On the outskirts of Oslo city just on the border to the forest, one finds the Holmenkollen National Ski Arena. This area houses the Holmenkollen ski jumping hill, a cross country and biathlon skiing arena. There is also a roller skiing track for use in the summer season.
Also check out: Explore the Oslo Fjord with a Fjord Cruise
Holmenkollbakken (The Holmenkollen Ski Jump)
Where the ski jump is standing today there has been a ski jumping hill for more than a 120 years. During the decades it has been redesigned and rebuilt 19 times, and the latest version that we have today was inaugurated back in 2011. Click on the images below to see how it has developed.
The Holmenkollen Ski Jumping hill is a venue with a lot of history. In 1952, Oslo had the Olympics and the ski jumping took place in Holmenkollen. This was also when the audience record was set, with a whooping 150.000 people coming up to watch the jumping. This was almost a third of the population in Oslo back then!
Todays Jump tower is made out of steel, and the audience area of concrete, and the capacity is about 22000 people. Technically speaking it is a K-120 hill. Meaning that the Critical point is at 120 meters. Many jumpers jump beyond this point and then gain extra points. The current hill record was set in 2019 by Norwegian Robert Johansson, and is 144 meters.
Did you know the wild theory that Norwegians are born with skis on?
In my new YouTube video I explore the Holmenkollen ski jump, and head into the ski museum to find out more about skiing in Norway. Then it’s up to the top of the ski jumping tower. After enjoying the amazing view, it’s either the elevator down again, or a Zipline know as “Kollensvevet”.
Enjoy! Check out the YouTube-video here.
Pål
Link: The Ski Museum in Oslo
