Hemsedal: the back story

About Hemsedal: the back story

By the ULTIMATE Ski Resorts Editorial Team

Editor-in-Chief: Jai Michael

Hemsedal is a mountain valley in Buskerud, roughly halfway between Oslo and Bergen, where sheep still come down from the high pastures each autumn. Since the first lifts opened at Holdeskaret in 1961 it has become one of Scandinavia’s best-known ski resorts, often called the Scandinavian Alps.

A valley between two cities

Hemsedal sits in Hallingdal, roughly halfway between Oslo and Bergen, about three hours’ drive from the capital. It is a farming valley first: Brandvoll mountain farm in Hulbak keeps around 300 sheep, Spekeloftet air-dries lamb in the mountain breeze to make pinnekjøtt, and each autumn the flocks are brought home from the high pastures. The tourist office describes being a Hemsedøl as an attitude rather than a matter of pedigree.

Holdeskaret, 1961

Skiing came to the valley in earnest in 1961, when lifts opened at Holdeskaret; SkiStar marked fifty years of lift operations in the 2011/12 season, and has owned the resort since 2000. It is commonly referred to as the Scandinavian Alps, and with good reason: three peaks rise above 1,000 metres, Totten (1,450 m), Tinden (1,345 m) and Roni, giving an 810-metre vertical and runs of up to 6 km.

A farming valley in Hallingdal, with the steepest skiing and the loudest après-ski in Norway.

The mountain today

SkiStar lists about 50 slopes and more than 20 lifts, from green runs around the SkiStar Lodges to freeride zones in the forest a stone’s throw from the groomed pistes. Snowmaking covers about 60 per cent of the slopes, and up to 10 km are floodlit for evening skiing. Over 250 km of prepared cross-country trails run east and west from the ski centre, and from week six the high-mountain trails open.

Après-ski

Hemsedal is as famous for its afternoons as for its mornings. Stavkroa has run afterski since 1982 and now spreads across six venues and 3,500 m², which it calls the largest in Scandinavia; Skistua, by the slopes, has live music and DJs Monday to Saturday all winter. For something calmer, Skarsnuten’s terrace and the restaurants at Skigaarden look straight out over the valley.

Every budget

SkiStar sets its SkiPass prices by date, so booking early online is always cheapest, and children up to six ski at no charge. Self-catering apartments in the village, the supermarkets in the centre and the ski bus, open to everyone at no charge, keep a week affordable. At the other end of the scale, Skarsnuten Hotel and Fýri Resort offer boutique rooms, spas and fine dining.

Our advice: stay at the ski centre if you want to ski from the door, or in the village centre at Trøim for restaurants and shops, with the ski bus in between. Come in March and April for long, light spring days and terrace après-ski.

Hemsedal in brief

From SkiStar (skistar.com) and Visit Hemsedal (hemsedal.com), October 2026.

Opening hours, prices and seasonal openings change, so please check with Hemsedal: the back story before you go.