Archive for category Sport
Kjerringåsen, Sarpsborg
Can’t wait to go skiing again? Kjerringåsen in Sarpsborg opens for the season this weekend. This is the largest of only two Alpine ski centres in Østfold, best suited for beginners or intermediate skiers. There are three ski lifts, and five downhill slopes (the longest 650m), including one kids’ slope. Open 10am-9pm Mon-Fri, until 7pm at the weekend (see opening times for the Christmas holiday under ‘comments’). Day pass 260kr (210kr for kids up to 15 years). Morning, afternoon and evening passes also available. Cafe and equipment hire on site (220kr per day for a complete Alpine set).
You can also go cross-country skiing here, as there are several tracks nearby, some of them floodlit in the evening. There is no charge for cross-country skiing.
Alpinveien 109, Sarpsborg (off the Rv114 between Sarpsborg and Nordby). Tel: 69 14 81 85, www.kjerringaasen.no (Norwegian only).
Norway’s most talented rally driver
Posted by admin in Photos and videos, Sport on September 25, 2010
Famous locals: Petter Solberg
Born in Askim, Østfold, in 1974, Petter Solberg is Norway’s most successful rally driver ever. Solberg debuted in the World Rally Championship (WRC) in 1998, and became the first Norwegian to win the drivers’ world title in 2003. Solberg also finished runner-up in the WRC to Marcus Grönholm (of Finland) in 2002, and in 2004 and 2005 to Sébastien Loeb (of France). All in all he has 13 individual world rally wins behind him (his first victory was at Rally GB in 2002).
His successful partnership with the Subaru World Rally Team came to an end with Subaru’s withdrawal from the WRC at the end of the 2008 season. Solberg has since been competing with his own privately-funded Petter Solberg World Rally Team – he finished the season fifth last year, and is currently ranked fourth in the WRC 2010.
Solberg is also famous for his peculiar use of English, where he often literally translates Norwegian idioms and expressions into English. This, along with his amiable and enthusiastic (some would say extravagant) personality and his obvious talent as a rally driver, has not just endeared him to the Norwegian public, but also made him a very popular sporting figure abroad.
More info, in English, at www.pettersolberg.com
Top 5: Cycling routes around Fredrikstad
Get on your bike, and discover another side of Østfold on two-wheels. Here are a few routes well worth exploring around Fredrikstad:
- Torsnes: A scenic tour that will take you through varied landscape, and avoid the worst of the traffic. Start in Gamlebyen and follow Torsnesveien (Rv107) all the way until you pass a sign for Nes, then take it right into Thorsøveien at the next crossing. The loop road will take you to Torsnes, and back onto Tornesveien (24km).
- Glommastien: A popular day cycle along the River Glomma between Fredrikstad and Sarpsborg. Start from the ferry departure point on the west side, and come back on the east side, ending your tour in Gamlebyen (30km).
- Ullerøy: Follow signs for Ullerøy off Rv110, and continue on this road, Ullerøyveien, all the way to the little bridge leading to Nordre Karlsøy. You can continue onto the two small islands before starting the return leg of your trip. On the way back take it left at Røaveien, about 1km after the bridge. This dirt road will take you back to Rv110 through the forest (16km).
- Storedal: Combine this easy cycle through pretty kulturlandscap (fields and farms) with a visit to the Storedal Centre before heading back the way you came. Starts just past Årum off Rv111 (11km).
- Vikane: Start at Slevik on Rv117 and head for Vikane. You will follow a beautiful stretch of coastline before turning inland towards Rv116. Take it right here, and stay on this road for about 1km, before turning right again back towards Slevik (16km).
