In a 37-degree incline, snow grooming operator Andreas Käll creates world-class conditions at the ski jumping venue at Lugnet.
– Of course it’s special to work on the hill. But it’s really cool, says Käll.
The coming weekend will be intense for the staff preparing the cross-country tracks and ski jumping hill at Lugnet:
– We have four people working on the tracks and in the ski jumping hill. Andreas Käll will operate the snow groomer to prepare the jumping hill and the competition tracks. But we also need to groom additional tracks for recreational skiers, elite athletes and service teams who want to access our other trails and test skis at Lugnet. And we’re currently training more operators so that we’ll have a broader team of snow groomer drivers leading up to the World Ski Championships 2027, says Jonas Boström, head of operations at Lugnet, Falu kommun.
But what is it really like to prepare the outrun of the ski jumping hill at Lugnet for competition?
– Well, it goes up and it goes down. Haha! No, of course it’s special. The gradient in the outrun is 37 degrees. The snow groomer is the same model we use for the cross-country trails, with the addition of a winch and cable that pull the machine up the landing slope, says Andreas Käll, who also worked on preparing the ski jumping venue during the World Ski Championships 2015.
Preparing the jumping hill for competition takes about an hour in the snow groomer. After that, it’s fine-tuned with spruce branches and markings to create optimal conditions for jumpers, judges and spectators alike—both those watching on TV and those on site at Lugnet.
And what about the cross-country competition tracks—what does that work involve?
– We have ongoing discussions with the competition management based on the conditions, especially regarding precipitation. If no snow is expected, I head out around 9 p.m. and then work for three to four hours to create optimal conditions for the skiers. But if precipitation is expected, I’m on standby, and then it might be a 5 a.m. start instead, says Andreas Käll, who previously spent fifteen years as a snow groomer operator at the alpine facility in Bjursås.
Jonas Boström adds:
– After the Ski Jumping World Cup in November, when the weather conditions were tough, both coaches and jumpers were ecstatic about the conditions in the hill. That makes you proud. And you almost become like an artist when grooming tracks that need to be optimal for those skiing and jumping, while also looking good on camera.
What’s the most fun to prepare—the tracks or the hill?
– Well, the hill is special. It’s a lot of work, but really cool. But jump myself? I wouldn’t dare, laughs Andreas Käll before climbing back into the snow groomer to continue preparations for the winter ski festival at Lugnet.