Legendary gathering in Harrachov

If 14 World Champions, 10 world record holders and 18 Olympic medalists come together, one can undoubtedly speak of a gathering of legends. This is exactly what happened this weekend in Harrachov.

Jens Weisflog, Armin Kogler, Ernst Wimmer, Hubert Neuper, Joachim Winterlich and many others mingled at the famous Čerťák hill on the north slope of Čertova Mountain to talk and philosophize about both the good old days and the future of the sport of ski jumping. It is no coincidence that the Čertova mountain is called “Teufelsberg” in German. They are all brilliant daredevils, and what unites them above all is one thing: the revival of ski flying in Harrachov.

With the event, which takes place regularly, initiator Kerst Rölz from Vogtland aims to bring ski flying and the World Cup back to Harrachov and show that the will for it is great. However, such a renovation of the ski flying hill is urgently needed, for which at present there is simply a lack of money and will. With such events one wants to draw attention to increase acceptance for revitalizing ski jumping in Harrachov. If the who’s who of the ski jumping world fights for it and mingles, then a small but fine delegation from Oberwiesenthal of course must not be missing.

Jens Weisflog, Joachim Winterlich, Ernst Schatzer, my father Eberhard Riedel and yours truly embarked on the journey to the almost 300-kilometer distant Harrachov; for me, participation was a first. The meeting was accompanied by numerous representatives of the press, which underscores the great public interest in the event.

The program of the very amicably shaped meeting included a tour of the ski flying hill, an extended visit to the local ski jumping museum, and a sociable gathering last evening. The mayor of the otherwise sleepy town with 1,500 inhabitants near the Polish border, Tomas Vasicek, appeared very pleased and welcomed the initiative.

I was very pleased about the invitation and would like to extend my sincere thanks to all participants. The funny stories from times past, but also the serious discussions about the future of ski jumping will continue to resonate for a long time!