Nels Nelsen Hill

Nels Nelsen Hill
Big Hill
Bill Hill in 1916
Location
City or town	Revelstoke, British Columbia
Country	Canada
Opened	1916
Renovated	1961
Expanded	1948
Closed	1975
Size
K-spot	K-80, K-60
Hill record	Kjell Sjöberg 94.5 m (310 ft)
Championships

Nels Nelsen Hill, originally Big Hill, is an abandoned ski jumping hill complex located in Mount Revelstoke National Park near Revelstoke, British Columbia, Canada.^[1] Originally built in 1916, it was the first ski jumping venue in Canada and saw four world records set until 1933. Between 1939 and 1948 the hill was disused, but was rebuilt as a K-80 hill from then, when it took the new name in honor of Nels Nelsen, a local ski jumper who had among other things set a world record in the hill. From 1949, it was the venue of the Tournament of Champions, as well as many other events, including the 1949 edition of the Western Canada Western Canada Ski Championships. There was also a small K-60 hill, and other hills even smaller, in the vicinity. The last major tournament was held in 1974, and the last use was in 1975. It has since fallen into disrepair.

History

Skiing in Revelstoke started in 1890 with the influx of Norwegian immigrants, who took their tradition of home-made skies to the area. Small ski jumps were by the early 1910s being built all around town and it was a major pastime during the winter.^[2] Revelstoke Ski Club was founded in 1914, and by the following year had reached 102 members. The pinnacle of the club was the annual Winter Carnival Tournament. The first tournament was held in 1915, and had, in addition to cross-country skiing competitions, ski jumping competitions for boys under 16 and the title of Champion of British Columbia. The inaugurate tournament was won by Nels Nelson.^[3]

The hill in 1921

One of the jury members for the jumping competition, Ambassador Iverson of Norway, helped find a suitable location for a new, permanent ski jumping hill. The site would allow for world-record jumps, and the natural inclination of the hill allowed this to be done without an artificial tower. Located within the national park, a lease was obtained and it was financed through a $1,200 grant from the chamber of commerce and the municipality. Revelstoke was at the time the largest interior town in British Columbia, and being located right on the Canadian Pacific Railway mainline, was easily accessible. The venue was first used for the 1916 Winter Carnival, in which Nelsen set a hill record at 183'. He would beat his own record several times, and keep the hill record until 1932. The tournament gradually developed, and by 1921 it was costing $5,800 to hold. Three thousand spectators watched the games, which saw large portions of the world elite compete. To accommodate the extra spectators, Canadian Pacific Railway stationed sleeping cars at Revelstoke to supplement the hotels. In 1922, Isabel Coursier made a debut as the first women to jump solo in the hill. In 1923, the tournament peaked with 99 participating ski jumpers and with Nelsen setting a new hill record at 202'. In 1925, while sick with the flu, Nelsen set a world record of 73 meters (240 ft), which remained until 1930.^[3]

In 1928, the hill was expanded to allow for jumps to 260'. A car was offered to anyone able to beat Nelsen's record jump at the Big Hill, provided that at least three outside jumpers participated in the competition. The prize was offered by local fur dealer J. H. Munro, who hoped to attract the world elite to Revelstoke. Many of the worlds best attended that years tournament, such as Henry Hall, Henry Lien, Ivan Knudsen and Alf Engen. Again, Nelsen won the race, but failed to break his own record.^[3] The record was broken by Adolph Badrut at Tremplin de Bretaye in Swtizerland in 1930, who jumped 75 meters (246 ft). However, Bob Lymburne was able to again claim the world record for the Big Hill, when he jumped 82 meters (269 ft) in 1932.^[4]

