Skiing Myrkdalen in January

Myrkdalen is a hidden gem resort just two hours from Bergen in western Norway. It's a resort that caters to all types of skiers, with crowd-free, wide, perfectly groomed slopes for beginners, four snow parks, easy-access off-piste and a huge backcountry area. It's also one of Europe's snowiest resorts with 7.5 metres of snowfall each winter.

7-night half board packages at the ski-in ski-out 4* Myrkdalen Hotel start from just £985pp including flights, transfers and accommodation, as well as a 100-minute private lesson each to use how you like, whether you're learning to ski, working on your carving technique, or getting to grips with off-piste and backcountry terrain.

Many skiers and snowboarders discount Norway as a January ski destination, but you might be surprised to hear that you still get a full day of daylight skiing, the temperatures average -8°C to -1°C, the snow is soft with 14 days of fresh snowfall on average, and it's also the most affordable month to visit. So it's not as dark, it's not as cold and icy, and it's definitely not as expensive as you might think.

In this blog, I'll walk you through what a week's skiing in Myrkdalen in January might look like, including the many exhilarating activities and day trips you can add on to enhance your holiday (and how much they'll cost). I've skied here many times, as have the rest of the Ski Safari team, so our advice is based on real, first-hand experience.

If this sounds like your kind of ski holiday, call our friendly and knowledgeable team on 01273 224060 or request a quotation online and we'll be in touch.

It's just a short two hour flight from the UK to Bergen. Although you can fly into Bergen from several UK airports, we price our packages based on the best value and most convenient option, which is to fly from London Gatwick on a Sunday.

Throughout January, Sunday flight times we recommend are:

• Outbound: 09:15 - 12:10
• Inbound: 19:10 - 20:10

These flights allow you to maximise your time in Norway without very early wake-ups or late arrivals.

Once you land in Bergen, you'll catch a two hour shared coach transfer from the airport to your hotel in Myrkdalen. This is timed to your flight so that you won't be waiting around at the airport for other flights to arrive.

You’ll arrive in resort around 3pm, allowing plenty of time to check into your accommodation, the stylish 4* Myrkdalen Hotel. This slopeside hotel delivers a comfortable stay with superb convenience and a modern design inspired by the great outdoors.

The standard of hotels in Norway generally is high, and the value for money is exceptional - particularly when compared with resorts across the Alps - and the Myrkdalen Hotel is no exception. It's the hub of the resort, and it has everything you need in one place.

"Best ski hotel we've ever stayed at. Larger than usual rooms with balconies right on the slopes. Large comfy bed, and very quiet. But the food... outstanding!! We ate in the main hotel restaurant every night and although the choice was only vegetarian or non-veggie, the quality was exceptional for every one of the 3 courses, every night of our stay. Not one of our group could fault it (including our vegetarian). Breakfast was a good buffet with a wide range of options and good quality. Finally, the staff could not have been more friendly or helpful - in every area of the hotel. They really made a difference to our stay." - Paul Stone, 28 March 2025

Once you've checked in and got your bearings, stroll down to the rental shop - which is just next door - and collect your rentals and lift passes so you're fully equipped for tomorrow's skiing. Book through Ski Safari and you'll enjoy 2 for 1 on both:

• 6-8 day lift pass costs £112.50pp (based on 2 adults, includes access to Voss, 40 mins away by bus)
• 6 day ski or snowboard rental costs £57-105pp (based on 2 adults, range covers standard skis/boots/poles up to backcountry touring equipment)

Prices shown above are the effective per-person cost after the 2-for-1 offer has been applied.

For dinner, I recommend the main Restaurant Nuten for your first evening. Your half-board package includes seven evening meals, with the flexibility to dine one night at Nuten Fondue and the option to swap some evenings to Restaurant Tunet instead of Nuten if you prefer. The menu changes daily at Nuten (something our customers love), so you can try a delicious range of Norwegian dishes throughout your stay. Restaurant Tunet specialises in freshly made stone-baked pizzas topped with locally sourced ingredients, providing a more relaxed alternative. After dinner, relax in the evening with a drink or two at the newly refurbished Salto Lobby Bar.

As with any resort in Norway, the food is truly exceptional and consistently exceeds expectations - we receive regular reviews praising the quality, which many customers compare to that of a high-end UK restaurant.

P.S: If you'd prefer self-catering apartments, the well-equipped 4* Myrkdalen Apartments provide a spacious, modern and homely stay, and are located very close to the slopes too.

