80% of Ål municipality is at least above sea level. The highest point is Raudbergnuten at. Reineskarvet, the significant mountain of Ål has a summit of. In the winter, Ål has over of maintained cross country ski trails. Ål borders the municipalities of Ål Hol, Gol, Hemsedal, Nes, Nore og Uvdal, and Lærdal. The Bergen Line, the rail line between Oslo and Bergen runs through Ål. Ål Station has an elevation of and is the halfway station on the Bergen Line. Hallingdalselva runs in the bottom of the main valley, forming Strandafjorden, a long, narrow lake for several kilometers. Ål has several hydroelectric dams. Hallingdalselva runs partly in a tunnel from here to Nes municipality, where it drives a large turbine power plant.
General information
Approximately 5,000 inhabitants spread over several smaller villages including Ål, Torpo, Leveld, Vats, Trillhus, Granhagen, Breie and Strand. There is a strong cultural tradition, with folk music being a big part of people's identity. Folkemusikkveka is held every May for a week. The traditional industry of Ål is mostly small-farming. Many livestock farms are still in operation with small herds of sheep, dairy cattle, and goats. Crop growing is difficult because of the steep valley walls, but wheat, barley, rye, and potatoes have all been grown in the past. The award-winning local paper Hallingdølen has offices in the village of Ål. It comes on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. Ål has a Videregående school and a Folkehøyskole for deaf students.
Name
The Old Norse form of the name was Áll. The name is identical with the wordáll which means "ditch" or "gully". In 1921, the spelling of the name was changed from "Aal" to "Ål".
Coat-of-arms
The coat-of-arms is from modern times. The arms were granted on 30 November 1984 and show three silver diamond shapes in a vertical line on a red background. The designs are taken from an old and common pattern used in hand-woven tapestries in the area. They also symbolize the three churches in the municipality: Ål, Torpo, and Leveld.
Ål Bygdamuseum is built around the old Leksvol farm, and is very typical of the area. The buildings go back to the 17th century. In later years the museum gained additional buildings, Øvre tunet, Stølen, and Husmannsplassen, where a stone cottage has been reconstructed, similar to those used in the mountain sæter.
