They are typically small in stature but almost larger-than-lifeonce flying through the air. yes, it would be fair to call themthrill-seekers.
You can call them a lot of other things, too, but the ski jumperswho will be at Timber Coulee near Westby on Friday and Saturday areclearly something to see.
They travel the world to perfect their skills, and our littlecorner of the globe gets to see them in action under the lights forthe first time on Friday night, and once again the next day.
The two-day event at Timber Coulee is the final stop of fivecompetitions for these daredevils on skis, and Snowflake Ski Clubofficials are thinking this could be something special.
Here are some reasons why you might want to check out the uniquesport of ski jumping.
Near-Olympic competition
The competition level at the Snowflake Ski Jump will be as close asyou can get to the Vancouver Olympics without buying a planeticket.
“Quite a few of them tried to qualify for the Olympics,” SnowflakeSki Club publicity chairman Scott Yttri said. “There are a few whojust barely missed making their teams. these jumpers are just thenext step down.”
Yttri said the jumpers, who this year come from Norway, Russia,Poland, Finland and the United States, are between 18-20 years oldand compete in international and regional competitions. TheSnowflake is a favorite of the European jumpers because of itssetting in a steep wooded valley called Timber Coulee.
“That’s how all the jumps are set up in Europe,” Yttri said. “Itreminds skiers of hills they’re used to jumping on; the way thehills are formulated and the way the wind picks them up.”
Jumping under the lights
Competition on the main (118-meter) hill will be held at nightunder the lights for the first time in the 87-year history of theevent.
There will be 12 portable lights all along the hill and eight atthe landing and spectator areas at the bottom of the hill.
“We wanted to do something different this year,” Yttri said. “Thiswill probably be the biggest night jump they’ve ever done. we hadthem fired up (Tuesday) night and people driving down on County Psaid the hill looked bigger and closer to the road.”
Ski Club tradition
This is more than an annual event for the Snowflake Ski Club andthe community of Westby. it is a way of life.
The Snowflake Ski Club, a volunteer organization that, at times,has reached several hundred members, has worked through thick andthin to keep this tournament alive. before the days of snowmakingequipment, club members and others would haul load after load ofsnow gathered from the parking lots and unsanded streets of Westby,then dump it on top of the jumping hill weeks before the actualcompetition.
Hill crew volunteers, wearing specially-designed spikes over theirboots, would be positioned up and down the hill to direct the snowwith chutes, then pack it.
Hauling and dumping snow on the hill became a thing of the pastwhen the club purchased snowmaking equipment a number of years ago.the equipment is similar to what ski resorts use to makesnow.
Jumpers, a number of them former Olympians, from all over the worldhave competed at Westby. There have been some famous jumpers, too,such as “Eddie the Eagle” Edwards, a zany Brit who competed at the1988 Olympics in Calgary, Canada, and came to Westby in 1997. TheEagle certainly didn’t soar, as he finished 41st out of 47jumpers.
Where to watch
It doesn’t matter if you are a first-timer at the Snowflake SkiJumping Tournament or a seasoned veteran, the sight of a ski jumperracing down the inrun and thrusting their body into the cool, crispair is pretty amazing.
If you are a first-timer, however, there are some places to viewthe jumpers that you might want to check out. You have the optionof sitting right in your car, but you won’t get a true feel for theatmosphere and the speed of the jumpers by sitting still.
You are free to walk around the bottom of the landing area and geta good view of the jumpers, but one of the best spots is near thebottom of the hill where the jumpers land. You can get within a fewfeet of where the jumper’s skis smack the hard-packed snow and zoompast you.
Worst nightmare
If you ever talk to a ski jumper or listen to them talk to theircoaches or to each other, they are a fearless breed. They thinknothing of climbing to the top of a hill, then pushing their way upthe scaffold at Timber Coulee, then flying down the inrun beforejumping into the air and landing several hundred feet away.
Jumpers don’t mind sub-freezing temperatures either. What theydon’t like, however, is wind. Crosswinds, especially. Crosswindscan blow the jumpers off course – literally. that, they willquickly tell you, is not a good thing.