Koia – a true skier shack on the slope at Kvitfjell

Not every ski resort has them, not every ski resort wants them, but every ski resort needs them. Entrepreneurs with a passion for skiing.

Kvitfjell is lucky to have Lars Harsheim and his Koia. Lars is an old school snowboarding pioneer who got lost in a job carrier. But as the world turned in to a new millennium, Lars found out he had enough.

He sent his boss a fax* saying I quit. Moved to Gudbrandsdalen, bought an old barn down the valley and relocated it to this prime spot at Olympiabakken in Kvitfjell. And then he opened his bar, Koia**.

Good for Lars and even better for Kvitfjell and for us visitors.

lars_harsheim — The owner Lars Harsheim with his first snowboard hanging on the prime spot inside Koia

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That was 21 years ago. But Koia seams to have been around forever. Places like this actually make the different between a ski resort and a ski hill. I would stretch it and state that Lars Harsheims bar is a destination itself worth travelling for.

That’s how worthy genuine bars, boutique hotels and one-off ski-shops are to a modern ski resort. Without people like Lars, forming the unique qualities of a ski resort, it will just be another Disneyland, no matter how good the skiing is.

My first contact with Lars was him cleaning the outdoor patio from the night’s snowfall, by hand. Shouting to me on a close distant:

– Sorry, we are not open until 12.00

Me shouting back -O that’s sad, where do you want us to go then?

Me looking at my watch saying 11.45, hoping he would let us in earlier

-Well you can always go to Restaurant Mett

he shouted back. Nicked his head in the other direction with a laugh, knowing that he had the establishment worth waiting for.

I turned to Alexander, (my son and skiing buddy for today) Saying, fifteen minutes, we can do two more runs.

As we came back, Lars noticed us at once with a friendly smile, stating

– So you came back!

-Well, We are thirsty and could not resist the look of this place, I replied.

Koia is one of the smallest ski huts around

Entering Koia is like entering a bootleg bar and a ski museum at the same time. One small room, a fireplace and a small bar desk. Some stools around the wall but no tables. The atmosphere is like you are at a private friends and family party, and you are part of the family.

Hungry? Well, there is a small menu, Lars recommended the hot dogs, and they are good. But you are not here for the food (you are not in Norway for their food). You are here to taste Koia and the unique atmosphere created by the passion of old school snowboarder Lars Harsheim.