Petter Northug turned on the style to secure 4x10km relay gold for world champions Norway at the World Cup in Beitostoelen.

The 23-year old took over from Ronny Hafsaas for the final leg with more than ten seconds to make up on Germany’s Tobias Angerer and Russia’s Ilia Chernousov.

But world 50km freestyle champion Northug, who finished fourth in the men’s 15km race on Saturday, made light work of the difference and outsprinted Chernousov on the final hill to claim the win in front of a delighted home crowd.

Winter has arrived in Hemsedal, Norway, where after days of sub-zero temperatures — great conditions for snowmaking — Hemsedal Ski Centre has announced it will open on Saturday the 7th of November!

“When we open, we open for real,” said resort manager Trond H. Østby. “Hemsedal has had lots of early snowfall, and together with optimal conditions for snowmaking we now have enough snow in Hemsedalsløypa to open the first weekend in November.”

Four ski resorts in Norway have launched the first 365 day lift pass to enable skiers to enjoy the snow all year around. The resorts – Voss, Myrkdalen, Røldal and Folgefonn, are based on the west coast of Norway and are in near proximity. Season pass holders can now use all four resorts on one lift pass.

This unique card offers the possibility of skiing 12 months a year as Folgefonn resort is positioned on a glacier and opens for summer skiing when the other locations close in May.

Come summertime, when people want to feel the sun on their backs, they turn to the south, through instinct – like migrating birds – or just habit. Come winter, when they want to feel soft snow beneath their skis, they turn… to the south.

It’s a curious phenomenon. Everybody knows that the places where it’s always cold, and the snow is thick on the ground, lie in the opposite direction; but the bulk of skiers still head south to the Alps.