Sina Arnet will be jumping on her own doorstep next weekend at the World Cup in Engelberg. The ski jumper is taking off where her Olympic dream once took shape.
17.12.2025, 05:02
17.12.2025, 06:50
SDA
For the Engelberg native, her performance on the large hill is far more than just a sporting highlight. It is also an emotional milestone and an assessment of where she stands after a remarkably consistent start to the season so far.
For Sina Arnet, the ski jump in the Titlis village means far more than just an ordinary competition facility. This is where her career began. Engelberg is the place where she took her first big steps in ski jumping. This was at a time when women's ski jumping was not yet a matter of course. "When I started out, people were still wondering whether women would ever jump over ski jumps like this," the 20-year-old tells Keystone-SDA looking back.
Premiere for local heroine
The big moment came four years ago, in December 2021. Sina Arnet became the first woman ever to jump over the large hill in Engelberg. The then 16-year-old C-squad athlete was given the green light as a local heroine and hopeful in Swiss women's ski jumping - the Women's World Cup did not yet stop in the canton of Obwalden at that time.
Under the guidance of her coach Roger Kamber, she felt her way through the task and performed jumps of around 125 meters. This significantly exceeded her previous best distances on smaller jumps. "That was a great feeling. It was a childhood dream come true," she enthuses to this day. "I grew up in Engelberg and watched the ski jump every day. I felt free and enjoyed the moment."
Today, the Grosse Schanze is the only ski jumping facility still used in Engelberg. The Bubenschanze, built in 1967 next to the Gross-Titlis-Schanze, was closed down at the beginning of Sina Arnet's career. This made the early contact with the large hill all the more formative and the bond all the stronger.
In good shape
The fact that Sina Arnet is now competing again as a World Cup jumper in Engelberg four years later, as she did in 2023 and 2024, underlines her personal and sporting development. She has made eight World Cup starts this season, finishing in the points seven times. This consistency is currently unique in the Swiss team and has earned her Olympic qualification, at least on paper - the final selection by Swiss Olympic will not take place until mid-January. "I'm mega happy. It's great how it's worked out so far," she emphasizes.
Success in winter sports is usually prepared in the summer. "I sensed in training that something had gone right. But the question is always: how much?" explains Sina Arnet. For a young athlete in particular, it is difficult to determine where she stands, especially as the international competition is constantly evolving.
Technically, Sina Arnet feels more stable than last winter. "The overall flow has improved," she says. The basic structure is right, even if she doesn't feel she has reached her goal yet. "I still have potential in all parts of my flight."
In the eight World Cup jumps, the Swiss skier finished between 22nd and 28th place six times. The outlier upwards is 13th place in Falun, the setback followed most recently in Klingenthal with 34th place. In Engelberg, the athlete from Obwalden wants to deliberately broaden her focus and not just look at the result. The home World Cup brings additional attention, familiar faces and higher expectations. "I want to enjoy the competition, although the nervousness will be higher."
Jumping on her own doorstep remains something special for Sina Arnet. Established in the World Cup, mentally stable and with a clear upward trend, she wants to bring it all together in Engelberg and pick up where a dream once began for her.
