Lillehammer has a long history in winter sports and is generally regarded as Norway's oldest Alpine skiing centre, but its highly successful staging of the '94 Olympics brought to the forefront of the international winter sports world. The community feel of those Games were especially memorable for many. Lillehammer was able to put across an image of a comparatively small community pulling together in a spirit of enthusiastic goodwill, rather than the large and rather bland event organised by big nations in partnership with big corporations, that has tainted the image of the Olympic spirit over the past few decades.
Lillehammer remains a charming resort, located on wooded slopes above Lake Mjøsa it is a delightful place of traditional wooden buildings, parks and gardens. There are wonderful views in to the romantic Gudbrandsdal Valley which stretches for more than 200km (125 miles) through the heart of Norway. The success of Lillehammer spear-headed a revival in the fortunes of Scandinavian skiing in the early 1990s, when destinations in Sweden and Norway that had been largely ignored since the 1960s by the rest of the world saw a rapid resurgence in interest. The major selling points were and remain the friendly local people, good childcare, good natural food and a good snow record - assets that had proved popular with the major resorts of the Alps now seen as increasingly over-developed, over-crowded and poor value, with less reliable snow cover.
The negatives of Scandinavian skiing - cold dark winters and high prices, were fought with arguments of strong flood lighting on the trails, modern lifts, cosy accommodation and the fact that, overall, prices worked out lower than the Alps.
Lillehammer is not in itself a traditional skiing village but, like Innsbruck or Banff, instead is the hub of a number of ski areas which guests can travel out to each day. These include Hafjell, 15km/9 miles away, the centre for slalom and giant slalom alpine events at the Lillehammer Olympics, and Kvitfjell, 50km/31 miles north, Norway's newest ski area, where the downhill courses were especially created for the Olympics. The small Birkbeinerbakken facility, with one drag lift, at Sjusjøen, 20km (13 miles) from the town, is primarily a cross-country skiing centre and was the location for the Nordic events in the Olympics. Nordseter, only 12km (7 miles) from the town, with its three drag lifts is the 'local' family/beginners' area.
Finally, there is the Kanthaugen Freestyle Park, which is within walking distance of Lillehammer town centre and located behind the Olympic ski jumps. It is one of the most compact freestyle facilities in the world and includes a 230 metre mogul field with a gradient of 26 degrees, and six take off points for aerials, the highest 3./2 metres in the air. In a triple somersault the jumper is about 12 metres off the ground. There is also a 220m long ballet hill on which lessons are now offered.
The Lysgårdsbakkene jumping hill with twin jumps is located nearby, whilst the Olympic bobsleigh and luge track are about 15km (9 miles) north of Lillehammer at a fifth location close to the Hunderfossen Family Park.
