Million-dollar gift to Hedmark ski resort

The cheers are loud in the Hedmark Ski District, which has been awarded 9.2 million kroner for facility development from the Hedmark Savings Bank Foundation. "Thank you very much to the foundation for the generous award - this will create a lot of skiing fun and contribute to improved public health for us," says a jubilant ski circuit leader Lene Faraasen.

She says that this gives Hedmark Ski Region a unique opportunity to get started with the modernization and further development of existing ski resorts, so that they meet the needs of tomorrow's athletes.

"Now we are underway - this is a big day for us", concludes Faraasen

The construction project is a collaboration between the ski clubs, Hedmark Ski District and the Norwegian Ski Association. 8.4 million kroner has been allocated to build seven cross-country facilities for children and youth in Hedmark until 2030. In addition, the ski district has received 800,000 kroner in support for activity equipment/equipment packages for 10 clubs.

"We are very pleased to be able to contribute to the establishment of these facilities in Hedmark. These are facilities that facilitate activity, mastery and skiing enjoyment for children and young people, regardless of skill level," says Kristin Vitsø Bjørnstad, gifts manager at Sparebankstiftelsen Hedmark.

Through play-based and easily accessible offers, meeting places are created that can be used by sports teams, schools and families, while strengthening the opportunities for self-organized activities. Bjørnstad strongly believes that the project will help recruit more people to skiing and provide even more good experiences in the local community.

Significant experience

The ski circuit manager believes that the facility allocation is the result of good preparatory work in Hedmark Ski Circuit in close collaboration with resource persons in the Norwegian Ski Association. Project manager club and width in the Norwegian Ski Association, Marianne Myklebust, is ready to accommodate future activity trends in Hedmark as well.

In recent years, the ski association has gained considerable experience in building cross-country facilities where existing ski resorts for children and youth are renovated.

"This will be a great initiative aimed at children and young people in Hedmark, and we know how much our clubs demand equipment that inspires young people to ski. Here, the clubs in Hedmark have a great opportunity to apply," says Myklebust.

The ski president rejoices

Ski President Roger Finjord thanks for the award and has great faith in this project. First and foremost, he would like to thank Sparebankstiftelsen Hedmark for a fantastic contribution to activity among children and young people.

"Year-round facilities where people live should also function as social meeting places in the local community. We want to give all children and young people the opportunity to enjoy outdoor activities in their own local environment all year round. Facilities should help residents go to bed and think: This is a good place to live," says Finjord.

Good experiences

The cross-country facilities will be located in or near existing ski resorts and provide more play, activity and recruitment year-round. A call for applications will be issued in the autumn, open to all clubs. The project combines ski play, cross-country and year-round use, and builds on good experiences from similar facilities in other ski areas.

In recent years, NSF has carried out dozens of facility development projects in collaboration with ski clubs, ski circuits and banks/foundations in Norway. Experience from these projects shows that:

• Recruitment of children and families is increasing

• The facilities are used more and by more people – both members and the local population

• Young people stay in sports longer when the facilities are more exciting

• The clubs' competence increases significantly

• The projects provide better cooperation between municipalities, clubs and the local community.

• The ski cross in Nittedal is a facility that was built through a similar project in the Akershus ski region.

Organization

The project will be implemented as a collaboration between the ski clubs, Hedmark Skikrets and the Norwegian Ski Federation. It is the ski clubs that apply for project funds via Hedmark Skikrets/Norwegian Ski Federation and that will own each individual sub-project (7 facilities).

The ski district, through the general manager and ski club developer, will be the operational contact for the clubs and coordinate the sub-projects. The Norwegian Ski Association, through its facilities department, will assist the clubs with planning, design and quality assurance until the facilities are fully established.

Progress schedule

Planning and announcement will take place in 2026. After that, facilities will be launched continuously, 1–3 per year, depending on funding and local capacity. Experience shows that a facility typically takes 1–3 years from idea to completion. Full implementation is planned by 2030.