Home to the north (not quite yet)

Everything looked very promising when King Haakon came to Narvik for his very first visit as monarch last week. The King was greeted with a welcome speech from mayor Rune Edvardsen, who then introduced the very VM song for 2029, "Home to the North," performed by the local choir with the fanciful name "Kor arti." Everything seemed just right, harmonious and just suitably solemn on a beautiful sunny day. The King had just seen that he had to withdraw from the so-called VM main committee, but it was as expected. The next musical performance on stage at Town Hall Square would still give a hint of what was to come. The cancellation of the planned World Cup competitions in March is not a "Highway to hell" at all, but it is certainly not a good sign for the VM road ahead. The construction work on what will be fascinating new tracks is far behind schedule. That is what the International Ski Federation said. Better than Kitzbühel "A lot of work to do," was the clear verdict from race director Peter Gerdol of the aforementioned FIS after inspecting the slopes in Narvik earlier in October. Much work has now turned into too much work, at least within March of next year. The VM organizers were supposed to arrange World Cup races in downhill and super-G, and through that, a very important run of what the VM chief Knut Eirik Dybdal says will be "better facilities than in Kitzbühel." It was in theory. The theory is also all Narvik has to show at this moment, in contrast to Austrian Kitzbühel, which for many years has been the world's most famous organizer of downhill races. "Quite unglamorous," stated chairman Eirik Frantzen when he delivered the disappointing message on a digital press conference on Monday. This is certainly everything but unglamorous. At the same time, it is possible that this is the only right decision, no matter how imposed it appears. One last chance The only thing one can be certain of from this is that the VM organizers do not have the desired control over the progress. This should worry everyone involved, and it is obvious, even if one doesn't want to admit it. Now one only has one chance to show that the new facility works on a full scale before it is really serious, namely when the World Cup final is planned for the winter of 2028. This means one does not tolerate the weather deciding to ruin the general trial. The problems surrounding the junior VM last winter showed how vulnerable the slopes in Narvik can be. The violent bad weather in the north on the same day as the cancellation felt like another worrying omen. What does the FIS do if even the general trial in the VM facilities does not take place? The answer is not necessarily pleasant for the organizers in Narvik. The risk is greater than it has been under any championship in Norway since the Olympics in Lillehammer in 1994. Seeking south It also says something about the seriousness of this when the powerful Olympic chief from Lillehammer, Gerhard Heiberg, invited himself to a very well-attended public meeting in August, along with municipal minister Bjørnar Skjæran among others. The main message from a very clear Heiberg was that Narvik could miss out on a unique opportunity if one did not raise their eyes and dared to think bigger. The first VM in alpine skiing in Norway is certainly a prestige project for the skiing nation of Norway, but it is also important for the region of North Norway. The first important step on the way to making this a success was therefore to show the facilities during the women's World Cup in March. "You cannot play a football match if you don't have a pitch," said the aforementioned race director Gerdol dryly when inspecting the unfinished facilities. The grass is much greener at most other alpine venues than in Narvik right now. There is the most gray there. The VM is meant to be an engine in the development of industry, tourism, and of course, of alpine sports in the north. The hope of the upcoming VM organizer has been that Norway's alpine center in the future will be Narvik, and not Hafjell and Kvitfjell. Now one gets the first big prestige team, when the FIS practically says no to letting them organize the World Cup, and the Norwegian Ski Federation must look to Kvitfjell as the only possible reserve organizer on Norwegian soil. The world deserves it It is still possible that in the end everything goes as smoothly as one dreamed of on June 2024, when Narvik was surprisingly awarded the VM under the FIS congress in Reykjavík, ahead of the favorite Val Gardena. "The world deserves this," said mayor Rune Edvardsen joyfully from the stage in the Icelandic capital. Narvik had won with pictures of spectacular slopes that almost went straight into the gleaming sea, reflecting the low winter sun. The first VM north of the Arctic Circle would also be a unique visual experience. But the clouds soon appeared on the horizon. Of particular note is the obvious uncertainty on the cost side. A meeting in August between the parties involved on the organizing side, which means Narvik municipality, the developers Narvik Allmen, the organizing company Narvik 2029, and the Ski Federation, ended in an agreement, but not a completely obvious consensus regarding future cost distribution. The discussions about financial responsibility will probably live on. From a cost frame well over one billion kroner, the Norwegian state has contributed a guarantee of over 350 million kroner. The development of the Fagernesfjellet facility is one thing. There are still also big uncertainty moments regarding logistics. Quick solutions Accommodation solutions for participants, support systems, media and, above all, spectators have not been finalized. The original plans were to rent a cruise ship that would serve as the VM hotel at the quay in Narvik. But uncertainty about possible capacity made the risk deemed too high, and the plans were dropped earlier this year. Now the organizers are in discussions with Hurtigruten about possible solutions. But in the mighty mountains the answers to all uncertainty lie in the next two years. It is they who will provide the facilities that are better than in Kitzbühel, it is they who will give the world the unique pictures in February 2029, which will also be shown on NRK. Until then, there is still hope and comfort to be found in Kari Bremnes, even if the words in her anthem "E du nord" also describe the situation for the upcoming VM in her beloved region a little too well: