Industry News
Fonna Glacier Ski Resort is located on the Folgefonna Glacier in Norway, and it is one of three summer-only ski areas in the country. The ski area plans to open for the season on May 17 this year. When the crew began work for the upcoming season, Mother Nature decided to play ‘hide the ski lift’. Buried by over 10 meters (33 feet) of snow, the team had to dig out the sole lift on the glacier.
This is the most snowfall the ski area has seen at this point since 2015. Fonna is typically open from April to September, but the massive amount of snow yet to be moved will delay the opening into May. Fonna has 5 km (3 miles) of downhill skiing across its four runs that are all serviced by the buried T-bar. The T-bar services a vertical 247 meters (810 feet) of skiing.
Fonna has a long tradition of providing facilities for alpine teams and freestyle users. This year, the snowboard park will be scaled down in favor of a continued focus on skicross/snowboardcross and alpine snowboarding. Fonna is also known for its super-G course and cross-country skiing.
Being a summer ski area, Fonna gets its fair share of national teams and professional athletes who are looking to extend their ski season. It is common for the ski area to close off part of the glacier to national teams or even the entire ski area for the athletes to train. Check out the Mushroom crew getting after it on their annual trip to Fonna.
There are only six summer-only ski areas in the world. North America has only one summer-only ski area, Beartooth Basin, which is located on the Montana/Wyoming border. Unlike Fonna, Beartooth Basin has struggled to produce a deep snowpack in the last few seasons, and it even failed to open in 2022 due to the lack of snow.
While everyone in the Northern Hemisphere is chasing the goods before their season winds down, Fonna is just gearing up. Not only does Fonna need to dig out its sole lift, but it also has to prepare a world-class park, downhill course, cross-country course, and more before the crowd hits the glacier. Needless to say, the crew at Fonna will remain hard at work over the next couple of months as opening day quickly approaches.
