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In April of 1948, the National Parks Department and the Revelstoke Ski Club rebuilt the Big Hill and re-named it the "Nels Nelsen Hill" to honor Revelstoke's greatest jumper. By rebuilding the hill, it would become an "official" hill which would meet FIS (International Ski Federation) specifications. The hill was classified as an 80 meter jump which was the largest that the FIS recognized for world competition at the time. The improvements started in 1948 and continued through 1949. The FIS granted provisional approval allowing the Tournament of Champions to be held in 1950. In November 1949, the Judges' tower was rebuilt.

March 1949 saw the International Invitational Ski Jumping Tournament which was the first international tournament on the recently re-made and re-christened Nels Nelsen Hill since 1933. Mrs. Nels Nelsen cut the ribbon to inaugurate the hill and 2500 spectators attended the tournament. Art Johnson made the opening jump and Petter Hugsted, Olympic champion from Norway, won the event, jumping 247', the best that year and a hill record.

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Ski jumpers at Mt. Revelstoke, International Ski Tournament
March 1949
Revelstoke, British Columbia

Credits:
Revelstoke Museum and Archives

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Petter Hugsted, tournament winner
March 1949
Revelstoke, British Columbia

Credits:
Barbara Vigue

4

The 1949 Tournament Program gave a definition of ski jumping: "The aim of a ski jumper is combining distance with graceful form followed by a soft steady landing. Look for beauty in ski jumping and not for distance only."

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Art Johnson, opening jump
March 1949
Revelstoke, British Columbia

Credits:
Barbara Vigue

6

In 1950, the first Tournament of Champions was held in Revelstoke. Revelstoke was keen to restore itself to its former glory days of ski jumping. Seven Norwegian jumpers were invited and the townspeople put on a good show with many social events in the evenings following the day's events. Craig Rutherford headed up the Organizing Committee as well as the Race Committee and Art Johnson was the Assistant Director. Carl Gunnarsen later said that Art Johnson re-mortgaged his home for $8000 to pay the expenses of the 7 visiting Norwegian jumpers. The Ski Club was dedicated in having this first Tournament of Champions be a success. Arnfinn Bergman of Norway won the event.

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Norwegian ski jumping team at Mt. Revelstoke
February 1950
Revelstoke, British Columbia

Credits:
Revelstoke Museum and Archives

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Arnfinn Bergman, winner of the Tournament of Champions
January 1950
Revelstoke, British Columbia

Credits:
Revelstoke Museum and Archives

9

The Tournament of Champions continued through the 1950's and started to attract talent from not just Norway but also Finland, Sweden, Germany and Japan. The programs for these events detailed the history of the town, the Revelstoke Ski Club, the province of British Columbia and gave spectators tips on how judges awarded points and how the competitors approached a jump.

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In the 1957 Program for the Tournament of Champions was a poem, "The Skiers' Creed:"
The shout
Of singing skis
Across each frozen slope
Resounds like clarions that urge
Me on.
Enwrapped,
Completely daft,
Oblivious of time,
Content I am to ski and ski
And ski.

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Young skiers awaiting the Tournament of Champions
February 1957
Revelstoke, British Columbia

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The 1958 Tournament of Champions was the first tournament to be televised. It brought crowds in the 1000's though John McInnes later mused how televising the sport brought fewer spectators over the years since people could sit at home and watch the event instead of walking up the hill to watch. Nevertheless, there was great pageantry accompanying the tournament with the international flavor brought by the competitors and the Queen's Court of Miss Revelstoke and her attendants that would hand out trophies to the winners. At this tournament, competitors came from Norway, Japan, Germany, Finland, Sweden and the U.S. as well as Canada. Odd Brevik of Norway set a new hill record of 270'. In the 1959 Tournament of Champions, Finland's Kalevi Karkinen broke the distance record with 278.' He "soared through the air at an incredible speed, with flawless form, and the gasping spectators knew they had witnessed the ultimate in skiing."

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Nels Nelsen Jump
1958
Revelstoke, British Columbia

Credits:
Revelstoke Museum and Archives

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Trophies awarded to the winners, Ski jumping competition
1958
Revelstoke, British Columbia

Credits:
Revelstoke Museum and Archives