News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1889-01-10
NOVEL SPORT IN MINNESOTA.
Ski Running by Scandinavians-
Jumping Nearly 100 Feet.

There is no one who can appreciate
the exhilarating sport of ski running in
its fullest measure but native of Scan
dinavia To him it is the national game,
mode of conveyance, the hygienio
treatment that stirs the sluggish blood
and brings a sparkle to the eye and color
to the cheek Here in the Northwest
| where SO many Scandinavians live the
sport has become an established one,
| and every one who has seen the daring
feats of some gayl y dressed runner on
pair of skis, looks forward with inter
est toward the coming winter, when the
hills are buried in snow and there is an
other opportunity of seeing the sport in
| dulged in. There is n ski association in
this city with about fifty members, mum
bered among which are some of the best
runners in the country. Last February
grand tournament was held on the
hills at Kenwood, which proved very
successful. After the tournament ban
quet and reception was given at Turner
Hall. The tournament proved SO sue
| cessful that it was decided to hold an
| other one this winter on larger scale.
One of the largest and brightest hills at
Kenwood has been secured, which gives
a course of nearly half a mile. Work
will be begun at once to clear away the
brush and trees, and as soon is sufficient
snow falls two jumps will be made. The
tournament will be made some timeneXt
month. Handsome and valuable prizes
and medals, including a Tribune badge,
will be given, and the tournament will
be open to Minnesota, Iowa, and Dako-
ia. 1t is expected that over 400 ski run
ners will be present. Among them will
be the famous Hemmelstred brothers OF
Hedemarken, Norway, the champion
ski runners and jumpers of the world.
Michael Hemmerstledt, one of the
brothers, was present at the tournament
last winter and made jump of seventy
two feet. His record, however, made
in Norway is ninety-five feet, the longest
jump ever made in the world. The con-
tests at the coming tournament will con-
sist of running, jumping, and fast rum
ming on the flats. There will also be
contests for local runners alone. Peter
Brensholm won the handsome Tribune
badge last winter. This will have to
como up for competition again in the
| coming contests.
In the old country, and even in parts
of this, skis are used to travel with, as
in some places where the snow is very
deep and the hills steep it would be al
most impossible to travel without them.
| Experts can traverse the highest hills
and the rockiest ravines on their skis at
| the rate of about seven and eight miles
! an hour. Mountaineers and peasants
| in Scandinavia use them almost entirely
in travelling about the country. 1t is no
novel sight to see in some inland berg
| hundreds of these peasants come i'll to
do their trading early in the morning
on skis.
A novel contest will occur here as
soon as sufficient snow falls. Four of
| the ablest runners in the city will start
| from the Tribune office at midnight on
skis for an overland trip to La Crosse,
| Wis, q distance of 141 miles. They are
expected to make the trip in twenty
eight hours without stopping or resting.
! All four men are experts on skis, and
are confident of making from six to
eight miles nm hour. One of them is an
old sailor, and he states that there is
no danger of their getting lost as they
will have q compass with them. None
of the men have ever Travelled the road
before, and the country is entirely
strange to them.
One incident which tends to show to
what practical uses the ski can be utiliz-
ed, is the fact of DR.. Nansen, crossing
Greenland, the inland ice, from the
east, with five picked Norwegian ski
runners.s They landed with skis on the
eastern coast of Greenland on July 7,
and after perilious march of forty-t
days arrived safely at Good Hope. DR..
Nansen is 81 years old, and CONSERVATION
OF the GEOLOGICAL museum of Bergen,
! Norway.-Ninneapoljs Tribune.