Walk on the wild side

I look nervously at the small icy wooden platform I’m standing on, then to the rope swing dangling in front and the cargo net strung from a tree opposite. Then I do the worst possible thing and peer over the edge of the platform. A 30ft drop yawns from the treetop I’m currently hugging to the ground below.

Gazing up, my Norwegian friends wave, smiling cheerily.

I grin back, attempting to mask the look of terror on my face.

This is Go Ape, Norwegian style. Not satisfied with the usual Go Ape challenge of swinging, jumping and clambering between treetops, they have decided to build a course in the ski resort of Geilo, meaning, of course, that snow and ice have now been added to the equation.

By this stage I have learned the peril this scenario contains. As I gamely strode across airborne trapezes early in the course my right leg skidded from under me and I started to plummet to the ground – only for my safety wire and harness to break my fall with a jerk.

In hindsight, perhaps the fear of that harness jerk, a bit of an eye-watering experience as it tightened itself around my unmentionables, was troubling me more than the height itself.

In any case, I take a deep breath, a last quick check that my safety line is secured, and leap forward. I grab the rope swing, fly through the frosty air, then launch myself and cling on to the cargo net.

Suddenly, I’m laughing, relieved. I’ve made it. This is not so bad after all. And from that moment I happily swing around, even giving a genuinely cheery smile as I whistle along the mammoth zip-wire through Nordic woodland that marks the end of the course.

Geilo is full of unexpected, and occasionally terrifying, gems like the tree-top challenge.

It is almost as though the Norwegians have decided that if their resort cannot match the thrill factor of the Alps in terms of the steepness and challenge of their pistes, then they will take them on in other areas. And they do it very well.

In Geilo, about half-way between the capital Oslo and more northern port of Bergen, the opportunities for exciting and different experiences abound. The resort is beautiful and picturesque, hugging the sides of a lake valley stretching for miles. One way to explore is to try the national sport, Nordic skiing, and embark on one of the many cross-country routes. Fitter visitors can even copy locals and pack a picnic to head off for a day exploring.

Another way to savour the scenery is to try mushing a pack of huskies on a dog-sled ride. I watched a stunning sunset as we flew along a plateau at high speed pulled by a team of dogs that was in training for this year’s sledding world championships.

And then there is the age-old tradition of a spa treatment complete with a roll in the snow, a terrifying experience in itself when temperatures reach as low as minus 20C.

I took on that particular challenge after succumbing to the combination of ridicule from some passing children and hopes of impressing a pair of female Norwegian ski instructors from the outdoor hot-tub at the stunning Dr Holms Hotel, the oldest in Geilo, and still epicentre of the resort’s après ski and nightlife.

The hotel, like much else in the town, exudes class and a sense of history while being genuinely welcoming and adding modern panache to everything it does.

We eat a buffet dinner, with every kind of seafood you could wish for, as a reward for my snow-rolling ordeal.

It is one of several excellent meals I enjoy in my time at the resort, where fine dining appears to be the standard.

And while the extra activities are fun, the skiing in Geilo is not bad either.

Norway may not have the volume or level of challenge of the Alps, which most British skiers are accustomed to, but Geilo does have a good range of immaculately maintained runs and is free from the overcrowding and lift queues which often plague Alpine holidays. Crucially, it is also snow-sure throughout the winter, meaning you can reliably plan your itinerary.

The milder pistes make it a great place particularly for beginners and families, who are well catered for. The resort has excellent snow parks with huge jumps for the daring but also has smaller “nursery”

versions designed for children – and where even people like myself can have a chance to feel like a professional trying to slide along rails or jump from mini-kickers.

Surprisingly, and slightly embarrassingly, the resort’s toboggan track also proved a big hit with our group. Great for kids (and big kids), the twisting, turning course prompted us to pretend we were in a real life game of Mario Kart, happily barging each other as we sped downhill in heavy plastic toboggans complete with their own steering wheels and brakes.

I walked away, as I did from the plane home, with a joyful grin on my face.

* Brighton-based Neilson Active Holidays offers ski holidays to Geilo and other resorts in Scandinavia.

* Prices for March 2011 start at £345 based on seven nights’ self-catering at the four-star Forest Chalet, including flights from Gatwick and transfers to and from Fagernes Airport, which is about an hour and a half from Geilo.

* Neilson also offer seven nights half-board packages at Dr Holms Hotel from £905. Visit www.neilson.co.uk.

* For information on Dr Holms Hotel and its spa, restaurants, nightclub or bowling alley go to www.drholms.no.

* Details about Geilo can be found at www.geilo.com or www.geilo.no/en and general information about travel in Norway is available at www.visitnorway.co.uk.