Geilo
Geilo(Norwegian pronunciation:[jæɪ̯luː]) is a centre in the municipality ofHolinBuskerud county,Norway.Geilo is primarily askiresorttown,with around 2,500 inhabitants. It is situated in the valley ofHallingdal,250 km fromOsloand 260 km fromBergen.TheBergen Linefacilitated Geilo's development as the first skiing resort in the country, and it is still one of the largest. It is also known for having some of the most luxurious and expensive holiday cabins in Norway. The center of the town lies at 800 meters above sea level, and its highest point is 1178 meters above sea level.[1][2][3]
Etymology
[edit]The ski resort is named after the old farm Gjeilo. The name is thedativepluralofgeilf 'fenced road for cattle'.[4][5]
Access
[edit]The Bergen Line (Bergensbanen), the main rail line between Oslo and Bergen, runs right through the centre of town. Geilo train station (Geilo stasjon) with roughly five trains a day connects to either Bergen (to the west) or Oslo (to the east). The closest airport isGeilo Airport, Dagali(24 km away), while the closest airport that accepts international flights isFagernes Airport.There are also bus routes from Oslo and Bergen as an alternative and theNorwegian National Road 7(RV7) also runs through the town.[6]
Skiing
[edit]
The ski season in Geilo is from late October until late April. Geilo has numerous small ski centres that make up one resort, which goes by the nameGeilo Skiheiser.This includes slopes on the town side of the valley, Havsdalen over the back side of the mountain, and across the valley at Geilolia (formerly Vestlia) which also connects to the Kikut area. Geilo Skiheiser has 39 slopes covering 33 km accessed by 20 lifts (14 plate, 6 chair).Geiloliaskisenter (formerlyVestliaskisenter) tends to have the easier green and blue runs and is where the major ski school that operates in Geilo takes place, whereasSlaattaskisenter has the blue and red runs.
There is also an extensivecross countrysystem in Geilo, offering 220 km of tracks, including 5 km under floodlight. Skiing options includealpine skiing,cross country (XC) skiing,telemarking,snowboarding,dog sledging,toboggan,ski orienteering,and evening skiing most evenings. Another activity that has become very popular of late is 'kiting' (skiing or snowboarding whilst attached to a 'kite' or parasail). Paragliders float down from the top of the slopes with courses run in the area occasionally, mostly in the summer months. Both sides offer a 'big air bag' where all with twin-tip skis or snowboards can jump onto an air bag.
Centre of Geilo
[edit]Geilo is a small town and has few shops and entertainment spots. Thesentrummainly consists of four large wooden buildings, much like a shopping centre/mall. In one is atourist information,Co-opsupermarket,caféCapri restaurant,newsagents,undercover parking, and apolice station.In the other is anIntersport,supermarket, newsagent, and a special Turkish-Balcan restaurant Trakia.
Down the road there is a smallcinema,library,andschool.There is also a large sports hall (Geilohallen), which is also the local sports club (Geilo IL). Behind the building is a floodlit prepared cross country track, and abiathlonshooting range. The tourist Centre is located next to Sport 1 and has information about the various group outings and experiences, especially in regards to experiencing the Hardangervidda National Park area, including the glacier at Finse, which is 1,222 metres above sea level. There are a large choice of hotels, including among others Geilo Hotel,Dr Holms Hotel,Bardøla Høyfjellshotell, Hotel Lodge, and Vestlia Resort.[7][8][9][10][11]
Out of winter season
[edit]After the winter season, there are other sporting activities available includinggo carts,paintballing,white water rafting,rallying,golf,tennis,cycling.Two popular activities arehikingon the mountains ormountain bikingat the local downhill park or trails through the woods. TheRallarvegenroute from Finse to Flåm is extremely popular in the summer months. Geilolia Summer Park offers activities such as downhill biking, canoe hire or a large climbing park with a prepared route up in the trees for people of all ages. Geilo is adjacent to three lakes, Slåttahølen, Vestlefjorden, and Ustedalsfjorden.
