Vikersund — it's going to be world champion-worthy!

It will once again be world-class for Peter Riedel GmbH! After the Nordic World Ski Championships 2019 in Innsbruck/Seefeld and two Ski Flying World Championships, we may again, and thus for the fourth time in total, be part of world championships. When the Ski Flying World Championships take place in Vikersund (NOR) from 10 to 13 March, we will be right in the thick of it. For six years now my team and I have been responsible for commissioning and supervising the take-off track of the world's largest ski flying hill. This year's Ski Flying World Championship will undoubtedly be a highlight.

We have been in Vikersund since mid-February and will complete the ice installation successfully today. For this we hauled 1.5 cubic meters of snow slurry and meticulously filled the ice channel with it. The cooling system then does the rest, so that the snow slurry freezes into a solid 7.5 cm-thick ice block. In this ice block the profile will be milled with longitudinal grooves. I can proudly say that we are probably one of the few ice masters worldwide who can manufacture a synthetic ice surface on a sloped plane with profile precision - and we are talking millimeters. Because of the ice block thickness, enough cold can be stored so that rain, snow, and above-freezing temperatures do not affect the track. And that is a good thing, because when distances up to 253.50 meters - as Stefan Kraft demonstrated with his world record in March 2017 - are jumped, nothing must be left to chance!

The ice quality must provide the same conditions from the first to the last jumper, and that is where craftsmanship and expertise are required. It is a great responsibility that does not let go once you have it. The pursuit of perfection is why we have been doing exactly what we do best and enjoy most since 2007. This year again in Vikersund. For us the greatest validation is when the jumpers leave the take-off area satisfied and know they have crossed the Bakken under fair and good conditions.

The hill profile and flight curve on the world’s largest ski flying hill were slightly adjusted in summer 2021 to provide athletes with even more safety. That is why I also believe the Stefan Kraft record will be hard to beat in the future. But I’m happy to be proven wrong :-)

Your Peter Riedel