Maintenance provides a “clear conscience”

RASCHAU/GARMISCH-PARTENKIRCHEN. In winter they are the center of interest. There, the jump facilities of Garmisch-Partenkirchen or Trondheim, of Chaux-Neuve or Zao are on everyone's lips: precisely when the World Cup series of the International Ski Federation stop at these venues. And a few days later the competitions are over, the winners crowned, the results analyzed – on to a new facility.

And so many are led to believe that the most beautiful and prominent ski jumping venues in the world are cleaned up for exactly one or two competitions and then put away again until the next Tournee jump, for example. As the motto goes: out of sight, out of mind.

Reality proves impressively otherwise. A few days after the New Year’s jump in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, a Deutschlandpokal competition was held at the same site — under heavy rain the Peter Riedel track held up well — later the FIS Cup final was organized. And even in summer there are international student jumps or national competitions. Added to this is the training offered to various organizations and nations. To stay with the Garmisch-Partenkirchen example: it is common to see students from the Austrian Stams training academy there, a youth academy of the Austrian Ski Federation. More and more national teams are also coming to Bavaria, says Michael Maurer, president of SC Partenkirchen: “Central European athletes save the trip to Scandinavia on one hand, but on the other hand can already jump on ice in autumn. And at the same time training on the Olympic jump is the best preparation for the New Year’s jump.”

In any case it is clear that a modern jump facility — loosely put — behaves like a car. It must be converted twice a year, from winter tires to summer tires, from winter track to summer track, and back. In addition, after the snow melts, the snow retention nets on the mats must be removed and these must be reinstalled before the first snow in late autumn.

A ski jumping facility, whether in Garmisch-Partenkirchen or Hinzenbach, in Courchevel or Tchaikovsky, is thus a “year-round project” — after all, the construction cost a pretty penny, which is why sports facilities must justify and recoup themselves (or should).

Without maintenance of the approach track system “Double-Track,” year-round operation would be impossible, and Michael Maurer is glad that the municipality of Garmisch-Partenkirchen concluded a maintenance contract with the Riedel company. This is all the more important because the existing data systems make the Tournee Jump, together with some other facilities worldwide, particularly sensitive. Various sensors and precision mechanical elements must be checked, and the pressure plates must be realigned — just as the air pressure in car tires is adjusted.

Again Maurer: “When Wolfgang Riedel comes to us, he switches from winter to summer, or vice versa, to. He checks the lines, ensures sufficient coolant in the tanks, in short, does all this so we can be relaxed and have a clear conscience. The success of our facility also depends on this good partnership, and we no longer need to worry about the start – the next New Year’s jumping event can come!” And the owner of the company, Peter Riedel, is himself involved in the venture — for coincidence has no place in the Riedel house.

Jump facilities are therefore the center of attention for the operators year-round, twelve months a year!