HISTORY

After the construction of the bypass road for the Lötschberg car transport service, the old Lötschberg hill near the railway station could no longer be used. For this reason, the Ski Club presented the «Construction of the Matt Hills» project to the Swiss Ski Association (SSV). Willy Sahli and Adolf Ogi were deeply involved in bringing the project to life. In 1977, the SSV approved three matted hills and decided to build a national ski jumping facility. Construction began on 4 September 1978 and the National Nordic Ski Centre was completed by the newly founded NNSK cooperative within just one year. The total cost of the facility at that time was CHF 2.4 million.

On 2 September 1979, the ski jumping facility was officially opened with an international summer ski jumping event featuring the world’s elite. Swiss athletes such as Hansjörg Sumi, Christian Hauswirth and Karl Lustenberger represented the host nation with pride. From the winter of 1981/82 onwards, the hills were also available for winter training. During the following decade, numerous top athletes – including Toni Innauer, Andreas Felder, Jens Weissflog and Matti Nykänen – used the facility extensively for training and competitions, making it one of the most modern summer ski jumping venues worldwide at the time.

In 1990, the facility was upgraded to comply with the then-current FIS regulations: The inrun profile was slightly adjusted, the slope of the K90 hill flattened and the ice inrun replaced with a modern ceramic track. After the renovation was completed, the facility was successfully reopened in 1991 with an international summer ski jumping competition.

In summer 2008, the hills were closed as the K90 hill no longer met FIS requirements. Plans for a complete renewal of the entire facility had already been initiated with the «NNSK2010» project. In November 2007, the general assembly decided to comprehensively rebuild all three hills, renew the mat surfaces and construct a new operations building. A prominent patronage committee supported the project management. On 27 November 2009, the residents of Kandersteg approved a financial contribution of CHF 1.2 million at the municipal assembly – the most important milestone for implementation.

From March 2010, the overall planning began: the ski jump site was surveyed, construction plans for the hills and operations building were drawn up, project documentation was prepared, new inrun systems were tested and initial negotiations for land acquisition were conducted. By spring 2013, full project financing had been secured. Planning work then proceeded at full speed, allowing renovation of the access road to begin in spring 2014. Construction of the new ski jumping facility commenced in May 2015 and was completed in June 2016. Detailed information on the project timeline can be found in the «NNSK2010 Status Report».

After two years of construction, the Nordic Arena was officially opened on 31 July and 1 August 2016. The sporting highlight was the Helvetia Nordic Trophy, where young ski jumpers and Nordic combined athletes competed on the HS 27 and HS 72 hills. The opening ceremony on 1 August became a true highlight: numerous World Cup athletes, including Simon Ammann, Gregor Deschwanden, Michael Hayböck, Stefan Kraft, Andreas Wank, and Tom Hilde – who ultimately won the prestigious opening jump – gave the event international prominence.

In spring 2017, Russia was stripped of the FIS Nordic Junior World Championships. In May of the same year, the FIS awarded the event to Kandersteg (ski jumping and Nordic combined) and Goms (cross-country skiing). This decision meant that the Nordic Arena had to be expanded: the HS 72 hill received a new winter-ready ceramic inrun and profile adjustments increased the Blümlisalp hill to HS 74. The stairways along the HS 106 and HS 74 outruns were also extended. A special highlight was the new athletes house at the top station – a generous gift from the Kandersteg Business Association.

The Organising Committee for the Junior World Championships had only around nine months to prepare this major event – a real challenge. On 29 January 2018, the championships were officially opened with a ceremonial event. Over the following six days, nine competitions in ski jumping and Nordic combined took place. For the first time, a women’s Nordic combined event was held – a pioneering test on the international stage. The field of participants was highly competitive, featuring numerous athletes with World Cup experience, including Sandro Hauswirth, Dominik Peter, Ondřej Pažout, the Oftebro brothers, Nika Kriznar and Marius Lindvik.

Since its reopening, the Nordic Arena has established itself as a fixed feature on the international competition calendar. In 2019, the O.P.A. Games once again hosted thrilling championships with 200 participants. In the same year, the Nordic Arena added a fourth ski jumping hill. The HS 12 animation hill offers young ski jumping enthusiasts the perfect introduction to the sport. Several Swiss Championships, Alpen Cups and FIS Cups marking the start of the winter season, Masters competitions and events as part of the Swiss youth series, the «Swiss Nordic Trophy». Olympic champions such as Gregor Schlierenzauer and Johannes Rydzek have also used the facility for training. The Nordic Arena continues to thrive – in summer 2026, it will celebrate its 10th anniversary. A decade full of youth development, elite sport and unforgettable moments.