On The Road With USA Nordic

(Photo Credit – Mike Johns; michaeljohns.net)

Earlier this winter I embarked on a four week whirlwind tour in the Midwest for the bulk of the 2018 US Cup series. Despite my 20 years of ski jumping, including nearly ten on the US National and Development teams, this was my first time experiencing the Five Hills Tournament in all it’s glory.

Dan Englund and myself set out from Park City on a sunny Wednesday afternoon, driving Billy’s truck and hauling the USA Nordic trailer packed with merchandise and livestream equipment. By Thursday evening we had picked up Mike Johns, the third of our traveling trio, and made it to our first stop, Eau Claire, Wisconsin, home of the famous Silver Mine Ski Jump and the Flying Eagles Ski Club with roots that trace back over 130 years.

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Competitions were held on Friday and Saturday night. Bonfires raged, and fans celebrated every long jump with an enthusiastic “dilly, dilly,” a phrase made popular by one of America’s largest adult beverage manufacturers. The event was a spectacle that I hadn’t really ever seen outside of our biggest US events, with thousands of fans reveling in the cold, all gathered to celebrate our great sport. The trip was off with a bang.

From Eau Claire we traveled north to Ishpeming, Michigan, home of the Ishpeming Ski Club, founded in 1887, and the 93 years young Suicide Hill. Of all the stops on the tour, Ishpeming was the only hill I’d ever skied, nearly two decades ago, for a Continental Cup and Junior Nationals. The hill was much like I’d remembered it.

Heavy snow and blowing winds on Tuesday made for a challenging set up for our livestream production. Between bouts of computer work, inside where it was warm, I spent a majority of the day working on a snow wall to protect our tent from the storm. With gusting winds and blowing snow continuing into the night, the decision was made to postpone the competition until the following morning. The “Rock was a-rolling,” as they say at Suicide Hill.

It was a tough decision for everyone, as once again, thousands of fans had shown up to cheer on the skiers, but the right one in order to hold a safe and fair competition. The only upside was that it gave us time to reinforce our snow barrier from the wind. As we worked well into the night, we could still hear the revelers huddled around the biggest bonfires I have ever seen in person. Laughter and cheers drifted up on the wind, once again instilling in me a new respect for the depth of passion for Ski Jumping in the Midwest.

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The next morning the skies cleared, and the competition went off without a hitch. Though the crowd was understandably smaller, due to the fact that it was a Wednesday morning, the skiers still put on a great show, with some huge jumps coming in the “longstanding” round at the end of the event.

Early Thursday we departed for our next stop in Fox River Grove at the famous Norge Ski Club, est. 1905. Norge is the oldest, continuously operating ski club in the United States. I’d had the pleasure of visiting Norge in September for their fall tournament, but it didn’t prepare me for the crowds we would see over the weekend. Upwards of seven thousand people were in attendance, no doubt fueled by the excitement of having not one, but three athletes named to the Olympic team; Norge’s first ever Olympians. Click HERE for a clip of the crowd.

While warm weather threatened to derail the competitions, the staff and crew (volunteer I’m sure) did a great job and the events were quite the spectacle for the energized crowd. The party went all day, both days, and I’m sure continued into the night, though I took advantage of some evenings off to catch up on work, and spend time with cousins who live just minutes away, while my two traveling companions put in more late nights at the hill.

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Our next stop on the tour took us to Bloomington, Minnesota and the Minneapolis Ski Jumping Club. Upon arrival we went right to work setting up the livestream in the back of a moving van provided by none other than the head of the club and my old friend Chris Broz. With the hill in perfect condition, we were treated to the sight of Broz taking his first jumps in years (click HERE for the hilarious first person video; skip to 8min 25sec to skip the commentary).

The competition was a blast. Three to four hundred spectators braved the cold on a Tuesday night, despite all of the distractions of Super Bowl week. The athletes performed well once again, and the crowd spent the night enjoying food trucks and adult beverages while they took in the show. Personally, I ran into a slight snag when the only trailer key I had broke off in the lock to the trailer, just as I was setting up for the night, and I found myself grinding through the lock held by a very brave and very trusting man whom I’d never met.

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From Minneapolis we booked it back to Wisconsin for our next stop in Westby, home of the Snowflake Ski Club for their 95th annual Snowflake Ski Club Tournament. With more time than usual for set up, I had the chance to spend some time in the little bar near the ski jumps, admiring decades of history found in the pictures that cover nearly every square inch of the walls and ceiling. Meanwhile, Dan being the fearless man that he is and maybe a little inspired by Broz, decided there was just enough time to take one jump, his first in three years, on borrowed equipment. I held my breath as he got in the track and, though not a surprise, I was relieved when he landed without any issues.

Once again, both competitions were sights to behold. Great crowds gathered on Friday night and Saturday morning, despite cold temperatures and an incoming storm, and not a single Ski Jumping fan seemed phased. The athletes performed well yet again, despite challenging conditions due to snow on Saturday morning. And, after a quick pack up following Saturday’s competition, we were back on the road, driving in some of the toughest conditions I’ve seen in years.

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The final stop on my trip came the following weekend in Iron Mountain, Michigan for back to back Continental Cups at the infamous Pine Mountain Ski Jump. I’d heard stories about the scene at Iron Mountain, but I still wasn’t prepared for what I saw on Saturday morning. Rows of cars packed the parking lots, with tailgating beginning well before I even arrived. There were bars made of plywood, people grilling everywhere you looked, and thousands of cheering fans.

Both competitions were simply excellent. The weather was perfect, the jumps were huge with numerous jumps past 130 meters, including a jump just two meters shy of the hill record; a ridiculous 141.5 meters! The fans were going crazy for so many far jumps, and I’d say that the Kiwanis Ski Club as a lot to be proud of. It was definitely the best way I could’ve imagined ending my trip.

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Six stops in four weeks was a whirlwind trip indeed. I was overcome with awe at the support that continues in the Midwest to this day. The people were amazing and the jumpers were awesome to watch. Thank you to all of the clubs, organizers, athletes, coaches, parents, and volunteers that put in so much time and effort to make such a tour possible. And a shout out to Dan and MJ for all their hard work in creating such great productions for our livestream, and doing it with a smile on their face, despite the late nights, early mornings, and thousands of miles on the road. My first official “Five HIlls Tour” was a trip that I’ll never forget.

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-Alex Glueck-