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Hafjell Webcam – Ski Slopes Above Lillehammer
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About this webcam
The Hafjell Webcam looks out from high on a Norwegian alpine center in Oyer, about 15 kilometers (9 miles) north of Lillehammer. The camera faces across open mountain heath toward the valley below, with wooded ridges stacking up behind one another into the haze. In late September the ground cover on the upper slopes turns red and rust, crossed by a pale gravel service road. By midwinter the same ground is usually white and cut by piste lines. This is a working ski mountain with an Olympic record, and the camera sits well above the base area, so what appears on screen has more to do with weather and season than with anything happening down at the lifts.
About Hafjell
Hafjell is an alpine center in Oyer Municipality, in Innlandet county, about 15 kilometers (9 miles) north of Lillehammer. The ski area takes up part of Nevelfjell, the larger mountain it belongs to. Its summit reaches 1,030 meters (3,379 feet) and the base sits at 200 meters (656 feet), a vertical drop of 830 meters (2,723 feet). The longest continuous descent from top to bottom runs 7 kilometers (4.3 miles).
The mountain carries an Olympic record. Hafjell hosted the giant slalom and slalom races at the 1994 Winter Olympics, the games centered on Lillehammer, while the speed events were held at Kvitfjell, a separate venue further north.
The resort is operated by Alpinco and covers 50 kilometers (31 miles) of marked piste across 29 runs, graded as 12 green, 7 blue, 9 red and 1 black. Eighteen lifts serve the mountain, including a gondola up to the mid station at Gondoltoppen and the Hafjell 360 lift that reaches the summit. A six seat express chair, Vidsynexpressen, was added for the 2023/24 season. Two terrain parks, Mainpark and Backyard, are also part of the winter map, and the mountain has restaurants at Favn and Skavlen.
Weather and Climate in Hafjell
Inland eastern Norway gets a colder and drier winter than the coast, and the valley around Lillehammer holds snow dependably. At Lillehammer, the nearest town with a long climate record, January averages a daily high near -3 C (27 F) and a low near -9 C (16 F). Hafjell rises several hundred meters above the town, so the upper mountain usually runs colder and keeps its cover longer. The camera sits at just over 61 degrees north, where the winter sun never climbs far above the horizon, so the picture stays dark through much of a December afternoon and opens up only around the middle of the day.
Summer is mild rather than hot. July at Lillehammer averages a high around 22 C (71 F) and a low around 11 C (52 F), and at this latitude the evenings stay light very late, so the mountain can remain visible long after cameras further south have gone dark. Once the snow has gone the view is open heath, rough grass and gravel access roads. Autumn is the shortest and most colorful stretch of the year: the low vegetation on the upper slopes turns red and rust, which is what the camera has been showing through late September.
Things to Do Near Hafjell
The mountain does not close when the snow goes. Hafjell Bike Park opened in 2001 and has grown into a lift served downhill operation with 19 trails covering 25 kilometers (15.5 miles), graded from green to black, with descents of up to 830 meters (2,723 feet). The gravel roads and open heath in shot double as walking ground in summer, and the gondola puts the top of the hill within reach without a climb.
Lillehammer, 15 kilometers (9 miles) south, holds most of the indoor attractions. Maihaugen is a large open air museum with around 200 restored buildings moved to the site, among them the Garmo stave church. The Olympic Park above the town center keeps Lysgardsbakkene, the ski jumping arena built for the 1994 games, where a chairlift runs to the top of the jump for a view over Lillehammer and Lake Mjosa. Closer to Hafjell, Hunderfossen adventure park sits 13 kilometers (8 miles) north of Lillehammer and is one of the biggest and most popular family parks in the country.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Hafjell located?
Hafjell is in Oyer Municipality in Innlandet county, eastern Norway, about 15 kilometers (9 miles) north of Lillehammer. The ski area forms part of the mountain Nevelfjell.
What can you see on the Hafjell Webcam?
The camera looks out from high on the mountain across open heath and gravel service roads toward the valley below, with forested ridges in the distance. In winter the foreground is groomed piste. In late summer and autumn it is grass and low vegetation turning red.
What is the weather like in Hafjell?
Winters are cold and snowy. January at nearby Lillehammer averages a high near -3 C (27 F) and a low near -9 C (16 F), and the mountain is colder again. July is mild, averaging a high around 22 C (71 F) and a low around 11 C (52 F).
Did Hafjell host the 1994 Winter Olympics?
Hafjell hosted the giant slalom and slalom events at the Lillehammer games in 1994. The speed events were run at Kvitfjell, a separate venue further north.
How big is the Hafjell ski area?
The resort has 29 runs totaling 50 kilometers (31 miles) of marked piste, graded 12 green, 7 blue, 9 red and 1 black, served by 18 lifts. The vertical drop is 830 meters (2,723 feet) from a summit of 1,030 meters (3,379 feet).
How far is Hafjell from Lillehammer?
About 15 kilometers (9 miles) north. Hunderfossen adventure park lies between the two, 13 kilometers (8 miles) north of Lillehammer.
Can you mountain bike at Hafjell in summer?
Yes. Hafjell Bike Park has run since 2001 and now has 19 lift served trails covering 25 kilometers (15.5 miles), graded from green to black.
Why does the Hafjell Webcam look dark in winter?
The camera is at just over 61 degrees north, where winter days are short and the sun stays low. Outside the middle of the day the mountain is genuinely dark rather than the stream being down, and the picture brightens again the following morning without anything needing to be reloaded.
Source: Norway Live