Welcome to the Norwegian summer," says Snørre Pederson and squints into the rainy sky. The guy who looks a bit like one of the Vikings from the TV series "Wicky and the Strong Men" is in charge here in Hafjell. What you might not realise at first glance is that Snørre is a first-class mountain biker and has competed in many downhill races. He knows the preferences and wishes of freeriders and sees it as his mission to satisfy his visitors' desire for jumps and flow. Let's see if he succeeds.
When the invitation to Hafjell arrived in the post four weeks earlier, our colleagues pricked up their ears: everyone wants to go to Hafjell, after all, the park is said to be one of the best in Europe, along with Portes du Soleil in France and Åre in Sweden. These three destinations are regarded as the Euro-whistlers. So expectations are high: unlike bike parks in this country, these spots demand that you still have fun after two days in the park. After all, you're not travelling to Sweden, France or Norway on the spur of the moment. If you take on such a long journey, you want to stay longer. So let's go to Norway!
Hafjell is two hours by train and 15 minutes by shuttle from Oslo airport. On the train journey to Lillehammer (cost: approx. €50), you get a good impression of the area: Norway as you would imagine it. A green country full of blue lakes, capped with a grey sky. The wooden houses are painted brown, often with grass growing on the roof. No wonder, as there is plenty of rain: the weather statistics show 17 days of rain even in August and the temperatures in midsummer are similar to those in German spring: the average is around 18 degrees. The long days in summer are more enjoyable than the rain statistics. Here, the sun doesn't say goodbye until shortly before midnight and then continues to dim behind the horizon so that it never really gets dark.
Even on the first day, you realise that the atmosphere in Hafjell is relaxed and the people are open-minded. There is an unofficial campsite next to the gondola station - the small caravan belonging to freeride pro Mads "Makken" Haugen is also parked here. "Electricity, showers, bistro - everything is there," says Snørre, pointing to the main building. The bike shop is located opposite. There, 150 new Scott "Gambler" models and protective clothing are available for hire. This is more common in Hafjell than here. "26 per cent of all park visitors rent a bike here," says Snørre.
The park offers 830 metres in altitude with fourteen routes, five of which are main routes. You can cover the first 590 metres in altitude in no time at all by gondola. From the mountain station, most of the trails lead to a chairlift. You can either continue downhill towards the valley or take a six-seater chairlift to the highest point of the trail network. These 310 metres in altitude are worth it, as the most important trails start from the end of the chairlift: the World Cup trail, Buldre, Gressloypa, Moetown and the Rollercoaster.
All information about Hafjell is available below as a PDF download.
