Ski Museum Directory
HOW TO USE THIS GUIDE
The Ski Museums of the World guidebook is organized alphabetically first by country, and then by city/town. (For example, within the United States, you will find the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame listed under Ishpeming, rather than Michigan.) Within each nation’s listing, the dedicated ski museums appear in the first section, followed by other museums, collections and libraries that contain ski-history material. Museums or collections that are in storage, or have recently closed, are listed at the end of the guide.
Click here to read an overview of this guide by author and ski historian E. John B. Allen
Publication of this guidebook was partially supported by a generous grant from the Marc Hodler Foundation in Switzerland.
Methven, South Island
New Zealand Alpine and Agriculture EncounterAddress:Methven, South Island New Zealand Contact: Jan Lane Email: info@encountermethven.co.nz Telephone: (64) 33029 666 Website: www.encountermethven.co.nz Emphasis is on Canterbury area skiing, especially Mt. Hutt. |
Alta, Finnmark County
Alta MusuemAddress:Alta, Finnmark County 9518 Norway Contact: Harriet Hagen Email: post@altamuseum.no Telephone: (47) 41756330 Website: www.alta.museum.no Impressive rock carving. Exhibition jumping and Bjorn Wirkola. |
Oslo, Oslo County
Holmenkollen Ski MuseumAddress:Oslo, Oslo County 787 Norway Contact: Birgitte Espeland Email: birgitte.espeland@skiforeningen.no Telephone: (47) 916 71947 Website: www.skiforeningen.no/en/holmenkollen/skimuseet The world's most comprehensive ski museum. Call ahead for research purposes. |
Oslo, Oslo County
Norwegian Folk MuseumAddress:Oslo, Oslo County 287 Norway Contact: Morten Bing Email: post@norskfolkemuseum.no Telephone: (47) 2212 3700 Website: www.norskfolkemuseum.no The ski material is digitalized at www.digitalmuseum.no/seach/?q=ski&aq=owner%3f%3A%22NF%22 |
Elverum, Hedmark County
Norwegian Forestry MuseumAddress:Elverum, Hedmark County 2407 Norway Contact: Bjørn Bækkelund Email: skogmus@annomuseum.no Telephone: (47) 6240 9000 Website: www.skogmus.no Concentrates on forestry, hunting and fishing and few skis on view. To see the 100 skis in storage appointment must be made for Monday-Friday 10.00-15.30 at bookingskogmus@annomuseum.no. |
Lillehammer, Oppland County
Norwegian Olympic MuseumAddress:Lillehammer, Oppland County 2609 Norway Contact: Email: post@lillehammer.no Telephone: (47) 6128 89000 Website: www.ol.museum.no Excellent displays on all Olympics but especially those held in Norway in 1952 and 1994, and the Youth Olympic Games in 2016. |
Morgedal, Telemark County
Norwegian Ski AdventureAddress:Morgedal, Telemark County 3848 Norway Contact: Dag Rorgemoen Email: nse@vtm.no Telephone: (47) 3506 9080 Website: www.vest-telemark.museum.no/ …norsk-skieventyr-skimuseet-i-morgedal A member of the Vest-Telemark museum system, good displays with special attention to Norheim (house available for visit) and Bjaaland. Good library. Until recently, this museum used to be open year round. For current information, call or email. |
Tromsø, Troms County
Polar MuseumAddress:Tromsø, Troms County 9008 Norway Contact: Email: via website Telephone: (47) 776233 60 Website: www.uit.no Nansen, Amundsen and also Hansen and Johansen with Amundsen to South Pole. |
Kongsberg, Buskerud County
Ski Museum in the Mining MuseumAddress:Kongsberg, Buskerud County Norway Contact: Email: bergverksmuseet@bvm.no Telephone: (47) 9191 3200 Website: https://norsk-bergverksmuseum.no/skihistorisk-samlung The ski museum is part of the Mining museum. Especially strong in Kongsberg and Ruud materials. |
Trondheim, Trøndelag County
Sverresborg Trøndelag FolkmuseetAddress:Trondheim, Trøndelag County 7020 Norway Contact: Email: post@sverresborg.no Telephone: (47) 7389 0100 Website: www.sverresborg.no Ski museum which is among a large number of buildings which comprise the Folk Museum of the area. |
Tromsø, Troms County
Tromsø University MuseumAddress:Tromsø, Troms County 9037 Norway Contact: Anita Maurstad Email: postmottak@tmu.uit.no Telephone: (47) 776 450 01 Website: https://uit.no General exhibits on northern life, especially Sami. Some ski material including ca. 25 skis. |
Trysil, Hedmark County
Trysil-Knut Ski MuseumAddress:Trysil, Hedmark County 2420 Norway Contact: Email: rvingels@gmail.com Telephone: (47) 918933 77 Website: www.expology.com/trysil-knut Small museum, nice displays. |
Warszawa,
Museum of Sport and TourismAddress:Warszawa, 01-531 Poland Contact: Tomasz Jagodziński Email: muzsport@muzeumsportu.waw.pl Telephone: (48) 225 603 780 Website: www.muzeumsport.waw.pl Skiing presented among other sports. Large library, museum publications. |
Zakopane, Province of Lesser Poland
Museum of the Tatra MountainsAddress:Zakopane, Province of Lesser Poland 34-500 Poland Contact: Anna Wende-Surmiak Email: biuro@muzeumtatrzanskie.pl Telephone: (48) 182 0152 05 Website: www.muzeumtatrzanskie.pl Ski material and excellent photographs. |
Cieklin, Subcarpathian Voivodeship
