Finding ‘Kos’ in the Remote Mountains of Norway

When we finally reached our mountainside cabin in Nesbyen, a two-hour drive north from Norway’s capital Oslo—plus, for the final few kilometers, a steep trek up ice-laden roads weaving between snow-dusted spruce trees—the quaint town still flickered with energy. Athletes wearing their snow clothes from a day’s worth of activities at the nearby Nesfjellet ski resort bumbled into the unfussy local restaurant for dinner. Smiling tween girls held hands as they skipped into the town’s main market, each coming back out with her own bag of goodies. 

We had left Oslo’s robust city life, one teeming with jaw-dropping contemporary architecture and urban development, for a different kind of Norway. Surrounded by tree-covered mountain ranges and sliced by the Hallingdalselva river, Nesbyen sits in the Hallingdal Valley in south-central Norway. The town’s name is derived from an Old Norse word, and throughout history, the region has been known for its farming and forestry. Today’s Nesbyen, while glinting with modern design and sustainable practices—as indicated by its recent Badge of Sustainable Destinations by the government scheme Innovation Norway—does not deviate much from the ethos of yesteryear, maintaining the appreciation of a slowed-down lifestyle and deep connection to nature.

Throughout the next four days, we ambled around Hallingdal Valley with two main purposes: finding downhill ski adventures and drinking homemade hot cocoa inside the wood cabin that we would call home. These days, I travel in a herd that consists of my husband, Joshua, and our six-year-old daughter and four-year-old son—travel mates for whom I was prepared to step in front of a barreling Scandinavian moose. In the midst of our adventure, though, somehow a third theme appeared the moment we lit the cabin’s wood-burning fireplace: kos, the Norwegian concept of coziness and comfort.

Running a little deeper than the Danish concept of hygge, kos entails a feeling of warmth that can be stoked by the simple things in life—like family and friends who share a heartfelt laugh, a relaxing sip of coffee, or a leisurely hike up a mountain. It’s a feeling underlined by the sheer happiness of living in the moment. As my Norwegian friend Christian describes it: “Kos is like giving a hug.”