Whitefish, MT (Monday, March 3, 2003) - Over fifty ski jumpers from North America are expected to attend the Gelande Ski Jumpers Association National Championships March 8-9 at Big Mountain Resort. Gelande, or alpine ski jumping, is identical to free-heel Nordic ski jumping -- but in gelande, jumpers use ordinary alpine (downhill) ski gear, where the heels are attached to the skis. The last gelande event at Big Mountain was held in 1999 and is the fourth-ever gelande event held in Whitefish.

“It’s exciting to have the gelande back at Big Mountain,” said Syd Ryerson, events coordinator for Big Mountain Resort. “There’s a ton of local talent that will be competing and this is one of those see-it-to-believe-it events. We hope to get a good crowd cheering on these incredible jumpers.”

Two divisions --amateur and pro-- will be offered, with two different jump lengths. Spectators can expect to see jumpers traveling in excess of 50 mph with amateurs jumping up to 170 feet and the pros up to 250 feet while 20 feet off the ground. Jumpers will practice all day Friday March 7 at the bottom of “Powder Trap” ski run between chairs 1 and 4, where the 70-meter natural-slope jump is located. The amateur division will compete on a 50-meter jump in the same location.

The competition begins on Saturday, March 8, with the amateur division launching into the air at 10:30 a.m. for two qualifying rounds. The pros will have two jumps after the amateurs in a distance-only seeding round.

On Sunday, March 9 the top 30 jumpers start at 10:30 am for the final round. Style points will be judged with distance. The final awards will be held at Moguls at 4:30 p.m.

Registration for the event happens on Friday, March 6 from 8 to 12 noon at the Guest Service and Info Center. Entry Fees for the event are $45 for amateur and $90 for pros. All contestants must have proof of medical insurance and wear a helmet.

Volunteers are needed. Those interested should contact Big Mountain's Events Department at 862-2911. All volunteers will receive a voucher for a free whole or half-day lift ticket, redeemable anytime within the next year.


Background on Gelande Ski Jumping

Gelande jumping is a sport that is actually older than alpine skiing. Gelande is a modern form of a maneuver – the “umsprung” – that was performed with very crude early ski equipment, including a large wooden staff.

Following World War I, an Austrian named Colonel Bilgeri invented ski poles and was able to make controlled leaps with a style known as “gelaendesprung” which literally means “terrain jump.” The second “e” has since been dropped, and the gelandesprung remained only a skiing maneuver until Alf Engen, a former Nordic jumper, began the first gelande contest in Alta, Utah in 1964.

Judging

The following elements come into play during a ski jump: speed, power at the takeoff, quick change into flight position, drive and stability in the air, correct flight position, tucked landing position, the actual landing, and steadiness and proper position through the transition to the control gate.

The process of awarding style points theoretically measures how nearly a jumper approaches the masterful control that is the real secret of a long and safe flight. In principle, point deductions are moderate for deviations that shorten the jump or ungraceful, and severe for faults that are aerodynamically unsound or mistakes that are dangerous to the jumper. Two jumps are allowed per round.

There are five judges scoring on a scale from 1-10. The high and low scores are dropped and the remaining three scores are added to the distance (in feet) for the total points.