Rauland with kids – three ski areas on the edge of Hardangervidda

Rauland is in Vinje, high up in Telemark where Lake Totak spreads out and Hardangervidda takes over to the north-west. Rauland Skisenter isn't a giant resort, but it's laid out in a way that suits families with kids unusually well: two linked ski areas for the whole family and a separate area just for the youngest. Add around 150 kilometres of cross-country trails and you have a resort where both downhill and cross-country skiing fit into one and the same week. More Norwegian alternatives to weigh Rauland against are in Norway's ski resorts.

Three areas – how they fit together

• Tiur is the hub. The Tilbringeren lift goes straight from the car park, and here there's a two-seater chairlift, a T-bar, four smaller surface lifts and a beginners' area with its own lift. The longest run in Tiur measures more than two kilometres.
• Holtardalen is next door, with a four-seater chairlift, two surface lifts and a magic carpet. The slopes are wide and skiable for most people, and there are runs in both directions between Holtardalen and Tiur.
• Vierli is a separate area for the youngest, with its own café and its own ski rental. You don't go there for long runs but to play on skis.

Together, Tiur and Holtardalen have twelve lifts, nearly thirty runs and just over twenty kilometres of slopes. The top is around 1,140 metres above sea level and the base station around 800 metres. A ski bus runs between the areas and Rauland sentrum, and the 2026/27 timetable hasn't been published yet.

Vierli – the kids' own area

Vierli is what makes Rauland special for families with kids between two and six. The kids' lift here runs extra slowly, so kids can ride it on their own, and the slope below has figures and a ball run.

Around the lift there's more to do than skiing:

• The snow fort below Vierli Kafeteria, a sledging and play area that opens in early February 2027.
• Mini sledges in the kids' area.
• A playground with a climbing frame, swings, a trampoline and a rope swing, open every day from 19 December.
• Bruse's play corner indoors by the fire in the café, for when fingers get cold.
• The adventure trail, a ski loop with challenges the family solves together. Pick up the task sheet at Vierli Skiutleie.

Kids aged 0–6 ski free at Vierli, as on all the other lifts. Older kids and adults need the Vierli Aktivitetskort, which is valid only on the kids' lift and also covers the mini sledges.

An important caveat: Vierli's kids' lift only runs at weekends and during school holidays, meaning Christmas and New Year, the vinterferie weeks 7–9 (Norway's winter school holiday) and Easter. If you come on an ordinary weekday in January, it's the beginners' area at Tiur you'll use.

Ski school and age rules

Rauland Skisenter's ski school offers group courses for kids aged 5–14, three 80-minute sessions, and private lessons for all ages. So four-year-olds and younger get either a private lesson or play time at Vierli. Ski school is booked in the same online shop as ski passes and rental. Let your child try on ski boots and skis at home first if you can – there's more on preparing in the guide for families going on their first ski holiday.

• Children 0–6 years pay nothing for the lifts, provided an adult has bought a ski pass.
• All kids must have a ski pass and a key card, even those who ski free.
• For ages 7 to 17, youth passes apply.
• The resort urges everyone to ski with a helmet. Helmets can be rented, but there aren't many and they're handed out first come, first served, so bring your own.

You can see what the passes cost this year in the online shop.

Ski rental

The rental shops at Tiur and Vierli are open every day from 20 December. At Vierli, only kids' skis, snowshoes, pulks and cross-country gear are available to rent. At Holtardalen, Loftet is open Friday to Sunday and during school holidays. Complete packages for kids aged 0–6 and young people aged 7–17 can be booked in advance, whereas individual skis, poles and boots can only be rented on site.

The 2026/27 season and evening skiing

Rauland Skisenter expects to open on 21 November 2026, with a few lifts and only at weekends until mid-December. From 18 December it's open every day, and the last day is planned for 4 April 2027, a week after Easter. From 6 February the lifts run until 16:30, which gives you an extra hour on the slopes during the winter school-holiday weeks.

Bear in mind that lifts B, F and G only run at weekends and during school holidays, so on a weekday outside the holidays the resort is smaller. From January there's evening skiing on the Hotellheisen lift on Tuesday and Friday until eight o'clock. Which week your own school break falls in is shown in sportlov 2027 (Swedish February ski break).

Cross-country skiing – 150 kilometres of trails

Rauland is one of the big cross-country destinations in southern Norway. Around 150 kilometres of trails are groomed in varied terrain, and around 70 kilometres of them are high-mountain trails. For families with kids, the two floodlit loops are the most interesting:

• A six-kilometre arena with artificial snow, floodlit until ten in the evening. There are trails here even when nature is stingy with the snow.
• A floodlit loop of eight kilometres in the centre.
• Around Uvatn, about four kilometres, starting at Vierli. Just right for an afternoon with a packed lunch.

Which trails have just been groomed is shown on the Skisporet service. Tips for short outings the kids can manage are in cross-country skiing in Hafjell.

Accommodation

The easiest option with small children is Rauland Høgfjellshotell, at the foot of the ski centre with the slopes right outside and cross-country trails starting from the door. The hotel has an indoor pool and a sauna, and a games room in the basement with table tennis, air hockey and a climbing wall for the evenings. Otherwise, people stay in a cabin on the mountain or down by Lake Totak and take the car or the ski bus to the slopes. If you're staying in a cabin, it pays to do a big shop before you turn off towards the mountain, and the weekly menu in food for a ski week is made for exactly that.

Getting to Rauland

• From Oslo: around 220 kilometres and three hours on the E134 via Drammen and Kongsberg.
• From Kristiansand: under four hours by car, if you take the ferry there.
• Bus: the Haukeliekspressen bus serves Rauland from both east and west.
• By air: the nearest are Torp and Gardermoen, and then it's a hire car or a bus.

If you're driving all the way from Sweden, consider breaking the journey with a night in the Oslo area. You'll find the pros and cons of car, bus and plane in getting to the ski resort.

Rauland, Gaustablikk or Vrådal?

• Rauland suits you if you want a dedicated kids' area, plenty of cross-country skiing and three areas to switch between.
• Gaustablikk is higher up, below Gaustatoppen, and has ski school from as young as four – read Gaustablikk with children.
• Vrådal is smaller and lower, by Lake Nisser – compare in Vrådal with kids.

If you're heading further west, there's Hovden with children. Check the ski trip packing list the evening before you leave.