Winter Olympics ski jump becomes Calgary's 1,000th heritage site
The iconic 90-metre jump at Canada Olympic Park, designed by Calgary architect JH Cook, was designated Monday by Heritage Calgary.
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An iconic structure from the 1988 Winter Olympic Games has become Calgary's 1,000th heritage site.
The 90-metre ski jump at Canada Olympic Park — officially called the XV Winter Olympics 90m ski jump — received the designation from Heritage Calgary during the organization's Report to the Community on Monday. The jump was designed by Calgary architect JH Cook and constructed in 1986.
"It's a highly visible and core piece of infrastructure from a defining moment in Calgary's history that really put it on the map," said WinSport CEO Barry Heck.
Measuring 58 metres tall and located on the Paskapoo Slopes overlooking the Trans-Canada Highway, the "90 metres" represents the distance from the take-off point of the ramp to where the landing slope flattens out. The jump faced challenges after the Games — "lots of famous stories out of that led by Eddie the Eagle, of course," Heck noted — but remained a training and competition site for years.
Between 2004 and 2005 was the last time the 90m jump saw active use. It became obsolete in design as the sport evolved, and when new facilities opened in Whistler in 2010, a small group of ski jumpers and the Nordic community fought to keep Calgary's jumps open. The community pushed WinSport to maintain them through the 2018 Olympics, but shortly after Sochi, the jumps were permanently closed.
Operating costs ranged from $300,000 to $600,000 annually, and safety improvements would have cost millions. "We preserve them to keep them safe," Heck said. "When the time comes that there's a reason to take them down, then we'll consider it at that time. But no, our intent on the 90m is we're hoping it'll always be there."
Heritage Calgary executive director Erika Topola said the nomination came from the ski jumping community. "It's the first thing you see when you come into the city with the Olympic rings, and it really is reminiscent of a time when the entire city collectively acted as a community and cheered on the Olympics. It was such an important event for Calgary."