By Jorn Madslien BBC News Online business reporter Lillehammer, Norway

A lengthy cold spell in Norway has been countered with the use of an age-old alternative energy source, namely the human body.

We have sold 6,000 pairs of cross-country skis today alone Lars Hanstad Madshus Skifabrikk

Years of gloomy talk about global warming has been defied by this year's lengthy winter when temperatures have frequently dropped to -25 degrees Celsius or below.

As a result, Norwegian electricity prices are up 60% on last year.

But rather than huddling up in front of their electric heaters with warm cups of cocoa, or bundling into their saunas like the Finns, the Norwegians have escaped record energy prices by heading for the hills.

Sales not sliding

Unusually, Norway has enjoyed a generous cover of snow since October, and as a consequence ski and ice skate sales have soared.

A lengthy winter has sent everyone skiing

"We have sold 6,000 pairs of cross-country skis today alone," said Lars Hanstad, director of sales and marketing at the country's leading ski manufacturer Madshus Skifabrikk.

Madshus is expecting to sell 250,000 pairs of cross-country skis this season, marking a new record, Mr Hanstad told BBC News Online.

Madshus' sales are going to be higher this year than they were during the Lillehammer Winter Olympics in 1994, he predicted.

"This is first and foremost because we are having the best winter in Norway in 40 years, and Norway is the world's largest market for cross-country skis," he said.

As a consequence, Biri-based Madshus, a wholly owned subsidiary of the US ski maker K2, expects to return to profit this year after several years of losses.

Major market

Madshus relies heavily on its home market which accounts for about a third of the skis it sells.

In fact, all the leading cross-country ski manufacturers - which include Fischer Skis and Atomic of Austria as well as Rossignol of France - are fighting hard to boost or maintain their shares of the Norwegian market.

Norway is buying up the cross-country skis

"The greatest sales increase has been for child skis and touring skis, though racing and mountain skis are also selling better than in the past," said Fischer Skis' representative in Norway, Harald Martinsen.

This year, Norwegian langlaufers are expected to buy about 300,000 pairs of cross-country skis, or almost a quarter of global sales - not bad for a country with no more than 4.5 million people.

By comparison, the Finns are expected to buy just over 200,000 pairs, while in the US about 150,000 pairs will likely be sold.

The weather abroad also bodes well for home-grown ski suppliers, like Norway's Madshus.

"Snow conditions are good in Sweden and Finland at the moment and reasonable in Russia," Mr Hanstad said.

He also has his eye on central Europe where conditions are improving.

The abundance of snow in Europe and the coldest winter in Norway for decades may help ski manufacturers set their own records.