries in the village for example to your cabin.

Skiing, Snowboarding and Cross-Country Skiing

Voss Bavallen

A winter holiday in Voss is divided in two seperate ski resorts, on around 40 minutes from each other. There is Voss Ski resort (Voss Bavallen), situated next to the village and with around 40km of slopes the largest ski area. The second ski resort belonging to Voss is Voss Fjellandsby, situated in Myrkdalen. The total length of the ski slopes here is around 20km and this area is clearly the most modern, amongst others with a fast brand-new 6-person chair lift.

Voss Bavallen primarily has green, blue and (dark) red slopes, (black slopes are not as tough here) a large number of drag lifts/t-bar lifts and 2 and 4 person chairlifts. With a large gondola from the village, somewhere above Hotel Fleischer you are brought up to the panorama café, where you can have great views over Voss and the lake that surrounds the village. From here you take a one-person chair lift or t-bar up to the rest of the ski area. Alternatively you can take the car up to Voss Bavallen in about 5minutes and park at the base area. From this base area it is much easier to reach the more challenging slopes. The ski lifts are a bit older in Bavallen but this didn't hold us back to enjoy every run.

In the second resort in Voss: Voss Fjellandsby the ski lifts are all much newer and more modern. This area also has a lot of wooden cabins that have ski-in ski-out capabilities along the slopes.

For Freestyle snowboarders and skiers there are events quite regularly in Voss and in Voss Bavallen is a nice funpark with an assortment of jumps, rails and other obstacles. Offpiste, there is also a lot of great powder and possibilities in Voss, even just right next to or along the slopes, with great natural jumps, trails through trees and powder runs.

Future Developments

Ski holiday in Voss Fjellandsby

Both Voss Bavallen and Voss Fjellandsby are developing rapidly in the coming years. It's definitely not unthinkable that both the number of slopes and accommodations in Voss will grow two or even three times in number and size. Thanks to the natural mountain slopes on top of the Fjords it is relatively easy to add ski lifts. New cabins and a large new hotel are also planned.

Entertainment and after-ski
Besides skiing and all snow sports possibilities there are also a number of other great activities in Voss. In the week we were there (January 2011) for example a brand new Culture house was opened that amongst other incorporates two movie rooms. Shopping in Voss is divided over one or two streets that are flanked by a beautifull wooden church when you enter the village.

Tre Bror Cafe

One of our favourite spots in Voss was the Tre Bror Cafe, a nice café-restaurant that feels almost like a living room. The carrot cake and Tre bror's Burger are highly recommended!

The Apres-ski or after-ski as they call it here is small but enjoyably in Voss. Don't expect a wild nightlife in Voss with an extensive choice. We enjoyed ourselves a lot however at the after-ski on Friday and Saturday in Bavalsstunet (Next to the Bavalstunet cabins at the bottom of the slopes in Voss Bavallen). Ideal about this location is that if you are staying in this cabin village, there is a lit baby slope that stays open on Saturdays in the evening so parents can take a few drinks while the kids enjoy a few last downhill runs. The bar below the Tre Bror Cafe in the village is also open in the weekend till around 12.

Local specialties and Brands

Shopping in Voss

Voss is know ofcourse for its luxury drinking water that originates from the village (http://www.vosswater.com/). The village Voss also has also produced two local ski clothing brands: clothing brand Bula and the female clothing brand Kari Traa named after a local female freestyle skier. Both brands have their own 'flagship store' in Voss.

Concluding, Voss is a great ski holiday destination with nice hotels, charming familiy cabins in a great winter wonderland!

Ski slopes are very suitable for beginners and kids, but will definitely also please more advanced skiers and boarders. From the UK you can fly to Bergen in a few hours, where you can then hire a car and drive to Voss in 90 minutes.

www.visitnorway.com