Short answer
Lifjell Skisenter sits on the mountain twelve kilometres above Bø in Midt-Telemark and has two parts: the Skisenteret with four runs, and the Vinterland children's area with its own button lift. With a helmet on and a parent buying an adult pass, the lift pass costs nothing for children aged 0–6. The 2026/27 season runs 5 December–28 March, but the lifts only operate at weekends, during school holidays and on two evenings a week.
Quick facts
- Country / region
- Norway, Telemark
- Ski area
- Lifjell, Bø in Midt-Telemark
- Altitude (village – top)
- 450 – 804 m above sea level
- Pistes
- 4 km
- Lifts
- 2
- Season
- 5 December 2026 – 28 March 2027 (weekends, Christmas, weeks 7–9 and Easter)
- Train
- Sørlandsbanen railway from Oslo S to Bø, then a taxi up the mountain
Family rating
3,5 / 5
- Beginner slopes Vinterland is a separate area with a gentle run of around 350 metres, its own button lift, its own café and its own, cheaper lift pass.
- Cross-country skiing Around 75–80 kilometres of trails on the mountain plateau, with short children's loops from Jønnbu and forest trails at Vihus when it's windy.
- A challenge for older children Four runs of up to 1.2 kilometres and a terrain park, but no black runs.
- Opening hours Only weekends, school holidays and two evenings a week – on an ordinary weekday in February the lifts are not running.
The rating is our overall assessment for families with children based on the criteria above – not a paid placement.
Opening times at Lifjell Skisenter 2026/27
| Period | Open | Times |
|---|---|---|
| 5 December 2026 – 28 March 2027 | Saturday and Sunday | 10–16 |
| Christmas, 19 December – 3 January | Every day except Christmas Eve | 10–16 |
| Winter holiday weeks 7–9, 13 February – 7 March | Every day | 10–16 |
| Easter, 20–28 March | Every day | 10–16 |
| Night skiing 5 January – 5 March | Tuesday and Friday in the Skisenteret | 17.30–20.30 |
On other weekdays the lifts are closed. Current prices and passes are in Lifjell Skisenter's online shop (nettbutikk).
Lifjell is the mountain plateau between Bø, Seljord and Notodden in Midt-Telemark, a broad upland with some twenty peaks above a thousand metres. Lifjell Skisenter, run by Lifjell Skisenter AS, is a small family ski hill on the mountainside, twelve kilometres up from Bø. You come here for a relaxed ski weekend with small children and for the cross-country trails on the plateau – not for a week of long downhill runs. Other Norwegian options, bigger and smaller, are collected in Norway's ski resorts.
Why Lifjell suits small children
The resort is split into two parts, each with its own car park. Skisenteret has a T-bar and four runs between roughly 300 and 1,200 metres long. Just under half are easy, the rest intermediate, and there are no black runs at all. The vertical drop is just over 350 metres.
A short distance away is Vinterland, a separate area just for children and beginners. There is a single friendly run of about 350 metres and its own button lift. Since the fast skiers stick to the Skisenteret, Vinterland is a calm place to practise turns.
Both areas have their own café, Torilstulkafeen and Vinterlandkafeen, with hot food, hot chocolate and snacks. That makes it easy to split the family: one adult skis with the older ones in the Skisenteret and the other stays in Vinterland with the youngest.
Lift passes and age rules
- Children 0–6 years ski without paying, provided they wear a a helmet and are with a parent who buys an adult pass. The child gets the same type of pass as the parent.
- Youth 7–17 have their own, cheaper pass. The adult pass applies from age 18.
- Everyone needs a keycard, even those skiing for free. If you buy a new keycard online, you collect it at the ski hire, which also serves as the ticket office.
- There is a separate pass for Vinterland, which costs less than the pass for the whole resort. If a parent is only going to stand in the children's area with the youngest, that pass is enough.
- Passes are cheaper in the online shop than at the ticket office. Current prices are listed there.
Ski school and ski hire
The ski school offers private lessons of 45 and 90 minutes and group lessons, either in Vinterland or on the steeper slopes of the Skisenteret. No minimum age is stated. For the youngest, 45 minutes of private tuition in Vinterland works best, and older children who want to learn to jump can have a lesson in the terrain park Lifjellparken, which has jumps, rails and boxes at several levels of difficulty. Lessons are booked online. What your child can practise at home before the trip is covered in the guide to your first ski holiday with children.
The ski hire has packages for children and young people aged 0–17, helmets and cross-country gear. Half-day hire applies from 1 pm, which suits a family driving up in the morning. Hire can be booked online.
