Hlíðarfjall – Akureyri's Treasure Chest

The Andrésar Andar Games are celebrating their 50th anniversary these days and many are revisiting old and fond memories. My mother competed in the second Andrésar Games, 12 years old in 1977, when she came with a team from Ólafsfjörður and my grandmother was the team leader.

At that time, the children were sometimes even sailed all that long way and many of them competed in jeans. My grandmother recalls having to send children home after they got bad snow blindness in the lovely weather — few people had ski goggles back then.

I competed many times myself and these were true highlights of my childhood. It is even more enjoyable today to get to watch my own children compete — and who knows, maybe a fourth, even a fifth generation will turn up at the Games one day.

This year’s Games are the most attended yet. Not only that, but they have become one of the largest children’s ski tournaments in Europe. Just under 1,100 children are registered to take part, and clearly the interest in skiing is strong. The town is buzzing with life these days, much like during festive periods, weekends and winter holidays when people stream north to ski. Over Easter, news came of record attendance, with around 16,000 people skiing on the mountain. Hlíðarfjall is one of Akureyri’s biggest attractions and draws tourists at a time of year when there would otherwise be less going on. Families come here in large numbers to ski, stay at hotels and guesthouses, eat at restaurants, visit cafés, go swimming and enjoy everything the town has to offer.

But we need to be able to properly welcome all the people who come here — because we want more tourists and we want them to come back.

Unfortunately, at peak times, a very different picture often appears in Hlíðarfjall than the one we want to show. Lines of cars stretch far down the mountain, parking is in short supply and queues for the lifts are long. The reality is that people spend more time in queues and on lifts than skiing — while the slopes themselves are half empty.

The chairlift Fjarkinn is old and has always been slow. It cannot remotely meet demand. Akureyrarlistinn wants to see more people on the slopes, not in queues! That is why we want to invest in a new, high-speed chairlift, either replacing Fjarkinn or in addition to it. We want to significantly expand parking and offer bus services to and from the town at peak times. It is more environmentally friendly, would ease the pressure — and increase the chances of holding events and even an “après-ski” atmosphere on the mountain. We see a great need to improve service facilities, both at the Ski Hotel and in the cross-country skiing area.

Investment in Hlíðarfjall is not just about better facilities — it pays back many times over. A better experience for guests means a greater likelihood that people will come back, increased activity in the town and a stronger foundation for the future.

We want to see Akureyri continue to grow and flourish as a strong tourist town. That is why we need to be ready to welcome those who want to come here.

Akureyrarlistinn’s goals

• Install a new chairlift in Hlíðarfjall
• Expand parking
• Offer bus services to and from the town
• Improve the slope base to increase the number of ski days
• Improve facilities at the Ski Hotel
• Improve facilities and services at the cross-country skiing area
• Increase the number of tourists and life in the town during winter
• Continue to offer residents the public health card on favourable terms

Kristrún María Björnsdóttir is in 4th place on Akureyrarlistinn for the local elections in May.