Double dose of ski jump fun this year

SALISBURY — Ski jumping and cross-country skiing fans have two events to enjoy this year.

The Salisbury Winter Sports Association’s (SWSA) Jumpfest weekend is Friday, Feb. 11, through Sunday, Feb. 13.

The Junior Nationals Ski Jumping and Nordic Combined competition is Tuesday, Feb. 22, through Saturday, Feb. 26, at Satre Hill in Salisbury and at Mohawk Mountain ski area in Cornwall.

“Nordic Combined” is a combination of ski jumping and cross-country skiing. In the case of the Junior Nationals, the athletes jump in the morning at Satre Hill, and move to Mohawk Mountain in the afternoon for the cross-country events. The athletes’ performance in the jumping determines their seeding in the cross-country race.

The Jumpfest weekend begins on Friday night, Feb. 11,  with target jumping and the popular Human Dogsled race.

Saturday, Feb. 12, is the Salisbury Invitational, where jumpers from the eastern division of USA Nordic Sport compete. (USA Nordic Sport is the governing body for ski jumping and Nordic Combined in the United States.)

Jumpfest wraps up on Sunday, Feb. 13, with the Eastern jumping championship. The winners of this event will qualify for the Junior Nationals, which start Tuesday, Feb. 22.

SWSA’s Willie Hallihan said on Thursday, Feb. 27, that the snowmaking crew has been busy and the three jumps are in good shape.

New this year for Jumpiest is the addition of a short cross-country course at Satre Hill, near the jump towers.

Hallihan said in previous years cross-country events have been held at Trotta Field on Salmon Kill Road, but were entirely dependent on natural snowfall.

The new cross-country course at Satre Hill is conveniently located near everything else, including the snowmaking equipment.

So the Sunday events will include cross-country.

SWSA will follow Centers for Disease Control  COVID-19 guidance for outdoor events, which currently does not require masks for spectators.

For more information, go to www.jumpfest.org and www.usanordic.org.