Red Wing

Sorins Bluff

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Bush Street Ski Hill:

K-Point:	30 m
Longest jump:	36.6 m (Torjus Hemmestveit , 1894-02-17)
Hill record:	31.4 m (103 ft) (Torjus Hemmestveit , 1893-01-15)
Year of construction:	1890
Operating until:	1905?
Coordinates:	44.558495, -92.514675

Tumble Valley:

K-Point:

25 m

McSorley Street Hill:

K-Point:	15 m
Hill record:	11.3 m (Mikkel Hemmestveit , 1887)
Year of construction:	1886
Operating until:	1890's
Coordinates:	44.561667, -92.525000

Further jumps:	no
Plastic matting:	no
Status:	destroyed
Ski club:	Aurora Ski Club
Coordinates:	44.558495, -92.514675

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History:

In 1886, in Red Wing, Minnesota, Norwegian immigrant Christian H. Boxrud led a group of his compatriots who founded the Aurora Ski Club, the second ski club in the history of the United States (after the Nansen Ski Club in Berlin, New Hampshire). Among the distinguished skiers of Aurora were the brothers Mikkel and Torjus Hemmestvedt from Telemark, who ran a ski school in Oslo and achieved success in the first Norwegian tournaments (before leaving for the States, both had King's Cups, won in the famous Husebyrennet competitions).
The first major ski jumping tournament organized by the Aurora club took place in 1887. It was then that the McSorley Street Hill ski jump, located on the northwestern slope of Sorin's Bluff, gained considerable fame. During the premiere competition in Red Wing, the first American record was set by Mikkel Hemmestvedt. It was a jump of 37 feet, or just over 11 meters. For this, he received 35 dollars in gold.
The great popularity of skiing in Red Wing and the successes of local competitors led to their jumping technique called "Red Wing Style" to be imitated by jumpers from other American clubs. Furthermore, it caused the need for further investment. A new area for the Aurora Ski Club, South Bush Street Ski Hill, was designated on the southwestern part of Sorin's Bluff, near 18th Street. It was more accessible to spectators, who could watch the skiing performances directly from one of the main streets of the town - Bush Street. A ski jump was built there, which became the main arena of local competitions for at least a dozen years. In the Aurora Club Championships in March 1891, Mikkel Hemmestvedt jumped 102 feet (31.1 m), the first world record set outside Norway. Two years later, Mikkel's brother Torjus further improved the distance by just one foot (0.3 m).
In 1905, two wooden stands with 250 seats were erected on the Bush Street hill "for ladies and their escorts". However, the Aurora Club soon lost the rights to use the land. A new hill had to be built, which was located on a different slope of Sorin's Bluff. It was a rocky slope in the Tumble Valley, above Wilkinson Street. This facility is remembered as a failure due to the very stony terrain, which caused problems for the competitors when landing, and also because of the unfavourable conditions for the spectators.
Subsequently, another Red Wing facility was built outside of Sorin's Bluff, specifically on Arne Charlson's farm.

1894-02-17:	36.6 m	Torjus Hemmestveit
1893-01-15:	31.4 m	(103 ft) Torjus Hemmestveit	WR
1891-03-09:	31.1 m	(102 ft) Mikkel Hemmestveit	WR

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Red Wing

Sorins Bluff

Data | History | Hill records | Contact | Links | Map | Comments

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