We visit the Nordic Combined champion
Eric Frenzel and his family live almost in the middle of nowhere – in the heart of Germany’s Upper Palatinate Forest. The winner of getting on for 50 World Cup events and Olympic gold medallist in 2014 and 2018, made an excellent choice when he found this remote place. International top-class sport and countryside idyll – how can that fit together?
Very well indeed. After all, Frenzel is a champion when it comes to combining different things. Starting with his sport, Nordic Combined, a mixture of cross-country skiing and ski jumping. ‘The action and the tingling sensation before each jump. And alternating the jumps with skiing on trails through snowbound forests. For me, it’s the ultimate sport on skis.’ The skiing star has to travel a lot, and is hardly ever at home in winter, and he enjoys the thrills of tough competition as much as he loves being with his family. That he manages to bring these two sides of his life together so well is due to another good combination – this time, it’s technical, and made by Viessmann.
Powerful performance in Frenzel’s private gym
Around a year ago, Frenzel had a small gym built right next to the family’s home. Whenever the winter sportsman needs it, the combination of Vitoplanar electric underfloor heating and space-saving infrared panel heaters soon brings the gym up to the ideal temperature for training – with environmentally-friendly and energy- efficient technology. ‘As I only train here at certain times, the building soon warms up and the combination ensures that energy consumption is kept to a minimum.’ explains Eric Frenzel. His new gym with a shower and a sauna lets him conveniently work through his training schedule with programmes specially developed by his trainers. ‘I used to have to drive all the way to a fitness centre. Now I can leave the car here, have more time for the family and I can keep my environmental footprint small.’
The exceptional athlete also cares for the environment when it comes to electricity: You can see the solar panels of a large-scale photovoltaic system on the roof of a neighbouring barn. At present, the power it generates is fed into the local grid, but Frenzel’s future plans already foresee an integrated battery storage system to supply ‘home-grown’ energy to cover the family’s needs on demand.
Frenzel’s private powerhouse
For Eric Frenzel, the custom-built gym with the innovative heating system is a valuable addition to his sport-life balance. It allows the family man to be close to his loved ones and simultaneously provides a convenient and efficient training solution. Whether pumping iron or recuperating in the sauna after a training session, Frenzel now has the perfect place to work up a sweat. After all, he has ambitious plans for the future: ‘this year, I’ll be at the Nordic World Ski Championships and, in 2022, I’ll be going for gold again at the Winter Olympics in Beijing.’
Find more projects of our athletes here
Other athletes have also opted for a climate-friendly heating solution from Viessmann. Follow the links and find out more about their projects!