Stanisław Barabasz Ski Museum in CieklinAddress:Cieklin, Subcarpathian Voivodeship 38-222 Poland Contact: Wieław Czechowicz Email: muzeumnarciarstwa@op.pl Telephone: (48) 791 994 591 Website: www.muzeum-narciarstwa.pl Tadeusz Wowkonowicz and Stanisław Barabasz archives, and local ski development. |
St. Petersburg,
Peter the Great Museum of Anthropology and EthnographyAddress:St. Petersburg, 199034 Russia Contact: Email: Telephone: (7) 812 328 0812 Website: www.kunstkamera.ru Information about the few skis held in this museum comes from Tatyana Shrader, "Skis in Peter the Great Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography (The Kunstkammer)," in Karin Berg et al (Eds.), History of Skiing Conference Holmenkollen, Oslo 16. - 18.9.1998. Holmenkollen: Skiforeningen, 1998, 13-15. |
Moscow,
State Historial MuseumAddress:Moscow, 109012 Russia Contact: Email: Telephone: (7) 495 692 4019 Website: www.shm.ru Information about the few bog skis held in this museum comes from Natalia I. Astashova, "Skis from the Archeological Collections of the State Historical Museum," in Karin Berg et al (Eds.), History of Skiing Conference Holmenkollen, Oslo 16. - 18.9.1998. Holmenkollen: Skiforeningen, 1998, 89-94. |
Nova vas,
Bloke Ski ExhibitionAddress:Nova vas, 1385 Slovenia Contact: Matej Pakiž Email: obcina.bloke@bloke.si Telephone: (386) 1709 8918 Website: Emphasis on local skis. Bloke considers itself the founding place of Slovenian skiing. |
Slovenija, Upper Carniola
Elan Alpine Ski MuseumAddress:Slovenija, Upper Carniola 4275 Slovenia Contact: Rebeka Lah Notar Email: muzej@elan.si Telephone: (386) 453 5 14 00 Website: http://museum.elanskis.com This is the ELAN factory museum. |
Maribor,
Military Museum of the Slovenian ArmyAddress:Maribor, 2111 Slovenia Contact: Gregor Kastelic Email: grego.kastelic@mors.si Telephone: (386) 2449 5006 Website: www.vojaskimuzej.si The museum is inside the main building of the officers military training college and has minor displays on skiing. |
Mountain Soldiers ExhibitionAddress:Slovenia Contact: Ic Simon Limbic Email: aleksander.zupan@mors.si Telephone: (386) 4 576 30 90 Website: Center for the training of Slovenian mountain soldiers. |
Rateče, Upper Carniola
Planica Museum in Nordic Center PlanicaAddress:Rateče, Upper Carniola 4283 Slovenia Contact: Email: info@nc-planica.si Telephone: (386) 316 898 06 Website: www.nc-planica.si Excellent displays of jumping and ski flying. |
Mojstrana, Upper Carniola
Slovenian Alpine MuseumAddress:Mojstrana, Upper Carniola 4281 Slovenia Contact: Eva Gradnik Email: info@planinskimuzej.st Telephone: (386) 8380 6730 Website: www.planinskimuzej.si A mountain museum with occasional ski-mountaineering material. |
Tržič, Upper Carniola
Slovenian Ski MuseumAddress:Tržič, Upper Carniola 4290 Slovenia Contact: Jana Babšek Email: trziski.muzej@siol.net Telephone: (386) 4592 3810 Website: www.trziski-muzej.si Ski materials are only one part of the museum. |
Ljubljana,
Slovenian Sports MuseumAddress:Ljubljana, 1000 Slovenia Contact: Tomaž Pavlin Email: info@muzejsporta.si Telephone: (386) 1431 8340 Website: https://museu.ms/museum/details/35/muzej-sporta Most of the ski material has been moved to the complex at Planica. Good library, especially on Olympics. |
About the Author
E. John B. Allen is an emeritus professor of history at Plymouth State University and the historian for the New England Ski Museum, both located in New Hampshire, USA. Allen has had an interest in ski history since 1976. He’s an active member of the editorial review board for Skiing History, the bimonthly journal of the nonprofit International Skiing History Association (ISHA), helping to vet all articles for historical accuracy prior to publication. In writing his ten books on skiing, he has traveled to many of the museums listed in this guide. His leading books include From Skisport to Skiing: 100 Years of an American Sport (1993), The Culture and Sport of Skiing from Antiquity to World War II (2008), and FIS: 100 Years of International Skiing (2010), coauthored with Egon Theiner. He’s also the junior partner in a 2019 translation by William Frank of a Russian ski book by K.B.E.E. Eimelius, Skis in the Art of War. In 2020, his short book on 35 skiing artworks and artists will be published in Vienna.
Allen has edited two books of conference papers, International Ski History Congress Collected Papers (2002) and The Spirit of Skiing (2009). He has also published more than 60 articles and book chapters in regional, national and international journals, and written 13 encyclopedia entries. He has consulted on ten films, including Legends of American Skiing, which has appeared on the the U.S. Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) from time to time since the early 1980s. He is a frequent lecturer in the United States and Europe and has been keynote speaker at academic conferences in Norway, France, Finland and in Austria, and a seminar leader in Switzerland in 2018. In 2009, he made an eight-lecture tour of Slovenia. He has received the Ullr award from the International Skiing History Association (ISHA) for three of his books and ISHA honored him with its prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award in 2009.