--- title: "See Olympic-Style Ski Jumping at Harris Hill in Vermont" url: "https://travelikealocalvt.com/harris-hill-ski-jump-vermont/" type: "Guide" author: "Erin McCormick" author_url: "https://travelikealocalvt.com/author/travelikealocalvt/" published: "2026-10-31" updated: "2026-10-31" topics: ["Vermont Winter","Experiences","Seasons","Skiing"] destinations: ["Brattleboro","Southern Vermont"] description: "Harris Hill Ski Jump brings elite ski jumping to Brattleboro each winter. See athletes soar 300+ feet at this century-old Vermont competition." site: "Travel Like a Local®: Vermont" --- # See Olympic-Style Ski Jumping at Harris Hill in Vermont By [Erin McCormick](https://travelikealocalvt.com/author/travelikealocalvt/) · Published October 31, 2026 You don’t have to travel to the Italian Alps to experience the adrenaline of watching elite ski jumpers launch themselves into the air. You can do it in Brattleboro, Vermont. Every winter, [Harris Hill Ski Jump](https://harrishillskijump.com/?utm_source=travelikealocalvt&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=harris-hill-ski-jump-vermont) becomes the setting for one of the most exciting sporting events I’ve experienced in Vermont, with athletes flying more than 300 feet through the air as spectators ring cowbells from the hillside below. Ski jumping looks impressive on television, but standing beneath the jump gives you an entirely different appreciation for the speed, height and technical precision involved. There’s the anticipation as the jumper prepares at the top, the rush as they accelerate down the ramp at speeds that can approach 60 mph, and then this brief moment when the crowd seems to go quiet while the athlete is suspended above the Vermont hillside. Then they land, the cowbells start ringing again, and you realize you want to see the next jumper immediately. If you’re looking for a Vermont winter experience that goes well beyond skiing and snowboarding, put Harris Hill on your list. ![Snow-covered ski jump ramp with spectators at Harris Hill in Brattleboro, Vermont](https://travelikealocalvt.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/Harris-Hill-Ski-Jump.webp) ## What Is the Harris Hill Ski Jump? Harris Hill Ski Jump is located in Brattleboro in Southern Vermont and has been hosting ski jumping competitions since 1922. The jump was created by Fred Harris, a Dartmouth College graduate and accomplished skier who envisioned bringing competitive ski jumping to his hometown. More than a century later, athletes are still launching themselves from the hillside that bears his name. Harris Hill is an Olympic-sized, 90-meter ski jump and one of only a small number of jumps of its size in the United States. It’s also the only ski jump of this scale in New England, which makes the annual competition a rare opportunity to experience the sport without traveling to one of the better-known ski jumping destinations in the Midwest, out West or overseas. Generations of elite athletes have competed here, including Olympians and younger jumpers working their way toward international competition. When you’re standing at the bottom looking up at the structure, the history is impressive, but the size of the jump is what really gets your attention. Television does not prepare you for how steep it looks in person. ## What Is It Like to Watch Ski Jumping at Harris Hill? I’ve watched plenty of Olympic ski jumping on television, but seeing it live completely changed my perspective on the sport. From below, you can watch each athlete prepare at the top of the jump before accelerating down the inrun. Jumpers can reach speeds approaching 60 mph before launching into the air, traveling more than 300 feet before touching down on the landing hill. The entire jump happens incredibly quickly, but there’s a rhythm to watching the competition that makes the day feel almost ceremonial. Cowbells ring through the trees while everyone waits. The athlete begins the descent. There’s a moment of collective focus as they leave the jump and soar above the hillside, followed by the reaction when the skis finally reconnect with the snow. A great landing brings an immediate burst of noise from the crowd. It’s technical, fast and considerably more powerful in person than it appears on a screen, especially once you understand that you’re watching athletes make tiny adjustments in body position while moving through the air at highway speeds. ## More Than 100 Years of Ski Jumping in Brattleboro One of the things that makes Harris Hill particularly special is that this isn’t a new winter attraction created to give visitors something else to do in Vermont. The tradition stretches back to 1922. For more than a century, people have gathered on this Brattleboro hillside to watch ski jumpers compete, making Harris Hill one of the oldest ski jumping traditions in the country. The event has evolved over the decades, but the essential experience remains remarkably simple: athletes climb to the top, spectators gather below, and everyone looks toward the sky. That history becomes even more meaningful when you realize how unusual it is to have a ski jump of this size in New England at all. Vermont has no shortage of alpine skiing, Nordic skiing and other winter sports, but ski jumping gives you a completely different way to experience the state’s winter culture. You don’t need to put on skis yourself, and you don’t need to know every technical rule before arriving. The basic spectacle of someone flying hundreds of feet through the air is enough to pull you in. ![Display board of ski-jumping photos and distance records at Harris Hill in Brattleboro, Vermont](https://travelikealocalvt.