Lillehammer Sports & Outdoors

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Both Birkebeineren Ski Stadium and Lysgardsbakkene Ski Jumping Arena can be also used during summer.

Birkebeineren Ski Stadium is a good starting point for hiking, jogging and mountain-biking, while Lysgardsbakkene Ski Jumping Arena's K120 hill can be used for summer ski jumping.

Sjusjøen Skiing Centre
Written by Saagar on Jan 8, 2006
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Sjusjøen in Ringsaker municipality (logically and transport-wise connected to Lillehammer in the neighbourign Oppland County...) has a brand new downhill skiing and playing area. The vertical drop is 250 metres and is suitable for beginners, children, families and youngsters. Bone fide skiers would search for longer drops and steeper slopes elsewhere. Good for fun, though. Good cafeterie, restaurant options and other service functions. Moreover, the place (on top) has one of the best viewpoints in southern Norway. From the top you can survey an area the size of Belgium.

Inga-Låmi is a cross-country ski race over 15 or 30 kilometres, for women only. This is the largest women-only ski race in Norway.
Takes place in Lillehammer Saturday 11 March 2006.
There are several classes to fit you in, so this is a race for both the young, old, fit and unfit, ambitious and not so ambitious.
For all details, see web page. Just note the deadline for aplication: 20 September 05 (regular fee) and 11 March 06 for a higher participation fee (penalty before start, even....).
The Inga-Låmi is a cornerstone of the Birkebeiner Ski festival weekend 10-12 March

Equipment: Your own ski gear.

Not exactly a must-see og -do sports activity per se, but nevertheless, the Haakons Hall ice hockey venue for the Lillehammer '94 Games also houses the Norwegian Olympic Museum. Lots of collections from Norway's Olympic history and events and technology that changed sports in general. Medal collections etc. There is a special section of the Lillehammer '94 Games that runs along the galllery of the hall. You get to see selected films and a look at the ice hockey facility as well. There is a good lunch restaurant near the entrance if some of your party tires easily of this sort of thing...
A souvenir store, also at the entrance continue to sell Lillehammer Olympic memorabilia 10 years after. Outside, there is a coin-operated simulator that takes you on a ski ride down the Kvitfjell Olympic downhill course or the bobsleigh run.

Equipment: Cash for the entrance fee...

A ocre-yellow colored, slightly old-fashioned bike seen in Lillehammer is public property! You can use these city bikes for the day provided you pay a small deposit, returned when you put the bike back in the locker system. The tourist office as well as the municipality's service unit in Storgaten will help you.
Hotels and agencies at Nordseter and Sjusjoen (in the hills 15 and 22 kms east of Lillehammer) have rental off-road bikes which you can use on selected trails and the gravel/sand roads criss-crossing the areas between Sjusjoen in the south, Aastdalen valley in the east, the Oeyer mountains to the north and the Lillehammer forests to the west. Consult the tourist office for confirmation and addresses.
For more substantial bike tours, day's or week's or longer, consult the Trollsykling company successfully specializing in low-profile, high adventure, true to culture and nature type bike travels, with and without guides. Highly recommended!

Equipment: City bikes at the tourist office and The Lillehammer Municipality office entrance in Storgaten.
Rentals at Sjusjoen and Nordseter... yes, I'll get the exact run-down on this later.
Trollsykling might equip you from head to toe including the bike.

With a canoe or kayak you can have some great paddling experiences near Lillehammer. Most obviously the Laagen river delta right below town. Don't underestimate this area! It's a strict nature reserve (main focus is on birds and aqautic life), but you can enter by canoe and kayak amongst the islands. Good fishing. Also the northern end of lake Randsfjorden some 70 kilometers away is nice, and the Velmunden/ Fjorda area even nearer Oslo, west of Randsfjorden is a great canoeing area.

Equipment: Maybe the Lillehammer Kayak and Rowing club can help you with a rental? Ask at the tourist office.
At the Velmunden/Fjorda area there is a canoe rental place.

The Birkebeiner ski race runs from Rena (next valley east) to Lillehammer, and it's apparently a big thing. 5000 skiers variously sweat and freeze for a distance of 56 kilometers in March.
A special Inga-Laami ladies' ski race over a 15-kilometers' stretch attract 3000 dressed-up ladies near the main Olympic ski stadium. It gets lively in town that night! I won't tell when this takes place.
The Birkebeiner bike race is the world's largest off-road race (8000 particpants). Takes place in August, and follow nearly the same course as the ski race. Why do they do it all at the same time?

Equipment: Ohh, expert equipment. Don't even dare to venture into this.
Same for the ladies' race!

Lillehammer hosted the Winter Olympic Games in 1994. It has great winter sport facilities and very popular winter holiday destination.