By Graham Hesselsweet | February 2022
This morning I found myself staring up in awe at one of the the only three Olympic ski jumping facilities in the United States, and next to me was the U.S. Olympian Ben Berend! Amazingly, this was not a dream. We were attending a talk at Howelsen Hill ski area in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. As it turns out, Steamboat has a significant Olympic Heritage – which made it especially cool to be there during a Winter Olympics.
Ben, who competed in Nordic Combined, which is Nordic ski racing and ski jumping, talked about life as a Steamboat kid, training for the Olympics starting from the age of 5, ski jumping suits and how they worked, and what it’s really like to compete in an Olympics (he was at Pyeongchang in 2018 and has some great stories).
Interestingly, he addressed the current controversy about how ski jumping suits have to fit within the narrow range of 3 centimeters. If your elbow has x width, the suit must be within x +/- 3 cm or the skier could be disqualified. This has come to light recently where several Olympic skiers were disqualified from their Olympic dreams because of their allegedly ill-fitting suits.
Ben also talked about how ski jumpers practiced ski jumping in the summer by running, biking and even ski jumping on a jump lined with wet plastic and porcelain! For the Nordic Combined event, a balance between ski jumping and cross-country skiing is also important. In Ben’s sport, Nordic Combined, both ski jumping and Nordic skiing are equally important. You can practice cross-country skiing in the summer by skating on rollerblades, running, and surprisingly, biking. A strong set of legs is helpful in ski jumping (you need to land 110ft+ jumps) and you need to skate ski faster than the other Olympians. Ben’s big moment was the 2018 Olympics which were his final destination after a lifetime of training.
A fascinating point came up when he talked about his experience with online learning while training to be an Olympian. Because elite athletes training for winter Olympic sports experience lots of travel, for example going to Europe for months to train on the jumps and courses there, they often complete online schooling. “In Central Europe,” Ben began, “ski jumps can be found every half hour drive” – the tour group chuckled, because the culture around skiing and winter sports is so different in Europe. One day, our family would love to ski in Europe. The funny thing is, me and Emma are also experiencing non-traditional school environments due to our travel schedule as well. Ben now sells real estate in Steamboat Springs and teaches in the “future Olympians” program at Howelsen Hill.
Later that day, we went uphill skiing at Howelson Hill, home of countless aspiring Olympic athletes who were out training alongside us. At one point we got lost in a brushy area and Dad spotted a well-camouflaged moose behind a shrubby plant. After getting a quick picture, we quickly skied away, because of the moose’s reputation for aggression.
During our time at Steamboat Springs, the Winter Carnival was taking place. In the winter carnival skiers and snowboarders get to participate in diverse events such as skijoring (being towed by a horse while skiing) and amateur ski jumping. The point of the winter carnival is to celebrate Steamboat’s history as a ski town. They have museums, tours, and even a winter carnival dedicated to their colorful history as “Ski Town U.S.A.” The town of Steamboat Springs actually fills up its main street with snow! A flatbed truck with speakers and commentators is parked alongside main street to energize the audience and create a happy setting for the events. You simply buy a button or buff to enter, and get to watch (or even participate!) in the exciting activities. We watched the 109th winter carnival. Ever since Carl Howelsen came to Steamboat Springs, The town has hosted these events.
To conclude the carnival, the lighted man *dangerously* skis down Howelsen Hill and shoots fireworks from a backpack-like compartment. Children who participate in the Steamboat Winter Sports Club ski down Howelsen Hill wearing lights and doing ski jumps.
After a day of backcountry skiing at Rabbit Ears Pass and swimming once more in the hot springs, the perfect finale was watching the lighted man ski down Howelsen Hill as has been traditionally done for a hundred years.
The Peace of Wild Things 