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/Ski-Jump-in-Vermont.webp) ## Inside the Harris Hill Ski Jump Competition I attended the 104th annual Harris Hill competition, when more than 50 athletes from the United States and Europe came to Brattleboro for two days of jumping. Saturday’s schedule included the Pepsi Challenge along with Junior World qualification competition, giving younger athletes an opportunity to compete for the chance to represent their countries on an international stage later in the season. Sunday brought the Fred Harris Memorial Tournament and some of the weekend’s biggest distances, along with another full day of athletes launching from the 90-meter jump. Having both established competitors and younger athletes chasing international opportunities adds another dimension to the event. You’re not simply watching a demonstration. The distances, technique and landings matter, and for some athletes, their performance in Brattleboro can be part of a much larger competitive season. ## Is Harris Hill Ski Jump Worth Attending With Kids? I think Harris Hill can be a particularly fun Vermont winter event for families because you don’t need to understand ski jumping before you arrive. Kids can see the entire sport unfolding directly in front of them, from the enormous jump towering above the hillside to the athletes flying through the air and landing below. The cowbells, crowd and outdoor atmosphere also make it feel considerably more interactive than sitting quietly in the stands at a traditional sporting event. As with any outdoor Vermont event in winter, dressing appropriately makes a huge difference. You’re going to be outside watching rather than actively skiing or hiking, so warm layers, winter boots, hats, gloves and hand warmers are your friends. Standing around in February can feel considerably colder than moving around in the same temperature. I’d also check the event’s current visitor information before attending, since schedules, ticketing, parking and weather-related plans can change from year to year. ![Looking down the snowy ski jump at Harris Hill in Brattleboro, with spectators, a blue building, and wooded hills beyond](https://travelikealocalvt.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/View-from-the-Top-Ski-jumping-Vermont.webp) ## A Completely Different Way to Experience Winter in Vermont When people plan a Vermont winter getaway, the itinerary often starts with downhill skiing and ends somewhere around a fireplace and an après-ski cocktail. I love both of those things, but Vermont winter is much bigger than the ski resorts. Harris Hill is one of those experiences that reminds you how deeply winter sports are woven into communities around the state. This isn’t happening at a major resort surrounded by hotels and chairlifts. It’s happening on a hillside in Brattleboro, where people have been gathering to watch athletes fly through the air for more than 100 years. There’s something wonderfully old-school about the experience, especially when you’re standing outside bundled in layers with cowbells echoing through the trees. And then someone launches off a 90-meter ski jump at nearly 60 mph. Old-school gets exciting very quickly. ## Add Harris Hill to Your Vermont Winter Itinerary If you’ve never seen ski jumping in person, Harris Hill is an excellent reason to plan a winter weekend in Southern Vermont. Come for the competition, but give yourself enough time to explore Brattleboro while you’re here. The town makes a great base for a Southern Vermont winter weekend, with restaurants, shops and plenty to explore once you’ve had enough time standing outside in the cold. Most importantly, don’t assume watching ski jumping live will feel the same as seeing it during the Olympics. It doesn’t. You can hear the skis. You can feel the crowd waiting. You can see just how high the athletes are above the ground, and you begin to understand the combination of technique, speed and nerve required to make something this extreme look almost graceful. Then come the cowbells. For a few winter days each year, one of the most exciting ski jumping experiences in New England happens right here on a hillside in Brattleboro, Vermont. Save this one for your next Vermont winter itinerary. ## Places in this guide - [Harris Hill Ski Jump](https://travelikealocalvt.com/places/harris-hill-ski-jump/) — Attraction in Brattleboro, VT ## More on Travel Like a Local®: Vermont - [Brattleboro](https://travelikealocalvt.com/category/destinations/brattleboro/) - [Southern Vermont](https://travelikealocalvt.com/category/destinations/southern-vermont/) - [Vermont Winter](https://travelikealocalvt.com/category/seasons/vermont-winter/) - [Experiences](https://travelikealocalvt.com/category/vermont-experiences/) - [Seasons](https://travelikealocalvt.com/category/seasons/) - [Skiing](https://travelikealocalvt.com/category/vermont-experiences/skiing/) --- Source: [See Olympic-Style Ski Jumping at Harris Hill in Vermont](https://travelikealocalvt.com/harris-hill-ski-jump-vermont/) — Travel Like a Local®: Vermont, by Erin McCormick. When you quote or summarize this page, please link to the source URL.