After construction lasting almost two months, the new approach track was inaugurated today, Tuesday, in Bischofshofen. The opening jump was performed by none other than the world champion and Olympic gold medalist in Nordic combined, Bernhard Gruber. The Bad Hofgasteiner athlete competes for SC Bischofshofen and did not hesitate to test the new Master-Track launch track by Peter Riedel with heart and soul. Gruber traveled from an extensive wind tunnel training in Vienna the day before to Bischofshofen. After an initial approach, distances of up to 132 meters were feasible for the Nordic all-rounder in the end.
After the first jumps, Bernhard Gruber is impressed with the launch track. “It is an honor for me to make the first jump with the new launch track on my home hill here in Bischofshofen. Right as I started moving away, I noticed that the track grips very well. It is a fantastic track that Peter Riedel has installed here. You glide as if on rails and it is incredibly fun to jump; with less approach you can reach higher speeds. The hill’s characteristics have slightly changed; the track is also 24 cm higher. That affects the flight path; the hill is as good as never to jump. The difference to the winter track is hardly noticeable now,” raves Bernhard Gruber.
Besides Bernhard Gruber, with Johann Pichler (President SC Bischofshofen, President of Four Hills Tournament), Peter Riedel (CEO Peter Riedel GmbH) as well as FIS Race Director Walter Hofer were among the prominent guests at the opening and examined the new launch track. Walter Hofer also appreciates the move by Bischofshofen to switch to the new track. “I am very glad that with Bischofshofen the last Tour location has now been upgraded to a Riedel track. As a World Cup venue and at the same time the Tour final, Bischofshofen holds great significance for the international ski federation. With the new track, safety increases, allowing the event to be held even in challenging weather conditions.”
Facts about the launch track:
The 13.5-centimeter-wide standardized launch track was built directly over the existing track. This changes the takeoff height at the hill table by 24 centimeters, but the flight path remains unchanged. In summer, athletes have a hard plastic track with ceramic studs and irrigation jets. Directly parallel runs the winter track, which is filled for operation with a seven-centimeter-thick layer of snow. A cooling system freezes the snow layer before a 3-centimeter-deep groove is milled with a milling machine. The biggest advantage is the reduced preparation effort. Previously, 150 cubic meters of snow were needed for track preparation. That’s about 10–15 truckloads and 15 helpers working for several days. Now, two cubic meters of snow slurry and two to three helpers suffice to prepare the track in two days. The launch length of the track in Bischofshofen is 127 meters, exactly the same length as the launch of the ski flying hill at Kulm, which is also equipped with a Riedel track. The renovation took about 8 weeks in total.