After a varied and filling buffet breakfast, your first day on the slopes is the perfect time to warm up your ski legs - or for beginners, use your free private lesson to learn the basics! The English-speaking ski school is exceptional and you'll progress in no time.

Myrkdalen's wide, gentle slopes are ideal for building confidence. The Transporten green run is a forgiving slope through a gorgeous treeline, right next to the beginner area. It's also just a moment's walk/ski away from the ski school meeting point.

The lifts close at 3:30pm (around sunset in January), but if you're not ready to head in just yet, why not try sledding? This thrilling activity runs daily at 3:15pm and is a Ski Safari team favourite. The 'snow racers' are equipped with a steering wheel and snow brakes so you're in control of your direction and speed. This costs £26pp.

Alternatively, if you're feeling stiff after your first turns of the season, there's only one solution when you're in Norway - the Mountain Sauna.

Located next to the ski slopes, just a five-minute walk from the Myrkdalen Hotel, the sauna is available to book at 12pm, 4pm and 5:30pm each day and costs £18 per adult or £108 for a private session for up to eight people. Once you've warmed up, head outside for a Scandi-style snow bath if you're brave enough!

Spend your evening winding down and celebrating being back (or your first time!) on the slopes and out in the mountains. Enjoy your fresh dinner, and plan out the next day on the slopes.

For those ready to ramp up the skiing, take part in 'Ski Touring for Beginners' from 9am to 1pm (also available on Thursdays). On this course, specifically designed for first-time tourers, you'll a taste of ski touring in safe surroundings. The feeling of skiing on untouched, light powder snow in beautiful mountain terrain is simply unbeatable. This costs 194pp, and includes the necessary avalanche safety equipment and instruction on how to use it.

If you're looking for more tailored instruction, this is the perfect day for seasoned skiers to use their free private lesson and improve their carvng turns or off-piste technique.

My terrain tips for ski day two? For the longest runs, take the Myrkdalsekspressen lift from the hotel, ski down to the Kråni t-bar and then ski across to the Storhaugen peak. From here you can lap the high-speed Storhaugekspressen lift on a range of blues and reds, including two fun ski-cross runs. This lift has the best views across the valley below.

More adventurous skiers and snowboarders should try the three black runs - 2, 16 and 17 - off the Myrkdalsekspressen or head over to the Kari Traa t-bar for two red runs where you can really get some speed up, plus some of the easiest to access off-piste in the resort. Just duck off the pisted runs and enjoy yourself!

Grab a warm lunch at Fjellstova Vetlebotn, located by the Kari Traa chairlift. This is the natural meeting place in the heart of the mountain.

After another day on the slopes, join a snowshoe hike to the 'wilderness camp' from 4pm to 6pm. You'll gather around a bonfire in a lavvu (a Norwegian teepee) and enjoy warm drinks and storytelling about Norwegian culture. The tour is suitable for most people - you don't need experience or to be super fit - and proceeds at a leisurely pace. It costs £47pp.

Alternatively, enjoy a few locally-brewed beers at Kamben Café & Games before dinner (back to Restaurant Nuten for more local dishes). Try your hand at games like shuffleboard, darts and duckpin bowling while sipping from a refreshing beer. They also show live sports here if you're worried about missing a big game!

For advanced and expert skiers, today's the day to fully explore Myrkdalen's easy-access off-piste. Take the Kari Traa lift, and a short ski to the right (no skinning or boot packing required), you'll find a vast playground of wide open off-piste with superb views of the valley. January is the perfect time of the year for off-piste skiing due to plenty of new snow - meaning endless fresh lines day after day.

Beginners and intermediates can continue to enjoy the pisted runs, with plenty of opportunities to stop for breaks or enjoy a hearty lunch at Myrkdalstovo, which serves an excellent range of burgers - including chicken, beef, and vegetarian options.

If you want to try something a little different, take part in a Nordic Ski Experience at 1:30pm. This is a guided cross-country ski tour that takes you into peaceful, snow-covered landscapes just outside Myrkdalen. You'll follow ski trails or make your own tracks through fresh snow, with the guide sharing insight about the surroundings. Add this to your ski holiday for £48pp.

You won't miss out on any downhill time, as the slopes stay open until 8pm on Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays.

