Hopeful world champs arrive in Oslo
February 2, 2012
Holmenkollen’s arenas and the hills above Oslo are coming alive once again with the sound of skiers, snowboarders and cheering fans, as the first of two major international competitions gets underway. First out is the IBU World Cup Biathlon, to be followed by the World Snowboarding Championships next week at nearby Oslo Winterpark at Tryvann. [...]
New ski jump needs to earn money
December 20, 2011
Oslo’s newly rebuilt Holmenkollen Ski Jump shattered all budget estimates and now is costing much more money to operate and maintain than the old one did. That means the ski association in charge needs to start renting it out on a regular basis, in the hopes of generating needed income. Skiforeningen, the ski association that [...]
Sports leaders want Olympics in Oslo
October 25, 2011
Cheering crowds and Norwegians out in front at last winter’s Nordic World Ski Championships in Oslo were all it took for local sports bureaucrats and civic boosters to start plotting their next big project: Attracting the Winter Olympics to Oslo in 2022. Rival host sites in Norway are already protesting. Sverre Seeberg, president of the [...]
Brand new ski jump full of mistakes
August 4, 2011
Oslo’s new Holmenkollen Ski Jump opened just in time for last winter’s Nordic Skiing World Championships, after enormous budget overruns and political controversy. Now it seems it’s full of construction mistakes and deficiencies, and the price tag may rise further. Newspaper Aften reported last week that a long list of problems has cropped up after [...]
More action at Holmenkollen soon
March 7, 2011
Even though the Nordic skiing world championships are over, the arenas at Holmenkollen in Oslo where they were held haven’t been idle for long. An estimated 10,000 children, their parents and other supporters took part on Sunday in the annual Barnas Holmenkolldag, billed as the world’s biggest ski festival for children. It’s sponsored by local [...]
Sunset over Holmenkollen Ski Jump
March 7, 2011
A sunset view of the Holmenkollen Ski Jump, seen from Oslo’s northern Sinsen district. After almost two weeks of world championship competition at Holmenkollen, a sense of normalcy returned to Oslo on Monday. As the crowds and athletes went home, the newly rebuilt ski jump remains the capital’s premier landmark. PHOTO: Matt Lato
Drug tests not for the faint-hearted
March 2, 2011
The fans see glory heaped on the winners as they cross the finish line at the world championships. The doping test which comes after is far less glorious. Oslo-based newspaper Aftenposten tested the testing procedure itself, gaining unique insight into how it works and how degrading it can feel. On Tuesday, for example, Matti Heikkinen [...]
Ski jumping faded into the fog
February 25, 2011
Norway’s pioneer female ski jumper Anette Sagen was furious after Friday’s important ski jumping competition at the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in Oslo. The fog was so thick at times that not even those in the press box could see the jumpers, and Sagen thinks the event should have been postponed. “They would have [...]
All eyes on Åsne for Ski-VM
February 23, 2011
With hundreds of thousands of spectators descending on Oslo over the next two weeks for the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships 2011 (known as ‘Ski-VM’ in Norwegian), all eyes will be on the capital – and Ski-VM CEO Åsne Havnelid, the woman responsible for ensuring that it all goes smoothly. While Havnelid can hardly be [...]
Debate continues over Ski-VM 2011
February 20, 2011
As Oslo warms up for this week’s opening of the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships (Ski-VM 2011), criticism and conflicts over the event are giving way to unabashed boosterism. Debate continues, however, over the massive investment in the 12-day skiing competition, most of it arguably at taxpayer expense. The actual burden on Oslo taxpayers has [...]
Oslo all abuzz before Ski-VM
February 20, 2011
Construction workers and craftsmen have been in full swing along Oslo’s main boulevard through downtown, Karl Johans Gate, to prepare for Wednesday’s opening of the FIS World Ski Championships (Ski-VM 2011). Saws are buzzing as artists create ice sculptures, stages and outdoor screens have been set up, and refreshment stands are in place. It’s clear [...]
Ski champs get media drilling
February 4, 2011
Norwegian athletes aren’t only warming up for the Nordic World Ski Championships in Oslo (Ski VM 2011) later this month. They’re also being given extensive media coaching, while debate flies over glaring examples of potential conflicts of interest on the ski trails and the air waves. The Norwegian media have featured several stories this week [...]
Wedged beneath Holmenkollen…
February 4, 2011
MUSEUM GUIDE: Norway’s capital is full of museums, and they’re often in the news. We’re following that news, and aim to focus regularly on a specific museum or attraction worthy of a visit. THIS WEEK: The Ski Museum at Holmenkollen, before it gets too busy with the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships starting in a few [...]
Make or break for women’s ski jumping
February 2, 2011
The performance of women ski jumpers at the Nordic World Ski Championships in Oslo later this month is likely to determine whether they’ll make it onto the Olympics. Crowd response may tip the decision of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), so to ensure a sufficiently festive mood, some of the tickets are being distributed free [...]
Holmenkollen line rolls again
December 9, 2010
It may not be quite as old as the hills, but the public transit line from downtown Oslo to the Holmenkollen Ski Jump and beyond has served the city and its visitors for more than a century. Now it’s had a major upgrade, completed just in time for the Nordic Skiing World Championships this winter. [...]
