A content piece of chilling beauty and resonance today comes to us from none other than Unofficial Networks, and centers around an abandoned Olympic ski jumping site in Pragelato. Originally posted back in October, adventurous Youtuber Urbandoned led the charge into this atmospheric time capsule of past Winter Olympics glory.
Seventeen years have trailed past since Torino, Italy played host to the global spectacle of the Winter Olympics. Embracing the spirit of its alpine region, the ski jumps in Pragelato were erected as premier facilities, ready to etch athletes’ names in the annals of winter sport. Unfortunately, like many post-Olympic sites, these structural giants have lost their battle with time and neglect, now standing as weathered monuments to what once was.
Urbandoned, an explorer of abandoned and forgotten sites, shared a video highlighting the eerie stillness and silent grandeur now synonymous with this once brimming ski-jumping site. The rust-tinged scaffolding, the graffitied start gate, the nature-reclaimed landing area – all imbued with a haunting appeal that strikes a note of nostalgia while concurrently underscoring the tragedy of such wasteful disregard for an Olympic legacy.
Something about the shifting dichotomy from past pulsing life to present echoing silence hits particularly hard, yet Urbandoned manages to imbue a sense of raw adventure into the experience, allowing viewers to journey alongside him into the hallowed halls of winter sport history.
We highly recommend checking out this poignant display of storytelling, but be prepared for an emotional ride. If anything, the video underscores the importance of repurposing Olympic infrastructure, and will hopefully bring the tale of Pragelato’s forgotten ski jumps to a wider audience.
You can catch the exploration here.
https://unofficialnetworks.com/2023/12/22/exploring-abandoned-ski-jumping-site/