The Nansen Ski Club is the oldest continuously-operating skiing club in North America. Founded in Berlin, New Hampshire in 1872, the club took on its current name in the 1920s in honor of Norwegian explorer and humanitarian Fridtjof Nansen.

History

The club was founded in 1872 by

Norwegian Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to: *Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe * Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway * Demographics of Norway *The Norwegian language, including ...

immigrants in Berlin, New Hampshire, under the name Berlin Mills Ski Club, Berlin Falls Club, or North American Ski Club (in Norwegian, ''Skiklubben Nordamerikansk''). In the early 1920s, the name was changed to Nansen Ski Club in honor of the explorer Fridtjof Nansen (1861–1930). The club soon built a small

ski jump Ski jumping is a winter sport in which competitors aim to achieve the farthest jump after sliding down on their skis from a specially designed curved ramp. Along with jump length, competitor's aerial style and other factors also affect the final ...

in an area of town called Paine's Pastures. In 1936, the jump was too small and was falling into disrepair, and in 1937, with the help of the

National Youth Administration The National Youth Administration (NYA) was a New Deal agency sponsored by Franklin D. Roosevelt during his presidency. It focused on providing work and education for Americans between the ages of 16 and 25. It operated from June 26, 1935 to ...

, the new Nansen Ski Jump was constructed on the Berlin/

Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...

border. The "Big Nansen" was the tallest jump in the United States at that time, and in 1938 the first Olympic trials were held here. Although the ski jump closed in 1988, the club has continued. Restoration of the ski jump started in 2015, and led to a celebratory jump by Olympian

Sarah Hendrickson Sarah Catherine Hendrickson (born August 1, 1994) is an American retired ski jumper. She won the inaugural women's World Cup season in 2012, finished runner-up in 2013, and won an individual gold medal at the 2013 World Championships. Career ...

in March 2017.

References

{{Reflist

External links

Nansen Ski Club official website
Norwegian-American culture Organizations based in New Hampshire 1872 establishments in New Hampshire