Ski Jumping Stadium

In Valle di Fiemme, in Predazzo, stands the magnificent ski jumping stadium. Built from 1989 to 1991, it is a permanent installation which is considered one of the best of the world, as it includes small and big hills.

Starting from the World Cup races in 1990 (before the World Championships) it has hosted numerous national and international events: the most prestigious ones are the Ski Jumping and Nordic Combined World Championships in 1991 and in 2003. From 1990 on, during all the World Cup races of both disciplines and the Summer Grand Prix (ski jumping in Summer), the best athletes of the world have raced here, both in Winter and in Summer.

The stadium has been dedicated to Giuseppe Dal Ben, the man who spread the value of sport among the young people of different generations in Valle di Fiemme.

Foreign and Italian teams are used to come to the stadium and train: you can see them during the jumping, directly from the main road of the valley.

Great champions jumped off these hills: Matti Nikaenen, Jan Bokloev, Ernst Vettori, Dieter Thoma, Jens Weissflog, Franci Petek, Bjorn Einar Romoren, Janne Ahonen, Adam Malysz and Simon Amman.

The two sport societies Gruppo Sportivo Fiamme Gialle in Predazzo and Gruppo Sportivo Fiamme Oro in Moena have always encouraged the agonistic winter sport, that's why the passage from a pure and menial passion (born in the Seventies) to the competitive interests and very important goals has been as natural as possible.

In the 70s, the municipality of Predazzo asked an expert for a project dedicated to the construction of a new ski jumping stadium between Predazzo and Ziano. This project was soon thrown out because of some urban matters, but especially because of hydro-geological constraints. Since the Sixties, in this area there were some hills: one was 20-meter high, another was 35-meter high (later extended to 40, then to 42 meters), and another one that was 65-meter high placed in Passo Rolle; other ones were in the highest area of Valle di Fiemme and they still exist, even if they're abandoned. Thanks to FISI's (Italian Winter Sport Federation) financing, at the beginning of the Eighties, in Predazzo, they built a 60-meter high hill. In the meantime, people started to feed a competitive interest and lots of athletes approached this sport in Valle di Fiemme and in Valle di Fassa. The executive of Unione Sportiva Dolomitica of Predazzo, the local sport society, gave a very important incentive for the development of the ski jumping, as they really took care of this sector.

Indeed, the main character in this sport is Mr. Giuseppe Bernardi, who met this passion thanks to his son, Paolo, a well-known athlete in Italy.

Mr. Giuseppe Bernardi has turned this sport to his passion of life. For years he has dedicated all his spare time (and not only that) to the realizations of high quality structures that all the athlete could enjoy, as he wanted them to have all the necessary facilities that make this sport charming and safe.

At the end of the Eighties, when Valle di Fiemme finally got the authorization for the organization of Nordic Ski World Championships in 1991, the municipality of Predazzo brushed up the old project for the construction of a new and larger hill. Another rejection of the project, which provided the hill in the West suburbs of Predazzo, but most of all the careful evaluation of Mr. Bernardi with the following proposal of the realization of the hill in Stalimen, gave the right start for its construction and now it is one of the best installation of the world. After several months spent studying the project by Mr. Lado Gorisek, an appreciated Croatian expert, with Mr.Bernardi's supervision, Mr. Ernesto Rigoni's availability (who was an officer of the Councillorship for Sports of Provincia di Trento), they set the works going, also thanks to the great conviction that the ski jumping international races would have introduced Valle di Fiemme to the world.

At the beginning of this new challenge, the ecologist groups were puzzled, but they weakened as soon as they noticed the technicians' priority for the safeguard of the environment, as they were creating a structure which respected the shape of that area, so they could not ruin it. Stalimen is a beautiful area, totally immersed in nature. The construction of the ski jumping stadium was actually a giant work, as the image of Valle di Fiemme was playing the main role for this sport, in the international landscape. The stubbornness and the enthusiasm of people were the two mainsprings that make this dream possible only in two years: a new stadium, still modern and used a lot by the lovers of ski jumping.

After a few years, Predazzo, Valle di Fiemme and its hills have become famous and beloved by the fans and the numerous tourists who visit these places every year and appreciate all features of our resorts.

Nowadays, there are 6 hills at the Ski Jumping Stadium: K135, K105, K65, K35, K20 realized for the World Championships in 1991, plus a K15 for the new generation in ski jumping, built up in 1998.

The tracks of the launching pads are covered with baked clay and the landing profiles with a plastic material which guarantees its function even in the summertime. This enables all the fans but also all the national athletes to train frequently and, planned events permitting, the hills are used by international team, too. The six structures stand in a fitted out 30.000-square-meter area and includes a mini chair-lift to get to the two highest hills, a race office, a judges tower, a result service office, a speaker room, judges cabins and a electronic maxi-screen showing the result of the race.

The entire block has perfect illuminations for the races that take place by night, which enables the TV broadcasting. There are also fixed commentary position for the TV recordings.

In 1990 Valle di Fiemme organized the first World Championships competition by night, anticipating the future winning and successful strategy of the international ski jumping.

In May 2008 the Nordic Ski World Championships 2013 were assigned to Valle di Fiemme for the third time, in 22 years. This world event will give a new impulse to the ski jumping stadium. We planned numerous improvements, which starts in Summer 2010.

These are the most important ones:

• general enlargement of the service building, including: the press room, the conference rooms, new offices for the Organizing Committee, for Marcialonga and for FIS (during the events), a VIP area, a gym and some warehouses;
• construction of a new garage and a storehouse for the snowmobiles;
• new water-cooling installation for the launching pads;
• renewal of HS67, abandoned a dozen of years ago;
• improvements to the judges tower, to the snow producing system and to the electric installation;
• improvements to the internal connections of the stadium (a new car park for the judges included).

After all these renovation works, planned in total respect of nature and environment, the Ski Jumping Stadium in Predazzo will start to make merry and welcome the ski jumping and Nordic combined athletes, already during the competitions in 2012, then during the Ski World Championships in 2013.

The ambitious development plan of Valle di Fiemme does not stop after the World Championships and aims to become the point of reference for the international landscape in these magnificent sport disciplines.

The public will enjoy a reserved area with car parks, natural tribunes on the sides of the hills, a wide parterre and fixed cement tribunes in the landing area: up to 15.000 people can have their comfortable seat and enjoy the races.