For the first time on mats instead of snow, the ski jumping season starts at the weekend. In view of climate change and the energy crisis, the ambience is also a pointer. It could open up whole new possibilities for the sport. How about jumping in Qatar?
There is no sign of snow on the Adam-Malysz-Schanze. How about early November? But the FIS and the organizers wanted it that way: Because the World Cup in Qatar will soon crush everything, the ski jumping season will start earlier than ever before next weekend. For the first time in the World Cup, Karl Geiger and Co. land on mats instead of snow.
“Of course it would be better if we didn’t bow to football,” says national coach Stefan Horngacher before qualifying on Friday (6:15 p.m. / Eurosport) in Wisla, Poland. But what seems bizarre at first glance also represents an opportunity in times of climate change and the energy crisis. “That could point the way for our sport, for winter sports in general,” says Horngacher.
Because, as paradoxical as it sounds: ski jumpers don’t need snow – not even the artificial variant produced with a lot of energy. Because you approach in a track of ice, you land on the green of the mats. The early start is therefore “an excellent opportunity to present ourselves as a year-round sport and also in an extremely sustainable way,” says race director Sandro Pertile from the world association FIS.
In fact, Geiger, Markus Eisenbichler and Co. are used to jumps without snow. “We do that in training anyway,” says two-time Olympic champion Andreas Wellinger. Landing on mats actually reduces the risk of injury compared to a poorly groomed slope. “I think that’s a possibility for our sport,” says Wellinger.
This also applies to the topic of energy, many organizers are currently considering floodlit competitions. However, these efforts are being thwarted. The FIS, for example, is sending the entire entourage to Sapporo in Japan for a weekend and a little later to Lake Placid in the USA next winter. A sustained North American tour lasting several weeks via Vancouver and Iron Mountain or a trip to Asia with the Olympic ski jumps in Beijing and Pyeongchang is still not an option.
But: competitions on mat instead of artificial snow like in Wisla are a start. “Different surfaces, but the same sport – you can compare it a bit with tennis,” says FIS man Pertile. After the early start, it’s straight into the football break. During the preliminary round in Qatar there is “no TV time” left for ski jumping at the weekends, according to Pertile.
The “cold start” in the World Cup will not follow until November 26th in Kuusamo, Finland. The first snow has long since fallen there, and the temperatures are already below freezing during the day. Although: All this is not necessary in times when the Asian Winter Games are awarded to Saudi Arabia – and at some point even ski jumping could take place in Qatar, right next to a World Cup stadium. It would be possible.
