Raschau / KANDERSTEG - Just in time for the Swiss National Day the Nordic Arena in Kandersteg in the Bernese Oberland will officially be opened up. After eleven years of planning and one year of construction, on 31 July and 1 August the three jumps - HS106m, HS72m and HS27m will be inaugurated with a festive program. All three jumps will be open all year round - a novelty and unique in Switzerland.

The largest of the hills, the HS106m, is equipped with the modern dual-track system of the Peter Riedel GmbH. After some mild winters the modern and weather-resistant solution from Raschau was clearly the favorite in the awarding process in 2014.

The project itself was close to general manager Peter Riedel’s heart, as his family has been connected to the Bernese Oberland since 1961: At that time his father Eberhard Riedel won the giant slalom at Chuenisbärgli in Adelboden - the first German to achieve this. Riedel's record stood until 2014, when Felix Neureuther was the second German to win in Adelboden after a 53 years break.

"In view of the connection to Adelboden, tthe regional link to the canton of Bern was so special for us that my entire family viewed Kandersteg as real labor of love," says Peter Riedel. "That’s why I regret even more that I won’t be able to attend the opening. We are in the midst of the implementation of two international World Cup projects and are preparing for the Summer Grand Prix Nordic Combined in Oberwiesenthal and thus we can simply not manage the trip to Switzerland in time. I nevertheless wish the whole team in Kandersteg, the organizers and the athletes a great opening. Because one thing is certain: skiing and the Bernese Oberland belong together – even a Erzgebirgler like me knows that!"