There was one cold weekend in the northeast this winter—and it
coincided with the Salisbury
Winter Sports Association’s annual Jumpfest. That’s Salisbury,
Connecticut. And yes, that’s Ski Jumping. The SWSA’s website proclaims that ski jumping
is as close to flying as you can get.
They say it is fun, and “surprisingly safe” as the “second safest snow
sport after cross country skiing.” (And who hasn’t twisted a knee doing that?)
A northeast US map of ski resorts at onthesnow.com shows 109 alpine ski areas
(granted they stretch the northeast with some Pennsylvania hiccups). In the same region those who want to hurtle
down a steep narrow ramp in search of flight have a choice of only six club
hills. There are three in New
Hampshire--Andover, Hanover, and Lebanon; and one each in Vermont, New York and
Connecticut—Saxtons River, Lake Placid and Salisbury.
A poster or short announcement in the local paper is all it
takes to fill youth soccer teams to capacity and create a waiting list of
players. But the US Ski Jumping Team doesn’t
fill its junior roster so easily. Their recruiting
video Invitation to Fly
was produced to entice new participants.
And their Jumping in
the East slide presentation proclaims that the only skills you need are
Balance, Flexibility, Strength…oh, and enough “Ski Skill” to turn and stop
after landing. Anyone can do this!
Today the four basic elements of a jump—In -run, take off,
flight, and landing—are performed on plastic and porcelain surfaces for year
round training but there was a time when snow ruled the sport. In Salisbury, it was Norwegian immigrant
brothers John, Olaf, and Magnus Sartre who livened up winter by bringing
jumping to town. Brother John
demonstrated their hometown sport by skiing from the peak of a barn roof and
flying 30 feet in the air before landing safely (or so the legend goes). The town was hooked and the brothers formed
the Salisbury Outing Club which hosted its first ski jump competition in
January of 1927. In 1933 the National
Ski Jumping Championships were held in the otherwise quiet Connecticut town. With only brief interludes the town has been
jumping ever since. In 2011 a new, 65
meter jump and steel tower was completed thanks to donations from over 500
people and the hill again became a site for national competitions.
But back to Jumpfest 2016.
In a winter of extreme warmth and diminutive snowfall, the weekend of
the Jumpfest saw 2 days of subzero temperatures while wind whipped the flags on
the jump tower. The bar start was moved
low on the hill so that competitors were not blown off their landing. No
observer would detect that the fans risked certain frostbite to congregate at
the base of the hill. Bonfires and hot
toddies sweetened with pure maple sugar kept the cowbells of enthusiasm ringing
as the jumpers flew, soring to land beyond the K-point. The original extreme sport tradition offered
thrills and inspiration to all who gathered to watch.
The SWSA website claims that “ski jumping builds courage,
confidence and character.” Flying through
winter will do all of that for sure!
