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95-557: Letalnica bratov Gorišek (English: Flying hill of Gorišek brothers ) is one of the two largest ski flying hills in the world and the biggest of eight hills located at the Planica Nordic Centre in Planica , Slovenia. It was built in 1969 and is named after the original constructors and brothers Vlado and Janez Gorišek . Since its opening, a total of 28 world records were set at the venue. Yugoslav ski jumper Miro Oman made

190-715: A K-point of 145 m, therefore not designed for world record distances from the outset. As of 2024 it remains the only ski flying hill to have been built outside of Europe. Planica and Oberstdorf briefly had a new challenger when the Čerťák K165 hill in Harrachov , Czech Republic (then a part of Czechoslovakia ), was opened in 1980. For one year, all three venues shared the world record when Armin Kogler jumped 176 m at Harrachov's opening event. He improved this to 180 m (590 ft) in 1981 , this time in Oberstdorf. Notably, at

285-412: A chilling precursor of more to come. Over the next few years, the one-upmanship continued as the world record was again traded between Planica and Oberstdorf. In 1984 , Matti Nykänen jumped 182 m (597 ft) twice on the same day in Oberstdorf. By improving this to 185 m (607 ft) the next day, Nykänen became the first athlete since Reidar Andersen in 1935 to set three world records in

380-602: A good jump. I had no expectations, didn't care at all and that's probably why I set a world record. » — Toni Nieminen , after setting the WR in 1994 (203 m) « Without any doubt this is my greatest career and life achievement. Nothing can be compared with this world record. Not even my gold medal at the Olympics or the World Championships. Now I know how birds feel when they fly in the air. » — Espen Bredesen , after setting

475-401: A mere 'special attraction' alongside its older and more prestigious sibling. With no world records set at the 1972 event, the organisers in Oberstdorf got to work by upgrading their hill to a K-point of 175 m (574 ft) for the 1973 Ski Flying World Championships . Janez Gorišek was brought in to oversee the project following Heini Klopfer's death in 1968. With the gauntlet laid down,

570-491: A metre longer than the official world record. On 22 March 2018, in the qualification round, Gregor Schlierenzauer touched the ground at 253.5 metres (832 ft) and tied the world record distance. On 24 March 2019, Ryoyu Kobayashi set the hill record at 252 metres (827 ft) and won the first overall title for Japan. In 2020, the 26th FIS Ski Flying World Championships in Planica were originally scheduled for March, but

665-519: A new hill. Construction began in 1967 and was completed by the end of 1968. During the construction, Janez was still working in Libya, so his older brother Vlado was fully in charge of the construction site. Initially, the construction point was at K153 with a 145-metre long inrun. On 6 March 1969, two weeks before the competition, a hill test with trial jumper was made. Miro Oman made an inaugural jump and landed at 135 metres (443 ft). On 21 March 1969,

760-552: A new rule was instituted by the International Ski Federation that awarded no additional points for jumps over 191 metres due to safety reasons. In the 1987 season, Letalnica bratov Gorišek hosted the World Cup event for the first time. On the first day, during a training session, Andreas Felder touched the ground at a world record distance of 192 metres (630 ft). The next day, Polish ski jumper Piotr Fijas set

855-483: A part of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia ), when 18-year-old Austrian Josef "Sepp" Bradl became the first man in history to land a ski jump of over 100 metres (330 ft). His world record jump of 101.5 m (333 ft) was set at Bloudkova velikanka ("Bloudek giant"), a new hill designed and completed in 1934 by engineers Stanko Bloudek and Ivan Rožman, together with Joso Gorec. A year earlier, Olav Ulland had crossed

950-535: A price, as illustrated by filmmaker Werner Herzog in his 1974 documentary The Great Ecstasy of Woodcarver Steiner . During both the aforementioned events in Oberstdorf and Planica, several athletes including Steiner had far exceeded the limits of the hill by 'out-jumping' it or 'running out of slope'. Jumps were much further than in the 1950s, during which the old Kongsberger technique was still in use. The results were now potentially fatal each time: athletes were landing only metres away from completely flat ground, or

1045-508: A sanctioned discipline. Despite this reluctant recognition, the FIS still frowned upon the practice of aiming predominantly for long distances over style, and presently refuses to publish lists of world records in an official capacity. Furthermore, the rules for ski flying would not be fully established until after World War II . In 1941, with the K-point increased further to 120 m (390 ft),

