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Oslo warning about sidewalk conditions

We are currently in Oslo (January 2025) and finding walking in the city a bit difficult because most of the sidewalks are extremely icy. We are from the U.S (St. Louis area) where ice in winter is a normal thing and we are still having trouble. So wear shoes with good treads (my husband’s hiking boots are surprisingly slick, while my tennis shoes are a bit more stable) and be very mindful. Good luck and be safe!

Added note: at the time of our visit, the streets in Oslo are pretty clear. Driving shouldn’t pose a problem to those familiar with winter driving. It’s the sidewalks that are a bit dicey.

Posted by
3223 posts

Good heads up.

On snow and ice special soft rubber soles are needed. Mountain hiking soles for sommer are somehow the opposite what people need on ice. It is comparable to winter tires and therefore it is reasonable that tire companies such as Michelin or Continental came up with special ice soles for shoes, e. g. Michelin Ice Grip which has a rough and a very fine profile for best grip. The rubber of the sole is softer.

Outdoors also spike shoes can be an alternative but in cities there are often overdone for this usage context.

Take care for a safe journey.

Posted by
4 posts

Yes, there is! We didn’t find anything specifically about the icy sidewalks in our research. I think we made some common assumptions, so I gave the friendly warning.

Despite the icy sidewalks, Norway is still worth a visit!!! Hopefully, my warning does not deter people, but rather gives them good planning intel.

MarkK provided great info and advice on this in a previous reply. Definitely worth reading for anyone thinking about visiting any snowy regions

Posted by
3223 posts

I never thought that my knowledge gained from a 3 months internship at Continental in the 90s would be useful here.

One remark to the headline: I first thought of crime when reading the headline and was surprised about the content. It might be useful for searches and screening headlines of threads to edit it into something "Oslo: caution of winter conditions for pedestrians" or somtehing about shoewear in winter? I find the topic too useful and important for travelers' health for not being found in searches.

Posted by
4 posts

Oh no, definitely a weather warning! Honestly, crime in a Nordic country never even occurred to me, but I appreciate the perspective. I’ll see what I can do to edit the title.