Susan Swanson
St Paul Ski Club
St. Paul, MN
sudswanson@msn.com
Being Dead Weight, The Most Important Job
The term “dead weight” has many connotations, but only in the world of ski jumping is it a very important job title. One that both my kids thoroughly enjoyed as members of the St. Paul Ski Club. It involves racing up steps, jumping into a sled, and taking a crazy ride down the jump’s inrun. Each year when it was time to snow in the inrun on our 46m jump no one had to ask my kids twice if they would be the “dead weight.” In fact, they’d be some of the first to volunteer.
Snowing in the inrun is one of the most intensive jobs at the ski hill (next to making the snow on the outruns). This involves a truck and driver; a sled; a cable; a bunch of snow shovels, and people to use them; a snow blower; snow packers; and, of course, the dead weight.
They start packing the snow at the bottom of the inrun and work their way up. This means shoveling a big pile of manmade snow through a snowblower and into a sled. The sled is attached to a cable. That cable runs up over the top of the jump and is attached to a truck below. As directed, the truck is driven away from the jump to hoist the sled up to where it needs to be dumped. Once it arrives, a crew of packers dump the sled and pack the snow down so once it hardens, they can cut the track.
In order to repeat the process, the empty sled needs to quickly, and safely, make it back down the jump. That’s where the “dead weight” comes in. Someone needs to hop in the empty sled to weigh it down. The driver backs the truck up to its starting point below the tower. The “dead weight, keeps the sled moving so there isn’t too much slack in the cable. When the “ride” is over, the “dead weight” runs back up the steps to be where the sled will drop its next load. It’s the perfect job for a jumper who loves to climb the jump tower and take a crazy ride down the inrun. My kids loved every exhausting minute.
The best part? They learned firsthand all the hard work and dedication parents and former jumpers pour into this amazing sport—all so kids like them can experience the thrill of flying. That, and the fact that sometimes work is fun!
