The story of Planica

In 1936, on a hill in this valley, a ski jumper flew further than 100 metres for the first time in history. His name was Sepp Bradl, and the hill was the Bloudek Giant, completed in 1934 and at the time the biggest jumping hill in the world. That was the start of ski flying, and Planica became its home.

In 1969 the brothers Vlado and Janez Gorišek built a new flying hill, and with steady improvements it kept producing record distances; in 1994 the next magic barrier, 200 metres, was broken here for the first time. Planica held the ski-flying world record for long stretches, the last from 1985 until 2011. The valley itself stretches south from the border village of Rateče towards the Tamar Valley, framed by the Ponca range, Mojstrovka and Jalovec. Its name comes from planica, meaning land without shrubs, bare ground.

In 2023 Planica hosted the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships.