Into the Sky
annual ski jump fest returns
Thom Fountain, photos by Andrea Paulseth |
Everyone lauds the various events that make Eau Claire’s summers so active: Country Jam, Country Fest, and Rock Fest; the Sounds Like Summer Concert Series; the U.S. Chainsaw Carving Championship; Festival in the Pines (to name just a few). But once winter comes around people tend to hunker down and dream about what they’ll be doing when the weather gets warmer.
That seems odd because right under our noses the Silver Mine Invitational has been providing the rush and activity of a great event every winter since 1886. Yeah, that’s right: 1886. You have no excuse to not know this is going on.
The Silver Mine Invitational brings some of the world’s best ski jumpers to compete right here in Eau Claire at the Silver Mine jump for a spectator sporting event you’ve probably never experienced. Spectators line the hill and landing areas to watch the speed and excitement of every jump.
“When the first skier goes off, to the last one wrapping it up, the action never stops,” said Zach Jastrow, the chief of hill for Silver Mine. “You literally feel the adrenaline running through the venue.”
In recent years the Eau Claire Ski Club, which administers the event, has expanded the Silver Mine Invitational, adding a pond hockey tournament, entertainment, food and drinks, and more. This year they’ve shifted the Saturday festivities into the evening, where ski jumpers will take flight under the bright lights and glow of the fire pits sprinkled around the hill.
Especially in an Olympic year, Jastrow said people should be excited for the breadth of talent that comes out to hit the slope.
“Some of the jumpers are as young as 11,” Jastrow said. “It’s not often you get to watch past and future Olympians come together and not just compete, but put on a show.”
The Silver Mine Invitational seems to be the premier winter event in Eau Claire, offering, as Jastrow said, “something for everyone.” It takes a uniquely Chippewa Valley location (the Olympic-level ski jump among our rolling hills) at a uniquely Upper Midwestern time (the depths of winter) to create a gathering that you really can’t get anywhere else. Now that sounds like something people can get behind.
The Silver Mine Invitational runs Jan. 17-18, starting at 5pm each day at 2900 Silver Mine Drive, Eau Claire. For more information, go to EC-SkiClub.com.
