Nels Nelsen
Encyclopedia
Nels Nelsen born Nils Johan Nilsen and sometimes incorrectly referred to as Nels Nelson, was a Norwegian
-born Canadian
ski jumper and later ski jumping organizer. He was among the world's best ski jumpers during the 1920s, and held the world record of 73 meters from 1925 to 1930. Born in Salangen
, he moved with his family to Revelstoke, British Columbia
, in 1913. He quickly became the town's best ski jumper, making his debut in the town's Big Hill
in 1916. He competed throughout Canada and the United States, and became Canadian champion five times. Despite holding the world record at the time, he was not allowed to participate in the 1928 Winter Olympics
because the officials did not find it suitable for him to have to work his way to Switzerland.
Nelsen worked for the Canadian Pacific Railway
, and moved to North Vancouver, British Columbia
, where he raised a family. Nelsen lost his hand in a hunting accident in 1933, and was forced to retire as a ski jumper. He continued as an organizer, and was among other things president of the Western Canada Amateur Ski Association and later vice-president of the Canadian Amateur Ski Association. In 1948, after Big Hill had been expanded, it was renamed Nels Nelsen Hill. Nelsen was inscribed in the U.S. National Ski Hall of Fame
in 1971 and the Canadian Ski Hall of Fame
in 1983.
in Salangen
on 3 June 1894, as the oldest of six children. As a child, Nelsen was an active skier and ski jumper, with more than fifteen ski jumps located in the area. In 1913, his family emigrated to Big Eddy near Revelstoke. Once in Canada, he anglicized his name. His brother, Ivind Nilsen was also a champion ski jumper, and became among other things Boy's World Champion in 1922. Ivind, who chose not to anglicize his last name, was known for his supreme style, while Nels was better known for his length. Nelsen married Emma Pickard, with whom he had ten children. Except for a brief period as a ski instructor, he worked as a brakeman
and conductor
for the Canadian Pacific Railway
, whose flexibility made it easer to participate in tournaments. He moved to North Vancouver where he raised his family.
Nelsen traveled throughout Canada and the United States to attend ski jumping competitions. In British Columbia
, he attended competitions in Nelson
, Trail
, Rossland
, Princeton
, Kamloops, Sandon
, Nakusp
, Kimberley
and Cranbrook
. In Alberta
, he attended tournaments in Calgary
, Edmonton
, Banff
and Camrose
; in eastern Canada in Ottawa
and Montreal
. In the United States, he attended events in Mount Rainier
and Leavenworth
in Washington; Dillon
, Steamboat Springs
and Denver in Colorado
; Salt Lake City; and Brattleboro, Vermont
. He became Canadian champion five times, in 1917, 1918, 1919, 1920 and 1922. His various best jumps were Canadian records from 1916 to 1932.
During the 1925 Winter Carnival Tournament, Nelsen, sick with influenza
, set a world record at the Big Hill. Jumping 73 meters (240 ft), the record remained until it was broken by Adolph Badrut at Tremplin de Bretaye
in Switzerland in 1930, who jumped 75 metres (246.1 ft). However, Bob Lymburne was able to again claim the world record for the Big Hill, when he jumped 82 metres (269 ft) in 1932. Although accepted as a record, it was not at the time favored in Europe to stress distance records. This was because it was regarded that simply building a larger hill would undoubtedly give a longer jump, and in part because such records did not take style into consideration. Nelsen and Melbourne McKenzie planned to travel to St. Moritz
, Switzerland, to attend the 1928 Winter Olympics
, but lack of funding meant that they planned for work for their fare on a freighter. These plans were stopped by officials from the British delegation, who felt it was inappropriate and not fitting for the team, and Nelsen never competed in any Winter Olympics. Nelsen kept his amateur status, but did well against professionals those times he competed against them. During the winter of 1932, he worked as a ski instructor in Quebec
. In a hunting accident in 1932, he lost an arm, and never jumped again.
