Last weekend I went to Vermont to watch an event most people will never see in their lives: ski-jumping. And guess what, it wasn’t even my first time. I hopped in the back seat of the car with my sister and brother-in-law, loaded up with snacks from Trader Joes, and we took off for Brattleboro, Vermont Saturday evening. It’s quite a drive to begin at 7 pm, but we made a few stops along the way.
To start at the beginning, my sister and brother-in-law have been attending the famous Brattleboro Ski Jump competition at Harris Hill for 6 years. My brother-in-law went to college in Vermont, which is sometimes a detour we make on our road trip, but I don’t even know if that is how he originally found out about the event. Two years ago, I made my first trip up to watch, and it was everything I dreamed of and more. This year, since it was so fun, I made my best friend come, too.
This year’s 38-hour road trip included a few stops to see my brother-in-law’s friends, and a quick beer at one of his favorite college bar hangouts, The People’s Pint in Greenfield, Massachusetts. We stayed for the night in a DELUXE SUITE at the Comfort Inn (jk, but they did have free breakfast!). The next morning, we went into downtown Brattleboro to get delicious coffee at Mocha Joe’s. We were not the only ones with that idea – there was a line out the door! But we had stopped there the last time I went on the road trip, so I knew it was worth it. I got a maple latte, which was AMAZING, and we headed to the hill.
The town of Brattleboro’s biggest event! There were signs up in every store’s window. 
GREAT coffee. 
THE CREW!
Ski jumping is a sport that most people have seen on TV in the Olympics, and let me tell you, it’s nothing like how it is in real life. People plummet down ramps at 55+ mph with no padding or anything, and only skis on their feet. Then they free-fall/fly with their legs and arms akimbo like a flying squirrel, and somehow land on their two feet. And you can watch it from feet away from them. If you’re thinking, “WHAT?!,” then you’re thinking the same thing as me.
Each year, male and female jumpers in Junior, Open and Masters categories jump to their death. Well, hopefully not to their death, but it surely looks that way to a novice. Speaking of novices, the junior category is comprised of CHILDREN. And speaking of jumping to their death, we actually witnessed an injury this year, where a 14-year-old girl became unconscious after a fall. Thankfully she was fine, we followed up on her on the internet. Anyway, there is definite danger involved. And despite the fear of injuries, people come out every year to watch. It’s the most extreme sport I’ve ever seen up-close.
The competition began back in 1922 and is a two-day event that attracts jumpers from around the globe. This year, there were jumpers from Slovenia and Austria who jumped up to 102 meters down a hill and landed on their skis. It was amazing to watch. Even better with hot coffee in my hand and trail mix in my pockets. We watched the warm up jumps from the bottom of the hill, so they landed and skied right in front of us. Also, this put us next to the commentator’s tent. It was helpful to listen to the commentary, because I knew nothing about the sport, and they explained quite a bit as they were killing time. One of the commentators, Nicholas Fairall, was a former Olympian in the ski jump, who was paralyzed from an injury. Even with his injury, and after witnessing the 14-year-old girl lay unconscious on the snow, he said that the sport was “one of the safest.” I do not believe him at all, but I was still happy to watch safely from the sidelines.
Our view from the bottom. Look how high that is!! 
FAST BRAIDS! This was one of the jumpers. 
ALL FOR THE GOLD AND THE GLORY! 
These super young jumpers, ready to plummet.
The best part of a sport that consists of one single downward slope, is that there is no bad place to watch! After the warmup jumps and the first round, we went on the stairs up the side of the hill to watch the final round. Being on the stairs means that I could see exactly where they landed on the hill after they appeared from nowhere, flying over the edge of the slope. It is impossible to describe, so I will refer you to my Instagram videos for videographic evidence. It was thrilling to be so close to the action.
Our view of the bottom, once we went up the stairs. 
HOW COOL IS THAT!? 
They landed right in front of us! 
Spot the flying man! 
An almost-fall. 
And back up again!
The weather was GORGEOUS and sunny, but it was melting all the snow and ice from the previous days. After a few hours standing in cold slush, we left and grabbed lunch in town, then headed back toward New York. We took a final pit stop at another friend’s house and ate dinner at the quaintest place called The Norwich Inn, and continued our drive back to the city. We stopped one MORE time for food, because of course, at The Donut Dip in West Springfield, MA. The donuts were supposed to be phenomenal, but it was 9:30 pm at that point, so they were just ok. An ok donut is better than no donut, though. I’d like to go back and try them fresh in the morning. Maybe next time!
I can’t wait to go back and watch again. Maybe next year I’ll compete, the entry fee is only $25 and it includes lodging! KIDDING MOMMY, THAT WILL NEVER HAPPEN. But I will most definitely watch from the sidelines.
Next year… meet me at the top! 
That’s me!