Two couples, one from Norway and one from the Colorado in the US, have now checked out after they each spent a unique night at the top of Oslo’s Holmenkollen Ski Jump. Nearly 4,000 people in 60 countries had competed for the opportunity, according to its organizers.
The ski jump’s observation platform and waiting room for jumpers during its normal competitive use had been outfitted with a bed and other furniture to make it habitable for the two nights it took in guests. The Norwegian couple got engaged during their visit just before Norway’s Easter holiday week began, while the other couple from Colorado were already married and simply grabbed the chance to experience highly unusual accommodation attached to a sport that had special meaning to them.
The Norwegian winner of a night at Holmenkollen, Espen Schjerven of Oslo, wrote in his application that he’d competed on smaller jumps at Holmenkollen and wanted to make another “jump,” by proposing to his long-time partner. The American winner, Lauren Browne of Colorado, had wanted to be a ski jumper herself but was held back by restrictions against women jumpers at the time. She also expressed a special fondness for Oslo, had visited the Norwegian capital earlier and wanted to share it with her husband.
The offer of perhaps the ultimate room with a view was part of efforts by the local ski association Skiforeningen to enhance interest in ski jumping and Holmenkollen. It worked with the online service Airbnb, which occasionally offers overnight stays at unusual venues around the world.
newsinenglish.no staff
