Besserudtjernet, Artificial lake in Oslo Municipality, Norway

Besserudtjernet is a former artificial lake at the foot of the Holmenkollen ski jump in Oslo, Norway. Today the low basin holds a shallow pool of dark water set between concrete terraces, with a ski jump rising above and green trees on both sides.

The lake was created around 1890 by damming Besserudbekken and was first used for cutting ice. It was drained every autumn from 1930, then excavated and removed before the 1982 World Ski Championships, and finally emptied for good in 2009 when the new Holmenkollen hill was built.

The name Besserudtjernet comes from Besserudmyra, the bog that once occupied the spot before a stream was dammed. For several decades the filled basin served as a swimming hole and fishing place, giving the ski arena a summer life that local people still remember.

The site is easy to reach from the lower part of the Holmenkollen area, and the surrounding terraces offer level ground for walking and sitting. Wear sturdy shoes since the concrete surfaces can be slippery in wet weather, and be aware that the water is a shallow seasonal pool rather than a full lake.

After the lake was removed, the water that used to gather here was sent through a borehole almost 600 meters long down to Midtstuen, where it is stored for making artificial snow. What visitors see in the basin today is only shallow rainwater and melted snow, not the former lake.