TRAVEL NOTES
WINTER SPORTS IN SCANDINAVIA SWEDEN.
ALTHOUGH it is several times the size of England, Sweden has a total population les•, than that of London, and its Winter Sports Season is a long one. From January to March, or even April, is the normal period during which conditions are ideal for the Winter Sports enthusiast. The air, though cold, is brisk, dry and invigorating, the ice is goOd, and in perfect condition, the snow firm. The Sports are as varied as the scenery, or the customs and people in the districts in which they take place. Sweden deserves its popularity ; in many ways its people are like the English, which may account for the friendly welcome which always awaits visitors from this country. The Swedes pay us the compliment of learning English in their schools ; their hotels are well managed, spotlessly clean, and reasonable in their charges ; com- munications are good; fast and comfortable trains link the country from north to south, and one may be certain that second, and even third class travel is satisfactory. Regular mail motor-coach routes join the more lonely and isolated parts of the country.
There arc three routes to Sweden : the direct steamer route from Tilbury to Gothenburg ; the land route via Germany to Tralleborg ; the air route from Croydon to Malmo. The best plan for a beginner is to go north to Storlien in Jemtland, high on the mountainous frontier. Jere there is a school of instruction in ski-ing and terrain ideally suited to the requirements of a beginner, smooth mountain slopes on which every ski-runner, novice or expert, may be sure of good sport. You may prefer to go direct to Stockholm, where there is icy- yachting, skate-sailing, trotting races on the ice, curling, and many other sports. Here one finds the finest accommodation in Sweden, comparing well with other coun- tries in both cost and comfort. The district is rich in architectural and scenic beauty. If you like wilder country there is Ate in Jemtland, twelve hours -from Stockholm, with fine ski-runs a first-class bobsleigh rack, many curling rinks, rides in the
Akja " (the Lapp sleigh drawn by rein- deer), and aeroplane flights to the mountain tops with your skis. In March, at Oster- sund, there is a steeplechase on the ice of Lake Storsjon. About the same distance from Stockholm is Solleftea in Angerman- land, where ski-ing and sledging are very popular. Here they have recently built a -7o-metre ski-jump, one of the highest in Europe. If your holidays are late, you can enjoy Winter Sport at Abisko in the heart of Lapland as late as Easter • at Riksgransen, a few stations farther on3 as late as mid-May to mid-June. Here there is wildness indeed, and an abundance of reindeer. You can reach this place, far inside the Arctic Circle, within 24 hours from Stockholm, partly by electric railway. On arrival there is a comfortable " Tourist Station " of the Swedish Touring Club.
Mention must also be made of Hudiksvall, with its ice fishing ; of Varmland, the country of Selma Lagerlof, the authoress, and conveniently close to Gothenburg ; of Hindas, two hours from Gothenburg ; and of Dalecarlia and its luxurious centre recently opened at Salen.
NORWAY Since generations of Norwegians have accepted ski-running as the natural means of winter travel it is not surprising that the finest ski-runners and jumpers should have come from that country. The landscape, ,,pen, undulating, with excellent snow- conditions, naturally lends itself to Winter Sports of every description. Although the snow-conditions are so good, and in spite of her geographical position, the ports of Norway, thanks to the Gulf Stream, never freeze. From mid-December to mid-Feb- ruary weather conditions in the Lowlands
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Travel Notes
(Continued from page 923.) are ideal; in mountainous districts ski-ing, tobogganing, and skating continue until the end of April : Easter, indeed, is a popular time for holiday-making in Norway. The country for ski-runners is less precipitous than in Switzerland, and long journeys by ski can be undertaken without any risk of danger. One of the ideal centres for the ski-runner is the huge plateau at Hardanger- vidda, where miles and miles of perfect snow provide him with every condition he is likely to want.
Skating, of course, is one of the most popular of Winter Sports in Norway, the country which gave us Miss Sonja Henie, nine times Figure Skating Champion of the World. Most of the sports centres have good rinks, those at Oslo,Trondheim, Hamar, Lille- hammer and Kongberg being amongst the best. Tobogganing, unlike skating and ski-running, can be enjoyed by the novice and the expert alike. At Frognerseteren, just outside Oslo, is a delightful restaurant from which, to the capital, is a winding road known as " the corkscrew " which is extremely popular for this sport.
As to good centres, the choice is a large one. Bessheim, about eight hours from Oslo, is good for experienced ski-runners : snow varies from three to six feet. Hotel opens March 1st. Finse, 4,000 feet above sea-level, has plenty of fine snow, depth three to eight feet, with good ski-running until the middle of May. Geilo, on the Bergen-Oslo mountain railway, has reliable snow conditions and a fine climate : there are excellent nursery slopes. Lillehammer is ideal for • ski-ing, and many important sporting events take place here during the winter. This centre has one of the finest open-air rinks in the country. About Oslo there are several excellent resorts, 'and skating is well provided for, the rinks at Bislet, Frogner, Stadion and Daelenengen all being good. Rink fees are about 4d. a session. During week-ends, . National and International Winter Sports Contests are held in the vicinity of Oslo, the Holmen- kollen ski-ing contest taking place during the first week in March. Full particulars regarding Travel and Winter Sports may be obtained from the Norwegian State Railways, 21-24 Cockspur Street, London, S.W. I.
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