The Winter Season is upon us

World Cup jumping has started this week in Germany rather than Finland as in the past.  The pictures I saw from Klingethal showed a jump surrounded by a sea of green.  All "man made" snow covering the jump and nothing else.  Thats generally OK, though with the new methods of summer jumping I question why he summer surfaces are not simply used sometimes in the winter.  It would sure take less work and less energy consumption.

These are photos from  Tveitenbaken, Norway, (shared via FB from Katinka Hulu Saksalainen -  Thank you both (Baken means Jump by the way in Norwegian) 
Snow production Tveitanbakken 13/14 (More Pics on the Link)

Sarah Hendrickson makes US proud, WC 2013

Feb 22, 2103:  First Jump at Val de Fiemme (Femme) FIS World Championships for Sarah Hendrickson, USA  106 Meters, and fantastic style.

Second jump is just as good, in fact technically even better.  Perhaps there was a lower start.

I don't know that I recall anyone getting 3 x 19's  ( (19, 19, 19) from judges on 2 Jumps in a row.  That is simply fantastic skiing and jumping Ms. Hendrickson performed.    We are very proud of her and proud of our USA Womens Ski Jumping for putting together 2 Individual World Champions (Lindsey Van, 2009, in Liberec CZ ) in the first 3 World Championships for Women ever in Ski Jumping.

Now the FIS just needs to let them ski some bigger hills.  Jumping like this Sarah would stand with the best of the men it appears to me.

You go Girl!