Holmenkollen ski jump

Infobox ski jumping hill
hill_name = Holmenkollen
nickname = Kollen


caption =
location =
city = Oslo
country = Norway
opened = 1892
renovated = 18 times. Mainly in 1952, last time in 1982. A 19th is scheduled to occur in the summer of 2008.
expanded =
closed =
demolished =
size =
k-spot = K-120
hill size = HS128
hill record =
(136.0 m in 2006)
championships =
olympics = 1952 Winter Olympics
world championships =
1930 World Ski Championships

1966 World Ski Championships
1982 World Ski Championships
"2011 World Ski Championships"

The Holmenkollen ski jump, located in Holmenkollen, Oslo, Norway, is host to the world's second oldest ski jump competition still in existence (the oldest being hosted by a small, local club named Medicinernes Skiklub Svartor in nearby Seterkollen).

Since then the capacity of the stands have been increased to over 50,000 people and the jump has been extended 18 times, last time in 1982. Today's tower extends 60 meters above ground, and 417 metres above sea level. The current record of 136 meters was achieved by Tommy Ingebrigtsen of Norway on January 25, 2006.

Crown Prince Olav participated in 1922 and 1923. Every year, more than a million tourists visit the ski arena. The tower offers a panoramic view of Oslo and the Oslofjord.

History

The precursor to the Holmenkollen competitions was the Husebyrennene, held somewhat closer to the town centre, that spanned from 1879 to 1891. The first competition in Holmenkollen proper was on January 31 1892. Watched by a crowd of 10,000, the length achieved by the winner, Svein Sollid from Morgedal in Telemark, was 21.5 meters (Sollid was also the first festival winner in the nordic combined event.). Additional events were added as shown in the Winners over the years section below.

In 1923, the Holmenkollen Ski Museum, located at the base of the ski jumping tower, opened; hence it is the oldest ski museum in the world. Its curator for many years following World War II to the mid-1980s by Jacob Vaage.

Also at the base of the Holmenkollen ski jump, there is a virtual entertainment device which allows you to see and feel how the ski jumpers ski.

During its time as a ski arena, it has served as host to nine different nordic skiing and biathlon world championships, including the 1952 Winter Olympics.

The current tower dates from 1939. The ski jump has been upgraded as many as 15 times since 1939, but most of the upgrades were mainly from the 1952 Winter Olympics.

The ski jump was featured in The Amazing Race 6 when the race arrived in Norway, where the race's first Roadblock required one team member to zipline across the ski jump.

In June 2005, the Holmenkollen ski jump finished fourth in Oslo's "Structure of the Century" competition, with only 12.8% of the vote losing out to the capital's city hall.

The ski jump will serve as host to the 2011 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships after the ski jump itself goes through an overhaul. For more information, please see the Ski jump controversey section below.

The arena

Situated around the ski jump, the Holmenkollen ski arena has hosted competitions since January 1892, where it attracted 10,000 spectators.

The Holmenkollen arena serves as a venue for cross country skiing, nordic combined (cross-country skiing and ski jumping), and biathlon (cross-country skiing and rifle shooting). Its cross country trails are of several lengths with the longest being 16.67 km for the men's 50 km cross country event whiles its biathlon competition has its longest course length of 4 km. There are thirty shooting stations in the shooting range, each with five targets, and a 150 m penalty loop adjacent to the shooting stations.

Along with Trondheim and Lillehammer, the Holmenkollen arena serves as a national and World Cup status venue of Nordic skiing. The "Holmenkollen weekend", in March every year, is one of the most important annual sports events in Norway, with the men's 50 km cross-country skiing and the ski jump competition as the highlights. The ski jump competition serves as the finale in the Nordic Tournament. Holmenkollen also annually hosts biathlon world cup competitions.

As a national symbol Holmenkollen is one of Norway's most visited tourist spots, with a ski museum (opened in 1923) and the hill tower as the main attractions. The arena is served by the suburban railway Holmenkollbanen, officially part of the Oslo T-bane system. Holmenkollen station is the stop closest to the ski jump.

Holmenkollen's ski jump controversy

The Holmenkollen ski jump is one of the smallest hills in the World Cup tournament, and the International Ski Federation made it clear in September 2005 that the current hill does not meet the standards to award Oslo the 2011 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships.

Options were to spend large amounts of money updating the ski jump, demolishing the jump and building two jumping hills in its place (large and normal hill), or building two new hills and keeping Holmenkollen as a historical monument. But in December 2005, Norway's Directorate of Cultural Heritage, Nils Marstein, approved the demolition of the ski jump.

It had been revealed that in order to get Holmenkollen up to athletic requirements then NOK 310 million (USD 46 million, GBP 26.5 million) would need to be spent on it. Of this amount, at least NOK 155 million would be expected to come from the City of Oslo, however in February 2006, Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg and Finance Minister Kristin Halvorsen offered only NOK 70 million (USD 10 million, GBP 3.8 million). Then in March 2006 a presentation was made by Oslo officials to show what a newly rebuilt Holmenkollen Ski Jump might look like, but the price had increased to NOK 450 million (USD 74 million, GBP 39 million). The City of Oslo are still only offering NOK 70 million, but Oslo Mayor Per Ditlev Simonsen and Ski Association official Rolf Nyhus are still moving forward with Holmenkollen redevelopment plans.

