British manufacturer provides crystal-clear audio across three zones at historic skiing event.
Bernese Alps, Switzerland, March 2024
Among the highest-attended ski races in the world, the Lauberhorn Alpine World Cup was inaugurated in 1930 and has been a highlight in the Swiss winter sports calendar ever since. Long-time technical provider for the event, Stagepro, deployed a Wharfedale Pro audio solution at the event for the first time this year. With a total of 80,000 on-site spectators and a television viewership of 1.2 million, the event required a reliable and professional audio solution. A combination of Wharfedale Pro’s WLA-1 line array systems provided the quality and coverage required for an event of such high acclaim.
“The Lauberhorn Ski Race is a longstanding tradition, and we’ve been supporting it for around 20 years,” explains Markus Walther, Owner of Stagepro. “This year was special because we integrated the Wharfedale Pro system for a significant part of the racing sound system. The decision was driven by our positive experience with Wharfedale Pro in a project in Interlaken last year and the exceptional support we received from our local distributor, Sacher Music.”
The Wharfedale Pro system covered various zones for the three-day long event, including the Girmschbiel spectator area with approximately 18,000 attendees, the race finish area, and a dedicated DJ zone. The Girmschbiel zone featured four arrays, flown from specially built towers. The arrays consisted of a combination of WLA-112 and WLA121SUB loudspeakers, powered by four DP-4100N and two DP-2200N Wharfedale Pro amplifiers, connected via a Dante network.
At the race finish area, audio for both race announcements and music were provided by seven WLA-112 and two WLA-121 subs whilst the DJ zone was deployed with four WLA-112 and four WLA-121 subs. Both systems were powered by Wharfedale Pro’s own DP series amplifiers.
“Of course, the Lauberhorn races take place in the mountains, which comes with its own unique logistical challenges. We can’t use trucks, so all equipment had to be transported by train to a nearby village. However, the Wharfedale Pro system proved easy to load and handle. Plus, it offers several different deployment options, including line array, stacking, and stand mounting, making it suited to the different zones that required audio support during the race.”
“The feedback has been outstanding,” confirms Walther. “The Wharfedale Pro system provided perfect coverage, surprising power and headroom to spare. It proved to be the right choice for our diverse requirements, from race announcements to DJ sets.”
With a successful debut at the Lauberhorn Ski Races, the Stagepro team are keen to continue to roll out their stock of Wharfedale Pro WLA products for further projects throughout 2024.
“Through the relationship with Sacher Music, it’s been great to receive first-hand support from the Wharfedale Pro team,” continues Walther. “Alex Lane, Application & Solution Manager from the team helped us with coverage calculations, and with the excellent lead-in times, I wouldn’t hesitate to continue expanding my portfolio of Wharfedale Pro products. I’m looking forward to putting the versatility of these boxes to the test on more projects throughout 2024.”
