The Most Famous

SKIERS from Norway

This page contains a list of the greatest Norwegian Skiers. The pantheon dataset contains 817 Skiers, 116 of which were born in Norway. This makes Norway the birth place of the most number of Skiers.

Top 10

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the top 10 most legendary Norwegian Skiers of all time. This list of famous Norwegian Skiers is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity. Visit the rankings page to view the entire list of Norwegian Skiers.

1. Bjørn Dæhlie (b. 1967)

With an HPI of 55.87, Bjørn Dæhlie is the most famous Norwegian Skier. His biography has been translated into 46 different languages on wikipedia.

Bjørn Erlend Dæhlie (born 19 June 1967) is a Norwegian businessman and retired cross-country skier. From 1992 to 1999, Dæhlie won the Nordic World Cup six times, finishing second in 1994 and 1998. Dæhlie won a total of 29 medals in the Olympics and World Championships between 1991 and 1999, making him the most successful male cross-country skier in history. During his career, Dæhlie measured a VO2 max of 96 ml/kg/min. Dæhlie's result was achieved out of season, and physiologist Erlend Hem who was responsible for the testing stated that he would not discount the possibility of the skier passing 100 ml/kg/min at his absolute peak. Since retiring, Dæhlie has become a successful businessman in real estate and fashion. His real estate investments have produced a fortune of more than half a billion kroner.

2. Anne Jahren (b. 1963)

With an HPI of 55.09, Anne Jahren is the 2nd most famous Norwegian Skier. Her biography has been translated into 19 different languages.

Anne Jahren (born 20 June 1963) is a Norwegian former cross-country skier who competed from 1982 to 1990. She won a complete set of medals at the Winter Olympics with a gold in the 4 × 5 km relay (1984), a silver in the 4 × 5 km relay (1988), and a bronze in the 20 km (1984). Jahren also won four medals at the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships, including one gold (10 km: 1987), two silvers (4 × 5 km relay: 1985, 1987), and one bronze (4 × 5 km relay: 1989). She also finished 13th in the women's Adelskalender in the Norwegian skiing Championships. Representing Bærums Skiklub, Jahren also won two World Cup events in her career (1986, 1987). In 1984 she won the silver medal at the Norwegian championships in 10 km cross-country running, representing IL Tyrving. She has her education from the Norwegian School of Sport Sciences.

3. Birger Ruud (1911 - 1998)

With an HPI of 53.86, Birger Ruud is the 3rd most famous Norwegian Skier. His biography has been translated into 20 different languages.

Birger Ruud (23 August 1911 – 13 June 1998) was a Norwegian ski jumper and alpine skier.

4. Bjørn Wirkola (b. 1943)

With an HPI of 53.21, Bjørn Wirkola is the 4th most famous Norwegian Skier. His biography has been translated into 16 different languages.

Bjørn Tore Wirkola (born 4 August 1943) is a Norwegian former ski jumper.

5. Toralf Engan (b. 1936)

With an HPI of 52.06, Toralf Engan is the 5th most famous Norwegian Skier. His biography has been translated into 19 different languages.

Toralf Engan (born 1 October 1936) is a retired Norwegian ski jumper. At the 1964 Winter Olympics he won the large hill and placed second in the new normal hill event. His other victories include the Four Hills Tournament, which he had won the preceding season, as well as the 1962 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in the individual normal hill (the first ever in that event). Engan won the ski jumping normal hill event at the 1962 Holmenkollen ski festival, the same year he won the Holmenkollen medal. Engan retired after the 1966 season. Later he worked as a national ski jumping coach in 1967–69, and settled in Trondheim with his family.

6. Laila Schou Nilsen (1919 - 1998)

With an HPI of 51.93, Laila Schou Nilsen is the 6th most famous Norwegian Skier. Her biography has been translated into 18 different languages.

Laila Schou Nilsen (18 March 1919 – 30 July 1998) was one of the foremost Norwegian sportspeople of the 20th century, best known as a speed skater, alpine skier, and tennis player. She was one of the pioneers in women's speed skating, both in Norway and internationally, along with two other skaters from the Oslo Skøiteklub ('Oslo Skating Club'), Undis Blikken and Synnøve Lie. Across her sporting career – which also included handball, ski jumping, cross-country skiing, and motorsport – Nilsen won 101 Norwegian Championship titles, of which 86 were in tennis.

