Planica Nordic Centre

Planica Nordic Centre
Nordijski center Planica
Location(s) Planica, Slovenia
Inaugurated 4 February 1934 (opened)
21 March 1969 (flying hill)
11 December 2015 (reconstr.)
Founder Joso Gorec
Area Upper Carniola
Activity ski jumping
ski flying
cross-country skiing
nordic combined
zip-line
roller skating
ski tunnel
wind tunnel
museum
Organised by ZŠRS Planica
People Jelko Gros (CEO)
Jure Žerjav (center secretary)
Ivan Rožman (constructor)
Stanko Bloudek (constructor)
Vlado Gorišek (constructor)
Janez Gorišek (constructor)
Member K.O.P.
Website
zsrs-planica.si / nc-planica.si

Planica Nordic Centre (Slovene: Nordijski center Planica) is a nordic skiing complex with one ski flying hill, seven ski jumping hills and cross-country skiing track in Planica, Slovenia. This is the only nordic center in the world with record eight hills that are all in one place and the only one of this kind with hills of all sizes at one place: small, medium, normal, large and flying hills.

The origins of ski flying started in 1936 in Planica, 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). It is a place where the most of the ski jumping world records were set on two different hills, and also the historic first jumps over 100 meters by Sepp Bradl on Bloudkova velikanka and over 200 meters by Toni Nieminen on Letalnica bratov Gorišek. Complex consists of eight hills in function and three abandoned hills. Sigmund Ruud gave Bloudkova velikanka name "Mammoth Hill". In 2015, the complete reconstruction was finished with total new cross-country skiing track derived through the valley of Planica.

Facilities

Flying hill

Letalnica bratov Gorišek
Constructor(s) Janez Gorišek
Vlado Gorišek
Size
K–point 200 m
Hill size 225 m
Official hill record 248.5 m (815 ft)
Slovenia Peter Prevc
Bloudkova velikanka
Constructor(s) Ivan Rožman (original)
Stanko Bloudek (developer)
Klemen Kobal (new)
Size
K–point 125 m
Hill size 139 m
Longest jump
(unofficial / fall)
149 m (489 ft)
Slovenia Anže Lanišek
Official hill record 142 m (466 ft)
Slovenia Peter Prevc
Normal Hill
Constructor(s) Klemen Kobal
Size
K–point 95 m
Hill size 104 m
Longest jump
(unofficial / fall)
106 m (466 ft)
Slovenia Dejan Judež
Other five hills
Size
K–point 13, 28, 41, 56, 72 m
Hill size 15, 30, 45, 62, 80 m
For details, see Letalnica bratov Gorišek.

Letalnica bratov Gorišek (English: Flying hill by brothers Gorišek) is a 1969 ski flying hill located in Planica, Slovenia. Hill is named after the original constructors and brothers Vlado (alias "Lado") and Janez Gorišek. With total of 28 world records set it is the world leading ski jump hill in this statistics. They installed the world's steepest zip-line with average incline at 38.33% (20.9°) and maximum incline at 58.7% (30.5°) which opened on 19 September 2015.

It's the biggest of totally eight hills at Planica Nordic Centre. Yugoslavian ski jumper Miro Oman was honoured to make a premiere 135 m (443 ft) long jump on 6 March 1969 at hill test. The first ever FIS Ski Flying World Championships was organized on this hill in 1972. After Matti Nykänen set world record 191 meters at SFWC 1985, new rule by FIS was accepted where no points for jumps over this distance was awarded in order to prevent world record hunting. On 17 March 1994 Andreas Goldberger touched the snow with his hand at 202 m and made first ever over two hundred meters jump, but it was invalid. Just a few minutes later Toni Nieminen landed on his feet at 203 m and officially became the first man in history who jumped over two hundred meters. This hill is a historic place where a man for the first time jumped over 200 m.

Large hill

For details, see Bloudkova velikanka.

Bloudkova velikanka (also: Rožman/Bloudkova velikanka, Old Bloudkova velikanka, Large Rožman/Bloudek Hill, Mammoth Hill) is a large ski jump hill in Planica, Slovenia opened in 1934 by Joso Gorec's initiative. Hill was originally constructed by Ivan Rožman, that's why he resent that hill was first named after Stanko Bloudek and not him and backed up. Posthumous and many years later they credited and honoured him to rename hill as Rožman/Bloudkova velikanka. A year after opening Stanko Bloudek became in charge as main constructor improving this hill 'till his death and with his vision and skills made Planica world famous and brought ski jumping/ski flying to a whole new dimension. As a constructor he is credited with thirteen world records and first jump in history over 100 metres in 1936 and that's how new discipline was born right on this hill. Hill's axis and name are under national monument protection and can not be changed. After almost a decade of hibernation hill was completely renovated with same characteristics as old one and opened in 2012. Right next to this one the built a brand new normal hill which replaced the old demolished one about 100 metres south. They chose this location mostly because they candidate for Nordic World Ski Championships.