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1140-407: A silver medal, behind winner Hans-Georg Aschenbach . A year later in Planica, in front of a 50,000-strong crowd, Steiner finally achieved the world record he had been striving for, landing a jump of 169 m to equal that of Wossipiwo in 1973. Spectators were astonished and the event organisers momentarily bewildered, as Steiner had landed well beyond the markers used to indicate distance alongside

1235-453: A single day at the aforementioned 1983 event, the hill in Harrachov – a location named "Devil's Mountain" – became notorious for causing many violent accidents. Horst Bulau crashed and suffered a concussion, while Steinar Bråten and Jens Weißflog also crashed. Tapio Mikkonen crashed heavily in 1980, as did Ploc in 1985 and Iztok Melin in 1989 . All escaped serious injury, but it was

1330-404: A ski jumping hill. At the opening event of Velikanka bratov Gorišek , five world records were set: Bjørn Wirkola and Jiří Raška traded it among themselves four times, until Manfred Wolf ended their run with a jump of 165 m (541 ft). It can be said that competition between hill locations, all vying for world record honours, truly began at this time. The 1960s remains the decade with

1425-471: A specially designed takeoff ramp using skis only; jump from the end of it with as much power as they can generate; then glide – or 'fly' – as far as possible down a steeply sloped hill ; and ultimately land within a target zone in a stable manner. Points are awarded for distance and stylistic merit by five judges. Events are governed by the International Ski Federation ( Fédération Internationale de Ski ; FIS). The rules and scoring in ski flying are mostly

1520-409: A tightrope' in mid-air and leaving athletes at the mercy of the elements. Akimoto, Findeisen, Berg and Goldberger's accidents were all caused by unpredictable gusts of wind that made them lose control at the highest and fastest stage of their jumps, exacerbated by an outdated technique ill-suited to the new extremes of ski flying, as well as the prevalence of older hills featuring very steep slopes. In

1615-407: A transitional period of its own, going from a narrower "V" in the early to mid-1990s – which retained some features of the parallel style – to a much wider one at the end of the decade. Some athletes preferred to cross the back of the skis to exaggerate the "V" angle, while others leaned even more forward so that their body lay almost flat between the skis; both variations remain in use. The V-style

1710-464: A wooden marker indicating Steiner's failed efforts, Herzog explains solemnly: This mark is, in fact, the point where ski flying starts to be inhuman. Walter Steiner was in very great danger. If he'd flown 10 m (33 ft) more, he'd have landed down here on the flat. Just imagine, it's like falling from a height of 110 m (360 ft) onto a flat surface: to a certain death. In Planica, Herzog quoted Steiner as having said that he felt like he

1805-467: Is shown to reflect with trepidation in Oberstdorf: Ski flying has reached the point where it's beginning to present real dangers. We've just about reached the limit, I believe, as far as speed is concerned. ... Maybe I'd prefer to turn back [and] go back to flying off 150- or 130-metre hills, but it's the thrill of flying so far that nevertheless gives me a kick. Further down the hill and pointing to

1900-454: Is still not immune to failure if the air pressure under one ski is lost, but the results are much less catastrophic than with the parallel style; the latter had resulted in more head-first landings, whereas the V-style sees somewhat 'safer' landings on the back or shoulders. According to Mike Holland, "If you were hit by a gust of wind in the air, you would just flip over mid-flight", in reference to

1995-453: The 1992 Ski Flying World Championships in Harrachov, where Andreas Goldberger suffered a similar crash to the ones which occurred in Kulm in 1986. On the first day of the event, a few seconds into his second jump, dangerous wind conditions forced Goldberger to lose control at a height of around 9 m and a speed of more than 107.4 km/h (66.7 mph), sending him plummeting face-first onto

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2090-439: The fifth ski flying World Championships. Axel Zitzmann crashed at a world record distance of 179 metres (587 ft), while the second round was cancelled and repeated. Klaus Ostwald tied the world record at 176 metres (577 ft), and Armin Kogler became world champion. In 1984, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Planica, the organizing committee decided to modernize the hill. Major renovation works were carried out in

2185-474: The 100 m barrier in Ponte di Legno , Italy, but touched the snow with his hands, which rendered his jump – and world record – unofficial. With jumps now in the triple digits, Bloudek enthused: "That was no longer ski jumping . That was ski flying!" It was with these words that ski flying took on a life of its own. Such was the awe and disbelief at these massive jumps, the units of measurement were trivialised by

2280-540: The 100+ m jumps to come. In 1938, exactly two years to the day of his milestone jump, Josef Bradl improved his world record by a wide margin to 107 m (351 ft). After a period of wrangling and increasing public interest in the novelty of this new 'extreme' form of ski jumping, the FIS relented. In 1938, a decision was made at the fifteenth International Ski Congress in Helsinki , Finland, to allow for "experimental" hill design, thereby officially recognising ski flying as

