Even though Oslo is situated on latitude 60 North, you should not leave your swim suit at home. Although this is as far north as Anchorage in Alaska, Norway owes its warmer climate to the Gulf Stream. The Gulf Stream keeps the fjords from freezing entirely, even in the arctic Finnmark region. Even more important are the southerly air currents brought in above these warm waters, especially during the winter.
In comparison to western Norway, which has relatively warm winters, cool summers and frequent rain, eastern Norway, where Oslo is situated, is sheltered by the mountains in the center of the country and has an inland climate with warm summers, colder winters, and less than 30 inches mean annual rainfall.
The snow usually arrives right in time for a "white Christmas", and skiing conditions are excellent from January through March. The closest downhill skiing area is less than 15 minutes by car from BI. Thousands of kilometers of cross-country tracks can be found only 5 minutes further to the north and west.
