Vermont’s Only Nordic Ski Jumping Site
Every new zone we drive through brings fun surprises, and that's exactly how we stumbled upon the Harris Hill Ski Jumping facility in Brattleboro, Vermont. We were on our way to go skiing when Amity said, "Wow! Look at that. Do you think they still use it?" She was pointing at the massive tower-style drop-in ramp standing tall at the top of Harris Hill. By the time we reached our destination, we had already made plans to come back for their international ski jumping competition. The day couldn't come soon enough. We had never seen this side of skiing live, and it had to be radical!
Mile: 60,671
Quote of the Blog: “There’s nothing better in life than sliding down the snow before flying in the air.” - Shane McConkey
Song of the Blog: “Fly” - Sugar Ray
Brattleboro, VT, is a short drive from our home in New Hampshire. We've driven through this area plenty of times on ski trips, but we never noticed the ski jumping facility just outside of town. For the event, we parked downtown and took the event shuttles up to the venue-a solid move, since parking was already full, and traffic was crazy. This was mostly because the event was originally planned as a two-day competition, but with an incoming storm, they had to pack everything into one big day. More jumps for us? Total win!
We arrived just as they were playing the national anthem and announcing the athletes. The venue was packed, and the energy was already electric. We started by exploring the tents and vendors at the base of the landing area, picking up a beer from North Chair Brewing and warming up by the fire before heading up to watch the event.
A staircase runs up the looker's right side of the landing slope, allowing spectators to climb all the way to the takeoff. Even better, they let you stand right up against the landing zone, which gave us some incredible viewpoints. We started at the very top, watching the jumpers launch off the takeoff. Even the younger kids were hitting it at max speed. They were moving so fast that when they flew past, we could hear and feel them slicing through the air. It was insane.
As the competition heated up, we slowly made our way down the landing zone. I managed to get as close as they'd let spectators stand, and it was AWESOME! The jumpers were flying past me just 10 to 20 feet off the ground, traveling around 200 to 300 feet. I'm not easily impressed when it comes to skiing, but this was mind-blowing. So cool! You have to admire the sheer dedication it takes to practice, fail, and perfect something like this. And somehow, we didn't see a single crash-from young teens to a guy in his 50s, every competitor had serious skills.
After making our way back down to the vendor tents for another beer, we caught a few more jumps before heading out. While exploring, we found some really cool historical facts about the area and ski jumping. Turns out, Harris Hill was first built in 1922 and has gone through multiple updates to become what it is today. So cool to find something like this in a random Vermont town!
On our way back to the car, we hopped off the shuttle early to check out Brattleboro Retreat Farm for a beer at their taproom, The Thirsty Goat, and to pick up some Vermont cheese-an absolute staple of our trips here. Vermont is known for its cheese, and for good reason. IT'S BOMB! I also grabbed a "Mystery Beer," which ended up being a killer New England-style IPA from North Chair Brewing. Who would've thought?
With a quick drive home, we had the rest of the weekend to chill-a rare occasion for us. But with a rain/ice/snow storm rolling in tomorrow and nearly 20 inches of snow possible, we weren't about to be out in that mess. On the bright side, next week’s skiing is going to be amazing! Can’t wait to get back out there and send it 200 feet on my gigantic skis. JUST KIDDING!
Live rad, y’all’s!