After skiing, enjoy a well-deserved beer or two in the hotel bar, then head to Restaurant Nuten Fondue for dinner. This is a popular and social dining experience, where you'll cook meats in oil at the table and dip breads and vegetables into the bubbling melted cheese pot. You'll even have fruit to dip in chocolate!

The fun doesn't stop on the slopes in Myrkdalen, as you can hopefully tell. Use today to take a day trip to the nearby fjords - an activity you won't forget in a hurry.

Take a 30-minute coach from Myrkdalen to Gudvangen (home to The Viking Village open-air museum), where you'll take to the fjords on an electrically-powered boat tour on the UNESCO-listed Nærøyfjord towards Flåm. Situated at the end of the Aurlandsfjord in southwest Norway, Flåm's breathtaking fjord backdrop is one of the most picturesque places in the world.

After exploring Flåm and picking up lunch and a few souvenirs, it's time for another adventure on the world-renowned Flåm Railway.

An experience in itself, the Flåm Railway has been voted one of the best railway attractions in the world and is an unforgettable experience. Starting from the village, the train follows a 20km steep track that hugs the mountainside with an elevation change of 866 metres.

En route, it passes through 20 tunnels and rolls alongside rocky gorges, frozen waterfalls, spectacular fjords and beautiful snowy countryside. The journey takes about one hour and includes a stop at the Kjosfossen waterfall.

When you arrive at Myrdal mountain station at the end of the railway, you get to do it all over again, taking the train back down to Flåm where the coach will be waiting to take you back to Myrkdalen. Overall, this is a day trip you won't forget in a hurry. I've been lucky enough to experience it a few times now and I'd still happily go again and again. This day trip costs £147pp.

If you make it back in good time, or you decided to ski again today, join a magical torch-lit horse sleigh ride through the surrounding area. This runs from 6pm to 8pm and costs £45pp.

Another tasty dinner awaits at the main restaurant after a memorable day.

The nearby resort of Voss is just a 40-minute ski bus away and is included on your lift pass, giving you access to a whole other ski area with new terrain to explore. Combined, Myrkdalen and Voss boast one of the largest ski areas in Norway.

Like Myrkdalen, the skiing suits all abilities. At the top of the mountain, you'll find broad and gentle runs that cater well to beginners. For confident skiers, we love the thigh-burning Horgaletten downhill and cruisey red runs.

If you’re into off-piste, Voss is renowned for its powder - especially in January. And just like in Myrkdalen, you'll find plenty of fresh lines in the easy-access off-piste. Here's Ski Safari founder Richard Rice finding some fresh lines in Voss:

As well as the excellent beginner terrain and off-piste available, one of the longest and most challenging runs on the mountain is the Storslalåmløypa (also referred to as The World Cup Course). This slalom course spans from the top of the Hangurstoppen to the bottom of the Bavallen area and is a huge attraction for those who love speed and technical terrain.

If you'd prefer to stay in Myrkdalen, the snowshoe hike and sledding are also on today. Plus, you can also try dog sledding from 11:30am to 2pm - enjoy the winter landscape from a sled, pulled along by a team of huskies who love showing you around! This costs £98pp.

Spend the evening enjoying another delicious meal at Restaurant Nuten, and then either winding down in the lobby or heading to Salto Lobby Bar for some live music from 9:30pm (starts 09 Jan). The nightclub is also open on Friday, so if you fancy a party head to Pudder (the Norwegian word for “Powder” snow conditions Myrkdalen is renowned for) from 9pm.

Use today to lap your favourite runs, stop off for your favourite coffee, and reminisce about a memorable week. The fjord day trip also runs today if you'd prefer that to Thursday.

As an experienced skier, I'd spend today warming up on the runs around the Myrkdalsekspressen and Storhaugekspressen chair lifts in the morning, then heading to the off-piste area near the Kari Traa lift. An excellent way to end a week in Myrkdalen, making the most of the incredible January conditions.

From 3pm onwards, it's time for 'afterski' (the Norwegian version of après-ski) at Pudder, located on the west side of Myrkdalen Hotel. On Saturdays, the hotel comes to life and you can sing along to classic afterski hits, meet some of the friendly locals, and enjoy the live DJ. The nightclub is also open again from 9pm to 1:30am - and with a later flight at 7:10pm the next day, you'll have enough time to recover!

This is a great day to enjoy a stone-baked pizza topped with local ingredients at Restaurant Tunet for dinner.