. In 1927, he helped establish a ski jump in Grouse Mountain
in North Vancouver. After his accident, he started working to establish Field Ski Club in Field, British Columbia, where he spent time between trains. He promoted a strict adherence to the amateur code
, and stated that debates regarding professionalism were disruptive for the United States National Ski Association.
Traditionally, governing of skiing in Canada was split between the Canadian Amateur Ski Association (CASA) and the Western Canada Amateur Ski Association (WCASA). Nelsen was the latter's president, and after years of rivalry, which even reached the point where they did not recognize each other, Nelsen eventually was part of the negotiation for an amalgamation which took into consideration the needs of the western clubs. Nelsen subsequently became vice-president of CASA from 1934.
He died of heart failure in Field on 3 June 1943—his 49th birthday. In 1948, after Big Hill had been expanded, it was renamed Nels Nelsen Hill. Nelsen was inscribed in the U.S. National Ski Hall of Fame
in 1971, the Canadian Ski Hall of Fame
in 1983, and the following year in the BC Sports Hall of Fame
.
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
-born Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
ski jumper and later ski jumping organizer. He was among the world's best ski jumpers during the 1920s, and held the world record of 73 meters from 1925 to 1930. Born in Salangen
Salangen
Salangen is a municipality in Troms county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Sjøvegan, where most of the people in the municipality live. The municipality is situated along the Sagfjord, and also includes some inland valleys...
, he moved with his family to Revelstoke, British Columbia
Revelstoke, British Columbia
Revelstoke is a city in southeastern British Columbia, Canada. It is located east of Vancouver, and west of Calgary, Alberta. The city is situated on the banks of the Columbia River just south of the Revelstoke Dam and near its confluence with the Illecillewaet River...
, in 1913. He quickly became the town's best ski jumper, making his debut in the town's Big Hill
Nels Nelsen Hill
Nels Nelsen Hill, originally Big Hill, is an abandoned ski jumping hill complex located in Mount Revelstoke National Park near Revelstoke, British Columbia, Canada. Originally built in 1916, it was the first ski jumping venue in Canada and saw four world records set until 1933...
in 1916. He competed throughout Canada and the United States, and became Canadian champion five times. Despite holding the world record at the time, he was not allowed to participate in the 1928 Winter Olympics
1928 Winter Olympics
The 1928 Winter Olympics, officially known as the II Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated February 11–19, 1928 in St. Moritz, Switzerland. The 1928 Games were the first true Winter Olympics held on its own as they were not in conjunction with a Summer Olympics...
because the officials did not find it suitable for him to have to work his way to Switzerland.
Nelsen worked for the Canadian Pacific Railway
Canadian Pacific Railway
The Canadian Pacific Railway , formerly also known as CP Rail between 1968 and 1996, is a historic Canadian Class I railway founded in 1881 and now operated by Canadian Pacific Railway Limited, which began operations as legal owner in a corporate restructuring in 2001...
, and moved to North Vancouver, British Columbia
North Vancouver, British Columbia
There are two municipalities in the Greater Vancouver region of British Columbia, Canada, that use the name North Vancouver. These are:*The City of North Vancouver...
, where he raised a family. Nelsen lost his hand in a hunting accident in 1933, and was forced to retire as a ski jumper. He continued as an organizer, and was among other things president of the Western Canada Amateur Ski Association and later vice-president of the Canadian Amateur Ski Association. In 1948, after Big Hill had been expanded, it was renamed Nels Nelsen Hill. Nelsen was inscribed in the U.S. National Ski Hall of Fame
National Ski Hall of Fame
The U.S. Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame and Museum is located in the City of Ishpeming in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, the birthplace of organized skiing in the United States...
in 1971 and the Canadian Ski Hall of Fame
Canadian Ski Hall of Fame
The Canadian Ski Hall of Fame was created by the Canadian Ski Museum in 1982 to honour skiing pioneers, competitors, coaches, officials, and builders.-A:*Dennis Adkin, 1983**Pierre Alain, 1984*Verne Anderson, 1990**Peter Andrews, 1994...
in 1983.
