Skiing in May in Norway

Are the ski resorts in Norway still open in May?

Most of Norway's lift served winter resorts have closed by May. The headline alpine areas such as Trysil, Geilo, Hemsedal and Hafjell are built around a December to April season, and by the start of May the lifts at the great majority of them have stopped for the year. A handful of higher or north facing areas can run a few lifts into the very first days of May in a strong snow year, but you cannot count on it, and the lively resort scene of midwinter is long gone by then.

So the honest answer is that May is not a standard resort week in Norway. What replaces it is two specific things. The first is ski touring, earning your turns on the high terrain and in the fjord country where deep snow lingers well into spring under the long Nordic daylight. The second is the summer glacier centers, which begin opening at the end of the month. If your plan is a week of lift served piste skiing from a busy resort base, May is the wrong month and you should look at February to March instead.

What about summer glacier skiing in Norway in May?

Norway's summer glacier centers are the real May skiing story, and they begin their season as the month ends. Galdhopiggen Summer Ski Center, set on the Juvassbreen glacier beneath Norway's highest mountain at around 2,469 meters, typically opens at the end of May and runs through into autumn depending on snow. Stryn Sommerski on the Tystigbreen glacier, the largest summer ski area in Northern Europe, also opens around late May into early summer.

These centers are lift served alpine skiing on snow that holds through the warm months because of altitude, but they are a different experience from a winter resort. Days run on cold morning snow that softens fast once the sun is up, terrain is limited compared with a full winter area, and a hot spell can shorten or interrupt the season, as recent record early summer heat has shown. They reward strong skiers and freestyle and race campers more than beginners or families, and they pair naturally with a wider summer Norway road trip rather than a single resort stay.

What is the snow and weather like in Norway in May?

May in Norway is spring on the snow, which means soft, transformed cover rather than midwinter powder. Down at resort altitude the snow is patchy to gone in the south, while up high and on north facing aspects a deep winter base can linger for weeks. The daylight is the great bonus of the month. By May the long Nordic days stretch toward the midnight sun in the north, giving you many more skiable hours than the dark days of December ever could.

The weather is variable and warming. You can get bluebird spring days with corn snow that skis beautifully in the late morning, and you can get rain at lower elevations that strips the cover quickly. The further north and higher you go, the longer winter holds. Anyone planning May turns should watch conditions closely, favor high north facing terrain, and start early to catch the snow before the afternoon sun turns it heavy.

Who should ski Norway in May, and who should skip it?

May in Norway suits self sufficient skiers: ski tourers chasing spring lines, strong skiers heading for the late May glacier openings, and travelers who want to fold a little skiing into a wider spring road trip through the fjords and mountains. It rewards anyone who values long daylight and quiet over a buzzing resort, and who is happy to follow conditions rather than a fixed lift map.

It is the wrong month for almost everyone else. Beginners, families wanting ski school and easy lift served pistes, and anyone expecting the full winter resort experience should not come to Norway to ski in May, because the resorts that deliver that have closed. Those travelers are far better served by Norway in February or March, when the lifts are running, the snow is deep and the days are already long, or by the high summer glaciers from June onward if a true spring or summer ski is the goal.

May in Norway: the case for and against

Where to ski in Norway in May

For May we would point you first at these, each with our full review:

• Hemsedal. One of Norway's highest and most snow sure alpine areas, the best base in the south for late season turns and spring touring before the glaciers open.
• Myrkdalen. A high snow holding resort in the western fjord country that keeps a deep base late, well placed for a spring trip toward the summer glaciers.
• Voss. A fjord side mountain town that works as a spring base, combining lingering high terrain with easy access to a wider western Norway road trip.

Common questions