Fonna Glacier Ski Resort, Norway, Conditions Report: Spring Skiing Overlooking the Endless Norwegian Fjords

View from the top of the t-bar at Fonna. | Photo Credit: Julia Schneemann

Report from Saturday, July 13

Chance had it that I found myself at the Fonna Glacier Ski Resort in Norway. After watching alpine and moguls athletes training for several days and had explored the surrounding Folgefonna National Park, I decided to rent some ski gear and get some turns myself. It was sunny but windy and the snow was in perfect spring skiing conditions, soft but not yet slushy. The rental process was cheap and easy. Fonna stacks Fischer boots and cruisy Fischer XTR RC skis and the whole day gear rental plus lift pass was only NOK 895 (USD 83) for one day.

The moguls line on the left drew moguls teams from Sweden, Korea, America, Germany, and Finland. | Photo Credit: Julia Schneemann

A single t-bar services Fonna, so I timed my skiing carefully outside the peak times when French and Italian youth athletes will wrestle their way euro-style to the front of the queue. Queues are never that bad but if I can avoid a crowd and the ensuing aggrevation, I will (to quote Danny Glover as Detective Roger Murtaugh, “I’m too old for this s***”).

Fonna Glacier Ski Resort — Youth athletes’ gates dominate the bottom section of the ski area at Folgefonna. | Photo Credit: Julia Schneemann

The t-bar is a self-service t-bar (typical for most European t-bars). The lovely girl at the rental station had advised me a few days ago that there was ice on the lift line, and I braced myself for whatever would come. However, at 10 a.m., the ice was really no longer ice but rather blue snow with a river running through it.

Why yes, you are on a glacier, so there is some blue ice on the lift line but it was fairly slushy by mid-morning. | Photo Credit: Julia Schneemann

The t-bar is longer than I had anticipated, but you can only see the bottom half from the bottom station, which is 1,199 meters (3,934 feet). Once the t-bar pulls you over the bottom crest, more terrain opens up in front of your eyes. The t-bar is 1.3 kilometers (0.81 miles) long and covers 261 meters (856 feet) in altitude.

Just in case you are confused: there is a sign for the tourist slope that goes around the giant slalom gates set for training. | Photo Credit: Julia Schneemann

At the top of the t-bar, the terrain keeps stretching past you and 15 kilometers (9.3 miles) of cross-country slopes set up for summer training, with skidoos transporting athletes around.

Fonna Glacier Ski Resort Trail Map. Photo Credit: Fonna Glacier Ski Resort — Fonna Glacier Ski Resort Trail Map. | Photo Credit: Fonna Glacier Ski Resort

While the majority of visitors that I saw in my week were athletes, there are some recreational skiers about. The terrain park attracted several park rats, but most recreational visitors seemed to be families with young kids. In addition, many visitors came for other activities, such as hiking or sightseeing. Folgefonni inside the Folgefonna National Park also offers glacier hikes, kayaking on the glacier lakes, and bike tours. The glacier hikes in particular were very popular and drew large crowds.

The stunning glacial lakes in the Folgefonna National Park. | Photo Credit: Julia Schneemann

The view from the top of the t-bar across the Hardangerfjord and Folgefonna National Park is simply breathtaking. I had picked a bluebird day for my ski day, so was rewarded with views all the way down to the fjords. From the top, you cannot see the bottom station but instead have endless views across the national park.

Looking all the way to the Hardangerfjord from the top of the t-bar. | Photo Credit: Julia Schneemann

The snow and the grooming were perfect and the “Tourist Slope” empty because I timed my run to have an empty slope. Rental skis and boots can be fishy, but the Fischer XTR are forgiving and cruisy, and I leisurely carved my way down to the bottom.

I realized at the bottom I should have let it run more as the chute to the t-bar station goes uphill and I had to push and skate to get back up to the lift but I was keen for more.

So we did it again and again and again until our legs were tired.

From about midway down, the steeper bottom section and bottom station come into view. | Photo Credit: Julia Schneemann

While the ski area is not huge, the spectacular views alone are worth a trip. The ski conditions are still great but the mountain is expected to close for recreational skiing at the end of July. Nevertheless, there is so much natural beauty to explore—it will always be worth a visit. I wish I had the time for a glacier hike and to explore more of the area. We will definitely be back.

Fonna Glacier Ski Resort is about a half-hour drive from Jondal while Jondal is a bit more than two hours by car from Bergen airport. The drive up to the glacier from lake level leads from Jondal at the Hardangerfjord along the glacier road past valleys and lakes into the National Park. There is a small electronic fee collected for the glacier road at the entrance gate. The road is a mostly single-lane, narrow, winding mountain road and is not for the faint of heart. In May or June, you might still encounter snow on the road but by July the road is entirely clear. The area is popular with hikers and campers from all over Europe and God forbid you come across a campervan on your way up. There is also a bus shuttle from Jondal so you don’t have to drive (but again, not something you want to run into on your drive up—thankfully the driver knew all the passing bays well and I did not have to reverse down the winding road). An added obstacle can be sheep or cows that will wander onto the road.