{"id":5217,"date":"2024-02-18T12:40:37","date_gmt":"2024-02-18T17:40:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/betsiecurrent.com\/?p=5217"},"modified":"2024-09-23T16:50:16","modified_gmt":"2024-09-23T20:50:16","slug":"ski-jumping-from-norway-to-elberta-mountain-winter-sports-park-history","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/betsiecurrent.com\/index.php\/ski-jumping-from-norway-to-elberta-mountain-winter-sports-park-history\/","title":{"rendered":"Ski Jumping, from Norway to Elberta"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Long-forgotten \u201cwinter sports\u201d history still lives in the Elberta Hills<\/em><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

By Andrew Bolander
Current Contributor<\/strong>

In the 1920s, Ragnar \u201cReggie\u201d Robertson emigrated from his native Norway\u2014where he had learned to \u201cski jump\u201d\u2014to the United States, eventually making his way to Benzie County and leaving a lasting impact on the \u201cwinter sports\u201d scene here.  

Having begun in Norway in the late 19th century, ski jumping later spread throughout Europe and North America during the early 20th century. In ski jumping, competitors try to jump the farthest after going down a hill on their skis and then over a curved ramp for the jump; each competitor\u2019s \u201cstyle\u201d while in the air, along with other factors, go into their final score, as well as the length of the jump.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elberta
Ragnar \u201cReggie\u201d Robertson was the father of Elberta Mountain Winter Sports Park. Photo courtesy of the Benzie County Record Patriot<\/strong>.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Robertson was an employee of the carferries of the Ann Arbor Railroad, which operated between Toledo, Ohio, and Elberta\/Frankfort, Michigan\u2014the Ann Arbor Railroad was about 294 route miles, plus there were ferry services across Lake Michigan, from Betsie Bay to Wisconsin and back again, from 1892 to 1982. Robertson worked in the deck department and in maintenance for years.

While living and working here, Robertson got an idea to increase the availability of outdoor winter sports.

Elberta Mountain Winter Sports Park was a combination of a ski jump and hills for skiing, sledding, and toboggan runs. It was located in the Elberta Hills, the sand dunes which rest between the Village of Elberta and Lake Michigan, across the road from what is now Betsie Bay Marina. The property was and is still owned by Sand Products Corporation, a sand-mining company out of Muskegon. Sand Products leased the Village of Elberta rights to develop the area for winter sports, as long as large amounts of sand would not be contaminated.  <\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Elberta
Elberta Mountain Winter Sports Park was a combination of a ski jump and hills for skiing, sledding, and toboggan runs. It was located in the Elberta Hills, the sand dunes which rest between the Village of Elberta and Lake Michigan, across the road from what is now Betsie Bay Marina. Photo courtesy of Benzie Area Historical Society and Museum.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Robertson had selected the site along with his brother, Oscar Midland, who had been a member of Norway\u2019s Olympic ski jumping team in 1928.\u00a0\u00a0

Some ski jumps are built using steel framing\u2014perhaps some of you have visited \u201cSuicide Hill\u201d in the Upper Peninsula and have seen this type\u2014but the Elberta ski jump is what is known as a \u201cnatural\u201d ski jump, in that it used the natural environment already in place. (Of note: A 1951 article in the\u00a0Benzie County Patriot\u00a0<\/em>says that Elberta\u2019s ski jump was the \u201chighest natural ski jump in the state of Michigan.\u201d)

The only construction required for the ski jump was the approach for the jump. Robertson spent two weeks of his vacation clearing trees for the ski hill. The hill was given the unofficial name \u201cReggie\u2019s Leap.\u201d The valley below the jump was coined \u201cMcKee\u2019s Pass,\u201d in tribute to Max McKee, then-president of Sand Products Corporation. Robertson worked with Allen Blacklock, then-mayor of Elberta, and Gerald Vigland of the Elberta Mountain Ski Club (1951-1963), as well as many volunteers, to make the park operational.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Elberta
A ski-jumper at Elberta Mountain Winter Sports Park, with views of Betsie Bay and Lake Michigan. Photo courtesy of the Benzie Area Historical Society and Museum.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

The creation of the park was announced in December of 1948 by the Village of Elberta. From the Traverse City Record-Eagle<\/em>:  <\/a>

\u201cA former ski-jumper, Ragnar Robertson, of Elberta, a native of Norway, single-handedly cleared a 600-foot slope which overlooks\u2026 Frankfort for a ski run. The jump will be 200 feet. Known as the Elberta Mountain Winters Sports Park, the ski run will provide recreation for those who have been wanting a good ski jump in this region.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elberta
Elberta Mountain Winter Sports Park was a combination of a ski jump and hills for skiing, sledding, and toboggan runs. It was located in the Elberta Hills, the sand dunes which rest between the Village of Elberta and Lake Michigan, across the road from what is now Betsie Bay Marina. Photo courtesy of Benzie Area Historical Society and Museum.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Interestingly, according to the Benzie County Record Patriot <\/em>(February 2009), when the ski jump was completed in February 1950, Robertson had not done a proper ski jump himself since he had left Norway nearly three decades prior.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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