Horishima and Traa lead opening of new indoor mogul course in Oslo

A new opportunity to ski moguls has arrived in Norway, with Ikuma Horishima and Norwegian freestyle legend Kari Traa helping officially open a new indoor mogul course at SNØ this past Saturday.

Located just outside Oslo, SNØ is an indoor snow facility offering year-round skiing and snowboarding, and its newest addition is putting mogul skiing firmly into the mix.

The new course is located on SNØ’s racing hill and has been designed to fit within the training area currently available during the facility’s club season. The setup features around 10 moguls, a jump and another section of moguls below, with the course maintained on a weekly basis.

While compact for now, there is room for the course to expand in the future should demand increase. SNØ currently plans to keep the setup running at least until the end of its club season on 8 November, with the possibility of extending it beyond that date.

The new course is already getting plenty of high-level use, with both the Japanese and Swedish national mogul teams currently training at SNØ as part of their preparations for the upcoming winter season.

For Horishima, the project carries particular significance. The Japanese World Champion and Olympic medallist has been living in Norway for the past three years, with one of his motivations being a desire to help grow mogul skiing in the country.

That goal was at the heart of Saturday’s official opening, where Horishima was joined by Norwegian freestyle legend Kari Traa. After opening the new course, the pair headed to a more accessible mogul line below the park, giving visitors the chance to ski alongside them, meet the two champions and try the discipline for themselves.

With national teams already using the new course for training, while recreational skiers are also encouraged to give the bumps a go, the setup at SNØ brings together elite-level training and an opportunity to introduce more people to mogul skiing.