The view from the top of Vikersundbakken, 440 feet off the ground.

Well, that didn’t take long.

Vikersundbakken, standing 135 meters (440 feet) high off the ground, opened this week in southern Norway as the world’s largest ski flying hill (at 225 meters long), capable of jumps up to 250 meters (820 feet) and beyond. The world record for the largest ski flying jump had stood since 2005, since Norway’s Bjorn Einar Romøren jumped flew some 239 meters at Slovenia’s Planica hill, which had been the record-holding site in some form since the mid-1980s.

Until today, when that mark was obliterated by 25-year-old Norwegian ski flying up-and-comerJohan Remen Evensen on the very first day Vikersundbakken was open for rehearsal jumps. (The site is hosting its first World Cup Skiflying competition starting today and running through the weekend.)

Here’s the video of Evensen’s flight from earlier today, which clocked in at an astounding 243 meters (797 feet):

Ski flying is, essentially, a more extreme form of traditional ski jumping. The skiers themselves use slightly modified equipment, the hills are built bigger, and the jumps are far more akin to “floating” through air, whereas ski jumping more resembles a straight up-and-down off a ramp. And this newly rebuilt Vikersundbakken was tailor-made for such jumps, as it actually measures 10 meters longer than the Planica hill.

And like its Slovenian counterpart, Vikersundbakken has a long history of record-setting ski flying jumps. Originally opened in 1936, the hill was modified for competitive ski flying 30 years later, at which point its first world record (of 146 meters) was set. However, the first Vikersundbakken was demolished two years ago to make way for this 225-meter-long behemoth. As skiers are propelling toward the jump at nearly 65 miles per hour, the angle coming out of the inrun reaches 38 degrees, helping to build speed and catapult jumpers toward unprecedented air.

Here’s a slick time-lapse video that shows the creation of the new Vikersundbakken, from demolition to present-day.

The question now is, how long will Evensen’s record stand? Through the rest of the season? He’ll be lucky if it makes to Monday, but the crowds gathered this weekend at Vikersundbakken are sure to be entertained regardless.

Updated: Amazing. Just hours after setting the world record at 243 meters, Evensen broke the record again, this time with a jump of 246.5 meters.

Photo: Courtesy Aftenposten.no

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