Norway is a beautiful and sparsely populated land of towering mountains, spectacular fjords and clean cities and towns. The people are friendly and often speak English, and youll find you feel at home here. South East Norway is a land of contrasts. In the south the coast is a succession of lovely coves, islands and inlets, dotted with quaint fishing ports. Oslo is at the northernmost point of this enormous arm of the Skagerrak. Inland the scenery becomes progressively wilder and more mountainous, culminating in the wilderness which includes the Jotunheim, Rondane and Dovrefjell national parks. Northern Norway stretches for over 1000 miles, from below Trondheim in the south to the borders of Finland and Russia, well north of the Arctic Circle. Trondheim and Tromso are the two main cities, both well worth a visit, especially Trondheim with its impressive cathedral and attractive old centre. The main road north crosses the Arctic Circle before reaching Bodo, and from here on the scenery is true wilderness, punctuated with the occasional small town.

Many believe that Norway is where it all began, with the need to move across snow over vast distances. During the winter, most of the towns and cities in this wild and beautiful country have access to a ski area. These vary from the high quality slopes and lift complex around Lillehammer, scene of former Winter Olympics, to small local complexes with just a couple of lifts. Theres certainly something for everyone and you could even combine a trip to Oslo with some skiing in the easily reached hills behind the city.

Norway is a kingdom that is situated in the northern part of Europe. Together with Denmark and Sweden, Norway is part of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The kingdom of Norway has a population of around 4 million, scattered on a total of 385,155 km² . There are two official languages in Norway: the Bokmal and the Nynorsk, but in case you are visiting, you shouldn’t worry about the language as the majority of Norwegians speak English.

The capital of Norway is Oslo, being also the greatest city in this land. Oslo is a city that combines tradition with modernity, being a wonderful place to visit. You can go to Vigeland Park and see the sculptures of the famous Norwegian sculptor or you can go to the sea or visit the jumping slope at Holmenkolen. Other nice cities to visit in Norway are Bergen with many lakes and monuments, being called the city of fireworks, Trondheim- a place with loads of cathedrals and in the vicinity of the fjords and Tromso, which is a very northern place and while you are here, you can take a look at the polar circle. Besides the friendly and blonde people, there are also rare animals that one can see in Norway. If you visit the forests or the national parks, you will be able to experience the abundant wildlife (moose, reindeers, white hares, etc.) and the lovely scenery.

Eastern Norway is the land where antiquity and contemporaneity go hand in hand. This is the land of forests which attracts those who are fond of eco tourism. And it is here that the capital of Norway – Oslo, Viking’s sea outpost – is situated. Oslo is an old trade city where Norwegian Vikings used to live. Situated at the end of the Oslofjord, Oslo is often called the green capital of Europe. It is surrounded with green forests and local air is really pure. A trip to Oslo is an opportunity to combine various kinds of rest. In winter you can ski and skate (one of local attractions is a Holmenkollen ski jump), and summer is ideal for a boat trip, which starts at Aker Brugge quay. And if you want something different, hire a car and plan your own trip around Eastern Norway. Most famous museums of Norway are also found in Oslo: Kon-Tiki Museum, Fram Museum, exhibiting the ship Fram, Norsk Folkemuseum and the Vigeland Park. Telemark county is rich in craftsmen and is one of the most popular attractions of South Norway. This region is the centre for skiing. The name of the skiing style – telemark – derives from the region’s name. One of the most popular local cities is Morgedal. The thing to see here is Norwegian Ski Adventure park.

Eastern Norway is the land where antiquity and contemporaneity go hand in hand. This is the land of forests which attracts those who are fond of eco tourism. And it is here that the capital of Norway – Oslo, Viking’s sea outpost – is situated. Oslo is an old trade city where Norwegian Vikings used to live. Situated at the end of the Oslofjord, Oslo is often called the green capital of Europe. It is surrounded with green forests and local air is really pure. A trip to Oslo is an opportunity to combine various kinds of rest. In winter you can ski and skate (one of local attractions is a Holmenkollen ski jump), and summer is ideal for a boat trip, which starts at Aker Brugge quay. And if you want something different, hire a car and plan your own trip around Eastern Norway. Most famous museums of Norway are also found in Oslo: Kon-Tiki Museum, Fram Museum, exhibiting the ship Fram, Norsk Folkemuseum and the Vigeland Park.

Geilo in Norway stands 800 metres high, and has one of the highest ski lifts in the world, stretching 3,887 feet. Geilo is positioned three and a half hours from the capital city, whilst having good road and rail links to the village. Set amidst amazing scenery just off the banks of Fjord, Geilo is at the heart of Norway’s “Winter Wonderland”. Maintaining its reputation as an excellent family resort, Geilo has seen visitors from Europe and beyond since early 1900s. Geilo remains unspoilt, with true Norwegian character firmly intact. Geilo’s reputation as one the worlds top skiing resorts lies mainly in its ability to cater for family vacations. With over 10,000 families visiting the slopes each year, Geilo also offers excellent tuition in packages it refers to as the “Family Starter Pack”. This involves tuition for your entire family for the equivalent of $200 a day. This means, that not only can your whole family learn together, but is also means that families with no skiing experience, can go along and after the first day, they will be able to ski on their own.

Although Geilo offers amazing family packages, it would be unfair to say that Geilo is limited to family vacations. Geilo has hosted very serious world sporting events, as well as being the training ground of the national snowboarding and skiing teams. Geilo is available from August/September all the way through to late March and is also considering investing in “Avalanche Technology” which generates snow from water to provide 24/365 skiing. If you have never been to Geilo then I would recommend that you give it a go, although the family image may put certain people off visiting the slope I would suggest that checking it out is the best thing to do. From their website it is clear to see that consistent snowfall, and a good variation in the difficulty of runs, Geilo is a facility that can genuinely cater for everyone; from beginner to professional.

Skiing is one of the most awaited events in the winter Olympics. There are three major skiing events in the Olympics – ski jumping, alpine skiing and freestyle skiing. Each skiing event have their own histories in the Olympics. Ski jumping was first introduced in the Winter Olympics in 1924, first as a large-hill event, then as a normal-hill event in 1964. This skiing variation was developed in Norway and was brought to America by the turn of the 20th century. With Olympic ski jumping, an athletes makes two jump attempts whose landings are caught on video for accurate measuring. Points are garnered based on the jump lengths with longer jumps gaining more points. Five judges rate an athlete’s jumping style on a 0-20 scale, dropping the highest and lowest scores. The skier or the team that garners the largest total distance and style points is awarded the much coveted gold medal. Most ski jumping medals are won by Norway, Finland and then Austria. Only one American, Anders Haugen, ever won the gold in 1924.

Freestyle skiing made its way into the Winter Olympics at the Calgary Games in 1988 but only for demonstration. It became an official event at the Albertville Games in 1992. Two disciplines are played – moguls and aerials. Aerials are known to be the most astounding disciplines of freestyle skiing. Athletes choose a spot where they begin and they ski down the mountain to a concaved jump that throws them up in the air, where they perform various somersaults and twists before landing with both skis on the ground. They are rated according to form, air and landing. The moguls competition on the other hand involves skiers that race down the mountain individually, going through big bumps of up to 4 feet. There are two jumps through the course and athletes try to impress the judges with creative jumps. They are rated according to their turns, air and speed. Skiing is indeed exciting not only as a pastime but as a sporting event as well.