ERIC HAGFORS
Minneapolis Ski Club (formerly)
Team Hella (currently- see below for context)
ehagfors@gmail.com
Ruud Re-Awakens
On a barren hillside overlooking the golf courses and resort village of Sun Valley Idaho, a lone rotting wood structure sits between two faint troughs in the ground. Alongside, chairs remain suspended and motionless on the haul rope of an abandoned ski lift, the first of its kind in North America. This is Ruud Mountain, namesake of the Holmenkollen Medal winner and Olympic Medalist Sigmund Ruud, who had built a ski jump with Alf Engen here after the conclusion of the Second World War, with hopes of bringing events and visitors to the area. While the chairlift has been preserved as a historical monument, the jumps have been largely forgotten.
As a returning resident to Ketchum in 2018, and an active Masters class ski jumper, I often gazed at the site with wonder and imagination. Like so many facilities of the past, all that was left of this place were dusty images and faded memories. Information was scarce; it looked to have been last used in the 60s. On a fall hike exploring the site, I discovered the lack of foundation was no detriment, as the inrun and landing were all built in-hill. Would it be possible to bring this place out of dormancy?
The bounties of a stormy February returned an answer, blanketing the sagebrush and giving the site a surprisingly familiar look. A couple of afternoons spent packing the hillside and making a boot pack was all it took. No track, though it was unlikely there had ever been one; a luxury I imagine Ruud would have scoffed at.
Over the next few weeks, I’d walk through a quiet neighborhood to the site in full jumping regale, passing dog walkers looking a bit out of place. I had about 20 fun and sketchy rides on the smaller jump that skied like the antiquated 40 meter hills in the midwest I’d spent my childhood learning on.
People would gather and watch with curiosity and confusion. What was I doing? And why? For me it was simple, I wanted to fly again. And pay homage to the people that had shaped this valley so many years ago. Ski jumping had never truly left Sun Valley. I just had to help bring it back.
CURATOR’S NOTE- A (TELLING) RESPONSE FROM ERIC:
Home club was Minneapolis! The club I represent currently is a spiritual collective known as Team Hella, with membership spanning a broad expanse of space and time.
A proper Sun Valley Ski Jumping Club is a (secret) long-term objective, likely to be incorporated with the excellent existing Nordic program we have here, the Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation.
LET THE WILD RUMPUS BEGIN!
Knowing how competitive we all are and understanding how deeply we associate with our respective Nordic sport (and how much we admire our sisters and brethren on the other side of the Nordic fence) we are setting up a friendly competition on the fundraising side this year. AND IT LOOKS LIKE IT’S GONNA BE A HORSE RACE!
NOTE THAT ALL FUNDS, WHETHER DONATED THROUGH THE NORDIC COMBINED OR SKI JUMPING LINK, WILL GO TO THE DEVELOPMENT AND TOP TEAMS OF BOTH PROGRAMS!
1 Comment
I’m glad to here one more voice of historical inspiration. I’m one of those people. I have visited Leavenworth, Wa. and Washburn, Wi. in the last couple of years bringing memories of the past.