When the world's best ski jumpers try to set new records at the Schattenberg ski jump on 29 December, it will have involved record time and a logistical tour de force by Germany's southernmost town. The snow melting in spring and the new snowfall in winter set a narrow timeframe for the major construction work; the fine-tuning will follow next spring and in summer. As a result, the sports facilities can be tested even before the World Ski Championships in 2021. ‘In order to ensure that the sports facilities were filled with sportspersons rather than construction machinery at the start of the World Cup events at the end of December, the construction work was carried out under enormous time pressure,’ explained Florian Speigl, project manager of the construction program. ‘More than 100 tenders had to be dealt with within a very short period so that the firms could start work on time,’ added Christina Dohmann, Project Partner at Drees & Sommer. The planning company is responsible in particular for ensuring that budgets and schedules are adhered to. Back in 2005, the company had supervised the construction work for the last World Ski Championships in Oberstdorf.
Final Spurt for Work on Ski Jumps and Cross-Country Trails
Dug-up slopes, mountains of gravel and construction machinery – just a few days ago, construction work on the ski-jumping arena was still in progress. In the cross-country skiing center, interior finishing work is still ongoing in the new functional building.
The work on the outdoor facilities was completed just in time as the first snow fell. Various measures have been implemented to increase safety and comfort for sportspersons, visitors and staff. In the ski-jumping stadium, excavators dug up the slope in order to model the new small jumps. As working on the steep slopes was particularly difficult for these large machines, they were secured with winches. An underpass was dug under the slopes for the athletes. As a result, they no longer have to cross the other ski jumps. Two new small jumps replace the old ones. New side fences were also set up. They are anchored into the slope with numerous micro-bored piles. The refurbishment also includes new wind nets, extended steps on the large ski jump, an inclined elevator and a new athletes' area with wax rooms, storage space and recreation rooms.
Excavated and blasted rock was re-used in the cross-country skiing center as processed gravel material to re-model the trails. They are now wider and the descents are less hazardous. In the cross-country skiing center, a pond was created for snow-making and a functional building was constructed with an athletes' area, changing rooms, wax rooms and storage space. A new cold hall for training was also added. While the two sports facilities are intended for professionals, other sportspersons were also taken into account: a tunnel for the tourist trail was built in one section of the professional cross-country ski runs.