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Needs to be cleared for takeoff

Call goes out for volunteers to help with snow removal at ski jump

VOLUNTEER PATRICK CROSSLEY of Kingsford clears snow off the scaffold stairs Wednesday afternoon. More volunteers with shovels are needed today and Friday to help clean off snow from the concrete stairs at Giant Pine Mountain. (Theresa Proudfit/Daily News photo)

IRON MOUNTAIN — While the weekend weather looks great for ski jumping, final preparations for the Bellin Health Pine Mountain Continental Cup competition will have to wait until the snow stops, Kiwanis Ski Club officials said Wednesday.

Lennie Walters, the chief of scaffold, said his crew is ready for the competition and are prepared for the prospect of working all night and into Friday morning to finish the hill.

“The track is beautiful, and it’s covered with a blanket, but we know it’s going to be snowing tomorrow,” Walters said Wednesday. Dickinson County is under a winter storm warning today, with 7 to 10 inches of snow possible, according to the National Weather Service.

Once the snow ends, “it’s call out everybody” to get the jump cleared, Walters said. Crews were out Wednesday shoveling snow that fell the previous night.

The ski club is looking for extra volunteers to help deal with today’s snow. The concrete steps and marker steps on the side of the hill will need to be cleared.

“You do not need a button to help shovel on Thursday or Friday, but please bring your own shovel, and we thank you in advance,” said Susie Fox, correspondence secretary. Volunteers work at their own risk.

The refrigeration system on the tower meant the rain Monday had little to no effect, he said.

But the final preparations will take time. “We have sidebars to put on, we have colors to put on, we have marker steps, concrete steps, steps on both sides of the scaffold to be shoveled. Friday morning at daylight, we will be putting the colors on the landing hill,” Walters said.

This isn’t the first time the hill crew has pulled an all-nighter to make sure the hill was ready for competition. In 2000, before the tower had refrigeration, they had to place snow on the scaffold seven times, Walters said.

“We don’t have to worry about that this year,” he noted. “The scaffold as far as the track goes is beautiful. We just have to get all the snow on top of it off.”

Although the parking lot previously had been prepared for the tournament, those who reserved space now will need to clear that area themselves before the competition, organizers said. “Individual spots will no longer be plowed or shoveled by the county or the Kiwanis Ski Club,” club president Nick Blagec said, adding, “We just can’t get to every spot to clean.”

While the tournament schedule had not been officially changed, officials acknowledged the weather will dictate when jumping can safely be done.

“We know in the Upper Peninsula that weather can change at any time. There is still a plan to do three competitions. We’ve done two competitions in one day before. The forecast for the weekend looks great; it’s just getting over the hump of Mother Nature’s inconvenience,” Fox said.

Walters agreed. “We have a little issue with wind. They are talking about winds (Friday morning) at 10 to 20 miles per hour. At 10 we are jumping, at 20 we’re not jumping,” he said. “Bottom line is, if it is too windy Friday, spectators should come early Saturday morning. We will have a trial run starting at 8 to 9 a.m., followed by two tournaments. The weather is supposed to really nice for the weekend.”

Gate prices starting Friday are $35 for adults, $30 for ages 11 to 17.

Any schedule changes and updates Friday, Saturday and Sunday will be announced on radio station 106.7 The Mountain.

In the meantime, “The athletes have arrived and will be milling around town. Make sure to welcome them to our community,” Fox said.

Recreation Lanes has offered free bowling to the teams, the Thomas Theatre group will provide free admission to a movie of their choice, and the Northern Lights YMCA and Bianco’s are letting them in to work out, Fox said.

After the competition has concluded, a Community Pride cleanup will take place starting at 10 a.m. Wednesday in the ski jump parking lots.

“We are hoping that everyone who has a tailgate party cleans up after themselves, but there is always more to do. Garbage bags will be provided, and we welcome and appreciate all who are willing to help,” Fox said.

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