Tynset is the administrative centre of Nord-Østerdal, and its greatest claim to fame sits right on the town square: the world's largest kicksled. Standing 5.25 metres tall and 11.6 metres long, it was first built in 1994 after a TV programme about Tynset's kicksled traditions. Then Sandefjord built a bigger one and stole the record, which naturally could not stand: Tynset struck back in 2011 with an even larger version and reclaimed its title. The town calls itself spark-hovedstaden, the kicksled capital of Norway. A local company called Norax produced kicksleds here from 2002 until 2020.
The other thing Tynset competes for every winter is the coldest night in southern Norway. Sitting at 480 metres in an inland valley with no moderating ocean influence, the town regularly drops below minus 30. The all-time record is minus 46.6 degrees, set on 1 February 1912, though nearby Røros still holds the overall southern Norwegian record at minus 50.4. When Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson once drove through Tynset, he heard the church bells and was inspired to write one of his most famous hymns. Whether the cold had sharpened his hearing is not recorded.
The other thing Tynset competes for every winter is the coldest night in southern Norway. Sitting at 480 metres in an inland valley with no moderating ocean influence, the town regularly drops below minus 30. The all-time record is minus 46.6 degrees, set on 1 February 1912, though nearby Røros still holds the overall southern Norwegian record at minus 50.4. When Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson once drove through Tynset, he heard the church bells and was inspired to write one of his most famous hymns. Whether the cold had sharpened his hearing is not recorded.