In late 2005, informal discussions began among a number of former ski jumpers in Minnesota. The impetus came from a desire on the part of several remaining members of the Aurora Ski Club of Red Wing, which disbanded in the 1950s, but which was one of the most important of the early clubs. There was a desire on their part to have some sort of recognition of their city as the birthplace of American ski jumping. Members of the St Paul Ski Club, which was founded in 1885 and is still operating, concurred with this designation, although in fact, records show that St Paul had held a tournament two weeks earlier. For many years, the 37 foot flight of Norwegian immigrant Mikkel Hemmestvedt in Red Wing has been published as the first American distance record. As a result of the deliberations of this group, The City of Red Wing was authorized to issue a proclamation in May 2006, recognizing their community as the "birthplace of American ski jumping."

The following slide presentation incorporates photos from a meeting at the St James Hotel in Red Wing in November 2006.

On Feb 2, 2007, a 24-page insert appeared in the Red Wing Republican-Eagle, containing historic pictures and articles about ski jumping in Red Wing. We want to recognize Jerry Borgen and Fred Johnson of Friends of American Ski Jumping, along with Annie Stumpf and Kayla Staub of the Republican-Eagle for doing a terrific job on this impressive insert! Click the link at top of this page to view a 2.8MB pdf file showing all 24 pages of the insert.

One of the immediate concerns among those who have been involved in our discussions has been to identify museums and private collections related to ski jumping. This would include such institutions as the National Ski Hall of Fame (Ishpeming MI) and the Engen Museum (Park City UT), the clubhouse collections at such places as the St Paul Ski Club and the Norge Ski Club (Fox River Grove IL), and individual collections and mini-museums. We have begun compiling a list, and it will be published on this website. We have created a form for submission of information regarding museums and collections, but we will NOT publish information about private collections, or contact information about them, without the express consent of the individual collector. You can view the "Museums & Collections" page via a link at the top of this page.

Inevitably, discussion of lasting recognition for ski jumpers crept into our conversations. While a number of jumpers have been enshrined in the National Ski Hall of Fame, the decline of numbers of US jumpers over the past fifty years, along with the growth of recreational skiing and snowboarding, makes the future recognition of jumpers by NSHF seem less likely. There have been some outstanding jumpers in the recent past, as well as the present, including members of the US Women's Team which was best in the world in 2006. These athletes, and those in future years, should know that their accomplishments will be recognized and remembered in a Hall of Fame dedicated to the discipline of ski jumping.

The general consensus among those who have attended meetings, or who have had individual discussions about the possibility of establishing a HOF for jumpers, has led us to believe it's time to explore how this might be done. While the folks from Red Wing are creating a permanent physical display including hall of fame pictures, biographies, and artifacts, all seem to agree that a HOF should be virtual ... i.e. web-based, and not confined to any specific location. A committee has been established to develop initial guidelines for nomination and selection.