Vorokhta. The Ski Jump. A Sports and Tourist Magnet

Here they fly like birds. In Vorokhta, in the Ivano-Frankivsk region, a complex of ski jumps has survived, and it is only in Vorokhta that there is the possibility of holding the Ukrainian ski-jumping championship for adult athletes. Ski jumping is a spectacular sport, and those who make the longest jumps compare it to flight and feel themselves to be birds.

Vorokhta. Ivano-Frankivsk region. The ski jump

The highest ski jump in Ukraine stands 90 metres tall and has a 100-year history. According to the Polish press, in 1922 the Polish ski-jumping championship was held in Vorokhta. That date is considered the beginning of the use of professional ski jumps in Vorokhta. After that the Hutsul village was called a skiing paradise.

 

Besides Vorokhta, lovers of ski jumping can train in Kremenets in the Ternopil region and in Verkhovyna. The Vorokhta jumps are suitable for training novice athletes; in the Olympic programme a 90 m jump is considered medium. For the Olympics one had to train abroad, because competitions are held mainly on jumps with a capacity of 120-125 m.

 

For two years, on money from the regional budget, the reconstruction of the sports facility went on. Two jumps were combined under a single hill, and on the landing hill the artificial surface was replaced with one purchased in Poland.

 

Vorokhta. The ski jump

Athletes and coaches approve of the results of the first stage of the reconstruction - the nicely shaped profile of the landing hill, which is now gentler and more drawn out. It has become far safer than it was, and one can now jump 110 metres. Next, the in-run hill, which serves to build up speed for the jump, needs to be reconstructed, and the curve of the ski track evened out. The metal structures need major repairs or replacement with new constructions. Engineers and mine surveyors need to carry out a technical assessment of the structure that serves as the take-off device during jumps. Without a state programme to support winter-sports facilities there is no prospect. The jumps need reconstruction, and carrying out the projects requires funding.

The athletes hope for the restoration of the jumps and believe that they will be better in the future. The Vorokhta sports school did not close, as other educational institutions did, thanks to the altruism of its coaches, high-level professionals and true experts.

 

Photographs of the Vorokhta athletes

The jumps and the T-bar lift are located on the grounds of the Avanhard training and sports base, which opened in 1974. The complex is a sports-training base for the Ukrainian national team and for children's and youth teams.

 

Vorokhta. The Avanhard training and sports school

The jumps and the sports base are located on the northern side of Vorokhta, 1 km from the centre of the settlement and the railway station.

Vorokhta. The Avanhard training and sports school