March 24, 2018
It’s Planica weekend, the end of the FIS Ski Jumping World Cup Season and the biggest event in the Slovenian sporting calendar, an occasion made possible by the topography of Kranjska gora, both natural and manmade.
Planica, 1891
The hill all eyes will be upon this weekend is known as Letalnica bratov Gorišek, or the Flying Hill of Gorišek brothers, although this was only constructed in 1969, and thus the images we’re looking at here are, we believe, of Bloudkova velikanka, or Bloudek Hill, which today sits to the right of its larger companion.
1951
Like Planica, the sport has changed over the years, with today’s ski fliers smaller and lighter than those shown in these photographs, and using the V-style or H-style positioning of the skis, rather than the parallel style that emerged in the 1950s.
Before this the two main jumping styles were the Kongsberger technique, developed in the 1920, in which the jumper’s arms are extended in front of the body, sometimes even flapping, like a bird, and the Windisch technique, created in 1949, in which the arms are towards the back of the body.
Postcard of Rudi Finžgar, 1940s
Postcard of Janez Polda at Planica, 1955
Postcard of Marjan Pečar, 1966
Whatever you’re up to this weekend, consider taking some time out to watch some of this fast-moving and thrilling competition, and if you want to learn more about the event in its current form, then check out our earlier article.
Božo Osana, first TV broadcast from Planica, 1960
Jože Gal, 1960
Jože Gal, 1960
Jože Gal, 1960
Jože Gal, 1960
Jože Gal, 1960
Jože Gal, getting the slope ready, 1960
Jože Gal, 1960
Jože Gal, 1960
Postcard, 1963
Edi Šelhaus, Josip Broz Tito visits Planica in 1969
