About Rindal Ski Museum

Rindal has a long tradition of skilled ski makers. However, with the rise of skiing as a sport and the establishment of sports clubs in the late 1800s, the demand for high-quality competition skis, lead to the establishment of ski factories in Norway. There have been over 200 wooden ski factories in Norway, at the height of production, and in the years before WW2, as many as 80 of these where operating simultaneously. In 1972 there were of these 25 left. In Rindal, there were 4 major ski factories — whith the brands Trollheimen Ski, Landsem Ski, Rindalsski, and Troll-ski, impressing for a small village with 2000 inhabitants.

For decades during the 1900s, Rindal was the center of Norwegian and European ski production. At the most, the factories produced over 100,000 pairs of skis annualy, and Landsem was the preferred brand for nearly the entire Norwegian cross-country national team. Landsem Lett-Ski were called "The Stradivarius of ski sports”. When fiberglass skis transformed the sport in 1974, the Landsem ski factory impressively carried out an industrial shift from wood to fiberglass, and continued ski production in Rindal until 1986.

The Ski Museum was inaugurated in 2014 with the new visitors building, a restored 18th-century barn, seamlessly combined with a modern extension. It was designed by architect Inger Anne Landsem and Pir 2. This building blends historical and contemporary styles, providing a fitting home for the museum's extensive ski collections, exhibitions and activities. The museum was a nominee for the National Building Award (Statens byggeskikkpris) in 2015 and for the EMYA award in 2017 for “its noteworthy achievement in raising the public quality of the museum”. 

The museum complex includes 15 historical buildings that visitors can explore, all set in a large easily accessible area with outdoor seatings and close to well-maintained walking trails.

In addition to collections, exhibitions, lectures and educational programs, the museum initates activities like the Wooden Ski Festival, ski-making workshops, and ski rentals, which allow visitors to engage in crafting and using wooden skis, bringing Norwegian ski culture to life. The museum is supported by an active community of volunteers, with 130 members in Rindal Museum Friends Association.

Rindal Ski Museum is committed to preserving the traditional knowledge of ski-making through active collaboration with the Norwegian Ski and Ski-Maker Association, a result of a project initiated by the Norwegian Crafts Institute (Norsk håndverksinstitutt). The museum's efforts include producing wooden skis to rent for visitors and use in educational programs, ensuring that this important aspect of Norwegian heritage is passed on to future generations.

Rindal Ski Museum also cooperates with the other ski museums in Norway, and with the WSC 2025 organization, The FIS Nordic World Ski Championships which take place in Trondheim Feb. 25^th – March 9^th, 2025.

The museum is part of the larger Museene i Sør Trøndelag as (ltd), museum organization, which includes 12 museums and 32 visitor sites, and is a department of Orkla Industrial museum,  situated at Løkken Verk.