The story behind the world's longest ski jump

Over the course of a year, Steinþór Traustason, a geographer at COWI in Iceland, worked tirelessly with Red Bull's team to prepare for the jump. The result: the world's largest ski jump ramp.

Despite the unpredictable Icelandic weather, everything went smoothly. Rumours claimed elves were part of it, but we won't go into that here.

After an extensive search for a suitable location for a ski jump of this magnitude, Red Bull staff made their final decision on the site. Iceland was chosen, specifically Akureyri, just north of the skiing area in Hlíðarfjall. The adventure officially started in April 2023 when Red Bull sought assistance from COWI in Iceland to construct the ski jump ramp. The goal was to break the previous world record of 253.5 metres, with COWI in Iceland initially tasked with obtaining geographical information about the proposed location.

Local community benefits

A tremendous amount of preparation followed, lasting an entire year. "COWI in Iceland analysed and compared the slope with several of the world's largest ski jump ramps, relying on our team's invaluable experience and connections. We were also involved in designing the ramp by performing check measurements of the structure and conducting quantity and length measurements of the jump itself. Additionally, we managed communication with the local community, connecting the Red Bull team with relevant parties involved in the project," explains Steinþór.

From the outset, the project was designed to leave the smallest possible environmental footprint during execution. No land was disturbed, and only natural snow was used for the ski ramp. All materials will continue to be utilised, benefiting the local ski club.

From start to finish, the project had a very homely atmosphere, and locals from nearby areas immediately offered to assist with this worthy endeavour in various capacities.

48 Olympic pools

In collaboration with a university in Japan, Kobayashi's flight trajectory was calculated based on the conditions at Hlíðarfjall. The conclusion: he would need to reach at least 105 km/h to achieve a jump of up to 300 metres. It was clear from the beginning that the structure would not meet all the standards and conditions set by the International Ski Federation (FIS ). To accommodate such a ramp at Hlíðarfjall, considerably more snow was needed. Nonetheless, the unique landscape of the mountain allowed the ramp to be adapted accordingly.

Initially, the ramp was roughly designed to determine the amount of snow required for the project, which totalled 120,000 m³. For reference, that corresponds to 48 Olympic swimming pools. Impressive!

Snowstorms and elves

At the end of February this year, work began to push snow off the edge of Hlíðarfjall down into a small bowl-shaped terrain. Work continued around the clock on most days in March – that is when the elves came into action. Or did they? At the end of the month, efforts began to finalise the ramp, aiming for a jump the week after Easter. However, typical Icelandic weather disrupted the plans, and after three days of heavy storms, it was decided to wait for better weather conditions. "A week later, the team returned, and preparations resumed on Monday, 22 April. The days were long, but ultimately, the endeavour was successful," Steinþór concludes.

This was a tremendous feat of engineering, made possible by the immense work of our staff in close cooperation with Red Bull. This is the longest ski jump ever executed under optimal conditions. Perhaps this record will be broken in Akureyri in the near future?