Competitive skiing as a sport developed in Norway in the later part of the 19th century.
Later, Norheim migrated to the United States and started developing the sport in that country.
Riding on this new wave of popularity, many large American sports stadiums began staging ski jumping events.
A temporary ski jump erected at Soldier Field, in Chicago, in 1936.
Image credit:www.skisprungschanzen.com
In 1936, Soldier Field in Chicago hosted the first such competition.
Over this crushed ice was sprinkled.
The event proved so successful that the ski jump was built again the following year.
140 jumpers competed in the event in front of nearly 60,000 spectators.
The competition was held yet again in 1938, after which there was a 16-year hiatus.
The final event took place in 1954.
Soldier Field wasnt the only stadium to play host to ski-jumping competitions.
Many American cities began hosting similar events in equally unusual places.
The jumps structure was built using tubular steel and crushed ice was used for the jump and landing pad.
A ski jump in Empire Stadium in Vancouver in 1958.
Image credit:www.skisprungschanzen.com
Multnomah Civic Stadium Ski Jump in Portland, 1953.
