A skier has just come off the ramp for the 70 meter jump at the Norge Ski Club Winter Ski Jump on Jan. 25, 2025 in Fox River Grove. (Photo by Karie Angell Luc/for Chronicle Media)

Seventy ski jumpers were expected to wow crowds Saturday and Sunday during the Norge Ski Club Winter Ski Jump Tournament in Fox River Grove.

The Norge Ski Club is celebrating 120 years in 2025.

Blue skies and outdoor temperatures of nearly 40 degrees prevailed Saturday with hopes of drawing an estimated 6,000 people over the two-day event.

“If we can get 3,000 people here each day, that would be a great tournament for us,” said Hunter Gibson of Cary, Norge Ski Club spokesperson.

Ski jumping is unique with no similar sport available locally that spectators “can come out and watch,” Gibson said.

“Something like this, the whole town comes out, people from the city, out of town,” he added.

“Just a great atmosphere overall,” Gibson said.

There were three opportunities Saturday to watch ski jumpers–from youth to adult. The first two jumps were on shorter hills. Attendance quickly increased as the 2 p.m. start of the 70-meter jumps neared.

Gibson has been a ski jumper for 18 years, starting at age 5, and has competed at the national level and overseas including in Europe.

Gibson said it was hard to explain what it’s like to do the 70-meter jump.

“It’s hard to describe, you’re just floating through the air,” he said.

“It’s a thrill, you get an adrenaline rush every single time,” Gibson added. “You’re going 50 miles an hour and

Fritz Gamber, 13, of Steamboat Springs, Colorado jumps at the Norge Winter Ski Jump. (Photo by Karie Angell Luc/for Chronicle Media)

and all the sudden you’re 10 feet in the air going 60 miles an hour and you just want to keep flying, flying and flying.

“It’s definitely like a bird,” Gibson said. “You’re just kind of gliding out there and don’t want to come down.”

Tailgating in the parking lot is a big part of the annual experience. Motorists flew political and international flags from their vehicles. People grilled sausages or brought eats such as jambalaya to share from warming pots.

“It’s always important to tailgate,” said Ben Schoepke, formerly of Algonquin and now of Chicago’s Lakeview neighborhood.

“It’s always a necessity,” his pal Caden Nolen of Marengo said about tailgating.

Fritz Gamber, 13, of Steamboat Springs, Colorado jumped on a shorter hill and noted, “nice conditions but the track is a little sketchy though.”

Clara Keller, 11, a sixth-grader and jumper also from Steamboat Springs, also described hill conditions as “sketchy.”

Brittany Cooley, 4, of Arlington Heights, slides down a snow hill with her siblings. (Photo by Karie Angell Luc/for Chronicle Media)

There was at least one international participant for the 70-meter Saturday jumps who had concerns about the winds that picked up in the afternoon. However, below, the audience cheered, rang cowbells and blew horns in jubilation for a steady stream of jumpers.

Jennifer Cooley of Arlington Heights came on Saturday for the first time, bringing children Tiffany, 11; Donovan, 8; Darren, 13; and Brittany, 4.

The Cooley siblings were seen sliding down a snowy hill before opening ceremonies in a program which included the Pledge of Allegiance and national anthem.

“It’s pretty cool,” Jennifer Cooley said of the family memory maker. “We’ve always wanted to do it and the weather’s great.”

Hunter Gibson had a message to all about ski-jumping appreciation.

“There’s nothing like it,” Gibson said. “It’s one of a kind.”

Visit https://norgeskiclub.org/tournaments/.