2375-526: The 1930s, ski flying has developed its own distinct history and since given rise to all of the sport's world records . The first hill designed specifically for ski flying was built in Yugoslavia in 1934, after which both Germany and Austria built their own hills in 1950. This was followed by Norway in 1966, the United States in 1970, and Czechoslovakia in 1980. From the 1960s to 1980s, a friendly rivalry between

2470-440: The 1980 Harrachov event, 16-year-old rookie Steve Collins won all three competitions with jumps consistently close to world record figures. At the 1983 Ski Flying World Championships , Pavel Ploc brought the world record back to Harrachov (which had since been upgraded to K185) by jumping 181 m (594 ft); this remains the last time a world record was set there. The issue of safety in ski flying had resurfaced. In only

2565-441: The 1983 Ski Flying World Championships in Harrachov, Mike Holland said: Climbing over the knoll, I thought 'this is SO damned high, I shouldn't be this high.' Since I wasn't ready for such height and speed, I threw out my arms at the end of the flight and let myself down 4 m (13 ft) short of the world record. It was during this time that the entire sport of ski jumping underwent a significant transition in technique. Until

2660-531: The 200 metre barrier at Planica , with a world record of 203 m . Out of his total of 9 individual World Cup victories, only one came after the 1991/92 season, in Kuopio 1995. In World Cup team competitions, Nieminen scored one victory, in Villach 2001. After retiring from ski jumping in 2004, Nieminen has worked as a sports commentator for Finnish MTV3 . He has also competed as a driver in harness racing . Nieminen made

2755-636: The European venues saw world records being set regularly, together with hill upgrades and evolutions in technique to fly longer distances. Ski flying remains at its most popular in Norway and Slovenia, where the most recent world records over the past three decades have been set in front of audiences numbering 30,000–60,000. It has been called the Super Bowl of winter sports. The origins of ski flying can be traced directly to 15 March 1936 in Planica , Slovenia (then

2850-745: The FIS Ski Flying World Championships on seven occasions, most recently in 2020 . Since 2012, it also hosts the Red Bull 400 world series, the world's steepest 400-metre race. The world's steepest zip line with an average incline of 38 degrees opened at the hill in September 2015. During the Ski Flying World Championships in 1985, the venue's highest all-time attendance was recorded when a total of 150,000 people gathered over three days. Velikanka bratov Gorišek (original name)

2945-438: The FIS in all aspects of ski flying, celebrating their 50th anniversary in 2012. In 1953, Kulm hosted the first International Ski Flying Week, which would be the premier event in ski flying until 1972. In 1967, in Oberstdorf, Lars Grini became the first to reach 150 m (490 ft). Planica triumphantly reclaimed its world record in 1969 with a new hill named Velikanka bratov Gorišek ("Giant by brothers Gorišek"). This

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3040-432: The WR in 1994 (209 m) In 1977, the third KOP Ski Flying Week competition was held. During the trial round, Bogdan Norčič touched the ground at 181 metres (594 ft), which would have been a new world record, and the first jump over 180 metres in history. Reinhold Bachler from Austria won the three-day competition with the best round from each day counted into the final result. In 1979, Letalnica bratov Gorišek hosted

3135-410: The air, just as before, and crashed almost identically to Findeisen. One of Berg's skis, which had come loose after impact and was still attached to his foot, flailed around and hit him in the face – exposed due to his goggles detaching – as he was sliding to a stop. His injuries, including concussion and a broken ACL , were career-ending. At this point, Trautwig began calling into question the nature of

3230-495: The construction of Heini-Klopfer-Skiflugschanze ("Heini Klopfer ski flying hill") in Oberstdorf , West Germany . Designed by former ski jumper turned architect Heini Klopfer , as well as then-active ski jumpers Toni Brutscher and Sepp Weiler , the hill had a K-point of 120 m to match that of Bloudkova velikanka . The FIS, still wary of the rising popularity of ski flying and wanting to keep it in check, refused to sanction

3325-428: The construction of the hill, having previously denounced the 1947 and 1948 events in Planica. The stance of the FIS eased once again, as the inaugural event in Oberstdorf was given approval to be staged in 1950. During this week-long event, an estimated crowd of altogether 100,000 witnessed the world record fall three times, with Dan Netzell claiming the final figure of 135 m (443 ft). Tauno Luiro eclipsed it

