In two years, everyone with an interest in cross-country, or downhill skiing will be able to indulge their interest in the world’s largest indoor, all year round, ski resort in Lørenskog.
Prime Minister Erna Solberg of Høyre (H) stood with both feet well planted in the artificial snow as she laid down the foundation of the giant new development, which Lørenskog Winter Park claims is the world’s largest indoor ski resort.
The work will be completed in 2019 and will cover 50,000 square meters. The ski slope is referred to as one of the largest indoor arenas on the globe, and boasts that no matter how bad conditions are outdoors, there will always be perfect snow conditions for everything from cross-country, to free style, and alpine skiing.
For cross-country (langrenn) enthusiasts, or just children, adults or retired people who want to get some exercise, the resort will have over two kilometres of cross-country trails, which extend over three levels.
‘The ski slopes won’t be closed for the top competitions for weeks at a time. There will be no landowners with rights of priority. You may meet Kjetil Jansrud in the queue for the lift, but he’ll be standing there waiting in the same way as you and your friends, the winter sports complex says on their web page.
The downhill section is 505 metres long, and 100 metres wide, with a slope of up to 38%. The terrain park will have rails, blue jumps,and a big jump which is comparable in size to the largest in Tryvann on the other side of the city. The lifts at the site will be able to carry as many as 5,000 people per hour.
The idea for the indoor ski resort was Olav Selvaag, co-owner of the holding company Selvaag Gruppen, who thought of it in 2010.
Selvaag is the grandson of engineer and entrepreneur, Olav Selvaag, who made his mark on housing construction in Norway after the Second World War.
Lørenskog municipality gave the green light for construction of the indoor ski resort in September 2015. In January the following year, the regulation plan was approved by the Ministry of Climate and Environment. In total, the project has a budget of NOK 3 billion. The ski slope alone will cost half a billion kroner.
© NTB Scanpix / Norway Today
