Kanthaugen Freestyle Arena
 |
|
| Full name | Kanthaugen Freestyleanlegg |
|---|---|
| Location | Lillehammer, Norway |
| Coordinates | 61°07′26″N 10°29′24″E / 61.124°N 10.490°ECoordinates: 61°07′26″N 10°29′24″E / 61.124°N 10.490°E |
| Owner | Lillehammer Olympiapark |
| Capacity | 15,000 (aerials and ski ballet) 12,000 (moguls) |
| Construction | |
| Opened | 1992 |
| Construction cost | 20.3 million kr |
| Architect | Økaw Arkitekter |
| Main contractors | Tore Løkke |
| Tenants | |
|
1994 Winter Olympics 2016 Winter Youth Olympics FIS Freestyle Skiing World Cup (1993, 1995) |
|
Kanthaugen Freestyle Arena (Norwegian: Kanthaugen Freestyleanlegg) is a freestyle skiing stadium located in the hillside area of Kanthaugen in Lillehammer, Norway. Opened in 1992, it was built for the 1994 Winter Olympics. The venue consists of three hills—one each for aerials, moguls and ski ballet. The moguls hill has a capacity for 12,000 spectators while the other two have a 15,000-person capacity. The arena is designated as Norway's national venue for freestyle skiing. It hosted the FIS Freestyle Skiing World Cup in 1993 and 1995, and is scheduled to host freestyle skiing and snowboarding at the 2016 Winter Youth Olympics. The arena is owned by Lillehammer Olympiapark and is located adjacent to the ski jumping hill Lysgårdsbakken.
Kanthaugen has traditionally served as a recreational area for Lillehammer, and has in particular been used for alpine skiing. In 1946, Norway's then-largest ski lift was installed between Stampesletta and Kanthaugen. It remained in use until the late 1970s. At the time of the closing, a local businessman proposed that it be renovated and that a tobogganing slide be built from Kanthaugen to Stampesletta. The plans were met by local opposition and were not carried through.
Venue planning started after Lillehammer was awarded the Olympics in 1988. In the bid, Kanthaugen had been envisaged as the site of the sliding center. In 1989, the Lillehammer Olympic Organizing Committee (LOOC) proposed that the ski jumping hill and ski stadium instead be located there. Placing venues at Kanthaugen was controversial, as it would result in permanent encroachments in the one of the town's main recreational areas. Ultimately, only the freestyle arena and ski jump were placed at Kanthaugen, with the ski stadium placed further away from town. Kanthaugen Freestyle Arena was along with Lysgårdsbakken designed by Økaw Arkitekter. The area development plan was passed in August 1991. The responsibility for construction originally rested on Lillehammer Municipality, but LOOC took over responsibility in November 1991. The decision to include aerials in the Olympic program was made in October 1992.
...
Wikipedia