Spectators await the next ski jumper as the landscape is seen at the 129th Annual Ski Jumping Tournament at Suicide Hill Ski Bowl in Negaunee. (Journal photo by Justin Marietti)

ISHPEMING — If winter is getting you down, maybe it’s time to learn to fly. The Ishpeming Ski Club will host the 131st annual Ski Jumping Tournament on Tuesday at the Suicide Hill in Negaunee.

Dozens of jumpers from all over the world will defy gravity — launching from the 90-meter ski jump in front of thousands of spectators at the world renowned Suicide Ski Bowl.

The event will begin with trial runs starting at 6 p.m.

Ishpeming Ski Club volunteer Peter Copenhaver said spectators should expect an exciting event infused with local history.

“It’s part of the cultural heritage of the Upper Peninsula.” Copenhaver said. “Scandinavians brought the sport here hundreds of years ago, and it’s something we are trying to bring back. This represents the legacy of Nordic Skiing in the Upper Peninsula. This was — and could be again — a mecca for skiers.”

ISC head ski coach Gary Rasmussen said athletes from as far away as Finland and Slovenia will compete as well as jumpers from several well- known skiing destinations around the United States including Steamboat Springs, Colorado and Park City, Utah.

“We have one of the premier ski jumping hills in the U.S.,” Rasmussen said. “There are only four Olympic size hills in the division, and we are one of them. In the whole U.S., there are only a handful of 90 meter ski jumps left.”

Snow accumulations of the last week and optimal temperatures will be positive contributors to the event, Rasmussen said.

“We have the equipment to handle this,” Rasmussen said, referring to the snow accumulations. “I am anticipating as wonderful conditions as you can have on a hill like that. This is really one of the greatest athletic events in the area.”

Copenhaver said members of the public will have the opportunity to try out their “wings” Saturday at 1 p.m. during a ski jumping session associated with the Heikki Lunta Festival in Negaunee on Saturday at 1 p.m. at the Suicide Bowl.

“We are jumping as part of the festival,” Copenhaver said. “If they want to try jumping we have all the equipment for anyone young and old to come out and try it.”

The proceeds from Tuesday’s event go toward the Ishpeming Ski Club’s Nordic Ski activities, which include not only jumping but cross country skiing for area youth, Rasmussen said.

“We underwrite the entire expense of running a ski school,” Rasmussen said. “We provide skis, boots, suits and helmets, and take care of all of the grooming at the hills. Every penny that we spend throughout goes toward that.”

Although the peak jumping occurs in the winter, Rasmussen said the middle and high school students from Negaunee and Ishpeming public schools who make up the Nordic Ski teams practice ski jumping year-round.

Rasmussen said volunteers are still needed for Tuesday’s events.

“We need probably another half a dozen distance markers,” Rasmussen said. “Those volunteers will get to stand right next to the hill and watch the skiers fly by.”

Rasmussen said everyone is invited to participate in the event, from jumpers to volunteers, to spectators.

“Ironically, we are still a rustic old ski club, and some people think that skiers wouldn’t like that, but it definitely has its own personality.”

Rasmussen said. “We are a real welcoming place and a great place for skiers to come to and jump.”

Spectators are encouraged to bring their whole families to tailgate; visit the concessions stand for food, drink and merchandise; ring their bells; or honk their car horns for a job well done, he said.

Buttons for the event are for $10 per person in advance and $15 at the gate. Kids 12 years of age and younger are admitted free. Buttons are available for sale from Ishpeming Ski Club members, Super One, Negaunee, Midtown Bakery, Wilderness Sports, Congress Pizza, Ishpeming Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame, Kassels Midway, Midway Rentals, Sports Rack, Downwind Sport and other local area outlets in Ishpeming, Negaunee and Marquette.

Anyone member of the public interested in more information or those who wish to volunteer for the tournament should visit the Ishpeming Ski Club Facebook page.

Lisa Bowers can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 242. Her email address is lbowers@miningjournal.net.