It was reported on the event's official website on March 23, 2006 that the ski jump (per a vote by Oslo's city parliament) would be demolished and replaced in the spring of 2007. The new ski jump will have a less steep inrun, artificial refrigeration of the inrun, a reconstructed lower part of the jump to the end of the outrun, lights for evening jumps, a new elevator for the jumpers, wind protection measures for the jumpers, new spectator grand stands, an improved loudspeaker system, and a new scoreboard. A new normal hill jump at Midstuen will also be (re-)constructed just below the ski jump as well.

The FIS awarded the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships to Oslo in May 2006 for 2011.

In the FIS Newflash Edition 124, dated April 25, 2007, it was reported that 170 architecture firms from 27 different countries have placed bids on the new hill. The project is estimated to cost NOK 100 million. Submissions, due on June 25, 2007, have been made so far by Australia, India, Canada, the United States, Great Britain, Japan, Greece, Taiwan, and China. The winner of the competition was announced in September 2007 as "Nye Holmenkollen Fr". [http://www.oslo2011.no/a-final-decision-on-holmenkollen.4459875-97180.html Final decision on Holmenkollen] ] Approval by the Oslo City Council took place on December 12, 2007.

Holmenkollen will be remained as a large ski jumping hill while a new facility at Midstuen will be constructed. [http://www.oslo2011.no/the-city-of-oslo-on-track-with-the-building-preparations.4459893-97180.html Construction progress of the Holmenkollen ski jump.] - accessed March 12, 2008.] Zoning plans are scheduled to be approved by the Oslo City Council on July 18, 2008. Estimated cost is to be NOK 900 million with an additional NOK 85 million set for any contingency issues during the project. Construction will begin in the summer of 2008 and continue through 2009, meaning no World Cup competitions will take place at the Holmenkollen ski jump that year, the first time since during World War II a competition has not been held at that site. At a meeting held in Oslo on April 21, 2008, the final "new Holmenkollen" was presented as approved by the Oslo City Council with the existing ski jump being dismantled starting in early September 2008 with the construction of all new venues being completed by January 2010.FIS Newsflash 176. April 23, 2008.] Details of the construction drawings and timetables were shown to the FIS, the Norwegian broadcaster NRK, and the Norwegian Ski Association. In an August 2008 interview, Organizing Committee chair Åsne Hanievild stated that the K95 and K120 hills are under construction as is the cross country skiing stadium.FIS NewsFlash 192. August 13, 2008.] The attendance goal for the twelve day 2011 championships is 400,000.

International championships

* 1930 - Nordic skiing World Championships
* 1952 - VI Winter Olympics "(arena for Nordic skiing)"
* 1966 - Nordic skiing World Championships
* 1982 - Nordic skiing World Championships
* 1986 - Biathlon World Championships "(men competitions only, woman competitions held in Falun, Sweden)"
* 1990 - Biathlon World Championships "(together with Minsk, USSR and Kontiolahti, Finland)"
* 1999 - Biathlon World Championships "(together with Kontiolahti, Finland)"
* 2000 - Biathlon World Championships "(together with Lahti, Finland)"
* 2002 - Biathlon World Championships "(mass-start competition)"
* "2011" - "Nordic skiing World Championships"

Hill records

* Men: Tommy Ingebrigtsen, Norway, 136 meter (2006)
* Women: Anette Sagen, Norway, 131 meter (2006)

See also

* The Holmenkollen Medal, Norwegian skiing's highest award for competitors.
* List of multiple winners at the Holmenkollen ski festival
* Husebyrennet, the precursor to the Holmenkollen event
* Winter Olympics

References

External links

* [http://www.skiforeningen.no/ Skiforeningen - Official site for Holmenkollen] en icon & no icon
* [http://www.holmenkollen.com/ Destination Holmenkollen]
* [http://www.oslo2011.no/ FIS 2011 World Championship Site]
* [http://www.skiforeningen.no/hk/jump/ The jump]
* [http://www.skiforeningen.no/holmenkollen/holmenkollen_historikk Holmenkollen winners since 1892] - click Vinnere for downloadable pdf file no icon
* [http://www.biathlon-holmenkollen.no/ Holmenkollen biathlon information]
* [http://www.biathlon-holmenkollen.no/loypekart/ARENA-SKYTWC-MARS-2006.pdf Stadium map of the Holmenkollen ski area]
* [http://games.visitnorway.com Holmenkollen Ski Jump - free web game]
* [http://www.designbuild-network.com/projects/ski-jump-project Holmenkollen Ski Jump Project Information]
* [http://www.360travelguide.com/360VirtualTour.asp?iCode=osl13 Panoramic virtual tour of Holmenkollen in 2004]