3420-448: The early 1990s nearly all athletes used the parallel style (or Däscher technique), in which the skis are held close together and parallel to each other. This had been the norm since the 1950s; Matti Nykänen created a variation in the 1980s with the skis pointed diagonally to the side in a crude attempt to increase surface area , yielding more distance. However, this came largely at the expense of stability and balance, akin to 'walking

3515-410: The end of the event, which was shortened to only a single competition round due to strong winds forcing cancellation of the other. Jinya Nishikata and Johan Rasmussen each suffered heavy crashes due to these winds. In 2014, Nieminen spoke about the jump that cemented his name in the history books: Toni Nieminen Nieminen's biggest success came in his first World Cup season in 1991/92. At

3610-502: The equivalent of falling from a multi-storey building with forward momentum. Furthermore, only a wool cap and goggles – or no headgear at all – were worn; an antiquated feature left unchanged from the very earliest days of ski jumping more than 150 years prior. In 1979, at their 32nd International Ski Congress in Nice , France, the FIS mandated helmets to be worn by athletes at all ski jumping and flying events. In Herzog's documentary, Steiner

3705-450: The event was postponed to December due to the COVID-19 pandemic . Before the finals of the 2023–24 World Cup season, new ice tracks were installed as part of the renovation of the inrun, mainly due to the high temperatures that caused the inrun to thaw if it was not protected from the sun. A total of 28 official world records have been set at the hill. The longest ever, but invalid jump at

3800-426: The fall. Former ski jumper Jeff Hastings , co-commentating, said: "I'm feeling a little sick to my stomach, Al... I can't believe this. I've never seen ski flying like this... So many falls." Findeisen was barely conscious and had to be stretchered away, later going into cardiac arrest but surviving. In the next round of the competition, Berg attempted another jump but was not as fortunate this time: he fell out of

3895-451: The fall. With the event cancelled, Goldberger's efforts from earlier were enough to earn him a silver medal behind eventual winner Noriaki Kasai , who became the first non-European Ski Flying World Champion. Goldberger was able to return to top-level competition within less than a year. Protective wind nets by the side of the hill were later installed in Harrachov for 1996 to minimise the effects of crosswind, along with major reprofiling of

Letalnica bratov Gorišek - Misplaced Pages Continue

3990-460: The final round: Tommy Ingebrigtsen with 231 metres (758 ft), Matti Hautamäki with 235.5 metres (773 ft), and Bjørn Einar Romøren twice, with 234.5 metres (769 ft) and 239 metres (784 ft). Janne Ahonen also crashed at 240 metres (790 ft) and was slightly injured. In 2010, Letalnica got the new chairlift, renovated judge tower, landing zone widened, profile adjusted, and take-off angle lowered to keep competitors closer to

4085-530: The first American world record holder since Henry Hall in 1921. Nykänen would follow this up by landing a metre further. In the final round of that event, and in a show of dominance as he closed in on his second Ski Jumping World Cup title, Nykänen wowed the crowd with a jump of 191 m (627 ft) to punctuate his title win and effectively bring the Planica–Oberstdorf rivalry to a close. Mike Holland later described his own jump: The world record jump

4180-503: The first day of the KOP Ski Flying Week competition, the venue was officially opened with the first world record distance, set at 156 metres (512 ft) by Bjørn Wirkola . The next day, the world record was tied and improved three times, by Jiří Raška (156 and 164 metres) and Bjørn Wirkola (160 metres). On the final day of competition, in front of 45,000 spectators, Manfred Wolf set the world record at 165 metres (541 ft) in

4275-445: The first jump over 200 metres; however, he touched the snow with his hands, and the jump was counted as invalid. Just a few minutes later, Finnish ski jumper Toni Nieminen landed on his feet at 203 metres (666 ft) and officially became the first man in history who jumped over 200 metres. It continued with Christof Duffner the next day who crashed from a huge height at 207 metres (679 ft). Later that day, Espen Bredesen set

4370-411: The first ski flying team event was held with another world record set by Andreas Goldberger, who landed at 225 metres (738 ft). In 2003, four world records were set. Adam Małysz tied the record at 225 metres (738 ft) and Matti Hautamäki broke the record three times (227.5, 228 and 231 metres). Over 120,000 visitors gathered in four days. On 20 March 2005, four world records were set during

4465-520: The following year by jumping 139 m (456 ft), a world record which would stay in place for almost ten years until Jože Šlibar jumped 141 m (463 ft) in 1961. The previous two decades of Planica holding a near-monopoly over the world record now seemed a distant memory, as it would instead be Oberstdorf's turn to do the same. Also in 1950, a ski flying hill was built at Kulm in Tauplitz / Bad Mitterndorf , Austria. Peter Lesser first equalled