Early and personal life
He was born Nils Johan Nilsen to a Norwegian family in SeljeskogSeljeskog
Seljeskog is a neighborhood in Salangen, Norway. It has a sports team, Seljeskog IL....
in Salangen
Salangen
Salangen is a municipality in Troms county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Sjøvegan, where most of the people in the municipality live. The municipality is situated along the Sagfjord, and also includes some inland valleys...
on 3 June 1894, as the oldest of six children. As a child, Nelsen was an active skier and ski jumper, with more than fifteen ski jumps located in the area. In 1913, his family emigrated to Big Eddy near Revelstoke. Once in Canada, he anglicized his name. His brother, Ivind Nilsen was also a champion ski jumper, and became among other things Boy's World Champion in 1922. Ivind, who chose not to anglicize his last name, was known for his supreme style, while Nels was better known for his length. Nelsen married Emma Pickard, with whom he had ten children. Except for a brief period as a ski instructor, he worked as a brakeman
Brakeman
A brakeman is a rail transport worker whose original job it was to assist the braking of a train by applying brakes on individual wagons. The advent of through brakes on trains made this role redundant, although the name lives on in the United States where brakemen carry out a variety of functions...
and conductor
Conductor (transportation)
A conductor is a member of a railway train's crew that is responsible for operational and safety duties that do not involve the actual operation of the train. The title of conductor is most associated with railway operations in North America, but the role of conductor is common to railways...
for the Canadian Pacific Railway
Canadian Pacific Railway
The Canadian Pacific Railway , formerly also known as CP Rail between 1968 and 1996, is a historic Canadian Class I railway founded in 1881 and now operated by Canadian Pacific Railway Limited, which began operations as legal owner in a corporate restructuring in 2001...
, whose flexibility made it easer to participate in tournaments. He moved to North Vancouver where he raised his family.
Athletic career
Nelsen won the home-town Winter Carnival Tournament, setting the hill record of 56 meters (183 ft) in Big Hill in the inauguration tournament in 1916. With this and subsequent better distances, he would hold the hill record in Revelstoke until 1932. In 1916, he won the Championship of Canada Ski Jumping Contest, which he would subsequently defend every year until 1920. He continued by setting the Canadian amateur record in 1920, and breaking it again in 1921 and 1923. He was among the most successful jumpers in Canada from 1916 to 1925, taking home most trophies. Among his methods to improve his jumps was placing pieces of lead at the front or back of the skies to give optimal balance.Nelsen traveled throughout Canada and the United States to attend ski jumping competitions. In British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
, he attended competitions in Nelson
Nelson, British Columbia
Nelson is a city located in the Selkirk Mountains on the extreme West Arm of Kootenay Lake in the Southern Interior of British Columbia, Canada. Known as "The Queen City", and acknowledged for its impressive collection of restored heritage buildings from its glory days in a regional silver rush,...
, Trail
Trail, British Columbia
Trail is a city in the West Kootenay region of the Interior of British Columbia, Canada.-Geography:Trail has an area of . The city is located on both banks of the Columbia River, approximately 10 km north of the United States border. This section of the Columbia River valley is located between the...
, Rossland
Rossland, British Columbia
Rossland is a city in the West Kootenay region of British Columbia.Tucked high in the Monashee Mountains, Rossland is at an elevation of 1023 metres . Population today is approximately 3500; a number that fluctuates from season to season. The population is at its peak during the winter...
, Princeton
Princeton, British Columbia
Princeton is a small town in the Similkameen region of southern British Columbia, Canada. It lies just east of the Cascade Mountains, which continue south into Washington, Oregon and California. The Tulameen and Similkameen Rivers converge here...
, Kamloops, Sandon
Sandon, British Columbia
Sandon is a ghost town in British Columbia, Canada. It is also the birthplace of hockey Hall of Fame member Cecil "Tiny" Thompson.-Location:Sandon is located in the Selkirk Mountains, about ten kilometers east of the town of New Denver.-History:...
