Jack jumping, also known as Skibock in Europe, is an action sport that involves descending a slope that is covered with snow on a jackjumper. A jackjumper is a skiing device with a bench seat attached to a ski. The seat may be solidly mounted with a post, or sprung mounted with a shock-absorbing device. The origins of jack jumping, as well as its name, remain a mystery. The earliest jackjumpers date to the mid- to late 1800s. Early patents for jackjumpers were granted in the 1920s and the 1930s. Jackjumpers in the US, and Skibocks in Europe, are used today for both sport and recreation. There are numerous competitive events scheduled each year on both continents. [1]
The earliest jackjumpers were made in New England in the mid- to late 1800s. While many early jackjumpers were homemade, jackjumpers that were manufactured in the late 1800s can be found in museums and private collections. The oldest patent issued for a jackjumper goes back to 1914. The first European patent was registered in 1929 in the Federal Institute of Intellectual Property (Switzerland).
There are many legends as to the origins of jack jumping. Some claim the earliest ones were made from barrel staves for skis and handcrafted wooden posts and seats. These jackjumpers are said to be used by loggers. Others say is originated as a toy for children to enjoy in the winter. Whatever the case of origin, both adults and children alike have enjoyed jackjumpers for over a century.
Most jackjumper competitions, such as the Jack Jump World Championships held at Mount Snow, Vermont each year are downhill slalom racing. Slalom jackjumping is similar to slalom skiing. Participants complete on downhill race course constructed by laying out a series of gates. In slalom competitions, two jackjumpers race downhill through sets of gates to the finish line. [1]
In Europe The first Skibock World Championship took place on TschentenAlp on 19 March 2006. [2]
Eaglebrook School in Deerfield, MA has been holding jackjumping races at their Winter Carnival for over eighty years. [3]
Slalom is an alpine skiing and alpine snowboarding discipline, involving skiing between poles or gates. These are spaced more closely than those in giant slalom, super giant slalom and downhill, necessitating quicker and shorter turns. Internationally, the sport is contested at the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships, and at the Olympic Winter Games.
Skiing is the use of skis to glide on snow. Variations of purpose include basic transport, a recreational activity, or a competitive winter sport. Many types of competitive skiing events are recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), and the International Ski Federation (FIS).
Winter sports or winter activities are competitive sports or non-competitive recreational activities which are played on snow or ice. Most are variations of skiing, ice skating and sledding. Traditionally, such games were only played in cold areas during winter, but artificial snow and artificial ice allow more flexibility. Playing areas and fields consist of either snow or ice.
Snowboarding is a recreational and competitive activity that involves descending a snow-covered surface while standing on a snowboard that is almost always attached to a rider's feet. It features in the Winter Olympic Games and Winter Paralympic Games.
Alpine skiing, or downhill skiing, is the pastime of sliding down snow-covered slopes on skis with fixed-heel bindings, unlike other types of skiing, which use skis with free-heel bindings. Whether for recreation or for sport, it is typically practiced at ski resorts, which provide such services as ski lifts, artificial snow making, snow grooming, restaurants, and ski patrol.
Skiing, or traveling over snow on skis, has a history of at least eight millennia. The earliest archaeological examples of skis were found in Karelia and date to 6000 BCE. Although skiing's origins were purely utilitarian, the modern sport evolved from beginnings in Scandinavia, starting in the mid-1800s skiing became a popular recreational activity and sport, becoming practiced in snow-covered regions worldwide, and providing a market for the development of ski resorts and their related communities.
Skibobbing is a winter sport involving a bicycle-type frame attached to skis instead of wheels and sometimes a set of foot skis. The use of foot skis is what defines "skibobbing".
Vladimir Peter Sabich Jr. was an American alpine ski racer, a member of the U.S. Ski Team on the World Cup circuit in the late 1960s. He competed at the 1968 Winter Olympics and was the pro ski racing champion in 1971 and 1972. Sabich was killed by gunshot under controversial circumstances involving Claudine Longet in 1976.
Chimene Mary "Chemmy" Crawford-Alcott is an English former World Cup alpine ski racer. She competed in all five disciplines: downhill, super G, giant slalom, slalom and combined.
William Winston Kidd is a former World Cup alpine ski racer, a member of the U.S. Ski Team from 1962 to 1970.
The U.S. Ski Team, operating under the auspices of U.S. Ski & Snowboard, develops and supports men's and women's athletes in the sports of alpine skiing, freestyle skiing, cross-country, ski jumping, and Nordic combined. Since 1974 the team and association have been headquartered in Park City, Utah.
Combined is an event in alpine ski racing. The event format has changed within the last 30 years. A traditional combined competition is a two-day event consisting of one run of downhill and two runs of slalom; each discipline takes place on a separate day. The winner is the skier with the fastest aggregate time. Until the 1990s, a complicated point system was used to determine placings in the combined event. Since then, a modified version, called either a "super combined" or an "Alpine combined", has been run as an aggregate time event consisting of two runs: first, a one-run speed event and then only one run of slalom, with both portions held on the same day.
Paralympic alpine skiing is an adaptation of alpine skiing for athletes with a disability. The sport evolved from the efforts of disabled veterans in Germany and Austria during and after the Second World War. The sport is governed by the International Paralympic Committee Sports Committee. The primary equipment used includes outrigger skis, sit-skis, and mono-skis. Para-alpine skiing disciplines include the downhill, super-G, giant slalom, slalom, super combined, and snowboard.
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to skiing:
Robert Bruce Cochran is a former World Cup alpine ski racer from the United States.
The Lauberhorn ski races (Lauberhorn World Cup alpine ski races are among the highest-attended winter sports events in the world, attracting around 30,000 spectators each year. An established attraction is the airshow by the Patrouille Suisse, the aerobatic demonstration team of the Swiss Air Force. The 2016 races were held 15–17 January.
The 1957 NCAA Skiing Championships were contested at Snow Basin at Mount Ogden, Utah, at the fourth annual NCAA-sanctioned ski tournament to determine the individual and team national champions of men's collegiate alpine skiing, cross-country skiing, and ski jumping in the United States.
The 1964 NCAA Skiing Championships were contested at the Cannon Mountain Ski Area in Franconia Notch, New Hampshire at the eleventh annual NCAA-sanctioned ski tournament to determine the individual and team national champions of men's collegiate alpine skiing, cross-country skiing, and ski jumping in the United States.
The 1973 NCAA Skiing Championships were contested at the Middlebury College Snow Bowl in Hancock, Vermont at the twentieth annual NCAA-sanctioned ski tournament to determine the individual and team national champions of men's collegiate alpine skiing, cross-country skiing, and ski jumping in the United States.