Planica to extend ski flying hill to enable 270 m jumps and a new world record

Slovenia is gearing up for another assault on the ski flying world record. The government has approved funding to expand the already massive hill at Planica so that jumps of up to 270 meters could be possible once the work is completed.

According to the report, the state has granted support for a €2.69 million project to extend the hill, with completion targeted by November 2027. The current official world record stands at 254.5 meters, set by Slovenia’s Domen Prevc in March 2025 at Planica.

Jelko Gros of the Nordic Centre Planica explained that a recent regulatory change opened the door to the upgrade: “This year the FIS issued new rules increasing the maximum permitted height difference from the end of the take-off table to the hill’s lowest point from 135 to 140 meters. In this context, we prepared an investment proposal that has now been approved by the government.”

Planica and Vikersund (Norway’s “Monsterbakken”) have traded the ski flying distance record for more than three decades. The article also recalls that Japan’s Ryoyu Kobayashi flew 291.0 meters on a temporary hill in Iceland in April 2024, a distance that demonstrated what might be physically possible, though it is not recognized as an official ski flying world record.

The planned extension aims to position Planica for the next landmark in the sport, potentially pushing the official record well beyond the current 254.5 meters.