Night shift for the best possible conditions
After abundant rain before and during the women’s sprint, winter has arrived since Thursday at the Grenzadler. Frosty temperatures and snowfall ensured over night that the ARENA am Rennsteig is presenting itself now again in a winter atmosphere. To create the best possible conditions for the upcoming competitions of the BMW IBU Biathlon World Cup 2025 in Oberhof were the tracks prepared at unusual times.
After an exhausting first competition day at the Grenzadler, which was shaped by tough weather conditions, fell many of the hardworking volunteers and organisers into their beds. Not however the responsible IBU personnel, the ARENA crew of the Thüringer Wintersportzentrum and the logistics team of the Oberhofer Sport und Event GmbH, who did an extra night shift. At 02:30 o’clock made the busy race director, who praised the meticulously precise work around the World Cup tracks in Oberhof, himself on his way to the arena, to get the latest information of the quality of the tracks. ‘In agreement with Borut Nunar we started at three o’clock to build up the tracks. Due to the frosty conditions it was very important to work in the snow at the right point in time’, said Heiko Krause, technical manager of the Thüringer Wintersportzentrums.
Downhill track for more safety
Up until five o’clock in the morning was the snow cover prepared, to create the best possible conditions for the remaining five conditions. ‘In conversation with some of the participating nations we build a trail into some of the descents, since we expect fast conditions after yesterday’s rainy start’, elaborates Krause.
Not less active during the night hours was the logistics crew around Marie Blaner-Hornung and Christoph Loerzer. To make the access for fans and guests as safe as possible were the paths freed from fresh snow and ice-covered surfaces.