Hlíðarfjall () is a

mountain A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited Summit (topography), summit area, and ...

and

ski resort A ski resort is a resort developed for skiing, snowboarding, and other winter sports. In Europe, most ski resorts are towns or villages in or adjacent to a ski area – a mountainous area with pistes (ski trails) and a ski lift system. In North ...

located around 6 km west of the

Iceland Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its s ...

ic town Akureyri in

Eyjafjörður Eyjafjörður (, ''Island Fjord'') is one of the longest fjords in Iceland. It is located in the central north of the country. Situated by the fjord is the country's fourth most populous municipality, Akureyri. Physical geography The fjord is ...

. The mountain itself has an elevation of 1,200m, It is the second largest

in Iceland and reaches a top elevation of 1,014m. The base of the resort is at an elevation of 500m.

Ski resort

The Hlíðarfjall mountain hosts northern Iceland's largest ski area, and Iceland's highest elevation ski lift. The resort operates 8

ski lifts A ski lift is a mechanism for transporting skiers up a hill. Ski lifts are typically a paid service at ski resorts. The first ski lift was built in 1908 by German Robert Winterhalder in Schollach/Eisenbach, Hochschwarzwald. Types * Aerial l ...

, 2 of which are quad

chairlifts An elevated passenger ropeway, or chairlift, is a type of aerial lift, which consists of a continuously circulating steel wire rope loop strung between two end terminals and usually over intermediate towers, carrying a series of chairs. They ...

. The top elevation reachable by ski lift is 1,014m. There are 24

ski runs A ''piste'' () is a marked ski run or path down a mountain for snow skiing, snowboarding, or other mountain sports. This European term is French

, offering a total of 14.9km of pistes with varying difficulty. At the base, called ''Skíðastaðir'', hosts the ticket office, ski/snowboard rental, parking and a café, at 500m. Mid-mountain, there is a hut, called ''Strýtan'', housing a café and toilet facilities. A

terrain park A terrain park or snow park is an outdoor recreation area containing terrain that allows skiers, snowboarders and snowbikers to perform tricks. Terrain parks have their roots in skateparks and many of the features are common to both. From their ...

is located just below ''Strýtan''. To the north of the parking area there is a

cross-country skiing Cross-country skiing is a form of skiing where skiers rely on their own locomotion to move across snow-covered terrain, rather than using ski lifts or other forms of assistance. Cross-country skiing is widely practiced as a sport and recreation ...

trail. Ski passes use the

SKIDATA SKIDATA GmbH is an Austrian company which has installed more than 10,000 access systems for people and vehicles in: ski resorts, shopping centers, major airports, cities, sport stadiums, fairs and amusement parks. Segments Skidata provides entr ...

system. Trails are groomed daily during the season. As

daylight Daylight is the combination of all direct and indirect sunlight during the daytime. This includes direct sunlight, diffuse sky radiation, and (often) both of these reflected by Earth and terrestrial objects, like landforms and buildings. Sunligh ...

is limited as a result of the location's latitude,

night skiing Night skiing is the sport of skiing or snowboarding after sundown, offered at many ski resorts and mountains. There are usually floodlights – including LED lamps – along the piste which allow for better visibility. It typically begins after a ...

is offered on many slopes, which are lit up by

floodlights A floodlight is a broad-beamed, gas discharge lamp#High-intensity discharge lamps, high-intensity artificial light. They are often used to illuminate outdoor playing fields while an outdoor sports event is Night game, being held during low-li ...

. The lifts are also operated during the summertime for limited hours, offering mountain biking trails. A total of 8 ski lifts are in use at Hlíðarfjall, all of which are manufactured by Doppelmayr: * Fjarkinn - fixed-grip quad charilift * Fjallkonan - fixed-grip quad chairlift (highest elevation of 1,014m) * Strompur -

T-bar A surface lift is a type of cable transport for snow sports in which skiers and snowboarders remain on the ground as they are pulled uphill. While they were once prevalent, they have been overtaken in popularity by higher-capacity and higher-co ...

* Hjallabra×ut - platter lift * Skálabraut - platter lift * Hólabraut - platter lift * Auður - rope tow * Töfrateppi - magic carpet The Fjallkonan chairlift is the highest lift on the mountain (and Iceland), reaching an elevation of 1014m. It is often closed due to windy conditions, avalanche risk and difficulties in staffing enough lift operators; in its first 2 years of operation it had only been open for a third of the time. However the Strompur T-bar reaches 980m height, just below the Fjallkonan endpoint. The resort is located around 6 km from Akureyri city centre and is accessible via a 10 minute drive up the mountain. Parking is available by the base of the resort, by Skíðastaðir.

History

Hlíðarfjall is generally considered to be named after Lögmannshlíð, a (formerly important) homestead and church site on the slopes of the mountain (the word ''hlíð'' having the meaning "slope"). The development of the Hlíðarfjall mountain begain in 1955 when the hotel located at the current base of the resort began construction, reusing timber from the former Akureyri Hospital building. The hotel, called ''Skíðastaðir'' or ''Skíðahótelið'' (transliterated meaning Ski Place or Ski Hotel), began operations in 1962. The building remains the hub and base for the ski resort, but stopped accommodating guests in 1983. In 1967, a chairlift was installed on the mountain, on the same course as the Fjarkinn lift is today. In 1974, the Stropmur

platter lift A surface lift is a type of cable transport for snow sports in which skiers and snowboarders remain on the ground as they are pulled uphill. While they were once prevalent, they have been overtaken in popularity by higher-capacity and higher-co ...

was opened increasing the maximum elevation to around 900m. The mid-mountain hut housing a café and rest facilities was constructed in 1999, as well as expanded parking facilities. In 2001, the chairlift was renewed with a fixed-grip quad, now named Fjarkinn. In 2022, a second quad chairlift was opened, Fjallkonan, and increased the maximum elevation to 1014m. The construction of the Fjallkonan lift was delayed by over 3 years. It follows almost the same path as the Strompur T-bar.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hlidarfjall Mountains of Iceland Ski areas and resorts in Iceland One-thousanders of Iceland Sport in Northeastern Region (Iceland) Buildings and structures in Northeastern Region (Iceland)