4560-453: The forefront of ski jumping, their prominence in ski flying was short-lived, as it would be the last time Vikersund would hold a world record until four decades later. Seeking to co-operate on hill design and event organisation, the venues at Kulm, Oberstdorf and Planica formed the KOP working group in 1962 (KOP being an abbreviation of Kulm/Oberstdorf/Planica). This group would go on to consult with

4655-479: The ground. All this was needed to fulfill the International Ski Federation requirements to host the 2010 Ski Flying World Championships where Simon Ammann became world champion. Between 2013 and 2015, the hill underwent a major renovation. A new profile was drawn by Janez Gorišek with the help of his son Sebastjan Gorišek, who is also a constructor. The hill's new construction point was at K200 and

4750-454: The grounds that they were unnecessarily dangerous and brought the sport into disrepute. Bloudek and his team nonetheless went ahead and flouted the rules in creating a so-called "mammoth hill" specifically designed for previously unimaginable distances. Bloudkova velikanka originally had a K-point of 90 m, by far the largest of any hill at the time, but was upgraded in less than two years to 106 m (348 ft) in eager anticipation of

4845-512: The highest amount of world records since the advent of ski flying, with seventeen in total being set on the hills in Oberstdorf, Planica, Kulm and Vikersund. By contrast the 1950s had the fewest with four, all being set in Oberstdorf. The world record stayed in Planica for four years, during which the K-point at Velikanka bratov Gorišek was upgraded to 165 m in time for the inaugural Ski Flying World Championships in 1972 , which eventually superseded International Ski Flying Week. This new event

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4940-428: The hill below. He was taken by helicopter to a hospital, having sustained a broken arm and collarbone, and a concussion. František Jež also crashed, but was able to walk away with some help. The second and final day of the event was stopped due to worsened weather, culminating in a high-speed fall by Christof Duffner just as he landed a world record-equalling jump of 194 m, albeit rendered invalid because of

5035-521: The hill size at HS225. They built a completely new concrete inrun, replacing the old steel construction. The take-off table was moved five metres higher and pushed back for twelve metres compared to the old one. The battle for the 2014–15 World Cup overall title between Severin Freund and Peter Prevc lasted until the last jump of the season, which concluded at the newly renovated venue in March 2015. Freund took

5130-473: The hill was set by Gregor Schlierenzauer in 2018 when he touched the ground at 253.5 metres (832 ft). Hill specifications according to the International Ski and Snowboard Federation certificate from 2020. Letalnica bratov Gorišek appeared as the main location of The Great Ecstasy of Woodcarver Steiner , a German film directed by Werner Herzog which portrayed ski jumper Walter Steiner during

5225-504: The hill, which only went as far as the existing K-point of 165 m. For the first time since their respective hills had been built, the competition was levelled between Oberstdorf and Planica. On the next day of the event in the latter, Steiner tried to go even further: he landed at 177 m (581 ft) but fell down on what was almost flat ground, although this time he managed to walk away (albeit on unsteady legs) with only cuts to his face. All these increasingly long distances came at

5320-494: The hills (athletes were reaching 15 m (49 ft) in Planica) and takeoff speeds (Pavel Ploc reached 115.6 km/h (71.8 mph) in Harrachov in 1983) at an all-time high, as well as distances approaching 200 m (660 ft), the FIS took a stance against record-hunting for safety reasons. From Felder's world record in 1986 onwards, the FIS implemented a rule in which distance points would not be awarded beyond 191 m;

5415-436: The inaugural test jump of 135 metres (443 ft) on 6 March 1969. The first FIS Ski Flying World Championships were organized on the hill in 1972 . After Matti Nykänen set a world record jump of 191 metres (627 ft) at the 1985 FIS Ski Flying World Championships , a new rule was instituted by the International Ski Federation that awarded no additional points for jumps over this distance due to safety reasons. The rule

5510-593: The jump would still count, but no points further than that could be achieved. Per this rule, Fijas' jump was officially scaled down to 191 m by the FIS, but the KOP group (led by the organisers in Kulm, Oberstdorf and Planica) independently recorded the actual figure. Neither Kulm nor Planica would hold a ski flying event for several years, leaving Oberstdorf and Vikersund to host the Ski Flying World Championships in 1988 and 1990 , respectively. At those events, world record distances and major incidents were avoided. The dangers of ski flying were still on full display at

5605-447: The last parallel style world record on the first day of competition when he jumped 194 metres (636 ft) in the third round, which was cancelled and repeated right after his jump. His world record was officially recognized seven years later. On 23 March 1991, during the second round, André Kiesewetter touched the ground at a world record distance of 196 metres (643 ft), the all-time longest parallel style ski jump in history. In