Abandoned hills

Zip line

Zip-line on the flying hill is the steepest in the world with 40 seconds of adrenalin fall. It was installed by Slovenian ski manufacturer Elan in August 2015. It's the first ever zip line installed on any of ski flying hills around the world. Former Slovenian alpine skier Jure Košir was honoured to be the first person who tested and descended down on 1 September 2015. For daily visitors and tourists was opened on 19 September 2015.

Characteristics

Other objects

Key people

Joso Gorec

He is known as the "creator" of Planica, key figure and the most significant person in the whole story. All credits go to him, without him there will be nothing. He was a Slovene sport worker, sport enthusiast and member of Ilirija Sport Club. His intention was to build the biggest hill in the world and to make relatively unknown Slovenia famous. He is the initiator and responsible that Ilirija House, now called Planica House, was built in 1931. A year later Gorec asked his club co-worker, engineer Stanko Bloudek, to draw plans for large hill. Bloudek draw plans for K80 hill, as much as International Ski Federation rules allowed at that time and found the fantastic location for it. But in 1933, suddenly out of nowhere Ivan Rožman, a construction company's owner working at time in Planica, draw plans for new, bigger K90 hill, now known as Bloudkova velikanka. Joso Gorec decided to rather build the hill by his plans. Another big achievement if Gorec was his fight for recognition of Planica and ski-flying as new discipline in annual FIS congress held in 1938 in Helsinki. He was defending plans of Stanko Bloudek, who didn't want to go there. Gorec fantastically presented Planica and ski-flying in front of FIS. But he was lucky to get a full support from Arnold Lunn, who had the same problems with FIS years ago at recognition of slalom. Lunn told FIS that they or anyone else couldn't stop ski-flying in Planica. After the end of presentation, Gorec said that FIS adopted rules only for K80 and not yet have any rules for a new discipline called ski-flying. He invited FIS to accept new rules for ski-flying as soon as possible. After this meeting FIS allowed ski-flying but only in study purposes.

Stanko Bloudek

Constructor, a "father" of ski-flying. In 1932 he was hired by Joso Gorec to draw plans for hill with size K-80. He drew plans and found an excellent location in Planica, but didn't make to realize his plans at first. Ivan Rožman who draw plans for K-90 built the original Bloudkova velikanka on location found by Bloudek. He took the one-year-old hill over in 1935, then upgraded it, enlarged it and improved it several times until his death in 1959. He is responsible for eleven world records on Bloudkova velikanka and for the first jump over 100 meters in 1936. Bloudkova velikanka was unfairly named after him, although original plan wasn't his, but he was closer to Gorec who decided about everything.

Ivan Rožman

Original constructor of K-90 Bloudkova velikanka hill, which was built in two months, from October to December 1933 hill was completed. Opening competition was National Championships in February 1934, where Rožman as a first person in history used snow cement. Gorec gave him and his company permission to build the hill. He contributed all the money for the construction, together with two other business partners: manufacturer Rado Hribar from Ljubljana and with father of Slovene actor Demeter Bitenc who was renting "Bitenc Hotels". At first locals didn't want to sell the land needed for construction and the local priest Lavtižar preached to locals at liturgy and convinced them to sell the land. Soon after hill was opened Rožman and Bloudek got into conflict about original authorship and name of Bloudkova velikanka. While Joso Gorec took side with his friend Bloudek, he step out as constructor. Soon a year later Bloudek continued his work on Bloudkova velikanka. Rožman died in 1937 and conflict about authorship was forgotten for many years. Many years later they recognized him as original constructor. The full official name of the hill is now "Rožman/Bloudkova velikanka".

Vlado Gorišek

Vlado Gorišek (1925–1997), born in Ljubljana, more known as Lado, was the older brother of Janez Gorišek. He is known as co-constructor of Letalnica bratov Gorišek, a flying hill built in 1969, although he didn't actually draw the plans, but his younger brother Janez did while he was working in Libya in the 1960s.

Janez Gorišek

Brothers from Ljubljana who constructed flying hill in 1969. They are responsible for a hill with the most world records, twenty-eight and for the first jump over 200 meters in 1994.

Cross-country skiing events

Men

Date Competition Winner Second Third
16 January 2016 WC (sprint F) Italy Federico Pellegrino France Baptiste Gros France Richard Jouve
17 January 2016 WC-T (sprint F)  Italy I
Dietmar Nöckler
Federico Pellegrino
 France I
Renaud Jay
Baptiste Gros
 France II
Valentin Chauvin
Richard Jouve

Ladies

Date Competition Winner Second Third
16 January 2016 WC (sprint F) Sweden Stina Nilsson Norway Astrid Uhrenholdt Jacobsen Norway Heidi Weng
17 January 2016 WC-T (sprint F)  Sweden I
Ida Ingemarsdotter
Stina Nilsson
 Norway I
Heidi Weng
Astrid Uhrenholdt Jacobsen
 Germany I
Sandra Ringwald
Hanna Kolb

World Snow Day

First three editions were held at the bottom of the Letalnica bratov Gorišek and fourth one under the small hills in 2015, since construction works were done under the flying hill at that time. Although the fourth edition was globally held on 18 January 2015, the event in Planica was rescheduled for one week on 25 January 2015 due to bad weather.

