Planica VR ski jumping
Fly like an eagle and reach for your dreams
Experience the view from the Planica ski jumping hill, descend its ramp and fly boldly over the 200 metres – the VR ski jumping simulator in Planica offers visitors a realistic experience that rivals the professional athletes’ jumps.
Ski jumping in Planica as part of a unique VR experience
As a long time sponsor of ski jumpers, Zavarovalnica Triglav is present at events in Planica every year, including the finale of the World Ski Jumping Cup in 2015. Since the wellbeing of its customers is the insurance company’s highest priority, we have prepared an unforgettable experience in the safe environment of virtual reality.
In the preparation of this kind of experience, it seemed reasonable for us to consult the experienced ski jumpers. This is why our beta testers for the simulator were some of the stars of the discipline: Peter Prevc, Jurij Tepeš and Franci Petek. Through this, we ensured the simulator’s proper functionality, as we wanted it to simply inspire everyone with its authenticity.
A visionary and bold leap into the unknown
The VR ski jumping simulator was the first dedicated and customized project in Slovenia which included VR programming. Specially developed software (taking into account the original design plans of the ski jumping venue and combining them with VR technology) has faithfully replicated the experience of jumping from the giant Planica ramp. Many of the visitors were left speechless as they donned the VR glasses and found themselves at the top of the ramp.
The IR camera with its sensor detected the movements of the user's head, and in the nearby screen, passersby were able to watch the jumper live from the perspective of the jumper himself. It was not necessary to take off by jumping physically, the movement of the head alone did the trick. However, some of our “jumpers” were so absorbed in the experience that additional control was sometimes necessary.
Behind every achievement, there is an excellent team
By carefully considering the physics of the Planica ramp, we were able to replicate the incredible achievements of real-life athletes in VR. One of our record-breaking virtual jumpers fell short of the then world record in ski jumping by as little as 3 metres. She performed the jump in one of the Ljubljana’s shopping centres. This was a great commendation for our large team of 3D modellers, developers, 2D and 3D animators and others.
European Excellence Awards 2015, Digital Communications Award 2015 and SOF Golden Award
More than 185.000 views
54.000 EUR revenue through media publication
The VR experience has enabled ordinary people to gain insight into one of the most demanding sports, which requires excellent physical condition in addition to a great deal of courage and nerves of steel. Virtual reality is a safe environment that has turned everyone into a real jumper.
