NEWS BY EURO NEWSROOM

Goldberger conquers world’s highest ski jump 24.04.2008

HEILIGENBLUT (Austria) Two-time Olympic ski jumping medal winner and three-time World Cup winner Andreas Goldberger completed the leap of his life on Austria’s highest mountain on the day of the offical “breakthrough“ of the meter-high snow that keeps the summit of the Grossglockner High Alpine Road closed for more than half the year.

Goldberger, who spent several days preparing the leap, jumped over the 30-meter wide road canyon after speeding down a 100-meter long makeshift ramp from an altitude of 2,506 meters and made a picture-perfect telemark landing. “I was feeling a bit queasy beforehand. I didn’t sleep well the last few nights. No one’s ever tried anything like that before,“ said the man known as “Goldi“ while celebrating in front of four-meter high mounds of snow.

Goldberger and his team were in place at 6 a.m. waiting for ideal conditions. Goldberger, who flew 13.5 meters above the newly opened road, landed 58 meters clear from where he took off. “We didn’t know how much of a run-up I’d have to have to get across the trench or avoid crashing off the course. I’m totally happy.“

“For more than two thousand years people have been crossing over this important Alpine divide. No one’s ever done it before as a ski jumper,“ said overall World Cup winner Thomas Morgenstern, who was on hand to witness the feat.

Along with Goldberger, who twice won the famous Four Hills ski jumping tournament, Snowboard star Stefan Gimpl, a fellow Austrian, as well as 22-year-old Freeskier Romain Grojean (FRA) also lifted off at the “Glockner Jump“ near the entrance of the south side of the high tunnel.

The snow plows are working non-stop at the moment, as they do each year, to clear the Alpine Road connecting the northern Austrian state of Salzburg with the southern state of Carinthia for the summer. The road will be officially opened on 1 May. The snow levels on the peak of the Grossglockner are often as high as a dozen meters. There was record a 21 meters of snow in 1953.

Pictures free of charge only for editorial use: Andreas Schaad (AA) and Kerstin Joenson (KJ) for Euro-Newsroom.com