, Nakusp
Nakusp, British Columbia
The Village of Nakusp is a small community located on the shores of Upper Arrow Lake, a portion of the Columbia River, in the West Kootenay region of British Columbia...
, Kimberley
Kimberley, British Columbia
Kimberley is a small city in southeast British Columbia, Canada along Highway 95A between the Purcell and Rocky Mountains. Kimberley was named in 1896 after the Kimberley mine in South Africa. From 1917 to 2001, it was the home to the world's largest lead-zinc mine, the Sullivan Mine...
and Cranbrook
Cranbrook, British Columbia
Cranbrook, British Columbia is a city in southeast British Columbia, located on the west side of the Kootenay River at its confluence with the St. Mary's River, It is the largest urban centre in the region known as the East Kootenay. As of 2006, Cranbrook's population is 18,267, and the...
. In Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
, he attended tournaments in Calgary
Calgary
Calgary is a city in the Province of Alberta, Canada. It is located in the south of the province, in an area of foothills and prairie, approximately east of the front ranges of the Canadian Rockies...
, Edmonton
Edmonton
Edmonton is the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta and is the province's second-largest city. Edmonton is located on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Capital Region, which is surrounded by the central region of the province.The city and its census...
, Banff
Banff, Alberta
Banff is a town within Banff National Park in Alberta, Canada. It is located in Alberta's Rockies along the Trans-Canada Highway, approximately west of Calgary and east of Lake Louise....
and Camrose
Camrose, Alberta
Camrose is a city in central Alberta, Canada, amid some of the richest farmland in the prairies. It is a relatively small city which originally grew up along a railroad and now grows along Highway 13. Camrose is a scenic community with many parks, leading to its moniker "The Rose City"...
; in eastern Canada in Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
and Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
. In the United States, he attended events in Mount Rainier
Mount Rainier
Mount Rainier is a massive stratovolcano located southeast of Seattle in the state of Washington, United States. It is the most topographically prominent mountain in the contiguous United States and the Cascade Volcanic Arc, with a summit elevation of . Mt. Rainier is considered one of the most...
and Leavenworth
Leavenworth, Washington
Leavenworth is a city in Chelan County, Washington, United States. It is part of the Wenatchee–East Wenatchee Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 1,965 at the 2010 census. The entire town center is modelled on a Bavarian village.-History:...
in Washington; Dillon
Dillon, Colorado
Dillon is a home rule municipality in Summit County, Colorado, United States. The population was 802 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Dillon is located at ....
, Steamboat Springs
Steamboat Springs, Colorado
The city of Steamboat Springs is a Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat and the most populous city of Routt County, Colorado, United States. The city is also known as "Steamboat," "The Boat," or "Ski Town USA". As of the 2010 census, the city population was 12,088.The city is an...
and Denver in Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
; Salt Lake City; and Brattleboro, Vermont
Brattleboro, Vermont
Brattleboro, originally Brattleborough, is a town in Windham County, Vermont, United States, located in the southeast corner of the state, along the state line with New Hampshire. The population was 12,046 at the 2010 census...
. He became Canadian champion five times, in 1917, 1918, 1919, 1920 and 1922. His various best jumps were Canadian records from 1916 to 1932.
During the 1925 Winter Carnival Tournament, Nelsen, sick with influenza
Influenza
Influenza, commonly referred to as the flu, is an infectious disease caused by RNA viruses of the family Orthomyxoviridae , that affects birds and mammals...
, set a world record at the Big Hill. Jumping 73 meters (240 ft), the record remained until it was broken by Adolph Badrut at Tremplin de Bretaye
Tremplin de Bretaye
Tremplin de Bretaye was a ski jumping hill located at Villars in Switzerland. Owned by SC Villars, it had a K-point at 80 meters.Three world records in the ski jumping has been set at Tremplin de Bretaye.-World records:-External links:...
in Switzerland in 1930, who jumped 75 metres (246.1 ft). However, Bob Lymburne was able to again claim the world record for the Big Hill, when he jumped 82 metres (269 ft) in 1932. Although accepted as a record, it was not at the time favored in Europe to stress distance records. This was because it was regarded that simply building a larger hill would undoubtedly give a longer jump, and in part because such records did not take style into consideration. Nelsen and Melbourne McKenzie planned to travel to St. Moritz
St. Moritz
St. Moritz is a resort town in the Engadine valley in Switzerland. It is a municipality in the district of Maloja in the Swiss canton of Graubünden...
