Scandinavian Cup 2022

W are proud to announce we have been accepted to host the well known SCANDINAVIAN CUP on the 18th to 20th of March in 2022. Detailed racing program for the finals and the rest of the program will be announced after the Spring conference of the Scandinavian working group in May 2021.

In the meantime a few facts and key figures about the ski club and key findings about Akureyri! Please don't hesitate to contact us after the reading.

Akureyri

The North is home to Iceland's second largest urban area, Akureyri, located in Iceland's longest fjord, the mild-weathered Eyjafjörður. Akureyri, rich in culture and history, has a charming downtown full of late nineteenth century wooden houses. She is surrounded by mountains reaching 1000-1500m. The Arctic Circle is only 60 km further north but still the climate is mild, with summer temperatures where we might enjoy up to 20°C and winter temperatures occasionally reaching -15°C.

Akureyri is a popular tourist destination for short or long visits. The town offers a wide range of both summer and winter activities and interesting places e.g. notable museums, the world's most northerly botanic garden, one of Iceland's most popular swimming facilities open all year long. Our guests can choose between varied accommodation and excellent range of restaurants, some of which specialize in local food.

The town is also a good base for many of Iceland's most beautiful natural wonders such as waterfalls, volcanic areas and canyons as well as exciting activities such as heliskiing, mountain biking, snowmobiling and horse riding. More details to be found here.

Key strengths

Easy access from all major European and Scandinavian cities
7 minute drive from hotel to arena.
Good snow conditions and ability to create snow
Experienced organizers
Excellent range of accommodation options and wide variety of restaurants and winter activities for all visitors
Priceless views from the ski areas
Geothermal hot pools to soften the muscles
Easy to navigate in Akureyri - for any issues, ask the locals!

ORGANISERS

The club Akureyri Ski Club (SKA) has organised and planned ski and snowboarding events for years, both FIS approved events as well as smaller local events. Akureyri has all the necessary infrastructure for hosting major sport events, well equipped hospital, airport, well facilitated port and vendors to cater for most needs.

The association has active professional committees for alpine disciplines, cross-country skiing and snowboarding. According to the club's law, the purpose of it is to promote the practice of skiing in the sport both among competitors and the general public and to increase interest in the value of the sport. The sports club is responsible for training in the sport and therefore it is important that there is co-operation and cohesion among the members and managers of the divisions, in addition to which they strive to work towards the club's progress and goals.SKA organizes snowboarding and skiing courses for everyone from beginners to advanced every year.

The individuals

Key members of the Cross country community in Iceland have formally offered support and together we have formed an advisory board consisting of:

Daniel Jakobsson - Winter Olympic contestant 1994
Einar Olafsson - Winter Olympic contestant 1984 and 1988
Jon Vidar Thorvaldsson, Managing Director of the Icelandic Ski association
Dagbjartur Halldórsson, the Icelandic Ski association
Kristrun Lind Birgisdottir, Chairman of Akureyri ski club (SKA)
Olafur Bjornsson, Head of cross country department and committee member.

All members will bring extensive experience to the planning and preparation along with ensuring proper, safe and efficient management on site.

LOGISTICS

Transport

Flights

Daily flights are operated from all major European cities (subject to Covid-19). Flights may be available directly to Akureyri or else to the international airport in Keflavik. From Keflavik it is a 6 hour drive to Akureyri and the organizers will arrange busses if needed between Keflavik and the venue. Return flight tickets cost around 300 - 350 € depending on airport and time of booking. At the moment and because of the COVID-19 circumstances it’s hard to estimate cost of flights and hotels, in this application we try to provide a landscape of prices that can give a reasonable and useful overview.

The local airport in Akureyri is well equipped and can accommodate international flights. If the committee thinks it's realistic to group participants together in one location in Scandinavia it´s possible to fly straight to Akureyri. More common is to fly to Keflavik and group participants together there and drive to Akureyri.

Busses

Public transportation in Akureyri includes free busses that connect the key districts within the area. Organizers will additionally arrange private busses to and from the ski fields to downtown Akureyri.

Taxis

Taxis are readily available in Akureyri and can be booked both on demand and in advance.

Rental cars

A large number of car rentals operate in Iceland with options to rent the car from arrival either in Keflavik or in Akureyri.

Ferries

The car-ferry MS Norröna sails weekly between Denmark, and Seyðisfjörður in East Iceland giving visitors the option of bringing their own vehicle. From Seyðisfjörður to Akureyri is approx. 3,5hrs drive.

Rail

No railway system is in Iceland.

Accommodation

Akureyri has a range of hotels and accommodations where everyone should be able to find a solution to fit their needs.

Ferðaskrifstofa Akureyrar https://www.aktravel.is/ will offer different packages to the participants and crew members. Ferðaskrifstofa Akureyrar will be handling the registration and bookings.

We would be able to serve food at the arena during training and competition days. All cost is estimated at this time and will be fixed in due course and in time for final planning stages.

The website Visit Akureyri has great details about the hotels and accommodations available in the area. This website is funded by the city and regularly updated.

USEFUL WEBSITES

www.hlidarfjall.is - The ski arena in Akureyri

www.vedur.is - Weather Observatory

https://grapevine.is/news/ - Local news in english

www.ruv.is - Government local news site in icelandic.

KEY CONTACT INFORMATION

Kristrun Lind Birgisdottir; skaakureyri@gmail.com +354 8999063

Ólafur Björnsson; olihbjorns@gmail.com +354-8617692

Einar Ólafsson; arkiteo@arkiteo.is +354 696 3699

Additional information attached