above: empire stadium, vancouver, april 30th 1958. source.
My intention today was to write about modern ski jumps (e.g. this beauty, designed by zaha hadid and this one from mr2) but then i came across the photos above and, in an instant, everything else paled into insignificance. there's just so much to love. look at the height of the thing (165ft by the way). look at the width. look at the amount of scaffolding (14 miles of it). How did people get to the top? imagine actually standing at the top. the mind boggles.
Turns out these temporary ski jumps were all the rage back in the black and white days, especially in stadiums, and i'm just so glad because they made for stunning photos. Another case in point: soldier field, 1954...
above: soldier field, chicago, 1954. source.
above: soldier field, chicago, 1954. source.
The enormous slope was covered with tons of crushed ice rather than snow. Also, this was the second version of the soldier field jump; the original, built in 1937, was made entirely of wood. Here's a frustratingly miniscule photo of it...
C you see it?
Then there's the 165ft tall jump in the coliseum, los angeles...
above: l.a. coliseum, 1938. source.
and the 167ft tall structure at dodger stadium in 1963...
and finally, multnomah civic stadium in portland, oregon...
They're all brilliant, hilarious and frightening in equal measure.
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