Pine Mountain Jump facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Pine Mountain Jump
Location	Pine Mountain Iron Mountain United States
Opened	1937
Renovated	1977
Size
K–point	K-120
Hill size	HS133
Hill record	Klemens Murańka (140.5 m in 2017)

A view of the Pine Mountain Ski Jump

The Pine Mountain Ski Jump is a really tall ski jump built by people. You can find it in Iron Mountain, Michigan. It's run by the Kiwanis Ski Club. Every year, it hosts big ski jumping contests called the FIS Ski Jumping Continental Cup. Many people around the world know it as one of the best places for ski jumping.

In February, top skiers from all over the world come to compete here. It's known as the best tournament in the U.S. Pine Mountain holds some amazing records! It has the U.S. record for the longest jump in a World Cup event, at 140 meters (459 feet). It also holds the overall distance record at 144 meters (472.44 feet). This jump is one of the tallest human-made ski jumps in the world. About 20,000 people come to watch the events each year.

What Makes the Jump Special?

The Pine Mountain Ski Jump has some impressive features:

• Its tall structure is about 54 meters (176 feet) high.
• The part where skiers speed up is 117 meters long.
• The landing area, from the end of the take-off to the flat ground, is about 193 meters (632 feet) long.
• The steepest part of the landing hill is at a 39-degree angle.
• Skiers can reach speeds of 88 to 105 kilometers per hour (55 to 65 mph) before they jump. This speed can change based on wind and other things.

History of the Pine Mountain Jump

Building the ski jump started in 1937 and finished in 1938. When it was first built, it was 47.5 meters (156 feet) tall. The first competition took place there in 1939.

Over the years, the jump has been updated many times. In 1948, the landing area was changed. In 1977, the tall tower where skiers start was made even bigger after a fire. It reached its current height of 54 meters (176 feet).

In 1996 and 2000, Pine Mountain hosted the FIS Ski Jumping World Cup. These events brought in 20,000 fans! Since then, it has hosted the annual FIS Ski Jumping Continental Cup competitions.

People in the area call it "Giant Pine Mountain." Skiers from all over the world say it's one of the best places to jump. Fans are known to be very friendly. Many jumpers also think it's the most challenging jump on the Continental Cup circuit. This is partly because the top of the jump is nearly 183 meters (600 feet) above the land around it. It feels like standing on top of a 60-story building! Because it's so high up, wind can be a big factor, making it even harder for jumpers.

The Pine Mountain Ski Jump is the largest ski jump in the United States, not counting "ski flying" hills. It's also one of the tallest human-made ski jumps in the world. There are two other ski jumps in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan:

• Copper Peak is the only "ski flying" place in the Western Hemisphere. It's near Ironwood, Michigan.
• The Suicide Hill Ski Jump is near the National Ski Hall of Fame in Ishpeming, Michigan.

Amazing Jump Records

Here are some of the longest jumps made at Pine Mountain over the years:

Year	Distance (meters)	Distance (feet)	Jumper's Name	Country
1939	78	256	Rocker, BobBob Rocker	United States
1941	81.5	267	Engen, AlfAlf Engen	NOR
1942	88	289	Tokle, TorgerTorger Tokle	NOR
1949	89	292	Perrault, JoeJoe Perrault	United States
1949	89.5	294	Pietikäinen, MattiMatti Pietikäinen	FIN
1949	90.5	297	Perrault, JoeJoe Perrault	USA
1955	91.5	300	Maki, RudyRudy Maki	USA
1961	96	315	Brennan, JimJim Brennan	USA
1962	96.5	317	Tirkkinen, PekkaPekka Tirkkinen	FIN
1965	99	325	Balfanz, JohnJohn Balfanz	United States
1968	102	335	Watt, AdrianAdrian Watt	United States
1971	105	344	Martin, JerryJerry Martin	United States
1978	113	371	Aberer, GebhartGebhart Aberer	AUT
1980	121.5	399	Kogler, ArminArmin Kogler	AUT
1991	122	400	Schuster, WernerWerner Schuster	AUT
1996-02-18	131.5	431	Harada, MasahikoMasahiko Harada	JPN
2018-02-18	138	453	Wolny, JakubJakub Wolny	POL
2017-02-18	140.5	461	Muranka, KlemensKlemens Muranka	POL
2002-02-23	142	466	Keituri, KalleKalle Keituri	FIN
2004-02-21	142	466	Dønnem, Olav MagneOlav Magne Dønnem	NOR
2006-02-18	142.5	468	Kaiser, StefanStefan Kaiser	AUT
2009-02-15	142.5	468	Müller, LukasLukas Müller	AUT
2009-02-15	143.5	471	Thurnbichler, StefanStefan Thurnbichler	AUT
2018-02-15	144	472	Lindvik, MariusMarius Lindvik	NOR

How to Visit Pine Mountain

If you want to visit the Pine Mountain Ski Jump, here's how to get there:

• From US Highway 2 in Iron Mountain, turn west onto Kent Street.
• Follow the signs for about 1.2 kilometers (3/4 mile).
• Look for Upper Pine Mountain Road, which goes up to the top of the hill.
• There is no charge to visit.
• From the observation deck at the top of the jump, you can see about 48 kilometers (30 miles) away!