Edition Date Countries Total events Participants
1 22 January 2012 39 225 200,000+
2 20 January 2013 39 435 430,000+
3 19 January 2014 35 610 549,000+
4 25 January 2015 45 645 591,200+
5 17 January 2016 1019

Red Bull 400

Red Bull 400 is an extreme running-up-the-hill sport event sponsored by Red Bull. It is the steepest uphill race that takes place in Europe. It is a tough 400-meter vertical sprint up the face of a ski-jump slope in Planica, Slovenia. Runners have to beat 400 meters distance from bottom to the top of the inrun of the flying hill. Runners coming from all over Europe had to beat steepest part 38° angle on the older hill and at 36° on modernized hill. First two editions on the Letalnica bratov Gorišek were held in 2012 and 2013 and cancelled in 2014 because the hill was under renovation. Competition returned in 2015 on a modernized and even bigger hill than before with totally new concrete inrun.

Men

Edition Date Time
1 22 September 2012 Turkey Arslan Ahmet 5min 02s
2 12 May 2013 Slovenia Simon Alič 5min 11s
3 19 September 2015 Turkey Arslan Ahmet 5min 08s

Ladies

Edition Date Time
1 22 September 2012 Austria Teresa Stadlobler 6min 46s
2 12 May 2013 Austria Teresa Stadlobler 6min 37s
3 19 September 2015 Italy Confortolla Antonela 6min 25s

World records

List of all world records from both large and flying hill. Some sources claim that three world records set on 2 March 1941 by Franz Mair (109 m), Hans Lahr (111 m) and Paul Krauß (112 m) on large hill were actually not world records. They claim those jumps were actually set after Rudi Gering's 118 m world record.

Letalnica bratov Gorišek

No. Date Meters Feet
1 21 March 1969 Norway Bjørn Wirkola 156.0 512
2 21 March 1969 Czechoslovakia Jiří Raška 156.0 512
3 22 March 1969 Norway Bjørn Wirkola 160.0 525
4 22 March 1969 Czechoslovakia Jiří Raška 164.0 538
5 23 March 1969 East Germany Manfred Wolf 165.0 541
6 15 March 1974 Switzerland Walter Steiner 169.0 554
7 16 March 1979 East Germany Klaus Ostwald 176.0 577
8 15 March 1985 United States Mike Holland 186.0 610
9 15 March 1985 Finland Matti Nykänen 187.0 614
10 15 March 1985 Finland Matti Nykänen 191.0 627
11 14 March 1987 Poland Piotr Fijas 194.0 636
12 17 March 1994 Austria Martin Höllwarth 196.0 643
13 17 March 1994 Finland Toni Nieminen 203.0 666
14 18 March 1994 Norway Espen Bredesen 209.0 686
15 22 March 1997 Norway Espen Bredesen 210.0 689
16 22 March 1997 Norway Lasse Ottesen 212.0 696
17 19 March 1999 Germany Martin Schmitt 214.5 704
18 20 March 1999 Norway Tommy Ingebrigtsen 219.5 720
19 16 March 2000 Austria Thomas Hörl 224.5 737
20 18 March 2000 Austria Andreas Goldberger 225.0 738
21 20 March 2003 Poland Adam Małysz 225.0 738
22 20 March 2003 Finland Matti Hautamäki 227.5 746
23 22 March 2003 Finland Matti Hautamäki 228.5 750
24 23 March 2003 Finland Matti Hautamäki 231.0 758
25 20 March 2005 Norway Tommy Ingebrigtsen 231.0 758
26 20 March 2005 Norway Bjørn Einar Romøren 234.5 769
27 20 March 2005 Finland Matti Hautamäki 235.5 773
28 20 March 2005 Norway Bjørn Einar Romøren 239.0 784

Bloudkova velikanka

No. Date Meters Feet
1 25 March 1934 Norway Birger Ruud 92.0 302
2 14 March 1935 Norway Reidar Andersen 93.0 305
3 15 March 1935 Poland Stanisław Marusarz 95.0 312
4 15 March 1935 Norway Reidar Andersen 98.0 322
5 15 March 1935 Norway Reidar Andersen 99.0 325
6 15 March 1936 Austria Sepp Bradl 101.5 333
7 15 March 1938 Austria Sepp Bradl 107.0 351
8 2 March 1941 Nazi Germany Rudi Gering 108.0 354
9 2 March 1941 Nazi Germany Franz Mair 109.0 358
10 2 March 1941 Nazi Germany Hans Lahr 111.0 364
11 2 March 1941 Nazi Germany Paul Krauß 112.0 367
12 2 March 1941 Nazi Germany Rudi Gering 118.0 387
13 15 March 1948 Switzerland Fritz Tschannen 120.0 394

External links

Coordinates: 46°28′35″N 13°43′16″E / 46.47639°N 13.72111°E / 46.47639; 13.72111

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