Learn Hardcore Norwegian: Skiløypen er full av små snøfnugg som ser vakre ut i sollyset. - The ski track is full of small snowflakes that look beautiful in the sunlight.

So “Skiløypen er …” literally is “The‑ski‑trail is …”.
If you wrote “Skiløype er full av …”, it would sound like “A ski trail is full of …” in a generic sense, not about one specific trail.

What exactly does “skiløype” mean, and is it a compound word?

Yes, “skiløype” is a compound:

ski = ski
løype = trail / track / course (for skiing, running, etc.)

Together “skiløype” means “ski trail / ski track / ski run”.
So “Skiløypen” is “the ski trail/track”.

What is the difference between “skiløypen” and “skiløypa”? Which should I use?

Both are correct Bokmål forms of the definite singular:

skiløypen = more “bookish” / traditional Bokmål
skiløypa = more informal / spoken style, also used in Nynorsk

Norwegians very often say and write “skiløypa” in everyday language.
As a learner of standard Bokmål, you can safely use either form; just be consistent within one text.

What does “full av” mean, and why not “full med”?

“Full av” literally means “full of”, and that’s the normal, idiomatic expression here:

Skiløypen er full av små snøfnugg.
= The ski trail is full of small snowflakes.

“Full med” exists, but it’s much less common and can sound odd or dialectal in many contexts. For what you’d normally say in English “full of X”, use “full av X” in Norwegian.

Why is it “små snøfnugg” and not something with “liten”, like “liten snøfnugg”?

The adjective “liten” (small, little) is irregular:

Masculine/feminine singular: liten
Neuter singular: lite
Plural (all genders): små

Here we’re talking about many snowflakes, so we need the plural form:

små snøfnugg = small snowflakes

You cannot say “liten snøfnugg” for the plural.
For one snowflake you’d say:

et lite snøfnugg = a small snowflake (neuter singular)

“Snøfnugg” looks the same in singular and plural. Is that correct?

Yes. “Snøfnugg” is a neuter noun whose indefinite plural is the same as the singular:

Singular: et snøfnugg = a snowflake
Indefinite plural: snøfnugg = snowflakes
Definite plural: snøfnuggene = the snowflakes

In the sentence “små snøfnugg”, the adjective “små” tells you it’s plural.

What is the function of “som” in “som ser vakre ut i sollyset”?

Here, “som” is a relative pronoun meaning “that/which/who”. It introduces a relative clause describing “små snøfnugg”:

små snøfnugg som ser vakre ut i sollyset
= small snowflakes that look beautiful in the sunlight

So “som” here = “that/which”, not “as” (as in “as a teacher” = “som lærer”).

Why is it “vakre” and not “vakker” or “vakkert”?

“Vakker” (beautiful) changes form depending on gender, number, and definiteness:

Masculine/feminine singular (indefinite): vakker
(en vakker dag = a beautiful day)
Neuter singular (indefinite): vakkert
(et vakkert hus = a beautiful house)
Plural and/or definite (all genders): vakre
(vakre hus = beautiful houses; den vakre dagen = the beautiful day)

In the sentence, the adjective refers to “små snøfnugg” (plural), so we must use the plural form:

snøfnugg … som ser vakre ut
= snowflakes … that look beautiful

Why do we need “ut” in “ser vakre ut”? Could we just say “ser vakre”?

Norwegian usually uses “se … ut” for “look + adjective”:

Hun ser trøtt ut. = She looks tired.
Det ser vanskelig ut. = It looks difficult.

So:

snøfnugg som ser vakre ut
= snowflakes that look beautiful

You cannot say “ser vakre” on its own; that sounds wrong.
Without “ut”, “ser” is just “sees” or “is seeing”, not the “looks + adjective” meaning.

What does “i sollyset” mean exactly, and how is it different from “i solen/sola”?

sollys = sunlight
sollyset = the sunlight (definite form)

So:

i sollyset = in the sunlight

You could also say:

i solen / i sola = in the sun

Nuance:

i sollyset focuses on the light itself (how things look when lit by the sun).
i solen/sola is more about being in the sun (location/exposure).

In a description of how snowflakes look, “i sollyset” is very natural.

How do you pronounce “Skiløypen” and “snøfnugg”?

Approximate pronunciation (standard Eastern Norwegian):

Skiløypen
- IPA: /ˈʂiˌlœʏpən/
- Roughly: “SHEE-løy-pen”
  - ski: like shee with a slightly retroflex sh
  - løype: løy-pe (ø = like French peu; øy like English “oy” but with ø)
  - final -en = a short “en”
snøfnugg
- IPA: /ˈsnøːfnʉɡ/
- Roughly: “SNØØ-fnugg”
  - snø: snø (ø as above)
  - fnugg: fnugg with a short u (like “book”) and a hard g at the end

Stress is on the first syllable in both words: SKI‑løypen, SNØ‑fnugg.