Cross-country skiing

Cross-country skiing is the activity a typical Norwegian thinks of when someone says skitur — groomed tracks in a floodlit trail or city Marka, light skis with narrow bindings, and a rhythm that is as easy for the seven-year-old as for the seventy-year-old. It is still by far the largest skiing activity in Norway measured by participation: SSB’s Survey of Living Conditions from 2020 shows that 33 per cent of the population took short ski trips that year — a substantial drop from 42 per cent in 2011, but still far more than all other sub-disciplines combined.

The activity has a long and institutional history. Skiforeningen in Oslo, founded in 1883, has run the trail network in Nordmarka for more than 140 years. The Husebyrennet in 1883 and the Holmenkollrennet from 1892 are part of the same tradition that has shaped how Norway thinks about skiing. Today the Norwegian Ski Federation (NSF) has around 110,000 members across 16 districts and over 1,100 clubs.

Classic and skating

Cross-country skiing divides into two main techniques that require different equipment:

Classic is the traditional technique — you move forward in parallel tracks, kicking off from one ski and gliding on the other. This is what is meant by ‘going skiing’ in everyday speech. The skis are narrow, have a grip zone in the middle (where you apply grip wax or fit a skin) and glide zones front and back. Classic is the easiest to start with — the movement is the same as walking.

Skating (free technique) is the V-movement out from parallel tracks — you push off out to the side, as on roller skates. It requires flat grooming without tracks, different skis (shorter, no grip zone, glide wax all over) and different poles (longer, up to the chin). It is more physically demanding, faster, and takes more technique to learn.

For someone new to cross-country skiing, classic is the obvious first choice. It is easier to learn, it works on more types of surface, and it resembles natural movements. Skating is something you build up to after classic is in place — or for those with an endurance background from other endurance sports.

Where cross-country skiing actually happens

Norwegian trail networks are run by different actors — from large organisations to local hamlets:

Skiforeningen runs Nordmarka and parts of the Marka around Oslo, Bærum and Asker — over 2,600 km of trails when the season is stable. Funded by membership, municipal support and dugnad. It is one of Europe’s largest trail networks.

Local ski clubs and municipalities run city Markas and local floodlit trails throughout the country. Bymarka in Trondheim, Vidda above Bergen, Stavanger Friluftsskole in Stavanger, Tromsø skilag in Tromsø.

Sports clubs and touring associations run regional trails, often with dugnad. At Beitostølen, Geilo, Voss and other mountain towns it is local sports clubs and the municipality that handle the grooming.

Mountain-ski trails are found in the hut network of the DNT and local touring clubs — they are marked with brushwood in winter and open to everyone. This is where the transition from floodlit trail to vidde ski trip happens.

For anyone wanting to find up-to-date trails: skiforeningen.no for the Marka, local municipal pages or ski clubs for other areas. Skisporet.no is a combined resource that shows up-to-date grooming for trails throughout Norway.

Where in Norway

Cross-country skiing is the skiing activity that happens most where you live. The largest trail networks:

Nordmarka and the Markas around Oslo — Skiforeningen’s network is the largest single area in the country, well developed and easily accessible.

Bymarka in Trondheim — over 250 km of trails, run by local ski clubs with good coverage.

Vidda in Bergen — a shorter network than Nordmarka, but dramatic landscape and quickly accessible from the city.

Tromsø and Northern Norway in general have great potential but a shorter groomed season. Skiing in Northern Norway is often more mountain-ski oriented than classic floodlit trail.

The mountain towns — Beitostølen, Geilo, Voss, Hovden, Sjusjøen — have their own networks that are classic holiday destinations. Many have snow-reliable grooming from December/January because they lie high enough.

The vidde and mountain crossing routes — Hardangervidda, Finnmarksvidda, Saltfjellet — have cross-country routes between huts that are classic multi-day trips. These shade into winter walking.

Equipment — the short version

Cross-country gear is the simplest in the ski family:

The skis — classic or skating, narrow or wider depending on terrain
Bindings — NNN (Rottefella) is dominant, SNS also exists. Both have variants for classic and skating.
Ski boots — match the binding
Poles — length to the armpit for classic, to the chin for skating
Glide wax for both types of ski; grip wax or klister for classic; wax-free skis with a skin can replace grip wax
Clothing — light synthetic layers, a wind jacket, tights or trousers, hat and gloves

Waxing and glide covers the waxing that makes the difference between a good day and a bad one.

For beginners it is common to start with wax-free skis (skin skis) — you avoid having to learn waxing, and the skis work in most conditions. It is an easy way in that has made the sport more accessible over the past ten years.

Climate change and the lowland season

The most important thing that has changed for cross-country skiing in recent decades is not equipment — it is the season. NVE has documented that the ski season in Nordmarka is around eight weeks shorter now than in 1895/96. In the lowlands generally the amount of snow has decreased significantly, while the mountains above around 850 m a.s.l. still get more snow.

Consequences for cross-country skiing:

The classic floodlit-trail season in Southern Norway is often not reliable before January
The mountain towns have taken over more of people’s ski calendar — Beitostølen and Geilo are reliable from around 1 December
Snow production has been introduced in several places to extend the season and ensure stable grooming
Short mountain-town trips have taken over from many of the longer floodlit-trail outings that used to dominate

This is not necessarily bad news for cross-country skiing as an activity — people adjust where they go. But it is a new reality that changes what a typical skier’s weekend looks like in 2026 compared with 1996.

Everyday cross-country skiing — the most important common good

The statistic that participation has fallen to 33 per cent hides a more important story: for those who actually ski, everyday cross-country skiing is often the friluftsliv activity that covers the most hours in the year. A half-hour loop in the floodlit trail after work three times a week gives 25–30 hours of friluftsliv over a season, which is more than any weekend trip delivers.

It is an activity that works because the infrastructure is there: groomed tracks, good floodlit trails and reasonable terrain. Skiforeningen and the local ski clubs that run this network are one of the least visible but most important parts of Norwegian outdoor infrastructure. When Skiforeningen buys trail-grooming machines, it is a public health contribution in disguise.

To contribute: join a local ski club or Skiforeningen. It is the simplest way to support grooming and keep your own activity going at the same time.

Competition and tour races

For those who want a measurable dimension in cross-country skiing, the Norwegian tour-race system is a large ecosystem. The Birkebeinerrennet is the largest — 54 km from Rena to Lillehammer, classic technique, around 17,000 starters at peak. Other classics: the Holmenkollmarsjen (52 km in the Marka around Oslo), the Vasaloppet in Sweden (90 km — Norway has many participants), the Holmenkollrennet (classic 50 km).

Competition is not for everyone. For many, the tour-race experience is useful as a focal point and structure. For others it is pressure that takes away the joy of the activity. Both are valid ways of relating to cross-country skiing.

Next steps

If cross-country skiing is new to you or you have been away from it: go once more next week, whatever the weather. It is the rhythm and the motivation that build, not the skill.

If you ski regularly and want to go further: try a longer mountain-town trip or a short mountain-ski tour in an area with clear landmarks. Trollheimen and Dovrefjell are classic ‘first real mountain trip’ destinations. First mountain-ski trip covers what it involves.

For anyone wanting an equipment foundation: skins and randonnée gear is for ski touring (topptur), but waxing and glide is for cross-country and mountain skiing.

Learn more

Text: Snuitide (2026).