Spend your final morning as you wish! Check-out, enjoy the resort and relax. As the lift passes are 6-8 days, you can even hit the slopes if you rent skis for an extra day!

Alternatively, catch an earlier transfer to Bergen and spend the afternoon exploring the fascinating city - more on that below.

7 nights half board at the 4* Myrkdalen Hotel starts from £985pp. Price based on 2 adults departing 04 January and includes a 100-minute private lesson per person.

You can find out more on our Myrkdalen ski packages & offers page - please note that this is just an idea of prices, and if you're interested, contact us and we'll provide a unique quotation based on your exact requirements!

Lift passes (2-4-1 for January bookings): One 6-8 day lift pass costs £225. That means two people can ski for a week in January for just £112.50 each!

Ski equipment rentals (2-4-1 for January bookings): Standard skis/boots/poles rentals for 6 days cost £114. Or just £57pp for two people if you book with us!

Ski lessons: All bookings for January in Myrkdalen benefit from a free 100-minute private lesson per person. Group lessons, for 5 days of 100-minute lessons, cost £158pp. For beginners, 5 days of 200-minute lessons costs £315pp (16+).

With many UK skiers yet to try skiing in Norway, there are a few talking points that are often brought up, especially around travelling in January. At Ski Safari, we're all about honesty, transparency and sharing our first-hand experiences. So I thought I'd tackle some common questions head-on!

With the sun generally rising by 9:30am and setting at around 3:30pm, you'll enjoy a full day of sunlit skiing. In fact, many people don’t realise how close southern Norway is to the UK, and Myrkdalen is situated along a similar latitude to the Shetland Islands!

To put any lingering concerns to rest, night skiing is a unique and fun experience that also means more skiing. On Wednesday, Friday and Saturday evenings, the lifts stay open and the runs are floodlit, creating a magical experience and some extra hours on the slopes. This is included in your lift pass.

Again, not as cold as you might think. The temperatures are very similar to resorts across the Alps at this time of year. 

Expect it to be just below freezing during the day, around -2°C. Layer-wise, I generally find a base layer, long-sleeve top, thin fleece layer and a ski jacket is more than suitable.

Context is key here. In general, the prices are very similar to most ski resorts across Europe. Norway has a reputation for being expensive, but from my lived experience, that's not exactly the case when you're actually there. As you can see above, the skiing itself is incredible value, especially in January. And while the food and drink aren't cheap, you get what you pay for - quality.

Average food prices on the mountain are very similar to large Alps resorts. Lunch will cost between £15 to £20 per person. Yet the superb standard of Norway’s on-mountain dining places it high above the rest. Booking half board at the Myrkdalen Hotel is a great way to make sure most of your meals are covered before you travel.

Drinks are also comparable to other European destinations. While alcohol in Norway is heavily taxed, which makes drinks slightly pricier than here in the UK (although not by much nowadays!), the prices are consistent whether you’re in a resort or elsewhere. By contrast, many European alpine resorts add a premium to drinks on the mountain. In Myrkdalen, beers typically cost around £8 to £12, depending on size, and a glass of wine from around £10.

With most of our team having skied in Myrkdalen, we're happy to chat through any concerns you may have about Myrkdalen, or Norway more generally, in January. We'll offer honest, first-hand advice and not just tell you what you want to hear. That's what we're all about.

As you fly in and out of Bergen, why not add on a city stay before or after hitting the slopes? This coastal city is renowned for its backdrop of lush forests, seven rounded peaks, and of course, the fjords! Although it's perhaps best known for its colourful harbourside, the Bryggen, a UNESCO World Heritage site which dates back to the Hanseatic era.

Beyond its harbourside beauty, you can explore cobbled alleyways, charming shops, and local galleries, or ride the iconic Fløibanen funicular to the top of Mount Fløyen for panoramic winter vistas.

As with most cities, summer is the 'peak' season to visit Bergen - which is why we love visiting in winter all the more. The locals come out to play, providing a more authentic experience. There's also the chance the city is painted white with snow-lined streets, and there are fewer people around, so you can explore at your own pace.

If you've been convinced by Myrkdalen's all-ability skiing and exceptional value, now's the time to book your ski holiday while there's still flexiblity to work with your requirements.

We're here to help with any questions or potential concerns you might have with genuine, honest advice from our own personal experience of skiing there - if we don't think Myrkdalen is the resort for you, we'll say so! Call our friendly team on 01273224060 or request a quotation online and we'll be in touch.

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