Climate
[edit]Geilo features aSubarctic climate(KöppenDfc) with cold, extremely snowy winters and cool summers typical of higher altitudes (768m asl). The mean temperature in January is −8.2 °C and the mean for July is 11.2 °C.[12]
| Climate data for Geilo-Geilostølen (1966–2005), Norway | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | −4.5 (23.9) |
−3.5 (25.7) |
−0.8 (30.6) |
2.9 (37.2) |
9.5 (49.1) |
15.1 (59.2) |
16.6 (61.9) |
15.6 (60.1) |
10.2 (50.4) |
5.2 (41.4) |
−0.5 (31.1) |
−2.8 (27.0) |
5.3 (41.5) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −8.2 (17.2) |
−7.5 (18.5) |
−5.2 (22.6) |
−1.1 (30.0) |
4.7 (40.5) |
9.8 (49.6) |
11.2 (52.2) |
10.2 (50.4) |
5.8 (42.4) |
2.1 (35.8) |
−3.6 (25.5) |
−6.5 (20.3) |
1.0 (33.8) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −11.4 (11.5) |
−11.3 (11.7) |
−8.8 (16.2) |
−5.1 (22.8) |
0.3 (32.5) |
4.4 (39.9) |
6.1 (43.0) |
5.5 (41.9) |
2.2 (36.0) |
−1.2 (29.8) |
−6.8 (19.8) |
−9.6 (14.7) |
−3.0 (26.7) |
| Averageprecipitationmm (inches) | 52 (2.0) |
36 (1.4) |
47 (1.9) |
35 (1.4) |
50 (2.0) |
61 (2.4) |
72 (2.8) |
72 (2.8) |
68 (2.7) |
78 (3.1) |
70 (2.8) |
59 (2.3) |
700 (27.6) |
| Source:[12] | |||||||||||||
Trivia
[edit]- Geilo Hotel was founded in 1880
- Øyo Hotell was founded in 1909
- Dr. Holms Hotelwas founded in 1909
- Haugen Hotell was founded 1914
- The1980 Winter Paralympicswere held at Geilo
- Queen Sonja of Norwaygained her ski instructors certificate in Geilo
Gallery
[edit]-
Geilo Train Station -
Geilo Church -
Geilo Vikinghuset -
Geilo street scene
References
[edit]- ^Geir Thorsnæs."Geilo".Store norske leksikon.RetrievedOctober 1,2017.
- ^Vibeke, Larsen (29 September 2011)."Geilo på pristoppen".DN.Retrieved9 December2011.
- ^Krogsrud, Øystein (28 September 2007)."Geilo banker Hafjell".DN.Retrieved9 December2011.
- ^"Geilo. Hol herad. Buskerud".Matrikkelutkastet av 1950.RetrievedSeptember 15,2016.
- ^Haugen, Einar(1967) Norwegian-English Dictionary A Pronouncing and Translating Dictionary of Modern Norwegian (The University of Wisconsin Press)ISBN978-0-299-03874-8
- ^Tor Wisting."Bergensbanen".Store norske leksikon.RetrievedOctober 1,2017.
- ^"Geilo Hotel".geilohotel.no.RetrievedOctober 1,2017.
- ^"About Dr Holms Hotel".drholms.no.RetrievedOctober 1,2017.
- ^"Bardøla Høyfjellshotell".bardola.no.RetrievedOctober 1,2017.
- ^"Highland Lodge".highland.no. Archived fromthe originalon October 11, 2017.RetrievedOctober 1,2017.
- ^"Vestlia Resort Geilo".vestlia.no. Archived fromthe originalon October 11, 2017.RetrievedOctober 1,2017.
- ^ab"Norwegian Meteorological Institute".Archived fromthe originalon 2016-11-19.
External links
[edit]
- Geilo's official website (in English and Norwegian)
- Webcams of Geilo
- Geilo Norway- Details and information about Geilo
60°31′N8°12′E/ 60.517°N 8.200°E
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