With a contrail from a passing airplane behind, George Maul of Steamboat Springs, Colorado soars through the air Sunday as he competes during the 41st annual Jumptoberfest at Norge Ski Club in Fox River Grove. (Ryan Rayburn / for the Daily Herald)
It’ll be many more weeks — we hope — before the snow starts falling, but there’s nothing that says a quintessential winter sport can’t be enjoyed under warm, sunny skies and high above lush, green grass.
And so it was that some of the top ski jumpers in the country met in Fox River Grove over the weekend for the Norge Ski Club’s 41st annual Jumptoberfest.
“I like flying through the air,” 10-year-old Caleb Bodwell, of Salisbury, Massachusetts, said Sunday as he carried his skis to return to the top of the hill during the 41st annual Jumptoberfest at Norge Ski Club in Fox River Grove. (Ryan Rayburn / for the Daily Herald)
After Saturday’s competition featured junior jumpers launching off the club’s 40-meter hill, Sunday was about the “Big Hill Thrill” of top-class skiers taking off from the 70-meter hill.
Spectators watch a ski jumper compete Sunday during the 41st annual Jumptoberfest hosted by the Norge Ski Club in Fox River Grove. (Ryan Rayburn / for the Daily Herald)
Pat Marek, center, of Fox River Grove, along with son Felix, 2, pose for a photo Sunday with Marty Knapp, also known as Marty the Viking, who has been dressing up for decades at Norge Ski Club events. The Fox River Grove club hosted its 41st annual Jumptoberfest over the weekend. (Ryan Rayburn / for the Daily Herald)
For those who enjoy the sight of flying skiers but prefer keeping their own two feet on the ground, there was a festival-like atmosphere on the ground, with food and drink and, of course, a chance to mingle with Norge royalty Marty Knapp, aka Marty the Viking.