Nearly 40 ski jumpers from nine countries are competing in the Federation of International Skiing Continental Cup in Iron Mountain this weekend.
Eric Hiatt is the Chief of Competition. Comparing it to baseball, he describes this level of competition as the AAA of ski jumping.
There will be three nations and four skiers coming straight from the winter games in Milano for this competition. Typically, the skiers on this tour are the ones you’re going to be seeing at the next Olympics.
“In Olympic years, for the event that we have, we end up with a strong field of World Cup ski jumpers that just happen to just miss their Olympic team, which just translates into really good competitions,” said Hiatt.
The results from the Continental Cup are tied to quotas, or the number of skiers that each nation can ski at World Cup and World Championships.
The Kiwanis Ski Club has been hosting the FIS Ski Jumping Continental Cup at Pine Mountain for more than 20 years.
Hiatt says the recent weather is creating some challenges, but they bring in hill crew members from across the country to make sure there are great conditions for the competition.
“I'm confident in saying we have the best hill crew on the continent,” said Hiatt. “Mother Nature's being a little difficult. We'll be working around the clock. We've got this lit up, and we will be ready to support the schedule.”
Hiatt encourages people to come see the competition for themselves. He describes the feeling of ski jumping as driving down the highway at 60 mph with the window rolled down.
“You held your hand flat and just pushed it out into the wind, and you feel the wind on your hand the way it moves your hand up and down. That's the feeling that you get, except it's on those skiers bodies. It’s a pretty cool thing,” said Hiatt. “If you're out here, live getting close to the concrete steps over there, you can actually hear the skiers flying through the air. Almost sounds like a jet engine sometimes as they're cutting through the air.”
Roughly 12,000 to 14,000 spectators are expected at this year’s competition. Hiatt says the tailgate parties rival those you’ll find at Packers games.
You can find an event schedule, shuttle information, and button (ticket) information on the Kiwanis Ski Club website.
“Safety and fairness are number 1A and 1B and, certainly, we always want to put on a good show, so just be patient with us,” said Hiatt. “Occasionally we have to flex, move things around, and it wouldn't surprise me if that happens, but we have plenty of windows to make it happen. Patience is what I'd ask for.”
