Two of the most popular ski areas in Norway are Hemsedal and Trysil. Since they are both accessible from Oslo, Gothenburg and Stockholm, we decided to do a side-by-side comparison so you can decide which is best for you.
Alpine Skiing and Snowboarding
| Trysil | Hemsedal | |
| Number of Lifts | 31 | 20 |
| Ski runs | 69 | 51 |
| Maximum Vertical Drop | 685 | 810 |
| Longest ski run | 5.4 km | 6 km |
Both Trysil and Hemsedal have Fun Parks and Snow Parks, and moguls but no half-pipe.
So, Trysil is obviously larger in terms of the number of ski runs and lifts, but Hemsedal has the highest drop. Having skiid at both, it is really hard to compare, but as a mid-level skier I enjoyed Hemsedal a little more because of the variety of runs suitable for my level. My friends who are more advanced skiers love Trysil and ski there regularly. Having said that, other friends of mine liked the off-piste skiing at Hemsedal, and spent most of their time doing that.
Off-piste
Both Trysil and Hemsedal have good off-piste skiing, both with and without guides. For unguided off-piste skiing, see this guide for Trysil and this one for Hemsedal.
Cross Country Skiing
Although best known for alpine or downhill skiing Both Trysil and Hemsedal have long tracks for cross-country skiing.
Trysil
More than 100 km of groomed cross-country trails, the two most popular areas are Skihytta and Fageråsen.
Hemsedal
More than 250 km of cross-country trails. Most trails start from Hemsedal Ski Centre.
Child Friendliness
Skiing is a big part of life in Scandinavia, so most ski areas are well setup to cater for families, and for children and teenagers. For the overall rating, we looked at skiresort.info. Having skied at both with teenagers, I can say that the lessons they provide are good, and that the progressive levels of difficulty, and the variety of runs, keep them interested in hitting the slopes.
Skiresort.info rates Trysil 5/5 for family friendliness. It has dedicated ski areas for kids, and lessons starting from 3 years of age.
Skiresort.info also rates Hemsedal 5/5 for family friendliness, with dedicated ski areas for kids. Hemsedal reportedly has the largest ski area in Norway for kids.
Restaurants
Trysil boasts a selection of different restaurants, such as Barbacoa – a South American BBQ and Mexican food, there are Italian resturants, and pub-style restaurants as well. For something different for the family, there is also Chill Bowl and Dine, which is a restaurant and bowling alley.
Hemsedal has a similar selection of Italian, pub-style food, and Nordic-inspired restaurants.
Bars and Nightclubs
What ski holiday is complete without a night spent at the apres-ski pub or club?
In Trysil there is Restaurant Laaven, which has live music during the week, and then DJs on the weekend. On Saturday nights it is transformed into a nightclub. Skipuben is another good apres-ski location.
In Hemsedal, there is Stavkoa, which has a nightclub, an after-ski area, a laidback kitchen-bar and a western saloon-style bar. There is also O’Learys – an Irish-themed bar and restaurant, and Skarsnuten restaurant and bar.
Public Transport
Trysil
Trysil shares an airport with Sälen in Sweden, called the Scandinavian Mountains Airport. The airport is 40 km from Trysil, and from the airport, you can book a transfer to your accommodation, or to the centre of the resort area. You can also drive to Trysil, or take the Trysilekpressen bus to Oslo Airport, or Oslo central train station.
Hemsedal
To get you Hemsedal you can fly into Oslo airport and take a bus transfer, or similarly fly to Bergen and get a bus. You can also take a train to Gol, the nearest train station, and then get a bus transfer.
More details are on the Hemsedal website.
You can drive to both destinations by car. Norway generally has good roads, and there are a large number of electric vehicle owners, so you won’t have problems finding a charging station on the route.