Photo: Park City Ski and Snowboard

PARK CITY, Utah — National-team athletes and pint-size learners will launch off the same ramps July 19 as the 26th Springer Tournee transforms Utah Olympic Park into a summer ski-jumping festival with food trucks, live music and a target-style “Spin the Wheel” contest.

Gates open at 5 p.m. MDT, followed by a practice round and an opening set from local band The Last Wild Buffalo. The beer garden—stocked by Heber Valley Brewing and a lineup of food trucks run from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. The main attraction, a two-hour jumping competition on the HS-130 Olympic hill, starts at 5:30 p.m.; The Last Wild Buffalo closes the night with a 7:30 p.m. concert.

“We’re building off the energy of last year,” said Adam Loomis, Nordic combined program director for Park City Ski & Snowboard. “This format lets any athlete win, whether they’re a national-team veteran or a teenager trying the big hill for the first time.”

A North American spin on a European classic

Springer Tournee began as a two-venue series shared by Calgary and Park City, modeled after Europe’s storied Four Hills Tour. Calgary’s jumps have since closed, but the Park City stop endured, condensing into a single week of training, youth clinics and competition on every hill—from a “really small learner hill” for under-10s to the HS-130 Olympic ramp.

“In some ways, we’ve kept true to the original vision,” Loomis said. “We still bring athletes of all ages together and pair them with national-team skiers so the up-and-comers can learn from the best.”

‘Spin the Wheel’ ups the suspense

Unlike traditional distance-wins-all scoring, Saturday’s finale uses a roulette-style wheel that dictates a target distance for each jump. A perfect landing on the called-out mark earns maximum points, rewarding precision over raw length.

“The wheel means our top jumpers might have to rein it in, while a younger athlete could nail the target on a shorter flight,” Loomis said. “It keeps the crowd guessing and the jump profiles varied, which is way more fun to watch.”

On-hill star power

Confirmed Nordic combined national-team entrants include Josie Johnson, Ben Loomis, Steven Schumann, Alexa Brabec and Annika Malacinski, with additional ski-jumping specialists expected to finalize this week. Their presence, Loomis said, “reminds people we still have world-class facilities and athletes here—especially as we look toward 2034,” a nod to Salt Lake City’s bid for a future Winter Olympics.

Beyond the jumps

By layering a concert, beer garden and kids’ activities onto the competition, organizers aim to widen the sport’s appeal.

“Lots of locals don’t know what ski jumping looks like up close,” Loomis said. “Adding music and food trucks makes it an easy summer night out—and it helps us raise funds for our programs.”

Spectators curious to try the sport themselves can find beginner opportunities on the club’s website, he added: “We love getting new people on the hill, kids and adults alike.”

If you go

What: Springer Tournee #26
When: Saturday, July 19; gates 5 p.m., competition 5:30–7:30 p.m., concert 7:30–8:30 p.m.
Where: Utah Olympic Park, 3419 Olympic Parkway, Park City
Admission: Free
Details: parkcityss.org