Steamboat Springs’ Olympic hopefuls and women’s Nordic Combined National Team members have returned home for their shot at glory in the 20th annual Jumpin’ and Jammin’ Ski Jumping Extravaganza.

Erik Belshaw; Annika Belshaw; Decker Dean; Jason Colby; Niklas Malacinski; Ella Wilson, Alexa Brabec and Annika Malacinski, along with youth Nordic skiers from the Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club will put their skills to the test on the HS75 ski jump at Howelsen Hill on Friday for a elimination jump-off competition. 

Hosted by SSWSC, more than 80 of the top Nordic Combined and ski jumping athletes in the country compete with qualification jumps beginning at 9 a.m. Thursday. The event continues Friday with a Nordic Combined 1-kilometer run and 3-kilometer roller ski race at 9:15 a.m., prior to the Fourth of July parade on Lincoln Avenue. 

After the parade, the main ski jumping elimination competition will begin around 11 a.m. at the HS75 ski jump at Howelsen Hill. Athletes will soar up to 225 feet down the jump in front of a cheering crowd below around the jump flats. 

Last year, Wilson made history as the first female to take the event’s crown with a 74.5 meter jump in the final round. The event is the only summer ski jumping and Nordic combined competition held in the state of Colorado. The top-four competitors will receive prize money, as will the top female. 

Food trucks will be on-site and cold beverages will be available inside the venue. Spectators are encouraged to bring lawn chairs, umbrellas and a reusable water bottle. There will be a large hydration station available to refill water bottles. 

The extravaganza is free to the public with a suggested donation of $5 per person or $10 per family to the Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club athletes and the Nordic programs.

 For more on the event, visit SSWSC.org/events/4th-of-july-jumping-extravaganza.