Ski jump preps continue

BREITUNG TWP. -- The Pine Mountain ski jumps are only a week away, and skiers from all over the world will be ready to hit the slope.  Before that can happen, however, a lot of work must be done to get the jump prepared.

During the course of the morning on Friday, front-end loaders hauled about three tons of snow to the jump.  Actually getting it onto the scaffold is done the old-fashioned way--by hand.  A sled attached to pulleys hauls snow and volunteers from the Kiwanis Ski Club up the slope--all the way to the top.

"We just fill the sled with snow and you see three guys riding it," explained Ski Club member Lennie Walters.  "They shovel it through and once it's all complete, then we will come down with another little yellow sled that we have and we'll skreet it just like you would a concrete job."

That's just the first step in the process.  Once the scaffold has been covered with snow, fire trucks will come in and spray 4,000 gallons of water over it in order to freeze and set the snow.

Everything must be carried out to the letter, since the jump must pass inspection by the International Ski Federation before it can be used in competition.  That means everything from the depth of the snow to the type of snow has to be just right.

"We want real crumbly snow at this point just so we don't have any cavities underneath, fill it in very tight," Walters said.  "If it's done correctly the first time, we don't have to go through this process again before the jumps."

If it's not done right, they do it again.  However, the volunteers have the process down to a science after years of experience.  Officials expect to have the jump ready by Saturday.  Ski jumpers will start arriving for practice runs early next week.