Diving in Norway
Top destinations, and a bit of inspiration, for divers heading to Norway (or those who didn’t know they could dive here) 
- Lofoten Islands: Dive in the midnight sun in summer, and with killer whales in winter. The beautiful Lofoten islands are home to Moskenesstraumen, a divers’ Eldorado, where ultra clear waters await. Here you’ll find big kelp forests, overhangs filled with anemones and ocean roses, all kinds of fish (wanna catch your own dinner? Here you can), and immaculate white sandy beaches on which to rest after your dive. www.aqualofoten.com
- Saltstraumen: The world’s strongest maelstrom is one of Europe’s best and most exciting diving sites – National Geographic Magazine recently listed it as one of its top 10 diving destinations in the world! The oxygen-rich water hosts an abundance of fish and a rich variety of aquatic plants, but because of the strong currents this one is for experienced divers only. www.saltstraumendivecenter.com
- The Ytre Hvaler NP, Østfold: The Oslofjord’s popular archipelago is Norway’s first marine national park, opened in September 2009. A great destination for divers of all abilities, boasting unique underwater flora and deep sea corals, as well as some rare fish species not found anywhere else in Norway. www.fsd.no (Norwegian only)
- Ice diving: For something really different why not try ice diving in Arctic Norway, and follow your underwater explorations taking in the beautiful natural spectacle of the Northern lights? A dry suit is a must of course, and a sense of adventure. Available in winter only, in the Barents Sea (where you’ll be able to dive with the famous giant crabs) or on Svalbard. www.xoholidays.com
- Wreck diving: There are many wreck sites all along the Norwegian coast, and Narvik is probably Norway’s wreck diving capital. Tromsø is another good base in Northern Norway, while in the south the area around Kristiansand is home to many well-known wrecks from WW2, the most famous being the freighter MV Seattle. www.divenorway.com, www.kdykk.no
- Lake diving: The best one is Lygnstøylsvatnet, in Western Norway. This lake was created after a landslide blocked off the river Lygna back in 1908, and the local village was subsequently submerged. Now a popular diving destination where you’ll be able to see remnants of the old farm buildings, stone fences, a road, a bridge and the old forest through the pristine water. www.dykkerklubben.com (Norwegian only)
Norway beat Brazil in the World Cup
Posted by admin in Photos and videos, Sport on June 25, 2010
Back in 1998 
Footage of that match in Marseille, France, when Norway famously beat Brazil 2-1 after a penalty by Kjetil Rekdal put them in the lead.
About Norwegian football
Football fever is upon us, and regardless of what team you support, it seems football is the conversation topic of choice just now (or should that be the ‘only’ conversation topic?). Anyway… Norway’s not in the World Cup this year, but here a few footie facts you might or might not know about this country:
- The Norwegian national football team played its first international in 1908. Its home ground is Ullevaal Stadion in Oslo. Norway took part in the FIFA World Cup three times in its history, in 1938, 1994 and 1998. They only played in the European Championship once, in 2000.
- The national team’s hour of glory was their beating Brazil in the 1998 World Cup in Marseille, France, after Kjetil Rekdal fired a decisive penalty into the back of the net. They proceeded to the second round, but lost their first match (against Italy) and went out of the competition.
- There are a total of 1,800 football clubs in Norway (amateur and professional), with over 280,000 players.
- Norwegian players to have achieved a degree of fame abroad include John Arne Riise, a Liverpool player for several years before he moved on to play in Italy, Ole Gunnar Solskjær (known as Manchester United’s ‘baby-faced assassin’) and Tore André Flo, who played for Chelsea, among other clubs.
- The Norwegian Premier League (unofficially known as the Eliteserien) is the top competition in Norway.
- Most successful Norwegian clubs in recent years include Brann (Bergen), who won in 2007; Stabæk (Bærum), who came top in 2008; and Rosenborg (Trondheim) who accumulated an impressive 13 consecutive titles between 1992-2004, and also got gold in 2006 and 2009.
- Women football is big in Norway, with some 110,000 registered members. There are 12 clubs playing in the top division, and 12 in the first division.
- Norway hosts the world’s largest football tournament for children and young people, the Norway Cup, every year in August. The tournament, which dates back to 1972, is hugely popular – in 2009 it attracted some 30,000 participants, with 1,371 teams from 49 countries.