After trying for a few years, last week I finally made it to the Silver Mine Invitational Ski Jump Tournament just outside Eau Claire. I went to the Friday night part of the weekend, when the massive hill was illuminated with lights and fire pits. The whole snowy scene was almost surreal. It certainly didn’t seem like we were in Eau Claire – more like some mountain town out west. We checked out every possible vantage point around the hill – from the big crowd at the bottom to the smaller gatherings of those willing to climb hundreds of steps to get to the top. Daredevils from Norway, Canada, Russia, Poland, Finland, and the US launched themselves 75, 85, 95 meters and more off the jump, the furthest of them regularly landing to a roar of approval from the crowd below. The whole scene has been taking place in some shape or form for 124 years. Despite that, it seems like a big chunk of EC residents of my generation are only vaguely aware the event exists. It’s one of those things you maybe see in a headline, or on a brief clip on TV, but you’ve never been there or really know much about it. With some adjustments and additional marketing, it seems like that site would be a good candidate for a winter festival running concurrent with the tournament. If the weather’s good.