Hafjell opening hours 2026/27 – when the lifts run, evening skiing and the season start

Hafjell opens for the winter on Friday 27 November 2026. That is the word from Hafjell ahead of the 2026/27 season, and more lifts and runs then open gradually as the snow and safety allow. The exact times for each lift will be published closer to the season – but last winter shows how Hafjell usually plans its days, and that is what this page brings together.

If you want to know which runs suit the children, read Hafjell's slopes, and more about the resort is in Hafjell.

Why the lifts open later in December

The first thing that surprises many people is that the lifts open later at the start of the season. The reason is the light. In December the days are so short in Gudbrandsdalen that several lifts do not open until 09.30 and close as early as 15.30, while from February it is light enough to run 09.00–16.30.

Last season it looked like this:

• December to early January: all lifts 09.30–15.30. The gondola started at 09.00 from 22 December, and on Christmas Eve everything closed at 14.00.
• January: the gondola and Hafjell 360 ran 09.00–15.30, the lifts nearest the valley – Hafjellheis 1, Kjusheisen, Familieheisen and Backyard – 09.00–16.30, and the rest 09.30–15.30.
• From 31 January to Easter: the big lifts 09.00–16.30 and the others 09.30–16.30. The season ended on 12 April.

The table above brings the times together. They applied last winter, so check this year's times with Hafjell before you go.

Evening skiing Tuesday to Thursday

When the sun has set, the floodlights come on. Last season there was evening skiing Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday 16.30–20.00 between 13 January and 19 March, on the lifts nearest the valley: Hafjellheis 1, Kjusheisen, Familieheisen, Backyard and Crossheisen. Evening skiing is included in the lift pass, and a season pass is valid both day and evening.

For a family this means the day can be split up: ski school and a few runs in the morning, rest and dinner – and then an hour on the slope under the floodlights.

The lifts that only run at weekends and in the holidays

Two lifts higher up, Fjellheisen and Lunnstadheisen, ran every day last season until 4 January but after that only on Saturdays and Sundays. In weeks 7, 8 and 14 they ran every day – those are the Norwegian winter holidays and Easter, when Hafjell is at its busiest. Lunnstadheisen was closed Monday to Friday in week 7.

Week 8 is the winter holiday in Oslo and Akershus. If your municipality has its winter sports break the same week, the slopes and lift queues will be much busier – which week you are off is in winter sports break 2027.

The lift ticket

The lift pass is bought online and loaded onto an Axess card. If you have an old Axess card with a card number on the back, you can top it up and go straight to the lift. A new card is collected from a machine with the QR code – there are four at Skitorget in the valley, one at Favn and one at Gaiastova. If you buy at the desk in the guest centre, a service fee is added per card, so it pays to book online.

A few things worth knowing:

• Kvitfjell and Oppdal are included. All lift passes are valid in Hafjell, Kvitfjell and Oppdal, and the days on a multi-day pass can be split between the resorts. More about the neighbour to the north is in Kvitfjell.
• The weekly pass gives two extra days: eight days for the price of six.
• Cancel no later than ten days before the first day. Otherwise an unused pass is only refunded in case of illness with a doctor's certificate.

Free lifts and rules for children

Some lifts cost nothing: the Gaia lift and the Lunnstad lift, plus the Frontyard and Cross conveyor lifts are free to ride, and the family areas at Gondoltoppen and Gaia are free all season. In the Knerten children's area in the valley, however, a lift pass is needed.

Children under ten or shorter than 140 centimetres must ride chairlifts and the gondola with an adult. The pram can come along in the gondola, and so can the dog – but not on the chairlift.

Practical tips on the slopes

• The grooming takes place from 17.00 until 08.30 the next morning, so the first runs are the best.
• The ride time up is just over nine minutes on the gondola and six to seven minutes on Hafjellheis 1 and 2. In total Hafjell has one gondola and 18 lifts.
• Parking costs money, but the first 90 minutes are free. Pay with the Apcoa Flow app or at the machine.
• Ski lockers can be rented in the gondola basement at Skitorget and are open 07.00–21.00.

How to fill a rest day with sledging, swimming and the winter park is in Hafjell with kids – things to do off the slopes, and the cross-country trails are in cross-country skiing in Hafjell.