5700-443: The last round. Jiří Raška won the three-day event. In 1972, the hill hosted the first FIS Ski Flying World Championships . Swiss ski jumper Walter Steiner became the first ski flying world champion in a three-day competition, which attracted around 110,000 spectators. On 15 March 1974, the second KOP Ski Flying Week competition started. The day started with a tied world record at 169 metres (554 ft), set by Walter Steiner in

5795-491: The late 1980s and early 1990s, Jan Boklöv pioneered the V-style : skis were instead spread outwards in an aerodynamic "V" shape, with the athlete's body lying much flatter between them. This created yet more surface area and lift , instantly enabling distances of up to ten per cent further. It also had a favourable effect of granting more stability in the air, although the peak speed was some 10 km/h (6.2 mph) slower than

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5890-514: The media, who suggested that the metre used in Yugoslavia was shorter than elsewhere in Europe. Bradl later spoke fondly of the jump which made him an icon in the sport: The air pushed violently against my chest; I leaned right into it and let it carry me. I had only one wish: to fly as far as possible! ... [After landing the jump], many thousands of curious eyes looked up at the judges' tower. I could hardly believe it when an additional '1' popped up on

5985-753: The normal hill. In the World Cup, Nieminen took a total of 8 victories securing also the overall title. Additionally, Nieminen won the World Junior Championship in both the Individual and the Team competitions. Nieminen was chosen as the Finnish Sports Personality of the Year 1992. In the following seasons, Nieminen showed only glimpses of his great talent. In 1994, he became the first ever ski jumper to break

6080-516: The opening day of the event, Martin Höllwarth jumped 196 m (643 ft) to edge the world record ever closer to 200 m. This was the first time a world record had been set using the V-style, with Piotr Fijas' being the last to use the parallel style. Andreas Goldberger became the first ski jumper in history to cross the 200 m barrier when he landed at 202 m (663 ft) but failed to maintain his balance as he squatted down and touched

6175-413: The overall title since he had more wins during the season, although they had the same number of points. In 2016, Prevc took the overall title in a record-breaking season in which he accumulated 15 wins, with a total of 111,000 people gathering in five days. During the test event, Tilen Bartol crashed at 252 metres (827 ft), the second longest flight in the history of ski jumping at the time, and half

6270-455: The overall title. In 1999, the four-day event was attended by over 80,000 people. Two world records were broken during the competition, set at 214.5 metres (704 ft) by Martin Schmitt and 219.5 metres (720 ft) by Tommy Ingebrigtsen . On 16 March 2000, during the official training session, Austrian ski jumper Thomas Hörl set a world record at 224.5 metres (737 ft). Two days later

6365-416: The parallel style. In 1994, ski flying returned to a newly independent Slovenia, where the hill in Planica had been reprofiled with the aim of allowing for jumps of more than 200 m. The FIS was strongly against this and initially threatened to cancel the event on the grounds that its regulations on hill design had been violated. Negotiations between the organisers in Planica and the FIS managed to defuse

6460-437: The parallel style. At first this new technique was looked upon unfavourably by the judges, who made it an issue to downgrade style points for those who used it. Nevertheless, within a few years, with Boklöv having won the 1988/89 Ski Jumping World Cup season and other athletes promptly adopting the technique, the judges' stance quietly eased and the V-style became the ubiquitous standard still used today. The V-style itself had

6555-411: The results were showcased immediately when Heinz Wossipiwo set a world record of 169 m (554 ft) in Oberstdorf. Determined to claim the world record for himself, Walter Steiner – the reigning Ski Flying World Champion – jumped 175 m (574 ft) and 179 m (587 ft) but crashed heavily on both attempts, sustaining a concussion and a fractured rib. He would finish the event with

6650-640: The same as they are in ski jumping, and events under the discipline are usually contested as part of the FIS Ski Jumping World Cup season, but the hills (of which there are only five remaining, all in Europe) are constructed to different specifications in order to enable jumps of up to 66% longer in distance. There is also a stronger emphasis on aerodynamics and harnessing the wind, as well as an increased element of danger due to athletes flying much higher and faster than in ski jumping. From its beginnings in

6745-440: The same height, at an estimated takeoff speed of 112 kilometres per hour (70 mph), but was able to land safely on both skis. Immediately afterwards, Ulf Findeisen fell out of the air on his jump, crashing down face-first from 9 m and flipping head over heels repeatedly along the slope, only coming to a stop several seconds later. Al Trautwig , commentating for American TV network ABC , likened Findeisen to "a ragdoll" after

