Copper Peak

For the mountain in Antarctica, see Copper Peak (Antarctica).

Copper Peak
Constructor(s)Lauren Larsen
LocationIronwood, Michigan, USA
OperatorGogebic Range Ski Club
Opened28 February 1970, Reopening October 2024
Renovated2023
Expanded1980, 1988, 2023
Closed1994
Size
K–point145 m
Hill size469 ft
Longest jump
(unofficial / fall)		159 metres (522 ft)
Werner Schuster
(25 February 1989)
Hill record158 m (518 ft)
Matthias Wallner
Werner Schuster
(22, 23 January 1994)

Copper Peak is a ski flying hill designed by Lauren Larsen and located near Ironwood, Michigan, United States. It was built in 1969 and inaugurated one year later.[1][2] The site was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973[3] and designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1971.[2] The site is currently used as a summer tourist attraction.[4][5]

History

Copper mining

In 1845, the Chippewa Copper Mining Company began mining work here, sinking a tunnel into the granite rock. They produced no copper and eventually closed. Around 1900 the Old Peak Company made further explorations, with no production. The 1845 tunnel is still visible.[2]

1969: Built

It all started in 1968 when a delegation from Gogebic Range Ski Club from Ironwood, Michigan came to visit civil/structural engineer Lauren Larsen in Duluth, Minnesota.

1970: Inaugurated

Built in 1970, Copper Peak remains the only ski flying facility in the Western Hemisphere. In 1994 a K-point on Copper Peak was at 145 meters (476 ft), allowing jumps up to 158 meters (518 ft). There have been no flights at Copper Peak since 1994. An exhibition tournament was announced for 2014 but was canceled.[6]

Between 1970 and 1994 there were ten competitions sanctioned by FIS and additional two international events were held.[7] The hill record is 158 meters (518 ft), set by Matthias Wallner and Werner Schuster (both Austria) on 22 and 23 January 1994, respectively. The hill was expanded in the 1980s, but the profile is still outdated compared to current standards.[8]

Renovation

The Copper Peak, Inc., has established the Copper Peak Organizing Committee for the purposes of raising funds to renovate the ski flying facility for FIS competition.[4] Some improvements to the facilities were made in 2012.[6]

On 14 July 2015 International Ski Federation announced "Copper Peak shall be reactivated" after an inspection of the facility by FIS Race Director Walter Hofer and Hans-Martin Renn who is the chairman of the FIS subcommittee for ski jumping hills. In October 2015, FIS awarded Copper Peak a Grand Prix Summer Series finale event held in September 2017 and a Summer Continental Cup and a Nordic Combined summer event in 2018.[9]

On 30 March 2022, the State of Michigan granted Copper Peak $20 Million for the re-introduction of international ski jumping events at Copper Peak. As of January 2023, construction has begun and is the ski jump is set to reopen in October 2024.[10]

Events

Date Competition Winner Second Third
28 February – 1 March 1970 KOP Jiří Raška Zbyněk Hubač Rudolf Doubek
3–4 February 1973 KOP Jerry Martin Tom Dargay Minoru Wakasa
2–3 February 1974 KOP Ron Steele Jerry Martin Petter Kongsli
7–9 February 1975 KOP Jerry Martin Jim Maki Shunichi Akimoto
29 February 1976 KOP Hans-Georg Aschenbach Hans Millonig Bernd Eckstein
2–5 March 1978 KOP Henry Glaß Jochen Danneberg Claus Tuchscherer
13 February 1981 WC Alois Lipburger Andreas Felder John Broman
14 February 1981 WC Alois Lipburger Andreas Felder Fritz Koch
15 February 1981 WC strong wind
25 February 1989 INT Franz Wiegele Werner Schuster Wolfgang Margreiter
3–4 March 1990 INT Stanislav Vasko Stefan Horngacher Franz Wiegele
22 January 1994 COC Terje Nyhus Werner Schuster Matthias Wallner
23 January 1994 COC Matthias Wallner Werner Schuster Frode Håre

Hill records

Date Length
27 February 1970   Greg Swor 78 m (255 ft)
1 March 1970   Zbyněk Hubač 134 m (440 ft)
3–4 February 1973   Akitsugu Konno 136 m (446 ft)
3–4 February 1973   Jerry Martin 137 m (449 ft)
3–4 February 1973   Akitsugu Konno 138 m (453 ft)
2–3 February 1974   Tom Dargay 144 m (472 ft)
2–3 February 1974   Jerry Martin 144 m (472 ft)
7–9 February 1975   Jerry Martin 147 m (482 ft)
29 February 1976   Hans-Georg Aschenbach 154 m (505 ft)
13 February 1981   Alois Lipburger 154 m (505 ft)
3–4 February 1990   Stanislav Vasko 156 m (512 ft)
22 January 1994   Mathias Wallner 158 m (518 ft)
23 January 1994   Werner Schuster 158 m (518 ft)

Chippewa Hill

The peak, also known as Chippewa Hill, is a felsite hill about three hundred feet in height. The hill slopes steeply to the north and south, and there is a steep bluff on the east side of the hill. The Copper Peak ski-slide and tower dominates the peak of the hill. The tower sits on concrete footings based in solid rock. An 1845 tunnel and several copper excavation pits are visible on the hill, and are not affected by the construction of the ski-slide.[2]

Mining

The hill, also known as Chippewa Hill and Old Peak, was the site of a mine owned by the Chippewa Copper Mining Company. Work began in 1845, but no copper was produced.[12]

See also

Two other ski jumps located in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan:

References

  1. ^ "Bad postcards: Copper Peak operators promise their ski flying hill is more impressive than card depicts". The Grand Rapids Press. September 6, 2011. Retrieved June 12, 2012.
  2. ^ a b c d Staff (2009). "Copper Peak / Chippewa Hill Peak". Historic Sites Online. Michigan State Housing Development Authority. Archived from the original on May 11, 2012. Retrieved June 26, 2010.
  3. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  4. ^ a b "Copper Peak ski jump poised to rejoin world stage". Duluth News Tribune. October 24, 2015. Retrieved October 24, 2015.
  5. ^ "Copper Peak Ski Flying Jump". National Geographic Traveler. Archived from the original on January 17, 2016. Retrieved May 12, 2014.
  6. ^ a b "Ski Flyers to Soar Again at Copper Peak in 2014". The Detroit News. Archived from the original on April 23, 2016. Retrieved November 17, 2013.
  7. ^ Baulch, Vivian M. (February 1, 2002). "Michigan's long history of ski jumping". The Detroit News. ISSN 1055-2715. Archived from the original on December 9, 2012. Retrieved February 13, 2011.
  8. ^ "Above It All at Copper Peak". lakesuperior.com. Retrieved December 19, 2014.
  9. ^ "Copper Peak ski flying set to return in 2017". The Daily Globe. Retrieved November 12, 2015.
  10. ^ Miller, Matthew (January 18, 2023). "Copper Peak, the largest ski jump in the Western Hemisphere, is set to reopen after decades of disuse". mlive. Retrieved January 20, 2023.
  11. ^ "Subaru International Ski Flying event 1989 (clip starts at 52:49)". ESPN. Retrieved May 17, 2019.
  12. ^ Ashlee, Laura R. (2005). Traveling Through Time: A Guide to Michigan's Historical Marker. University of Michigan Press. p. 140. ISBN 9780472030668.
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