Korketrekkeren

The Korketrekkeren (“Corkscrew” in English) sledding hill was once built into an Olympic venue, but it was delighting sledders for decades before that and continues to thrill decades later since it runs the exact length between two railway stops.

Originally the tobogganing track that now sits on a often-snowy hill in Oslo was a roadway that provided access to the neighborhood of Frognerseterveien. However seeing an opportunity in the sloped curves of the road, a local entrepreneur capitalized on the growing popularity of tobogganing in the late 1800s. He began creating sledding tracks, which were later expanded and taken under the wing of the local government who saw that they could be a real tourist draw to the area. At first there was heated competition between which winter sport would have control over the track between tobogganing and cross-country skiing, with the former finally winning central authority over the venue.

The hill was altered once again during the 1952 Olympics when it was converted to accommodate a temporary bobsledding track. Due to a general lack of interest in the sport in the area, the organizers simply built the new track with snow, hard-packed and frozen.  While it would thaw and melt each year while training went on, it would simply be rebuilt the next. 

After the Olympics, the focus of the Korketrekkeren returned its beloved toboggans which continue to dominate the track to this day. Visitors can rent one of the sleds at the top of the hill and after gliding down the swift curves can bring it right on the public train to the top of the hill again, just as people have been doing for over a century.