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is a centre in the municipality of
Hol Hol is a municipality in Viken county, Norway. Administrative history The area of Hol was separated from the municipality Ål in 1877 to become a separate municipality. In 1937 a part of neighboring Uvdal with 220 inhabitants moved to Hol municip ...
in Viken county, Norway. Geilo is primarily a ski resort town, with around 2,500 inhabitants. It is situated in the valley of Hallingdal, 250 km from Oslo and 260 km from Bergen. The Bergen Line facilitated 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.


Etymology

The ski resort is named after the old farm Gjeilo. The name is the
dative In grammar, the dative case (abbreviated , or sometimes when it is a core argument) is a grammatical case used in some languages to indicate the recipient or beneficiary of an action, as in "Maria Jacobo potum dedit", Latin for "Maria gave Jacob a ...
plural of ''geil'' f 'fenced road for cattle'.


Access

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 is Geilo Airport, Dagali (24 km away), while the closest airport that accepts international flights is Fagernes Airport. There are also bus routes from Oslo and Bergen as an alternative and the Norwegian National Road 7 ('' RV7'') also runs through the town.


Skiing

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 name Geilo 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). Geilolia skisenter (formerly Vestlia skisenter) tends to have the easier green and blue runs and is where the major ski school that operates in Geilo takes place, whereas Slaatta skisenter has the blue and red runs. There is also an extensive cross country system in Geilo, offering 220 km of tracks, including 5 km under floodlight. Skiing options include
alpine skiing Alpine skiing, or downhill skiing, is the pastime of sliding down snow-covered slopes on skis with fixed-heel bindings, unlike other types of skiing ( cross-country, Telemark, or ski jumping), which use skis with free-heel bindings. Whether for ...
, cross country (XC) skiing,
telemarking Telemark skiing is a skiing technique that combines elements of Alpine and Nordic skiing, using the rear foot to keep balance while pushing on the front foot to create a carving turn on downhill skis with toe-only bindings. Telemark skiing is na ...
,
snowboarding Snowboarding is a recreational and competitive activity that involves descending a snow-covered surface while standing on a snowboard that is almost always attached to a rider's feet. It features in the Winter Olympic Games and Winter Paralympi ...
,
dog sled A dog sled or dog sleigh is a sled pulled by one or more sled dogs used to travel over ice and through snow. Numerous types of sleds are used, depending on their function. They can be used for dog sled racing. Traditionally in Greenland and the e ...
ging, 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

Geilo is a small town and has few shops and entertainment spots. The ''sentrum'' mainly consists of four large wooden buildings, much like a shopping centre/mall. In one is a tourist information, Co-op supermarket, café Capri restaurant, newsagents, undercover parking, and a police station. In the other is an
Intersport Intersport GmbH is a French sporting goods retailer based in Bern, Switzerland. Its purchasing division is IIC-Intersport International Corporation. It has a presence in 5800 locations and in 65 countries. History In 1924, La Hutte company, ...
, supermarket, newsagent, and a special Turkish-Balcan restaurant Trakia. Down the road there is a small cinema, library, and school. There is also a large sports hall (''Geilohallen''), which is also the local sports club (
Geilo IL Geilo Idrettslag is a multi-sports club from Geilo, Norway. Established on 2 December 1917 as ''Gjeilo SK'', it changed its name to ''Gjeilo IL'' on 19 May 1918 and later to ''Geilo IL''. It has sections for alpine skiing, freestyle skiing, skiing ...
). Behind the building is a floodlit prepared cross country track, and a biathlon shooting 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 Dr. Holms Hotel is a resort hotel in the ski resort town of Geilo in Viken county, Norway. Originally known as Dr. Holms Høifjeldshotel, the hotel was established in 1909, at the same time as the opening of the Bergen Line between Oslo and Berg ...
, Bardøla Høyfjellshotell, Hotel Lodge, and Vestlia Resort.


Out of winter season

After the winter season, there are other sporting activities available including
go carts Kart racing or karting is a road racing variant of motorsport with open-wheel, four-wheeled vehicles known as go-karts or shifter karts. They are usually raced on scaled-down circuits, although some professional kart races are also held on fu ...
, paintballing, white water rafting,
rallying Rally is a wide-ranging form of motorsport with various competitive motoring elements such as speed tests (often called ''rally racing),'' navigation tests, or the ability to reach waypoints or a destination at a prescribed time or average speed. ...
, golf, tennis, cycling. Two popular activities are hiking on the mountains or
mountain biking Mountain biking is a sport of riding bicycles off-road, often over rough terrain, usually using specially designed mountain bikes. Mountain bikes share similarities with other bikes but incorporate features designed to enhance durability and pe ...
at the local downhill park or trails through the woods. The Rallarvegen route 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

Geilo features a
Subarctic climate The subarctic climate (also called subpolar climate, or boreal climate) is a climate with long, cold (often very cold) winters, and short, warm to cool summers. It is found on large landmasses, often away from the moderating effects of an ocean, ge ...
( Köppen Dfc) 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.


Trivia

* Geilo Hotel was founded in 1890 * Øyo Hotell was founded in 1909 *
Dr. Holms Hotel Dr. Holms Hotel is a resort hotel in the ski resort town of Geilo in Viken county, Norway. Originally known as Dr. Holms Høifjeldshotel, the hotel was established in 1909, at the same time as the opening of the Bergen Line between Oslo and Berg ...
was founded in 1909 * Haugen Hotell was founded 1914 * The
1980 Winter Paralympics The 1980 Winter Paralympic Games ( no, Paralympiske vinterleker 1980; nn, Paralympiske vinterleikane 1980), the second Winter Paralympics, were held from 1 to 7 February 1980 in Geilo, Norway. Eighteen countries took part with 299 athletes. A d ...
were held at Geilo * Queen Sonja of Norway gained her ski instructors certificate in Geilo


Gallery

File:Geilo Bahnhofsgebäude.jpg, Geilo Train Station File:Geilo Kirche.jpg, Geilo Church File:Geilo Wikingerhaus.jpg, Geilo Vikinghuset File:Geilo Strasse.jpg, Geilo street scene


References


External links


Geilo's official website (in English and Norwegian)

Webcams of Geilo

Geilo Norway
- Details and information about Geilo {{Authority control Ski areas and resorts in Norway Sport in Viken Villages in Viken (county) Hol Tourist attractions in Viken