Spokane loves ski jumping

For a few short years, ski jumping on a hill at the Wandermere golf course was all the rage. The sport that was born in Norway was promoted in Spokane as a spectacle for the whole family. In 1933, the event drew more than 20,000 spectators to watch ski jumping champions flight more than 120 feet off a ramp.  Skiing was becoming a popular sport and the Spokane Ski Club, the Selkirk Ski Club and the Spokane Mountaineers were working together to create a ski are at the top of Mount Spokane.  Organizers knew that the mountaintop was too far for casual visitors, so crews brought 1100 cubic yards of snow down to Wandermere to create the jump.  Cars were backed up down Division Street to Boone as crowds tried to get to the North side. The next year was going to be a big year, too, so the Spokesman-Review promoted a trophy with their name on it.

Read about the ski hill at Wandermere in Monday’s Then and Now column.

Read that past week’s Then and Now column, about manufacturing coal gas in Spokane, here .