Winter adventures in Norway

With its snow-capped mountains and powder-bound slopes, Norway is the ultimate skiing destination. Yet in the silent blues and whites of winter, consider an alternative off-piste adventure

Whether off-piste, downhill or cross-country, the skiing in Norway is sensational, with guaranteed powder, few crowds and one of Europe’s longest ski seasons, running from October to May.

But you’ll need to slip away from the slopes for the full Narnia effect. Whether that’s padding through forests in snowshoes while marvelling at the profound silence; tearing across a ord on a rigid inflatable boat safari; or gliding through the pearl-white snow on a sleigh pulled by yelping, run-hungry huskies — the winter adventures in Norway are aplenty.

CHASE ARCTIC WONDERS IN NARVIK

“It’s the greatest show on the planet,” says Narvik-based photographer Michael Ulriksen on the Northern Lights in Arctic Norway. “I often head up to a mountaintop for broad views of the horizon — a well thought-out foreground shows off the Northern Lights at their best.”

Seeing them for the first time can be unnerving: suddenly the sky shifts in mindbending ways, with wizard-wand flashes of green and, if you’re lucky, pink, red and violet. They’re best seen from September to April in areas of minimal light pollution, and often peak around midnight. Narvik, in northern Norway, is one of the best locations to watch their otherworldly dance and local apps, forecasts and hotel ‘aurora alarms’ will keep you in the loop.

ENJOY A HUSKY SAFARI IN GEILO

“When you drive a husky team, all you see is wagging tales on the white horizon and all you hear is paws on crystal snow. Who knew that the biting winter cold and total absence of sound could give such a warm sense of happiness?” says Sissel Wolf Mølmen from Geilo Husky AS.

Steering a pack through the frozen wilderness, led only by the bright stars above your head, is almost like flying

— it’s intuitive, weightless, free. The