“GIUSEPPE DAL BEN” SKI JUMP CENTRE IN PREDAZZO
A complex which is among the best in the world

In German-speaking and Scandinavian countries ski jump competitions attract thousands and thousands of fans.
In Italy ski jumping is a sort of "cinderella" sport, the poor sister among the Nordic disciplines, with just a hundred of athletes - mainly consummate competitors.
This unbalance however is counteracted by the athletes' and fans' enthusiasm and above all by a permanent ski jump complex which is among the best in the world.
This is the ski jump centre in Predazzo, which is widely used both in winter- and in summertime. After the 1991 Nordic Ski World Championships it can boast high-quality facilities which have thrilled new recruits and seeded jumpers alike.
The ability to practice any sort of ski discipline almost seems a natural gift for people in Val di Fiemme. Ski jumping is one of them.
Also, ski competitions have been largely encouraged by two military sports clubs, namely Gruppo Sportivo Fiamme Gialle and Gruppo Sportivo Fiamme Oro, based respectively in Predazzo and Moena. What was originally a sheer passion for ski jumping turned into an ambitious sporting activity from 1970s. At that time the municipal government in Predazzo launched a project for building a new facility in a peripheral area situated between Predazzo and Ziano.
The idea was rejected on the basis of town-planning and, above all, hydro-geological reasons. Two ski jumping hills already existed there, dating back to 1960s - a K-20 plastic-coated one and a K-35 one, the latter turned into a K-40 first and a K-42 subsequently. Other jumps were placed in Passo Rolle (K-65) and all along northern Val di Fiemme. The latter are still there, though unusable.
With the support of FISI (Italian Federation of Winter Sports) a K-60 was built in Predazzo in 1980s. The interest for this discipline kept rising in time thanks to the achievements of several competitors from Val di Fiemme and neighbouring Val di Fassa.
The management of a sports club called "Dolomitica", based in Predazzo, threw heart and soul into promoting this discipline, thus contributing to its recent great boost.

Also worth mention is Giuseppe Bernardi, who devoted himself to the promotion of ski jumping urged by his son's achievements as a competitor at a national level.
Giuseppe Bernardi made of ski jumping his raison d'être.
For years he has spent his free time - and not only that - working in this field, so as to give athletes the possibility to make use of first-class facilities built with all necessary safety requirements.
In mid-1980s, when the Nordic Ski World Championships for 1991 were officially assigned to Val di Fiemme, the municipal government of Predazzo again suggested to build a new and larger ski jump centre, this time in the western peripheral area of the village. Although this project was also rejected, the need to erect new ski jumping facilities and the intervention of Bernardi, who carried out a thorough evaluation of possible options and came out with an efficient proposal, eventually resulted in the creation of today's Ski Jump Centre, located in Stalimen, in the peripheral area north of Predazzo.

The complex, one of the world's best, was built after several months of study. The project was developed by Lado Gorisek, a highly valued Croatian expert, and supervised by Giuseppe Bernardi.
A valuable contribution was given by Ernesto Rigoni, then officer of the provincial sports department.
The underlying belief was that international ski jump competitions would contribute to give a position of prominence to Val di Fiemme.
The initial puzzlement of environmental groups faded away in front of the attention paid by technicians to the environment. All facilities were cunningly inserted in a majestic area, only slightly sacrificing surrounding woods and fields.