Fjellheisen is an aerial tramway

Aerial tramway

An aerial tramway , cable car , ropeway or aerial tram is a type of aerial lift which uses one or two stationary ropes for support while a third moving rope provides propulsion...

 located in the city of Tromsø

Tromsø

Tromsø is a city and municipality in Troms county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the city of Tromsø.Tromsø city is the ninth largest urban area in Norway by population, and the seventh largest city in Norway by population...

, Norway

Norway

Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...

.

The lower station is located near sea-level in Tromsdalen

Tromsdalen

Tromsdalen is a village area and valley in the municipality of Tromsø in Troms county, Norway. It is located just to the east of the city of Tromsø on the mainland along the coast of the Tromsøysundet. The population of Tromsdalen is 4,589....

, a suburb on the mainland. The upper station is located at Storsteinen (The big rock), a mountain ledge about 420 m (1,378 ft) above sea-level. The four minute trip to the upper station is a popular destination in itself, offering visitors a commanding view of the city and the surrounding islands and fjords from an outdoor viewing deck. Food and drink is served in Fjellstua restaurant. Many passengers use the tramway as a launching point for hikes to various mountains in the area, including Tromsdalstinden

Tromsdalstinden

Tromsdalstinden is a mountain east of the city Tromsø, Norway. The summit measures 1,238 meters above sea level. Snowfall varies from one year to another, but the peak is usually snow free only for a few months in the summer. The mountain is easily spotted from the city centre of Tromsø...

, the iconic 1,238 m high peak that is easily visible from the city.

The tramway is particularly busy in the summer months, when it is popular with cruise-ship passengers wishing to get a good view of the midnight sun

Midnight sun

The midnight sun is a natural phenomenon occurring in summer months at latitudes north and nearby to the south of the Arctic Circle, and south and nearby to the north of the Antarctic Circle where the sun remains visible at the local midnight. Given fair weather, the sun is visible for a continuous...

. In winter, weather conditions can be too rough for comfort, and the tramway is usually not open for regularly scheduled operation between approximately November and March.

Fjellheisen is owned by Skips AS Nordfisk and operated by Utelivsbyen AS.

History

Construction of Fjellheisen was started in 1960. The builder was Brødrene Jakobsens Rederi, a shipping company. The tramway officially opened on February 22, 1961.

External links

• Fjellheisen Official Website (Norwegian and English)
• Tromsø Cable Car article on My Little Norway