Bringing Ski Jumping back to Vermont

BRATTLEBORO, Vt. (WCAX) - A coach, a small group of kids, and parents are working to bring ski jumping back to the Green Mountain state.

This 18 meter ski jump in Brattleboro’s Living Park is one of two in the state.

“This hill was dilapidated and run down.”

Todd Einig, the coach of the Harris Hill Junior Jump Team and a group of volunteers brought it back to life 6 years ago. They’re hoping to see other organizations and community members do the same. “Love to see the sport I’d love to see the sport expand in Vermont and I’d love to see some of the ski jumps that maybe were in use back in the ‘70s and ‘80s brought back to life.” said Einig.

Einig’s junior jump team has 11 members right now. Maxwell and Spencer have been on it since the beginning.

“It’s meeting more people and getting to do bigger jumps, it just feels great in the air” said Maxwell.

“I enjoy it and the people in it, like I know a bunch of people in it and everyone is really one big happy family” adds Spencer Jones.

As their skills evolve so does the need for bigger jumps. The group recently fixed up a jump at Vermont Academy but they’re still spending a lot of time on the road.

“They have a 35 m jump and then most of the other jumps are in New Hampshire in the White River area so that’s about an hour drive or about an hour and a half drive” said Steve Jones, Spencer’s Dad.

Einig and team members say– the sport is easy to fall in love with. They hope to see others make an effort to bring it back to the Green Mountain state.

“It’s a lot less scary than it seems. For people who think about doing it you’re more likely to get hurt curling then doing this” said Maxwell.

“No feeling like there’s no feeling like flying through the air self-propelled and that really is what kept me involved in the sport” adds Einig.

While this season is coming to an end, a lot of these kids will be heading places like Chicago and Lake Placid to train over the summer.

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