Akureyri can boast of excellent sport facilities. In addition to the Akureyri ski resort, which generally opens in late November, the town is vibrant with sport activities. You can find several sport clubs devoted to handball and soccer; swimming; gyms and health clubs; a large indoor soccer arena; and skating hall (ice hockey). Most students should be able to find something to their liking.
Two things are particularly noteworthy about sport recreation in Akureyri. Those are swimming and skiing. Swimming is more or less a way of life in Iceland. Due to abundant access to geothermal water, Icelanders have build out-door swimming pools in nearly every town in the country. Swimming is an important aspect of the national curriculum and therefore the people in Iceland frequently go to the swimming pools.
Due to it's northern location and mountainous surroundings, Akureyri is well known for its ski-resort named after the mountain it is located in, Hlidarfjall. The ski slopes of
Hlidarfjall are a paradise for skiers; and if you are staying in Akureyri they are right on your doorstep. Ski lifts can carry 2930 persons per hour to the slopes above. The difference in altitude
from lowest point to highest is about 500 meters.
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The Hlidarfjall Ski Resort was built during the years 1955-1964 but formal operation began in 1962. The ski lodge stands at a height of 506 meters above sea level and the ski hut
Stryta lies at an altitude of 700 meters above sea level.
The Hlíðarfjall Ski Resort
Tel: +354 462 2280
Email: hlidarfjall@hlidarfjall.is
Website: http://www.hlidarfjall.is/
Click here for an overvew map of the slopes
Great improvements have been made to the Akureyri Swimming Pool recently and it has become a water paradise on a world scale for all the family. There are two pools and
two water chutes, a splash pool, an indoor pool, four hotpots, a steam bath, a sauna, a solarium, and a family play area with popular games and equipment which is open during the summer months. The
pool is highly popular both with the locals and with those who are just visiting the town. The pool guests during 2001 were 357,000 and this year the total number of visitors is anticipated at half a
million!
Akureyri Swiming Pool
21 Þingvallastræti
Tel: 461 4455
Email: sund@akureyri.is
