Have you wondered why Steamboat Springs often sends hometown athletes to the Olympics in the Nordic Combined events? Ski Jumping has been taking place in Steamboat since the early 1900's. Carl Howelsen pioneered jumps on the old Woodchuck Hill, located high above town where the Colorado Mountain Alpine Campus currently resides. Spectators used to come out and watch Carl on his wooden skis soar off Woodchuck Hill, a dare so few would attempt. Carl made such a legacy in the world of skiing and ski jumping that Howelsen Hill, located across the river from Woodchuck Hill was named after Howelsen to help his legacy live on.
Howelsen Hill (home of the Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club) also boasts one of the largest selections of ski jumps in North America with seven jumps ranging from a “bump jump” for beginners to the Olympic-sized HS100 and HS127-meter jumps. Howelsen Hill also offers 25 kilometers of exciting and challenging homologated cross-country trails for our Nordic Combined athletes.
Join the Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club for the Hitchen's Brothers Jump Night, hosted Wednesdays during the winter season. Come on down to the spectator viewing area just below the jumps and watch kids of all ages give their best soar through the sky. Jumps usually start around 5:00 p.m. and go on for an hour or two. Casually swing by or watch from the heated Olympian Hall where you can have your taste at hot cocoa and some other snacks. Not many ski towns have a famous ski jumping complex right in downtown, but Steamboat Springs does, so come on down and watch these future Olympians take their best flight.