Open weekends and holidays – the 2026/27 season
The most important thing to know about Lifjell is that the lifts don't run every day. The 2026/27 season runs from 5 December to 28 March, but outside school holidays it is only open on Saturdays and Sundays. The lifts run every day over Christmas, the Norwegian winter holiday weeks 7–9 and Easter – see the table.
From 5 January to 5 March there is evening skiing in the Skisenteret on Tuesdays and Fridays. A Friday evening on the slopes and a full Saturday suits a family driving up after school.
If your Swedish sportlov (the February school ski holiday) falls in week 10, you will only find weekend opening here. Check your own week in sportlov 2027 (Swedish February ski break).
Cross-country skiing on the mountain plateau
Lifjell is at least as much a cross-country destination. Around 75–80 kilometres of groomed trails lie at 1,000–1,100 metres, maintained by the local trail association Lifjell Løypelag, which accepts voluntary contributions via Vipps.
- All the trails on the plateau start from the large the car park at Jønnbu, close to Vinterland.
- On Jønnbuplatået there are four child-friendly loops of two to four kilometres, just right for a six-year-old with a packed lunch in the rucksack.
- Longer tours head up between the peaks, where it is windier and visibility can vanish quickly.
- When the weather is bad on the mountain, The Vihus trails are the backup plan. They are five minutes away by car, in lower forest terrain with more shelter.
How to plan cross-country outings that little legs can manage is described in cross-country skiing in Hafjell.
Staying on the mountain
Lifjelltunet has family cabins for four to eight people, with cross-country trails right outside the door and a small shop in reception. Bring sheets and towels or hire them, and expect to do the cleaning yourselves. Lifjellstua, a sixty-year-old mountain lodge with rooms and a restaurant, is half a kilometre away. The restaurant is open Friday to Sunday and during school holidays. Do a big food shop in Bø before you drive up. The recipes in food for a ski week suit a simple cabin kitchen.
Getting to Lifjell
From Oslo take the E18 to Drammen and the E134 past Kongsberg to Notodden. In Notodden, turn off towards Bø and follow Reshjemvegen for just over 20 kilometres to the junction at Bø Sommarland, where Lifjellvegen leads up the mountain. It is around 140 kilometres, and with children in the car it easily takes two and a half hours. Parking at the Skisenteret is free, while Vinterland and Jønnbu charge a fee.
From western Sweden there are two routes. Either drive the E6 over Svinesund and around Oslo. Or take the Color Line ferry Strömstad–Sandefjord, a crossing of about two and a half hours, and then drive the E18 west and route 36 via Skien towards Bø. That way you avoid the Oslo traffic completely.
By train the Sørlandsbanen line runs from Oslo S to Bø station. From the station it is just over 10 kilometres up, and there is no published ski bus, so plan on a taxi. The pros and cons of car and train are covered in getting to the ski resort.
Lifjell, Gaustablikk or Rauland?
- Lifjell suits a weekend or a Norwegian school holiday with small children, a separate children's area and lots of cross-country skiing.
- Gaustablikk is bigger and higher, at the foot of Gaustatoppen – read Gaustablikk with children.
- Rauland suits a full week, with three ski areas and even more kilometres of trails – see Rauland with kids.
Lower down by Lake Nisser is Vrådal, and on the way from Oslo you pass Kongsberg. Go through the ski trip packing list before you leave.
Before Lifjell with children
Frequently asked questions
Do children ski free at Lifjell?
Yes, for children aged 0–6 the lift pass is free, provided the child wears a helmet and is accompanied by a parent who has bought an adult pass. The child gets the same type of pass as the parent, and still needs their own keycard to get through the gate. From seven up to and including 17, the youth pass applies.
When is Lifjell Skisenter open in the 2026/27 season?
The season runs 5 December 2026–28 March 2027. Outside school holidays it is only open Saturday and Sunday, 10–16. It is open every day over Christmas, 19 December–3 January (closed on Christmas Eve), the winter holiday weeks 7–9 and Easter, 20–28 March.
Is there night skiing at Lifjell?
Yes. From 5 January to 5 March 2027 the lifts in the Skisenteret run on Tuesdays and Fridays, 17.30–20.30. Those are the only weekdays outside school holidays when you can ski downhill here.
From what age does the ski school at Lifjell take children?
No age limit is stated. The ski school offers private lessons of 45 and 90 minutes and group lessons, either in the Vinterland children's area or on the steeper slopes. For a three- or four-year-old, 45 minutes of private tuition in Vinterland is the sensible choice. Everything is booked online.
How do you get to Lifjell by train?
Take the Sørlandsbanen line from Oslo S to Bø station. From there it is just over 10 kilometres up to the ski hill, and there is no published ski bus, so plan on a taxi or hire car for the last stretch.
