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Work has commenced at the Folgefonna Glacier in Norway to get the Fonna Glacier Ski Resort ready for the upcoming summer ski season. Fonna is one of only six ski resorts or areas in the world that opens in summer only due to receiving too much snow during winter.
However, Mountain operations at Fonna Glacier Ski Resort do spend the winter months keeping the ski resort groomed and prepped to minimize work in spring. The snow is regularly compacted and churned to ensure optimal conditions for summer skiing and boarding from May to September.
The roads to the glacier are not accessible by car during the winter months and work has started to clear the snow off the path to the summer ski resort. The resort is set to open from May 1, 2024, for team training and from May 17 for the general public. The resort will stay open to the public until September and will offer training for teams in October or November depending on snow conditions.
The resort is serviced by a single T-bar lift which will be open during the summer ski season from 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. every day.
Fonna Glacier Ski Resort is located in Norway’s captivating Hardangerfjord region at an elevation of 4,757 feet (1,450 meters) on the Folgefonna Glacier. The resort offers three miles (5km) of slopes across four different runs with 820 feet (250 meters) of vertical. Fonna is very popular for summer training for European snowsports athletes and offers facilities for alpine and freestyle teams. The resort offers alpine trails, a terrain park, and a moguls course. The Mushroom Crew regularly comes to Fonna to shape the terrain park, making for legendary training setups for international athletes. A day pass at Fonna is NOK 405 (USD 38) and a season pass is NOK 4,990 (USD 453).
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The resort also offers summer cross-country trails for classic and skate training on top of the glacier, from which you can revel in the scenic beauty with views of the Hardanger Fjord, the Rosendal Alps, South Fonna, and the North Sea. The cross-country trail is prepped and salted in June and July when weather permits or on demand for teams. Cross-country ski passes are NOK 250 (USD 22.70) per day and include access to groomed and salted trail as well as transport with the ski lift.
Fonna Glacier Ski Resort is about 20 minutes from Jondal village at the edge of the glacier. There is a car park with plenty of parking and a resort center with a ski/snowboard rental and a cafe. There is also a bus that services the area for ease of access.
The resort has seen massive snowfalls this winter thanks to one of the coldest winters in decades. Earlier this year Fonna had to dig out its ski lift when it was buried by about 33 feet (10 meters) of snow. It is the most snow the resort has seen since 2015 and conditions are slated to be epic this summer.
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