This page is an unofficial source of information about ski flying at Copper Peak.  "Ski flying" is the term used for ski jumping on hills designed for flights longer than 170 meters.  Olympic jumps are rated at 90 and 120 meters. Think of those numbers as "par" for good jumpers. It's all about distance.

Built in 1969, Copper Peak remains the only ski flying hill in the western hemisphere. To our American ski jumpers, it should be like Lambeau Field, Yankee Stadium, Churchill Downs, or the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, yet no skier has flown from Copper Peak since 1994.

A non-profit organization, staffed by volunteers, operates the chairlift, elevator, and gift shop in the summer. Proceeds from these operations are being invested in maintenance and upgrades upgrades to the facility, both for the enjoyment of summer visitors and in hopes of being granted a future ski flying date from the FIS. For the OFFICIAL Copper Peak website, click www.copperpeak.org.

We expect to make available a status report by the end of 2005 detailing work completed and underway, which is required by FIS (International Ski Federation) to bring the hill into compliance with current design specifications. When a future meet is sanctioned and scheduled, we'll report it here. The revamped hill will likely permit flights of about 200 meters. The current hill record is jointly held by Austrians Werner Schuster and Matthias Wallner, at 158 meters (518 feet).

U.S. jumper Alan Alborn flew 221.5 meters in Planica, Slovenia in 2002, at that time just 3.5 meters short of the world record (now 239 meters, 784 feet, set at Planica in 2005 by Norway's Bjorn Einar Romoeren). See Alborn & Romoeren flights via links at bottom of page!

Today's upcoming US jumpers, male and female, are already doing well in national and international competition. US female star Lindsey Van, then 19, of Park City UT, flew 171 meters at Vikersund, Norway in March 2004!

Let's hope that we'll get to see Alan, Lindsey, and some of our other young American jumpers get the chance someday to fly at Copper Peak. You may see some of them in World Cup, Continental Cup, or SuperTour events at places like Lake Placid, Park City, Steamboat Springs, Iron Mountain, Westby, Eau Claire, and Ishpeming.

Copper Peak is very well known to fans in Europe, Scandinavia, and Japan. A photo of Copper Peak was included in a great photo collage (above left) in the program from the 2002 Ski Flying World Championships in Harrachov, Czech Republic. It shows all six ski flying hills in the world ... the crown jewels of this sport. You'll notice that Copper Peak is labeled as "Ironwood" (all are labeled by location, because that's how they're commonly referred to). More info available about the other hills via links below collage.

Please visit this page now and then to see if there's further news about ski flying at Copper Peak. For information about visiting the facility, tours, chairlift rides, dates and hours for summer and fall operation, click to www.copperpeak.org.

Did you know that ski jumping is a year-round sport? Jumpers learn, train, and compete in the summer on hills with plastic surfaces that simulate snow. Several clubs in the midwestern US have year-round programs; Coleraine MN, Fox River Grove IL (NW Chicago area), Madison WI, St Paul MN, and Iola WI. The Olympic complexes at Park City UT, Lake Placid NY, and Calgary AB also have year-round jumping facilities and programs. You can find out more about the sport, regional clubs, and view a schedule of events by clicking the SkiJumpingCentral or SkiJumpingUSA logo at left. Give yourself a treat this year ... see some LIVE ski jumping!

Ski Jumping Video
Contains world record flight - 239 meters!

The ski jumping clubs in the midwest US are showing a new introductory video to give kids and parents a sense of the excitement of ski jumping, and to show how youngsters begin to learn this terrific sport. Click here to VIEW STREAMING VIDEO ... it's a 15MB file and runs just over 8 minutes; turn up sound! If you're on dialup, try this LOW RES 5MB version. There's also a HIGH RES 30 MB version.