6840-535: The scoreboard! In the early 1930s, prior to the construction of Bloudkova velikanka , the FIS had deemed ski jumping hills with a K-point (German: Konstruktionspunkt ) of 70 m (230 ft) to be the absolute largest permissible. Athletes who chose to compete on hills with a K-point of more than 80 m (260 ft) were outright denied a licence to jump, and events allowing for distances beyond 90 m (300 ft) were strongly discouraged – even denounced – on

6935-415: The second KOP Ski Flying Week, held at Letalnica in 1974. 46°28′35″N 13°43′16″E  /  46.47639°N 13.72111°E  / 46.47639; 13.72111 Ski flying Ski flying is a winter sport discipline derived from ski jumping , in which much greater distances can be achieved. It is a form of competitive individual Nordic skiing where athletes descend at high speed along

7030-420: The situation, allowing that year's Ski Flying World Championships to take place. Before the event, Espen Bredesen said: "Of course I want to be the first [to reach 200 m], but I think that 210 m (690 ft) or 215 m (705 ft) are also possible." With most athletes having switched to the V-style, the sport was about to reach one of its biggest ever milestones. During the training round on

7125-456: The slope to comply with FIS safety regulations. This reprofiling – particularly at the hill's highest point, known as the knoll – was critical in reducing the fearsome height reached by athletes after takeoff, verified to be as high as 18 m (59 ft) in 1980. Thanks to these modifications, athletes no longer jumped with as much height as before and no major accidents have occurred in Harrachov since 1992. Speaking about his experience at

7220-493: The snow with his hands, rendering his jump an unofficial world record . The official honours went to Toni Nieminen only a short time later, who cleanly landed a jump of 203 m (666 ft) to claim the world record. On the next day during the second training round, Christof Duffner almost had his moment of glory when he jumped 207 m (679 ft), but fell upon landing just as he had done two years earlier in Harrachov. In that same training round, Espen Bredesen claimed

7315-410: The space of 24 hours. It would be the end of an era as this was the last time a world record was set in Oberstdorf; altogether twenty were set there. In 1985 , to coincide with that year's Ski Flying World Championships , Planica underwent another upgrade to increase the K-point to 185 m. World records were again shattered as a result. Mike Holland first jumped 186 m (610 ft) to become

7410-399: The sport: "Jeff, we talk about the fear and why the ski flyers are scared... I'm really starting to ask, why we're here and why they're doing it." Ernst Vettori , who was awaiting his own jump, withdrew from the event after witnessing the falls. Ski flying endured a static era beginning in 1987 , when Piotr Fijas set a world record of 194 m (636 ft) in Planica. With height over

7505-457: The summer and autumn of 1984, with the Yugoslav Army personnel, volunteers and different working organizations helping at the construction site under the command of Gorišek brothers. 1,500 cubic metres of material was excavated and filled into the landing zone. They also excavated 300 cubic metres of material from the inrun. The old wooden tower was replaced by a steel one, and the take-off table

7600-435: The third round, Stephan Zünd and Kiesewetter landed at 191 metres (627 ft). The next day, Ralph Gebstedt landed at 190 metres (620 ft) in the third round and won the competition. On 17 March 1994, during the 1994 Ski Flying World Championships , Martin Höllwarth set a new world record at 196 metres (643 ft) as a test jumper. Austrian ski jumper Andreas Goldberger landed at 202 metres (663 ft), making

7695-438: The third world record of the year at 209 metres (686 ft). In 1997, ski jumping hysteria spread all over Slovenia due to Primož Peterka , who was battling with Dieter Thoma for the first Slovenian overall title. Over 120,000 people gathered in three days, with over 60,000 people alone on the decisive Saturday when two world records (210 and 212 metres) were set by Espen Bredesen and Lasse Ottesen , respectively. Peterka won

7790-650: The time, the transition from the parallel style to the V-style was taking place and Nieminen was one of the first to master the new technique. Nieminen took his first World Cup victory in Thunder Bay, in December 1991. Then he went on to win the Four Hills Tournament with 3 victories and one 2nd place. At the 1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville, Nieminen won the large hill and the Team large hill, placing third in

7885-413: The trial round. In the first round, which was interrupted twice, Steiner crashed at 177 metres (581 ft), a new world record distance. In the last day of competition, Steiner confirmed his domination through the whole weekend and won in Planica for the second consecutive time. « I was very surprised and didn't expect such a great jump. I didn't really aim for a world record at all. I just wanted to make

