Norway has got a spectacular new sightseeing tramway and adventure destination in Norway – the Loen Skylift. This stunning new attraction in Nordfjord, which started May last year, takes you to new heights.
The adventure has already attracted tourists from around the globe. Loen Skylift transports visitors on the world’s steepest aerial ropeway, 1,011 meters above the Nordfjord, and provides breathtaking panoramic views over the fjord landscape.
One of the World’s Great Lifts – in Norway
Rising from the sea to Mount Hoven, the brand new Garaventa aerial tram becomes the steepest jig-back built in modern times and is already being hailed as one of the world’s great lifts. “The Loen Skylift is the quickest and easiest way to explore the best of what Norwegian mountains have to offer,” said Richard Grov, general manager of Loen Skylift. “The trip from the fjord to the mountain only takes a few minutes.”
Aboard a large cable car, holding 40 to 45 people each, guests will be transported from the Fjord Station on the Nordfjord up one of the world’s steepest aerial ropeways. Each five-to-seven-minute journey at seven meters per second offers breathtaking panoramic views of Loen—a village located on the inner part of the Nordfjord in Norway’s Sogn og Fjordane county. Loen Skylift will be available to the public all year round.
A unique skylift
An ascent from dock to dock is 3,248 feet over a slope length of 5,021 feet, yielding an insane average grade of 53 degrees. That’s much steeper than every lift in North America, the steepest of which averages only 34.3 degrees. Loen Skylift can transport 460 passengers each hour in two 45-passenger cabins.
The Loen Skylift is unique in that the $33.7 million project is a joint venture between the local municipality, numerous private partners and the Swiss cable car company Garaventa AG, which owns a stake. The group also completed Europe’s longest Via Ferrata suspension bridge, a carefully-designed restaurant and numerous hiking trails.
Related: Along Norwegian Fjords by Car
Open all year
While the journey may last only a few minutes, there are plenty of activities available at Mount Hoven to make the trip well worth it. First off, guests will want to head to the viewing platforms to soak in a bit more of the incredible sights that make the Norwegian fjords so breathtaking.
From Mount Hoven there is access to several kilometers of built and signposted hiking trails, and in winter one can go snowshoeing, cross country skiing and ski touring. The most adventurous may choose the extreme trek on Via Ferrata Loen, the popular climbing route that includes the Gjølmunnebrua suspension bridge—the longest via ferrata bridge in all of Europe. At the top, there is fine dining with local ingredients at the mountain restaurant, at the edge of the cliff, before taking the Cable Car back to Loen.
Loen Skylift offers several guided tours, ranging from easy walks for families to challenging alpine hikes.
All images: Loen Skylift
One of the World’s Great Lifts – in Norway, written by Tor Kjolberg