A Gondola and a World Record

60 years in the making A gondola and a world record By Hans R. Holdener Åndalsnes It only took almost 60 years to make it happen… On 17 September 2016 my cou- down, and shops closed. sin Mindor and I went on a hike. Åndalsnes had changed from a We had no idea that the hike dream place into a ghost town. would end up changing Åndals- nes, the birthplace of my mother, What had made Åndalsnes, in forever—a change 57 years in Norway’s breathtaking Romsdal the making. mountains, so special? For me, looking out at Mount Nesaksla Åndalsnes had long thrived as a from my grandmother’s house, small, vibrant village. As a child, I it was the dream of having a thought of it as my dream place. gondola that would one day take me to the top and down again. But over the years, people moved away, businesses shut A Gondola Story 2 – 9 Åndalsnes Dream Place… I was in pain—and really angry. Or “Shit” Place? So I called a journalist from the local newspaper, Åndalsnes Avis, and told him that this “shit place” It turned out that having a gon- had destroyed my knee and that dola on Mount Nesaksla had I would never come back! been talked about for more than 60 years. The steep steps to the “And I will tell every person I summit and the long, difficult know not to take this hike becau- path down meant the Romsdal- se it’s so dangerous,” I told him. seggen hike was possible only “Unless there is a gondola—it’s for fit hikers—this prevented the only solution.” many people, especially the elderly, from enjoying the views. The journalist wrote my story and Over the years, lots of people it ended up on the front page. had been injured. Including me! He had asked if I could raise the The need for a gondola seemed money to build a gondola. obvious. “If the politicians deal with In 2016, during that hike on the the legal issues and get the Romsdalseggen with my cousin, necessary permits, I will likely I twisted my knee going down get the financing,” I said. I really from Nesaksla to Åndalsnes didn’t know what I was getting center. myself into. A Gondola Story 3 – 9 Åndalsnes A Vision, A Task Force… born mid-2018, with myself as But No Financing one of the shareholders. We had energy, passion and a vision— Since that day in 2016, the but no money. Gondola cable car has been a top news item. I continued to be At a 2018 event sponsored by very involved—and continued to ABG Sundal Collier, the leading make provocative statements. investment bank in Oslo, I met Trying to raise support for my Hans Tindlund, a partner at cause, I reached out to Oddbjørn Longship, a private equity firm. Vassli, a former local politician. I shared with him my vision of “Let’s do it,” I urged. “Now is the having a cable car in Åndalsnes right time!” To my surprise—and center. “It’s a no-brainer,” I said. relief—he agreed, and we had “I’m sure it will become a cash soon pulled together a small machine.” And in the middle of “gondola task force”: Oddbjørn 2018, I organized a meeting for Vassli, Lars Olav Hustad and me. Oddbjørn Vassli and myself with I was feeling optimistic at last Kjetil Ødven, from ABG Sundal and told Vassli that if he formed Collier, to pitch the project. a company, the rest would follow. So he did: Romsdalen AS was A Gondola Story 4 – 9 Åndalsnes Ødven liked our idea and commit- …And Two Steps Back ted himself to it on the spot. “Well, But just as our project—the fourth Hans,” Oddbjørn Vassli said to attempt since 1964—seemed to me after the meeting, “It seems be getting off the ground, we hit that we now have the money, as a wall: after more than 60 years, you promised. But that was the local opposition remained strong easy part. I guess now it’s up to enough to nearly block the pro- me to do my part and get the local ject once more. politicians and the landowners on board with the project.” Some local leaders continued to oppose the gondola for various One Step Forward… political reasons, and new con- One year later, in August 2019, cerns over financing only deepe- our project was back on the front ned as the Corona virus pande- page of the local newspaper: mic hit the economy in March 2020, resulting in a full lockdown. “Emigrated local invests Not only did this impact the in the gondola—has faith financial markets far more than in tourism.” the earlier financial crisis, but all travel-related industry came to a halt. All travel-related stocks tumbled while the Swiss currency soared against the Norwegian krone. Pretty soon we were looking at 25% price increase in pro- jected costs. A growing