Building a better ski jump not so easy in urban area
By Justin Jouvenal
Wednesday, September 28, 2005
SAN FRANCISCO ? Finding the perfect hill for a ski jump may seem easy enough in a city famous for its steep inclines, but organizers said it took over a year of scouting, planning and engineering to find just the right spot for "Icer Air 2005."
After scouting hills in North Beach, Potrero Hill and Pacific Heights for nine months, organizers settled on the famous Pacific Heights hill on Fillmore Street between Broadway and Vallejo streets. They chose the run because of its stunning views of the Bay and because its grade made it a natural ski jump, but also because of a less obvious ? but more practical ? reason.
"There were no overhead wires," said Arne Morkemo, one of the organizers.
Once organizers settled on a hill they called in engineer Kristian Akseth to design an appropriate jump. Akseth said he designed the jump so that skiers and snowboarders won't get so much air that they might hit the telephone polls or homes, which appear uncomfortably close on either side of the run. Organizers said contestants should reach a height of 12 to 15 feet and sail as far as 50 feet off the jump, which is nine feet tall.
"It's very unlikely anything will go wrong," Akseth said. "I could pick a spot on the hill and go down the jump with my eyes closed and not hit anything."
The jump itself is built of jersey barriers covered with Styrofoam, which is then coated with snow. An army of 30 volunteers labored much of Thursday afternoon to construct it, but it was clear they were drawn to the event.
"I'm unemployed. It's either this or sitting on the couch," said Oliver Trixl, a 24-year-old skier.
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Thousands Watch Fillmore Ski Jump
Posted September 30, 2005 at 8:10 a.m.
SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) -- Cleanup work is now complete on Fillmore street after Thursday's controversial ski jump event brought thousands to the Pacific Heights neighborhood.
Crews had a deadline of 8:00 Thursday night to have everything out of the way. Traffic is moving smoothly through the neighborhood on Friday.
Thursday's event included lots of skiers, snowboarders, and assorted oddities. One couple literally took the plunge down the ski slope after getting married at the top of the ramp. Thousands of people jammed the makeshift ski run.
The event had its detractors including neighbors who fought granting permits for it. Still, many of those living in the area staked out prime seating to watch the jumpers in action.
The artificial snow surface allowed some skiers to get "big air" but snowboarders had a harder time clearing the ramp.
"It's pretty tough for snowboarders," boarding pro Shane Reide told KRON 4's Linda Yee. "There's more surface area and it picks up the moisture. It's like when you have a flat piece of glass on a wet table and trying to pick it up is really hard."
The event was moved to a Thursday to placate some neighbors but the timing didn't seem to have an effect on attendance with thousands skipping school and work for a chance to see some snow in San Francisco.
First prize for the ski jumpers was $10,000.
(Copyright 2005, KRON 4, All rights reserved.)
