Kristiansand is a coastal town in Southern Norway that has its very own ski center. During the winter months kids and adults alike flock to the centre to get in some downhill skiing. The nearest ski resort is Hovden which is a 3.5 hour drive from Kristiansand. So it is perfect for an after work ski or some weekend fun.
My eight year old son waiting for the lift.
The hill has one lift that is a "pommer lift". This is easy for both adults and children to use. Tickets can be purchased in the kiosk along with food and drinks. They have a bank terminal for those wishing to pay via card.
Enjoying a break
I personally love going to the hill because it is a short distance from home and my 3 young children all love it. They all started slalom skiing when they were two years old, so they are fast becoming experts.
My 10 year old starting snowboarding two years ago.
The hill itself is about a 500 metre distance with both steep and easy sections. The volunteers usually put up jumps for the experts as well as rails etc. There are always people helping and they have a snow scooter for emergencies.
View of the main part of the hill.
Unfortunately for this old man (me) I have to wait a little while before putting on the skis again. I injured my knee skiing at Hovden over Christmas.
Father teaching his son how to ski.
The Tveit Skisenter is located approximately 15 minutes drive from the Kristiansand city centre. If you arrive in Kristiansand via plane, you will see it on the left hand side shortly after you leave the Kristiansand Kjevik airport (traveling towards the city). There is a bus stop 30 metres from the hill and buses 35, 36 and 37 will stop there.
My five year old can go up and down the hill himself.
The skisenter has a facebook page with up to date information on ski conditions. That is the best place to find out if it is open and what times.
Waiting for the lift.
Website : www.tveitskisenter.com During the summer months, the skisenter is used as a off road cycling track.
Ryan is an avid fisherman. After arriving in Norway from the UK, he now calls it home. Here are a couple of pictures of his fishing adventures and a little description about them....
What I love about Southern Norway are the defined seasons.
Coming from the UK the seasons often melted into one another, but here you get
the fresh greens of spring, the blazing sun and blue skies of summer, a
kaleidoscope of autumn colours and winter with it’s crisp snowy veil that decks
the landscape.
This picture was taken on one of those kaleidoscope autumn
days. I was actually on my way home from a friend's cabin and as an avid
fisherman the obligatory couple of casts just had to happen. There wasn’t a
breath of wind and the water mirror like reflected the tree's greens, browns
and yellows.
The sea trout and mackerel rose freely in Lenefjorden,
Lyngdal as I in a panther pose crawled into position. A few gentle casts with
my fly rod sent my handtied fly out to the awaiting fish. Fish on the bank was
soon a fact and dinner that evening secured.
This picture is a reminder of those cherished moments in
one’s life.
In August I had the pleasure of entertaining Visit
Sørlandet’s Ambassadors from Afiskeri.dk. Well known for their coverage and
news on their website www.afiskeri.dk from the great salmon fishing in
Mandalselva. They had experienced what Mandalselva had to offer in zones 1,2
and 3 but zone 4 remained yet a stranger. This I had to change.
After the drive up through untouched and rustic Marnardal
valley, they were dumb founded over that both they and many others hadn’t found
the way further north than ‘Laksesenteret’ in Laudal (the northerly boundary of
zone 3). I guided them during the day and this picture taken not too long after
Harry here had landed an atlantic salmon. Here he underhand casts his fly out
to waiting salmon at the neck of the pool. This place one of the best in zone
4. In the distance you see north towards Bjelland and yet another ‘hot-spot’.
If you are interested in taking a fishing adventure in Southern Norway, contact Ryan:
Ryan Marchese / CEO AnglerPilot - IFFF and EFFA certified Flyfishing Guide
Hovden is a snow skiing hill about 3 hours drive out of Kristiansand in southern Norway. You could call it a mini Kristiansand because all locals go there in the winter months. From an Australian perspective, it is roughly the size of Mt Buller - which is a 3 hour drive from Melbourne.
View from the top of Hovden (taken with mobile).
During the peak season, it can get very busy but there are runs for both advanced and novices.
Panoramic view from the restaurant on the mountain (taken with mobile).
I have three small children. The 5 year old can go to the top of the largest run and ski down with me without any problems. It can be a little steep in parts, but we take it slowly. That being said, there are also some very steep runs (black runs) where the more advanced can strutt their stuff.
Waiting in the queue for the kids run.
One of the things I really enjoy about going to Hovden, is the drive there from Kristiansand. The scenery is breathtaking. Quite often I stop the car to take a picture of the waterfalls or mountains.
One of the many amazing view from the drive to Hovden in Norway.
It is a little far for a day trip to Hovden from Kristiansand, but there are many that do that. Visitors also tend to come from Stavanger, Bergen, the UK, Denmark and Germany.
Another view from the restaurant (mobile phone).
Everything in Hovden is within easy reach. There is a restaurant on the mountain, food stores in town, a petrol station, pool, ski sales and a bar which plays sports on a big screen.
My five year old on the smallest run.
All the information you need about Hovden can be found here. Updated information (in Norwegian) can be found on their Facebook page. This includes accommodation, activities, information on ski hire at Hovden. It is also a popular place to visit during the summer months with the regions largest bike race called the "The Colorline Setesdal bicycle race".
