Lysefjorden is in the wind like never before, and the coming week is a very exciting week for Forsand and the whole region.
The new Mission Impossible – Fallout, kicks of this packed week on Wednesday, August 1st. with a Norwegian premiere out on the mountain behind the Pulpit Rock, where some of the scenes for the movie were shot. The 1500 tickets for the premiere were sold out in only 20 minutes. The movie starts at 23:00 and lasts about 2,5 hours. Read the article about the movie from USA today.
For those that’s up early after the Mission Impossible premiere, Thursday 2nd of August is the day when the world leading skiing athletes in all ages make their way up the famous 27 hairpin bends i the annual Blink ski festival, and the traditional hill race “Lysebotn Up. The race starts by the ferry quay in Lysebotn and ends up 7,5 km up the road by the restaurant Ørneredet, 640m over Lysefjorden. Usually, there are hundreds of spectators along the route up to the top, cheering on the athletes and creating a good atmosphere. There are shuttle buses going both up and down from the ferry quay.
The Blink festival starts the day before in Sandnes with the 20/60km long distanse race Blink Classics. In this race you will see neighbors, politicians and the worlds best skiers compete in the same course. During the 4 day long festival (1st-4th of August) in Sandnes, there will be competitions in both cross country skiing and biathlon, among concert all free of charge for audience!
3rd-5th of August is also the dates when the world’s most prestigious multi-day events for amateur riders, Maserati Haute Route, visits Stavanger and Lysefjorden. in 2 of the 3 stages, the contestants will pass Forsand and Lysefjorden. See the whole route map and more information here. So for those interested, there’s plenty of places along the route to set camp and cheer for all the riders passing by.
Rockman Swimrun makes this week complete with the annual “swim and run” race 4th of August. Athletes from all over the world comes to Lysefjorden this day to swim in the fjord, climb the 4444 wooden steps in Flørli and to run along the fjord surrounded by a breathtaking view. If you’re not up for swimming or running, it’s also possible to get a “spectator package” with a evening meal, coffee/tea and a full day fjord cruise included. You will also have the chance to walk up the worlds longest wooden steps in Flørli.
So as you know by now, this is a very active week in Lysefjorden. Forsand Mayor Bjarte Dagestad is very please that Lysefjorden has become a popular place for these kinds of events. “Forsand with it’s beautiful scenery and famous attractions such as Preikestolen, Kjerag, Flørli and Lysefjorden has become a focal point for several major events. We are very proud of Forsand and Lysefjorden, and are looking forward to team up with other organizers to plan for similar events in the future. Forsand has a lot to offer and we are always trying to find solutions, especially when it comes to creating good experiences for the people living in our region”, says Dagestad.