What a cool and exciting Raw Air it was! There was pretty much everything, from mostly perfect weather conditions to storms and snowfalls, from new world records to crash landings. The competition series really lived up to its name!

First and foremost, I would like to congratulate the strong Austrian team! High-flyer Stefan Kraft once again showed an amazing performance and with four Austrians in the top 7 of the overall ranking, our “favorite neighbors” also shine as a team.

Who also definitely shined were the organizing committees. Whether in Oslo, Trondheim or Vikersund, the organizers proved once again that they do a perfect job and can serve the athletes, supervisors and spectators a ski jumping festival at any time. I would also like to say THANK YOU to them. This was the only way it was possible for me and my team to make the track suitable for competition at three different venues, and this almost simultaneously.

I would particularly like to highlight Trondheim. As the upcoming World Championship host, this year was the big rehearsal, so to say. The processes were carried out exactly as they will be next year in front of tenthousands of spectators. This is extremely important for us companies, which then have to deliver on site. The interaction between organizations, teams and external companies must fit down to the last detail and run smoothly when the spotlights and cameras turn on in a year and the whole world looks at the city of 200,000 inhabitants in the middle of Norway. And I have to say, everything was already going well and absolutely smoothly.

The facilities are almost finished and fit perfectly into the landscape. Sustainability is not just an empty word here, but is lived one hundred percent. From our most energy-efficient track cooling system ever to wooden plates and cutlery and exclusive electric mobility within the stadium.

While the ski jumping teams moves on to Planica in the middle of this week to set up their camp for the traditional season final, it is time for us to say goodbye. Goodbye to a long, challenging season. From the Ski Flying World Championships at Kulm to Raw Air and the successful implementation of our new digital data monitoring, it was an incredibly varied season. In addition to an optimized track cooling system, we have introduced a new brush system and an even faster winch. All tools that will make track maintenance much easier in the future.

Now we'll put our feet up for three whole days before we continue with numerous regional steel construction projects and the production for the track in Saalfelden :-)

Have a great time and take care of yourselves!

Yours sincerely,

Peter Riedel