Urban Exploration - The abandoned Olympic ski jump

We received photos from a traveler and compiled them into a historical summary.

The Dauphiné Ski Jump is an Olympic ski jump located in Saint-Nizier-du-Moucherotte, offering a majestic, dominant view over Grenoble. Built for the 1968 Winter Olympics, it was used again in 1980 before being abandoned. It was used so rarely and cost so much that this type of project is known as a "white elephant."

In preparation for the Winter Games, this north-west facing site was chosen not for its snowfall—which was no better or worse than anywhere else—but primarily for its view over Grenoble. The location is almost always in the shadow of the Moucherotte mountain, which doesn't make photography any easier.

The ski jump stands 90 meters high. The bulk of the construction took place between 1966 and 1967. At the time, the winner's jump exceeded 100 meters. Being left derelict since 1980 has left this gigantic concrete carcass in quite a state. To put it simply, it’s no longer up to ISO-9002 standards! You’ll find a massive number of holes, exposed rebar, and weakened sections. Was it built to last? Certainly not!

What’s truly comical is the "clickbait" nature of a major print media outlet. When checking an article on a mobile phone, Google displays the headline: The 1968 Grenoble Olympic Ski Jump Finally Restored. The actual title of the article: The 1968 Grenoble Olympic Ski Jump Finally Restored? The actual content of the article: there is no concrete project, no funding, everyone refuses to pay, and absolutely nothing will be done.

This ski jump doesn't look like much; it’s a simple concrete shell where the thick layer of hideous graffiti seems to act as an extra—and perhaps even useful—structural support to hold the whole thing together. However, I wanted to go there to highlight the wastefulness of the Olympic Games. Today, teams of volunteers regularly clear the brush so that the site doesn't degrade too much.