Sledding in Oslo: How to Ride Korketrekkeren by Metro (Winter 2026–27)

Updated 2 November 2026. Facts come from the City of Oslo, the sled club that runs the rental (Akeforeningen i Oslo), Ruter and the Holmenkollen Ski Museum.

Most people picture Oslo in winter as museums, the opera house and a cold walk along the harbor. What a lot of visitors miss is that the city’s metro runs straight up into the forest, and one of the stops sits at the top of a sledding run that locals have used for over a hundred years. You ride down through the trees, hop back on the train and do it again. For a family with older kids or teens, that’s a pretty great half day, and it costs a lot less than most things in Norway.

I haven’t sledded Korketrekkeren myself yet. This guide is the plan I’d follow, built from the official sources listed at the bottom. Where something changes every winter (like the exact opening day), I tell you where to check instead of guessing.

What is Korketrekkeren?

Korketrekkeren means “the corkscrew,” and the name tells you what the run is like: lots of bends on the way down. The City of Oslo lists it as a public sledding run (akebakke) of about 2,700 meters with a 255-meter drop. VisitOSLO lists the length as 2,000 meters, so expect somewhere in that range. Either way, it’s long. A run takes about 8 to 10 minutes if you don’t stop.

VisitOSLO says the run was laid out in the early 1900s, and it calls Korketrekkeren the city’s most popular sledding hill. The local sled club, Akeforeningen i Oslo, has been around since 1905 and still runs a rental shop at the top.

One thing the club is clear about: this is not an Olympic bobsled track like the one you see on TV from Lillehammer. You control your own speed by braking, the way you did as a kid. So it works for careful riders and for the ones who want to go fast.

How to get there by metro

This is the part I like most. You don’t need a car, a tour or a ski pass.

1. Take metro (T-bane) line 1 toward Frognerseteren. Akeforeningen says the ride from Nationaltheatret takes about 35 minutes.
2. Get off at Frognerseteren, the end of the line. The run starts close to the station, near the Frognerseteren restaurant.
3. Sled down to Midtstuen, where the run ends at the metro stop.
4. Ride line 1 back up to Frognerseteren. VisitOSLO and the sled club both give about 16 minutes for that trip back up.

So one full loop is roughly 25 minutes plus waiting time, and you can repeat it as many times as your legs (and the light) allow.

Which Ruter ticket to buy

Oslo is Ruter zone 1. Prices from Ruter’s price list (valid from 1 August 2026):

Children under 6 travel free. A single ticket for one zone is valid for 60 minutes from activation, and Ruter itself says a 24-hour ticket pays off if you travel more than three times in a day. Since a sledding day means riding up again and again, the 24-hour ticket is the obvious pick. Buy it in the Ruter app; tickets bought on board are more expensive.

Renting a sled

You can bring your own sled and ride for free. If you’re visiting, you’ll probably rent. The City of Oslo names two rental places at the top: Akeforeningen (the sled club) and Skimore. VisitOSLO also mentions Kafé Seterstua renting sleds, helmets and goggles.

Akeforeningen rents wooden sleds and real luge-style sleds (rodel). Last season its day prices were:

• 130 kr per day for adults
• 80 kr per day for kids under 18
• A helmet is included when one is available
• A sled that isn’t returned costs 4,000 kr

They take Vipps, Apple Pay, debit cards and Visa or Mastercard credit cards. As of 2 November 2026 the club’s site says the rental is closed until winter 2026/27, and it hasn’t posted new prices yet, so treat the numbers above as a guide. Akeforeningen also closes the rental when it thinks conditions on the run aren’t safe, and Skimore’s page showed its sled rental as closed when I checked. Look at both before you set off.

When to go

There’s no fixed opening date. Korketrekkeren only opens when there’s enough snow on the ground, so it depends on the winter. The City of Oslo’s maintenance department usually grooms the run every night once there’s enough snow and it’s below freezing, which is why the club says conditions are best in the morning.

The sled club’s advice on crowds is very specific:

• Weekdays: usually quiet
• Saturdays: quiet until about 11:00, then busy
• Sundays: quiet until about 12:00

If you’re coming with younger children, their tip is simple: get there early, before the run fills up.

Keep in mind how short winter days are in Oslo. I’d plan the sledding for the middle of the day in December and January and leave the museums for the dark afternoon.

Safety rules worth knowing

The City of Oslo recommends a helmet, and the sled club lists a few house rules. These are the ones I’d go over with everyone before the first run:

• Wear a helmet, warm dry clothes and boots that cover your ankles.
• Don’t sled on plastic bags, sled mats or anything you can’t steer.
• Learn to steer and brake right away, and keep your speed to your skill.
• Never stop in the middle of the run. Step out to the side if you need a break.
• If you fall off, get to the side of the run straight away.
• Don’t walk up or down the run during the sledding season, and don’t bring a dog onto the run.

Sledding here is at your own risk, as the club says plainly. With teens, I’d agree on a meeting point at Midtstuen station so nobody waits around in the cold wondering where everyone went.

Toilets are in Akeforeningen’s clubhouse at the top of Korketrekkeren, between the Frognerseteren restaurant and Skistua.

Add Holmenkollen on the same day

Holmenkollen, the famous ski jump, is on the same metro line. Get off at Holmenkollen station; the museum says it’s about a 10-minute walk from there, short but quite steep.

One ticket covers the Ski Museum and the elevator to the top of the jump tower, which stands 64 meters above the ground and 427 meters above sea level. Opening hours and 2026 prices from the museum:

There’s also a ski jump simulator (130 kr adults, 75 kr children). The view from the tower takes in the Oslofjord and the city, so pick a clear day if you can.

A day I’d plan: morning runs on Korketrekkeren while it’s quiet and freshly groomed, lunch near the top, then down to Holmenkollen for the museum and tower before it gets dark.

Combining it with Christmas in Oslo

If you’re in Oslo in late November or December, the Christmas market at Spikersuppa in the city center is an easy evening after a day on the hill. I’ve put the dates and hours for Oslo’s markets in our Christmas in Norway 2026 guide. If you’re heading north afterward, our Tromsø northern lights guide covers the polar night, and the Norway in a Nutshell guide covers the classic train trip from Oslo to the fjords.

We live in a small German village near the Austrian border, south of Rosenheim, and December for us is mostly about Christmas markets. If you’re pairing Norway with Germany, our sister site has a guide to German Christmas markets with kids.

Read next

• Where to go in Norway
• Christmas in Norway 2026
• Lofoten in winter without a car

Ha det (bye for now),
Brian

Sources (checked 2 November 2026)

• Length, drop, run time, free sledding, snow-only opening, rental providers, toilets: oslo.kommune.no (Korketrekkeren)
• Rental prices, payment, safety rules, grooming, quiet times, 35-minute metro ride: akeforeningen.no (kjelkeutleie) and korken.no
• History, 16-minute ride back up, other rental places: visitnorway.no (Korketrekkeren listing, source VisitOSLO)
• Ticket prices and validity: ruter.no (billettpriser) and Ruter price list from 1 August 2026
• Holmenkollen hours, prices, directions, tower height: holmenkollen.com (opening hours, jump tower)
• Skimore sled rental status: oslo-vinter.skimore.no
• Featured photo: “Aking ved Frognerseteren” by Olaf Martin Peder Væring, National Library of Norway, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons