Ski Jump Contest Cancelled

An 84 year old tradition in Brattleboro, VT has been cancelled for this year. I hope they can repair the towers for next year...

http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051119/NEWS02/511190307/1007&theme=

That's a tough break. I did a little jumping back in high school and it was a blast. Not enough opportunities around for people to get into it. The sport doesn't really need setbacks like this.

I went off that jump once - on alpine boards

I attempted to be a nordic jumper at my high school. The coach, Toby Sprague, was a judge in Calgary, Lillehammer, Nagano as well as a few other Olympics over the years - perhaps the most reknown US judge in the history of the sport. Great man and incredibly the guy had been struck by lightening (no joke) 3 times in his life while up on the jumps at Placid. He was also my high school football coach and by my junior year - , he'd kinda lost it - boarderline senial. He'd call on me to go into the game and play wide out when I'd never once practiced the position - I was a free safety.

Back to ski jumping. I never got the hang of it despite my prowess on Alpine boards. I can remember the free heel 225 Elans strapped to my feet and it just felt odd. I landed the fifteen meter with ease, but crashed and burned several times on the 30 meter on campus. I would launch the 30 with ease on alpine boards, but its an odd sensation trying to land with those heavy free heels.

I went to high school 25 miles up the road from the Brattleboro jump and went down one night and poached the Harris Hill jump on my alpine boards. What a rush - just about 200 feet of air time I measured out at. Oh to be 18 again.......

Are the jumps by Gunstock still used? Any other places in NE that have active ski jumps?

While not in NE, obviously Placid's jumps are still in use. When I was in high school (96), I seem to remember another high school (I have no idea where it was) that had their own jumps. They had their own groomer and about 3 jumps from what I remember. How cool is that? Most of our jumps were at Gunstock at that time, but I have no idea what is still active now.

I went to High School at Vermont Academy.

We had a 15 meter and a 30 meter. To the best of my knowledge, these jumps are still active today.

The jumps in Salisbury CT still seem to be active with contests there in late February. A smaller but same vintage as the Brattleboro jump.

Welcome Conifer, are you from the Salisbury area? When I saw this thread I was wondering if they still did the event in Salisbury...