I sure as heck don’t. I wasn’t even born yet.
Today’s post at deputy-dog.com is dedicated to temporary ski jumps, the kind that used to get erected in stadiums for ski jump exhibitions. And lo and behold, down at the bottom of the page, were two pics from “multnomah civic stadium in portland, oregon”, 1953:
According to the Ski Jumping Hill Archive, this jump was erected by the Cascade Ski Club during the Rose Festival in 1953. The ski jump was built at Civic Stadium, and at its highest point was 47 meters (154 feet) above the field. Four “ice powder machines” cranked out 200 tons of artificial snow, which lasted all week despite some classic Rose Festival weather: warm rain during the evenings.
The winner of the ski jumping competition, after four rounds, was Portlander Arne Hoel, with a best jump distance of 131 feet. This shouldn’t be too surprising, since Arne Hoel, competing for Norway, had finished sixth in the individual large hill ski jump at the 1952 Winter Olympics in Oslo.
Is there anybody out there that actually saw this ramp back in ‘53? If so, leave a comment and tell us about it!
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Thousands of Portlanders saw these jumps that packed the stadium stands in two successive Rose Festivals. One year I was the starter at the top of the in-run sending them on their way. The program closed with fireworks launched from the scaffolding. The manager warned me to run down the inrun walk right after the last jumper as it wouldn’t be safe during the fireworks launch. The first night I stayed on top to watch the show. From that point it looked rather dangerous, so the second night I followed advice and got down to the ground.
When that year’s winner, Arne Hoel, left to return to Norway, I ended up with his downhill skis.
Those were great Rose Festival shows in the stadium. I probably went to most of them, beginning in the very early 1930s.
PAgent, great post.
Bill, thanks for the great comment. It is wonderful to hear first hand experiences about these events. You’re stories should be recorded for Portland’s archives. Thank you Thank you Thank you for sharing.
Let me add my thanks to Dieselboi’s. Your comment really makes the post come alive, and it is most appreciated.
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