Nels’ Leap 1929
Gwyn Evans/Greater Vernon Museum and Archives – May 31, 2020
In 2014, Kalamalka Rotary revealed the culmination of more than three years of work with the opening of Nels’ Leap Trail.
The trail’s steep twists and turns can be accessed at the top of 43rd Avenue and Alexis Park Drive, and connects to the Turtle Mountain portion of the Grey Canal Trail.
But why was it called Nels’ Leap?
The Kal Rotary team chose the name to honour athlete Nels Nelson, as the location was the site of his legendary ski jump some 91 years ago. On Feb. 3, 1929, cars lined the unpaved roads of what is now 43rd Avenue and Alexis Park Drive. Ski jumpers Nelson, E. Engen, Ole Olson and Karl Wallenstein were putting on an exhibition at the ski jump hill above the Kin Race Track.
On Jan. 31, 1929, the Vernon News reported, “Vernon people are to enjoy their first thrills of ski jumping on Sunday afternoon, February 3rd when on the hill west of the race track some of the best-known jumpers in the world will put on an exhibition. Nels Nelson, of Revelstoke, who holds the world’s record of 240 feet made at Revelstoke in 1925, will be one of the jumpers.”
Nelson was born in 1894 in Salangen, Norway. His family came to Canada in 1913 and settled near Revelstoke. There, Nelson quickly became involved in the skiing scene, and was instrumental in the establishment of the Revelstoke Ski Club. He became a competitive ski-jumper, and earned a number of trophies over the years. By the 1920s, Nelson was considered a skiing legend, competing as far away as the United States and he was the Canadian Champion ski jumper for five years between 1917-22.
In 1925, Nelson broke the world amateur ski jumping record at 240 feet, which also broke the professional mark of 229 feet. And he did while sick with the flu. The Vernon exhibition was a great success. A few days later, on Feb. 7, 1929, the Vernon News reported “Nels Nelson (had whizzed( through the air and (travelled) 1,600 feet down mountain side in 11 seconds – glorious weather (contributed) to enjoyment of large crowd – Nelson says hill can be made on which to break records.”
Despite Nelson’s approval of the hill, it was only used for one season before ski jumping activities moved to the slopes above the Vernon Golf Club. As for Nelson, his career was cut short only a few short years after his appearance in Vernon. During the winter of 1932, he was injured in a hunting accident that led to the loss of his hand. He never jumped again.
Nelson passed away in 1943, but his many feats have not been forgotten. He was inducted into the U.S. National Ski Hall of Fame in 1971, the Canadian Ski Hall of Fame in 1983, and the B.C. Sports Hall of Fame in 1984. In addition to his legacy immortalized by the Kal Rotary’s trail initiative, the Revelstoke “Big Hill” was renamed Nels Nelson hill in 1948.
