Build the K36

Imagine being at the top of a ski jump and having no sight access to your landing. At this courageous moment, Salisbury Winter Sports Association’s young athletes need to trust their hours of training, their equipment, and their coaches. Much of the formula for a current SWSA jumper’s success relies on the generosity of access to facilities from a small handful of programs in the Northeast.

While the Annual Holiday Jump Camp at Satre Hill plants the seed and imagination for future successes, the ultimate progression to soar off Salisbury’s own impressive tower on Jumpfest weekend in February is missing a critical step: an intermediary jump between the 20M and the 70M. Right now, it feels like putting a person on the moon to make this step to the tallest tower. But, like the Apollo astronauts, our ambitious, aspiring program simply needs to modernize the steppingstones and training opportunities to make this a reality. SWSA’s current intermediate jump is nearly 75 years old and needs replacing, now. The future mission as an active, vibrant winter sports club relies on this, among other important upgrades.

Over the past 10 years, SWSA has systematically worked to rebuild, renew and revive ski jumping and the facilities at Satre Hill. The 16th Annual Holiday Jump Camp was held this winter with an attendance of over 30 junior jumpers. The new jumpers of 2024 were led by some coaches who were members of the first camp held in 2008. Facility upgrades to the smallest hill include a regrading of the landing hill, metal in-run tracks, a new trestle, upgraded snowmaking pipes and snow guns and the purchase of a state-of-the-art PistenBully snow groomer. A Nordic ski loop has been cut and is ready for cross-country skiing. In addition, the land has been cleared to better the sightlines for spectators, but also in preparation of replacing the 30M jump. These foundational steps are necessary to launch the next generation from the 70M steel tower at Satre Hill. SWSA has laid the groundwork with people and scaffolding and are ready for the next step.

Remember when you were driven by a dream that was fueled by profound opportunity and the vision of an attainable hero. The past and future Junior Olympians, many of whom go onto the World stage that compete in Salisbury every year are examples of the unique design and purposeful approach of the national ski jumping community. Salisbury Winter Sports Association has all the ingredients: partners in the local community, an amazing group of volunteers, consistent and committed leadership, and a generational legacy that exists in only a few select places in America. The core goals, beyond the remarkable events, are to build character and prepare our kids for life through winter sports and community relationships. Very few places in the United States can make this claim.

The last time SWSA undertook a fundraising effort like this, more than a decade ago, they achieved great success, raising $700,000 from over 500 donors, earning a celebratory feature in the New York Times. Thus, the legacy that started in 1926 endures, just as thousands of spectators and courageous jumpers from around the United States make the pilgrimage to the Northwest Corner each winter to test their skill in our second-to-none setting.

There is a bumper sticker from the last fundraising campaign that remains on a few cars in town, “Salisbury IS Jumping.” Anyone who has been around SWSA for even a day would NEVER disagree. Team SWSA does not ever show “how the sausage is made,” but only turns out national caliber events. The extensive snowmaking piles often start in late November. With an army of volunteers, the set up for the three hills sometimes stretches well into the night to prepare for Jumpfest and Junior Nationals. One only needs to spend an afternoon with this inspiring group to witness even a fraction of the deep community values they reflect.

The town of Salisbury and SWSA have a remarkable, well-earned ski jumping legacy, and there are talented, enthusiastic jumpers in the pipeline waiting for their turn. Truly, this tradition has endured, and SWSA is well positioned for this next step. The capital support to come will assure that future generations will be afforded the same opportunities, and SWSA can double-down on all its uniqueness. These jump and hill renovations are long overdue and essential for the program. The vision to come that supports SWSA’s mission will be our gift to the passion for winter sports and the dreams of our youth in the area forevermore. SWSA IS Jumping, and it is part of the fabric and tradition of our amazing town and area.

The Salisbury Winter Sports Association welcomes and relies on financial contributions to support ongoing improvements to Satre Hill and additional needs. Naming opportunities are available for parts of the new intermediate jump and the jump itself, as well as remaining building and program projects.

For further information regarding capital contributions 
please contact Peter Gilbert at peter.gilbert@jumpfest.org