Building of expensive inrun in Holmenkollen

Holmenkollen ski jumping LundbyHolmenkollen ski jumping areana. Photo: Norway Today media

Taxpayers pays for expensive inrun in Holmenkollen

The hazard from melting snow is going to be a thing from the past in the inrun of Holmenkollen, when porcelain will be installed in the world’s most classic ski jump arena this autumn.

 

A mere six years after the World Championships in Holmenkollen, the inrun will be upgraded.

– The Municipality of Oslo takes the responsibility to upgrade the inrun. I do not know exact price, but the cost was at around NOK 3 million in Vikersund. This is a large investment by the municipality of Oslo. It was a discussion before the World Championships in 2011 whether to apply a so called Riedler track, but it did not happen. Weather conditions implies that it is safer with a new, modern inrun. This eliminates the risk by the snow melting. The sunshine during last year’s event proved that it is important to have such a modern inrun, says Manager of Arrangement in the Norwegian Ski Federation, Terje Lund, to NTB.

the Norwegian Ski Jumping federaration takes several additional steps before year two of the ‘Raw Air’ series of events. It’s not just in Holmenkollen that things happen.

Granåsen to be closed

Wind shielding in both Lillehammer and Vikersund is applied, while Granåsen just awaits updated facilities.

– In Trondheim the major impact will take place in 2020. Then the facilities will be unavailable. Federation international de Skis (FIS) is informed about this. We do not know what we do with the event that usually takes place in Trondheim, but it may instead be an extra event at Lillehammer or Vikersund during ‘Raw Air’. Perhaps we have to be content with eight days of races. You have Rena and some other organizers as possibilities, but I think we will stick to our present World Cup organizers, says Lund.

Walter Hofer sees great potential in developing the four major Norwegian ski jumping arenas

– We have a fantastic hill in Holmenkollen, but maybe we need to make some changes to protect the hill better against wind. Lillehammer is a hill made for the Olympics in 1994. We would like to see that there will be installed a wind screen that can hinder the wind coming in from behind. Up there, the conditions vary more than in other places, says the race director in FIS.

In Trondheim, the hill has to be renovated , but that is part of the World Championship application. There we have to be patient for a few years. The infrastructure and the hill are dating back to 1997, therefore a lot has to be done. Vikersund, on the other hand, has made a fantastic infrastructure, but we see an even larger potential regarding spectators. We must make the competitions even more exciting and create a unique superfinal. ‘Raw Air’ will surely grow, Hofer continues.

Fair

Manager for the Norwegian team, Alexander Stöckl, is looking forward to an updated inrun at Holmenkollen.

– the Riedel in run has become the vstandard. There is less variation than when using traditional ice cubes. The in run makes it easier for athletes to perform their technique in a good way. The disadvantage is that those who are good at performing under demanding conditions lose an advantage, says Stöckl.

– But this is the future. There will be more equal conditions for the athletes and provide stability for the organizer. It is much easier to apply one centimeter of ice in the in run than 25 centimeters of ice cubes throughout, the Austrian says.

He is in no doubt that the investment is worth the money.

– It’s a one time expense. It costs to install the cooling system every year, apply ice blocks and remove the slush, and preparing the track itself costs money as well. The Riedel inrun is expensive to install, but it is a one-time investment. It provides for far less maintenance costs.

This weekend, the Norwegian National Ski Jumping Championships are held at Midtstuen.

 

©  NTB Scanpix / Norway Today