, Switzerland, to attend the 1928 Winter Olympics
Ski jumping at the 1928 Winter Olympics
The men's ski jumping at the 1928 Winter Olympics took place at Olympiaschanze St. Moritz on 18 February. Thirty-eight competitors from thirteen nations competed, with the event being won by Norway's Alf Andersen ahead of countryman Sigmund Ruud; Czechoslovakia's Rudolf Burkert came in...
, but lack of funding meant that they planned for work for their fare on a freighter. These plans were stopped by officials from the British delegation, who felt it was inappropriate and not fitting for the team, and Nelsen never competed in any Winter Olympics. Nelsen kept his amateur status, but did well against professionals those times he competed against them. During the winter of 1932, he worked as a ski instructor in Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
. In a hunting accident in 1932, he lost an arm, and never jumped again.
Organizer career and legacy
After arriving in Revelstoke, Nelsen was instrumental in the establishment of Revelstoke Ski Club and the Big Hill located within Mount Revelstoke National ParkMount Revelstoke National Park
Mount Revelstoke National Park is located adjacent to the city of Revelstoke, British Columbia, Canada. The park is relatively small for a national park, covering 260 square kilometres. It is located in the Selkirk Mountains and was founded in 1914...
. In 1927, he helped establish a ski jump in Grouse Mountain
Grouse Mountain
Grouse Mountain is one of the North Shore Mountains of the Pacific Ranges in North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Exceeding 1,200 m in altitude at its peak, is the site of an alpine ski area in the winter season overlooking Greater Vancouver with four chairlifts facilitating 26 runs...
in North Vancouver. After his accident, he started working to establish Field Ski Club in Field, British Columbia, where he spent time between trains. He promoted a strict adherence to the amateur code
Amateur sports
Amateur sports are sports in which participants engage largely or entirely without remuneration. Sporting amateurism was a zealously guarded ideal in the 19th century, especially among the upper classes, but faced steady erosion throughout the 20th century with the continuing growth of pro sports...
, and stated that debates regarding professionalism were disruptive for the United States National Ski Association.
Traditionally, governing of skiing in Canada was split between the Canadian Amateur Ski Association (CASA) and the Western Canada Amateur Ski Association (WCASA). Nelsen was the latter's president, and after years of rivalry, which even reached the point where they did not recognize each other, Nelsen eventually was part of the negotiation for an amalgamation which took into consideration the needs of the western clubs. Nelsen subsequently became vice-president of CASA from 1934.
He died of heart failure in Field on 3 June 1943—his 49th birthday. In 1948, after Big Hill had been expanded, it was renamed Nels Nelsen Hill. Nelsen was inscribed in the U.S. National Ski Hall of Fame
National Ski Hall of Fame
The U.S. Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame and Museum is located in the City of Ishpeming in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, the birthplace of organized skiing in the United States...
in 1971, the Canadian Ski Hall of Fame
Canadian Ski Hall of Fame
The Canadian Ski Hall of Fame was created by the Canadian Ski Museum in 1982 to honour skiing pioneers, competitors, coaches, officials, and builders.-A:*Dennis Adkin, 1983**Pierre Alain, 1984*Verne Anderson, 1990**Peter Andrews, 1994...
in 1983, and the following year in the BC Sports Hall of Fame
BC Sports Hall of Fame
For over 40 years, the community has entrusted the BC Sports Hall of Fame and Museum with the responsibility to collect, preserve, study, and interpret materials that relate to British Columbia’s rich sport history...
.