Eggedal with kids – a small ski hill in Sigdal, two hours from Oslo

Eggedal is a valley in Sigdal in Buskerud, squeezed between the Numedalsfjellene mountains to the west and Norefjell to the east. At the very top of the valley, where the road carries on over the mountain towards Hallingdal, lies Haglebu, with a mountain lodge, cabin villages and a small ski hill: Haglebu Skisenter. That's the hill people mean when they talk about skiing in Eggedal. It's small, it's only open at weekends and during school holidays, and that's exactly why it works so well for a family with kids who are learning. The full range of Norwegian ski hills, big and small, is in Norway's ski resorts.

Why Haglebu suits small children

Most of what makes big ski resorts hard work with small children is missing here. There's no slope network to get lost in and no lifts that take you far away from each other. Three lifts run up to the two main slopes, and the cafeteria with the warming hut is the meeting point when someone needs a rest or to warm up.

The vertical drop is around two hundred metres, from roughly 840 to 1,040 metres above sea level. About a third of the slopes are easy and the rest intermediate, and there are no black runs at all. For a four-year-old who has just learned the snowplough turn, that's exactly right.

The hill turned fifty in March 2026, so it has become part of winter for many families with cabins in the area.

The slopes, the park and the off-piste

• Two main slopes with runs of varying difficulty, so both beginners and those who can already turn find something.
• A park with rails and other features, which teenagers and confident kids quickly find their way to.
• Off-piste in the terrain around the slopes after fresh snow – fun for older kids with an adult close by.

This isn't a resort for a whole week with experienced teenagers. But for a weekend, or a few days during the school break with kids under ten, it's plenty. When the kids want to move on, Norefjell with children is the next step, with over a thousand metres of vertical on the other side of the mountain.

Ski lessons and rental

Haglebu Skisenter has no ski school of its own. Instead, lessons are booked through Sigdal Aktiv, a local activity company that includes ski instruction among its experiences. No age limit or fixed course times have been published, so get in touch in good time and ask what suits your child's age. What you can practise in your living room beforehand is described in first ski trip with kids.

At the ski rental there are alpine skis, snowboards, ski boots, poles and helmets, plus a child's pulk, so even those too small for skis can come along. There's also a little winter gear for sale.

Ski passes and age rules

The age limits below come from last winter's price list. The one for 2026/27 hasn't come out yet, and the rules may change.

• Kids under seven ski free when they have an adult or a teenager with them.
• Each child needs their own chip card, including those who ski free. The same card can be topped up on your next visit, so it only needs to be bought once.
• From seven to fifteen, the child pass applies.
• From sixteen, you count as an adult.
• The hill reminds everyone to wear a helmet.

Ski passes can be booked online via the hill's website. How much they cost will be shown in the new price list when it comes out.

The warming hut

The cafeteria and the warming hut have the same opening hours as the lifts. There's freshly baked bread and cakes, pizza, chips, hot dogs and hot chocolate – simple food that kids eat without any fuss. It's also a good place for a break when it's windy on the mountain.

The 2026/27 season

Haglebu Skisenter hasn't published any dates for 2026/27. The hill says it expects to reopen in december, and that the times will then be posted on Facebook ahead of each weekend. During the season it's open every weekend, and also during the Christmas, winter and Easter school holidays. Don't count on the lifts being open on an ordinary weekday outside the school holidays.

During the Norwegian vinterferie weeks in February (the winter school holiday), the cabin owners come up, and that's when the slopes are busiest. In sportlov 2027 (Swedish February ski break) you can see when Swedish schools are off.

Getting to Eggedal

From Oslo it takes about two hours by car to Haglebu. Drive to Åmot in Modum and then follow county road 287 up through Sigdal and past Eggedal church. Up at Haglebu, the road continues as county road 211 over the mountain towards Bromma in Hallingdal.

From Eggedal sentrum a toll road runs over to Noresund by Krøderen. It means you can stay in Eggedal and spend a day on the bigger slopes at Norefjell, or the other way round.

From Sweden, the route goes via Oslo. From Värmland and Stockholm, take the E18, and from Gothenburg the E6. Would you rather take the train to Oslo and hire a car there? The options are weighed up in getting to the ski resort.

Accommodation in Haglebu and Eggedal

Up by the slopes there's Haglebu Fjellstue with food and overnight stays, and around the mountain are lots of cabins, some of which are rented out. Down in the valley is the village of Eggedal with its old wooden church from 1878. The artist Christian Skredsvig lived at the Hagan farm above the church, and the view from there across the valley is worth a short trip on a day when the slopes are closed.

If you're self-catering in a cabin, plan the weekend's food before you head up – food for a ski week has recipes that work just as well for a couple of days.

Eggedal, Norefjell or Oslo Vinterpark?

• Eggedal and Haglebu is a good choice when the kids are small, a small and quiet ski hill is just fine and the plan is a weekend in a cabin on the mountain.
• Norefjell is the neighbouring mountain, with long runs and several kids' areas – read Norefjell with children.
• Oslo Vinterpark can be reached by metro and suits a day in the city – see Oslo Vinterpark with children.

What you need for a weekend on the slopes is in the ski trip packing list.