Nels Nelson as he sets the world record of 73 meters (240 ft) in 1925

On 15 January 1939, the Big Bend Ski Jump replaced Big Hill. It was located just north of town, allowing for easy walking to the venue, and easier maintenance. It had been built to allow Revelstoke to host the Western Canada Ski Championships. It was a success for Revelstoke, with "ski trains" being set up from Vancouver to bring people in from the city to watch the events. The championships were broadcast on radio and received unprecedented newspaper attention for a Revelstoke skiing event. During World War II there were no major tournaments, although junior tournaments remained. In 1946, the Big Bend was renamed Hans Gunnarsen Ski Jump in honor of local jumper Hans Gunnarsen, who died in action. In 1947, Revelstoke again hosted the Western Canadian Ski Championships.^[5]

In April 1948, the Big Hill was rebuilt and renamed Nels Nelsen Hill. With grants from the National Parks Department, Revelstoke Ski Club rebuilt the hill to meet the profile criteria set by the International Ski Federation, giving the hill a construction point of 80 meters (260 ft). The first tournament was the International Invitational Ski Jumping Tournament, which was held in March 1949 and spectated by 2,500 people. It was inaugurated by Art Johnson and the tournament was won by Petter Hugsted of Norway, who jumped 75 meters (247 ft). In 1950, the first Tournament of Champions was held, which hosted seven invited Norwegian jumpers. Art Johnson re-mortgaged his home for $8000 to pay for the expenses of the Norwegians. The event was won by Arnfinn Bergmann. The tournament was held throughout the 1950s and started attracting jumpers from Sweden, Finland, Germany and Japan. The 1958 edition was the first to be televised, although this brought fewer spectators. That year's event saw a new hill record of 270' be made by Norway's Odd Brevik. The following year, Finland's Kalevi Kärkinen broke the record, reaching 85 m (278 ft).^[6]

In 1961, the wooden judge's tower was replaced by a new one in steel. Tournaments were held every year except in 1963, when it had to be canceled due to lack of snow. The 1960s also saw the construction of a smaller hill with a construction point of 60 meters (200 ft), which was used for Olympic trials. The town even considered placing a bid for the 1968 Winter Olympics. However, throughout the 1960s, the interest for ski jumping was declining, with subsequent consequences for the number of spectators. The North American Nordic Championships was held in 1962, and two years later the venue hosted the Canadian Nordic Championships, attracting crowds of up to 3,000 spectators. In 1967, Kjell Sjöberg set a Canadian jumping record of 94.5 meters (310 ft). The Tournament of Champions continued into the early in 1970s. The last major tournament in Nels Nelson Hill was the Western Canadian Ski Jumping Tournament in February 1974, and Canadian Junior and Senior Ski Jumping Championship, and International Cross Country Championship in March. The last tournament was a junior event held in 1975.^[6]

References

1. ^ Parks Canada. "Mount Revelstoke National Park of Canada". Archived from the original on 14 February 2011. http://www.webcitation.org/5wUr0LuXb. Retrieved 14 February 2011. 
2. ^ Revelstoke Museum and Archives. "Early days of skiing in Revelstoke: 1890-1915". Virtual Museum. Archived from the original on 14 February 2011. http://www.webcitation.org/5wUsdO55F. Retrieved 14 February 2011. 
3. ^ ^{a b c} Revelstoke Museum and Archives. "Early days of skiing in Revelstoke: 1890-1915". Virtual Museum. Archived from the original on 14 February 2011. http://www.webcitation.org/5wUsdO55F. Retrieved 14 February 2011. 
4. ^ Thoresen 2007, p. 372
5. ^ Revelstoke Museum and Archives. "New ski jumps, downhill and slalom runs on Mt. Revelstoke". Virtual Museum. Archived from the original on 14 February 2011. http://www.webcitation.org/5wVADVhvu. Retrieved 14 February 2011. 
6. ^ ^{a b} Revelstoke Museum and Archives. "Re-opening of the Nels Nelsen Hill and the Tournament of Champions". Virtual Museum. Archived from the original on 14 February 2011. http://www.webcitation.org/5wVCIUC25. Retrieved 14 February 2011. 

Bibliography

• Thoresen, Arne (2007) (in Norwegian). Lenst gjennom lufta. Oslo: Versal. ISBN 978-82-8188-030-6.