7980-566: The venues did not last long, as four world records were set in Oberstdorf within a span of four days in 1976, bringing the official figure up to 176 m (577 ft) set by Toni Innauer at the end of the event. Three years later, Planica drew level once again when Klaus Ostwald equalled the world record. Elsewhere, in the Western Hemisphere, the United States opened its own ski flying venue in 1970: Copper Peak in Ironwood, Michigan , had

8075-490: The world record for himself with a clean jump of 209 m (686 ft). The restrictive rule concerning jumps beyond 191 m, in place since 1986, was subsequently abolished by the FIS. However, as the rule was still in place at the time of Nieminen and Bredesen's jumps, their additional distances were nullified. This handed Jaroslav Sakala (with a jump of 185 m) the Ski Flying World Championship at

8170-514: The world record there in 1962, improving it three years later to 145 m (476 ft). Another hill entered the scene in 1966, when Vikersundbakken ("Vikersund hill") in Vikersund , Norway was rebuilt to ski flying specifications, having originally opened as a ski jumping hill in 1936. On this newly rebuilt hill the world record was first equalled, then broken twice to end up at 154 m (505 ft) in 1967. Although hills in Norway were still at

8265-468: The world record to win the gold medal, ahead of Nykänen who won bronze. All of this was overshadowed by a series of horrific accidents which took place earlier. In treacherous crosswind conditions, Masahiro Akimoto lost control moments after takeoff, falling suddenly from a height of 9 m (30 ft) onto his back. He suffered a fractured ankle in addition to chest and shoulder injuries. A few minutes later, Rolf Åge Berg frighteningly lost control at

8360-511: The world record was broken five times in Planica: it went from 108 m (354 ft) to 118 m (387 ft) in a single day, shared between four athletes. After World War II had passed, Fritz Tschannen matched the K-point with a jump of 120 m in 1948. This marked the last time Planica would hold the world record for almost two decades, as emerging new hills would soon provide stern competition. A challenger to Planica arrived in 1949 with

8455-436: Was abolished in 1994. On 17 March 1994, Andreas Goldberger touched the snow with his hand at 202 metres (663 ft) for the first, albeit disqualified, over 200-metre jump. Just a few minutes later Toni Nieminen landed on his feet at 203 metres (666 ft) and officially became the first man in history to jump over 200 metres. Letalnica bratov Gorišek is a regular venue of the FIS Ski Jumping World Cup , and has hosted

8550-415: Was in an arena with 50,000 people waiting to see him crash. On the third day of the event, while talking to journalists after a jump, Steiner appeared angered at the organisers' pressure on him to set more world records at the expense of his well-being: "They let me jump too far four times. That shouldn't happen. It's scandalous of those Yugoslav judges up there who are responsible." The stalemate between

8645-455: Was planned, constructed and developed by Slovenian constructors, engineers and brothers, Vlado and Janez Gorišek . At the time, a lead engineer of Planica was Stano Pelan, who proposed to enlarge Bloudkova velikanka ; however, Vlado Gorišek suggested to build a completely new venue instead. In the mid-1960s, Janez Gorišek was working as an engineer in Libya , where he prepared a plan and profile for

8740-467: Was pushed back for five metres. In 1985, the eighth ski flying World Championships were held in Planica, with the venue's highest all-time total attendance record of 150,000 people, and the single-event record of 80,000 people. Three world records were set during the event, by Mike Holland (186 metres) and Matti Nykänen (187 and 191 metres). Nykänen has also won the World Championship. In 1986,

8835-528: Was sanctioned a year earlier by the FIS at their 28th International Ski Congress in Opatija , Croatia (then a part of Yugoslavia). Much like in 1938 when the discipline received official recognition from the FIS, another milestone had been reached as ski flying was now granted its own world championship-level event on par with the Ski Jumping World Championships , having spent almost four decades as

8930-473: Was the brainchild of Slovenian brothers Janez and Vlado Gorišek , both engineers, who opted to design a new hill with a K-point of 153 m (502 ft) instead of enlarging the adjacent Bloudkova velikanka , which was showing signs of deterioration. Today, Janez is affectionately called the "father" of modern ski flying and a revered figure in Slovenia. Bloudkova velikanka was subsequently recategorised as

9025-434: Was very smooth. It felt like I was lying on my stomach on a glass coffee table, watching a movie projected on a screen underneath the table. Although the flight was very smooth, it seemed like the movie projector was running the film faster than intended. The 1986 Ski Flying World Championships in Kulm highlighted the dangers of the sport in a most graphic way. In the second competition of the event, Andreas Felder equalled

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