14.01.2016

As a child I often went to Mostec to try out the smaller ski jump and proudly put on the ski jumping skis of my cousin's husband – Janez Gorišek, who at that time was jumping on the ski jump in Šiška and after the competition always allowed me to put them on and ski down the landing zone.

Later on, Gorišek who was a big advocate and successor of Stanko Bloudek often invited me to work with him on Planica ski jump renovations. Since 2007, we have cooperated on the construction of the ski jumping centre in Turkey, which FIS in 2011 recognised as the technologically and design-wise most modern centre in the world. We also worked together on the new ski jumping centre in Schuchinsk, Kazakhstan, and provided the biggest flying hill (Vikersund) in the world with first modern features. Janez Gorišek is the only one who constructs ski jump curves which are special in their own unique way but still meet the demands of FIS. The fact that architects can also work on the construction of ski jumps results in the latter being given "some soul".

The project of constructing the Ljubno ski jump was an interesting challenge of how to spend minimum resources to construct a design-wise, technologically, and ecologically realisable project which would meet all the demands of the International Ski Federation (FIS). In 2012, we started designing a modern centre with three ski jumps. But in spite of the efforts put in by all those involved, we only managed to carry out the construction of the K85 ski jump, which reflects the architect's inspiration. It is a modern ski jump which allows trainings and competitions on the highest level.

Branko Smolej, B. Arch
www.atelje-s.si