7. Torbjørn Falkanger (1927 - 2013)

With an HPI of 51.76, Torbjørn Falkanger is the 7th most famous Norwegian Skier. His biography has been translated into 19 different languages.

Torbjørn Falkanger (8 October 1927 in Trondheim – 16 July 2013) was a Norwegian ski jumper who was active in the late 1940s and early 1950s. Falkanger earned a silver medal at the 1952 Winter Olympics in ski jumping and also won the Holmenkollen ski festival ski jumping competition twice (1949 and 1950). For his ski jumping efforts, Falkanger was awarded the Holmenkollen medal in 1952 (Shared with Stein Eriksen, Heikki Hasu and Nils Karlsson.) Falkanger also took the Olympic Oath at the 1952 games in Oslo. His career ended a few months ahead of the 1956 Winter Olympics, due to a fall in the ski jumping hill.

8. Kjetil André Aamodt (b. 1971)

With an HPI of 50.89, Kjetil André Aamodt is the 8th most famous Norwegian Skier. His biography has been translated into 38 different languages.

Kjetil André Aamodt (born 2 September 1971) is a former World Cup alpine ski racer from Norway, a champion in the Olympics, World Championships, and World Cup. He is one of the most successful alpine ski racers from Norway.

9. Marit Bjørgen (b. 1980)

With an HPI of 49.91, Marit Bjørgen is the 9th most famous Norwegian Skier. Her biography has been translated into 43 different languages.

Marit Bjørgen (born 21 March 1980) is a former Norwegian cross-country skier. She is ranked first in the all-time Cross-Country World Cup rankings with 114 individual victories. Bjørgen is also the most successful sprinter in Cross-Country World Cup history, with 29 victories. She headed the medal table at the 2010 Winter Olympics by winning five medals, including three gold. A five-time Olympian, her five Olympic medals at the 2018 Pyeongchang Games brought her total number of medals up to a record 15, making her the most decorated Winter Olympian of all time and the third-most decorated Olympian of all time. On 6 April 2018, Bjørgen announced her retirement from cross-country skiing following the 2017–18 season. In May 2020, she announced that she would return to competition with long-distance cross-country ski squad Team Ragde Eiendom, with a focus on competing in Vasaloppet in March 2021. On 28 April 2022, she announced the end of her career by also finishing her long-distance career.

10. Vegard Ulvang (b. 1963)

With an HPI of 49.72, Vegard Ulvang is the 10th most famous Norwegian Skier. His biography has been translated into 22 different languages.

Vegard Ulvang (born 10 October 1963) is a retired Norwegian cross-country skier who won three Olympic gold medals, two silver, and one bronze. At the opening ceremony of the 1994 Winter Olympic Games, he took the ceremonial Olympic Oath on part of all the athletes. In addition to his Olympic achievements, he received the Holmenkollen medal in 1991 (shared with Trond Einar Elden, Ernst Vettori, and Jens Weißflog), and won the World Cup in 1990. He has also won nine gold, six silver, and two bronze medals in the Norwegian Championships. He earned nine World Cup race victories. Ulvang also won the 50 km at the Holmenkollen ski festival in 1989, 1991 and 1992. After retiring from professional skiing, he started his own clothing line. On 25 May 2006, Ulvang was named chairman of the executive board of the International Ski Federation's (FIS) cross-country committee, taking over from Peter Petriček of Slovenia, who decided to step down after four years in the job. Ulvang was also a part of Norwegian TV 2's television travel-series Gutta på tur, together with fellow skier Bjørn Dæhlie, TV personality Arne Hjeltnes and chef Arne Brimi. He is also the creator and organizer of the Tour de Ski.

People

Pantheon has 125 people classified as Norwegian skiers born between 1888 and 2002. Of these 125, 111 (88.80%) of them are still alive today. The most famous living Norwegian skiers include Bjørn Dæhlie, Anne Jahren, and Bjørn Wirkola. The most famous deceased Norwegian skiers include Birger Ruud, Laila Schou Nilsen, and Torbjørn Falkanger. As of April 2024, 9 new Norwegian skiers have been added to Pantheon including Pål Gunnar Mikkelsplass, Ole Gunnar Fidjestøl, and Anne Kjersti Kalvå.