Carl Howelsen: The Flying Norwegian
1 Mountain Town. 1 Ski Jump. Countless Olympians.
Skis didn’t start out as fun for nineteenth-century Coloradans – they were a practical form of transportation, the best way to get around in the mountain snow. By 1880 or so, Coloradans were starting to organize ski races and recreational gatherings. Norwegian ski champion Carl Howelsen took recreational skiing to a whole new level when he built a ski jump on a hill overlooking the town of Steamboat Springs in 1914. The small ranching and mining town became the one of the first Colorado communities to embrace skiing as a way of life. It’s no wonder, then, that Steamboat has produced more Winter Olympic competitors than any other town in the United States. Photo History Colorado, 10039896. Howelsen is third from the left.
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