PlanetSKI Takes an Easter Break in Gausta, Norway

It’s a small ski area by alpine standards with only 35 km of marked pistes, but the resort makes up for it with a well thought out lift system.

Plus mercifully empty pistes for anyone who’s used to skiing in the big resorts in the Alps at this time of year, in the run up to Easter.

The weather is cool for the end of March with a hard freeze overnight and the snow softening on lower slopes only after about 2pm.

The resort has 35 slopes that are accessed by its 13 lifts.

Gausta averages over 2.5m of snow each winter, and is often the first resort in Norway to receive snow.

Gausta, Norway. Image c/o Norway – Home of Skiing

Season: December – May
Nearest airport: Oslo Airport
Transfer time: 3.5 hours
Transport: Train / Bus / Private transport
Elevation: 3150 ft
Vertical drop: 1804 ft
Ski lifts: 13
Runs: 35
Grade: 10% Advanced, 40% Intermediate, 50% Beginners

See more in this earlier post on PlanetSKI:

• Skiing in Norway: The resort of Gausta

Plenty of cruising piste skiing is possible.

 

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Gausta, Norway. Image © PlanetSKI

Tomorrow looks like it might be a good day to attempt the main off piste attraction.

A unique funicular ride up the inside of the imposing Gaustatoppen mountain which towers over the resort and a marked itinerary on the way down.

The train heads 850m into the centre of the mountain and then there’s a change to a funicular for a 1,000m, 39° ascent.

It was originally built as a top-secret military listening post to spy on the Russians during the Cold War.

The area also played a pivotal role in the Second World War when Norway was occupied by the Germans.

The Nazis took over the hydroelectric power plant at Vemork, a UNESCO Industrial Heritage Site, that is next to Gausta.

As well as a marvel of engineering, the daring story about the 1943 sabotage of the heavy water plant here featured in the 1965 film ‘The Heroes of Telemark’, that starred Kirk Douglas.

The founder of Gausta Ski Resort, Olav Svartdal, was Kirk Douglas’s stunt double in all the skiing scenes that feature in the film.

With the proceeds from this, he was able to build the main hotel in the resort which was recently refurbished to a high standard in 2022.

Do check back later in the week as I update this post on the fascinating ski resort of Gausta.

Gausta, Norway. Image © PlanetSKI

More to follow… 

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