number of bankruptcies devastated the travel industries—even the major global players were brought to their knees. Our little company was left wondering if our main investor, Longship, would stay or go. But Oddbjørn Vassli and Lars Olav Hustad managed to secure the support of local people and poli- A Gondola Story 5 – 9 Åndalsnes ticians and, eventually, thanks to at Longship, decided to continue. them all, history would be made. We all breathed a sigh of relief. Kjetil Ødven, the banker at ABG Sunndal, also played a key role, The Gondola project was now motivated by his passion for officially underway. Pål R. the region. Yet even with this Amundsen was hired as mana- support, challenges remained— ging director, and formed a pro- and I had to admit that prospects fessional team that took the pro- didn’t look good. ject from the order date through the launch date, 28 May 2021: 60 Years in the Making – only 15 months away! This was and Worth the Wait not only an amazing achievement on Pål’s behalf, the project With so much still up in the air (but set a world record, because the not our gondola!), I became des- infrastructure was actually built perate. I reached out to the Swiss inside the mountain by the Swiss supplier Garaventa Cable Car Firm Schenk AG. We were very and begged for a discount to save grateful to the local shareholders the project. They didn’t agree, as who were such strong ambassa- they had reached their limit. But dors for the project, contributing Bernt Østhus, partner and owner both capital and determination. A Gondola Story 6 – 9 Åndalsnes Finally, after more than 60 Many Hands, years of waiting—success! The One Goal gondola cable officially opened at the beginning of July 2021. As My Swiss and Norwegian back- the Visit Norway website promi- ground helped to connect people ses: “The Romsdal gondola, a and companies over the course state-of-the-art electric cable car, of this project. But the gondola takes you 1679 metres up the dream could have been realized mountainside from the fjord. This only with the dedication and is also Norway‘s first gondola focus of local political leaders built on sustainability principles.” such as Oddbjørn Vassli, Lars Olav Hustad and many others, With the completion of cons- especially Pål R. Amundsen and truction, people have started to his team, and all of the people move back to Åndalsnes and who worked day and night to new residents have arrived, make this seemingly impossible ready to start a new life. Shops achievement come true. have opened and new businesses are starting up. And our Of course, nothing could have long-awaited gondola is now happened without the “money national news. guys”: Kjetil Ødven at ABG The task force from left Oddbjørn, Bernt, Kjetil, Hans and Lars Olav. A Gondola Story 7 – 9 Åndalsnes Sundal Collier, and main inves- If You Can Dream It, tors Bernt Østhus and Longship. You Can Achieve It They believed in the project not only enough to open their wal- Over the years, Kjetil, Oddbjørn, lets, but enough to hang in there Lars Olav, Bernt and I never through countless meetings and stopped visualizing the goal in negotiations. As an indication of our heads. I had no idea how their continued belief in the com- hard it would be to make it mercial importance of the gondo- happen. More than a few times, la, Bernt Østhus and Longship I was tempted to just give up. will invest up to 1bn NOK in the But focus and dedication—along region going forward. with a strong streak of stubborn- ness—kept the project going. The gondola car itself was built by the Swiss Garaventa company I promise you that the views from Goldau (ironically, the town from the new gondola are just where I began my kitchen ap- amazing—and so is the story prenticeship so many years ago). that began it all: a long history marked by many attempts and many challenges. In December 1964, Romsdal Alpebane A/S was established in Åndalsnes by Arne Barmann, a local who had emigrated to the US with the sole purpose of launching the cable car from Åndalsnes to Nesaksla. But strong political opposition killed the project. The second attempt was stopped due to lack of financing. The third attempt was prevented by local landowners. And now, at long last, the fourth attempt has made it happen. A Gondola Story 8 – 9 The Romsdal Gondola at Åndalsnes Many thanks to world class Swiss engineering companies like Garaventa, CWA, Frey AG, Schenk AG and the Austrian company Teufelberger history was written in Åndalsnes.

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