Ski jumping in April: starting signal for the year-round sport?

When April competitions take place this weekend in the World Cup location Planica for the first time in the history of the World Cup, days with 20 degrees and eight hours of sunshine have melted the snow in the Slovenian Valley of the Ski Jumps to a minimum. But for Alex Insam and Co. this is no longer so important, because their sport is well on the way to becoming a snow-independent year-round sport. “As of now, this will happen more and more. The snow is getting less and less, you have to think a little ecologically. There are already ski jumps where training takes place on mats even in winter,” said German national coach Stefan Horngacher. Even in the World Cup, changing the color of the wallpaper from white artificial snow to green mats is possible without any problems, as the first attempt at the World Cup in Wisla in November 2022 proved. XXL season as a clear sign The earliest start to the season in history was due to the World Cup in Qatar, but the XXL season, which lasted a total of five months, is a clear signal for the future, which no longer has to be confined to winter. Race director Sandro Pertile expressed his vision before this winter when he said: “My model is that of Formula 1, it is a global sport - and that is my goal for ski jumping for the next ten years.” A Formula 1 In times of climate change, ski jumping will probably no longer be possible if you are dependent on snow and cold. That's why things could get to the mats on the jumps quicker than we thought a few years ago. “This is certainly the future in ski jumping, it makes us a little more independent,” said Horngacher. However, the 53-year-old North Tyrolean does not only see the development as positive. The strain of traveling and a total of over 40 competitions was “enormous,” said Horngacher. “The challenges are really high. In terms of strength, it’s already getting down to business because we also have a lot of competitions during the week.” After all, when the last flights are completed in Planica on Sunday, there will be a long break until next winter. The Summer Grand Prix has lost in importance in recent years. This is also due to his own fault, as Horngacher judges: “Nowadays it is often misused for other shows, like in France for a national air show. You have to think about it: Do you do it properly or do you leave it out completely?” Leaving it out entirely would actually only be an option if the World Cup takes place all year round in the future. You don't want to be satisfied with the current wasted potential in the summer. Azzurri strong in qualifying Alex Insam from Val Gardena clearly qualified for ski flying on Friday in Planica. Insam flew to 204,5 meters and ended up in 30th place in the qualifying on Thursday. Giovanni Bresadola even reached 228 meters and took 18th place. The local heroes from Slovenia Anze Lanisek (239 m), Timi Zajc (241,5) and Domen Prevc (230) set the tone. Behind them came Stefan Kraft and overall World Cup winner Halvor Egner Granerud. The Austrian is still fighting with the Norwegian for the small ball for the Ski Flying World Cup at the weekend.

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Ski jumping in April: starting signal for the year-round sport?

For the first time, mats at the start, a novelty at the end: This winter, the motto for ski jumpers is “start earlier, finish later”.

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