Harris Hill Ski Jump

In December 2007, Pat Howell had run out of options. President of Harris Hill Ski Jump, Inc., since the organization incorporated in 2003, Pat had strategized with past and present Brattleboro officials for two years to find a way to reopen the long-standing Vermont icon, so important to the life of the Brattleboro community since 1922, when it was built at a cost of $2,200. Since then, the ski jump had woven its way into local culture and history, with an annual tournament traditionally held during the Brattleboro Winter Carnival.

In spite of its important local and regional role, the volunteer run facility was shuttered in 2005 due to disrepair. After each season, the all-volunteer committee responsible for managing and running the jump would look around, ruefully aware of the capital repairs needed but too exhausted to take them on. Over the years, conditions had deteriorated. Despite the ski jump’s cultural and economic importance, the small town had a limited ability to raise the $350,000 originally needed to rebuild the jump. By late 2007, they were halfway toward their goal and out of leads. The local community had been generous, responding to a telethon and to a $20,000 matching grant offered by the town, but it was tapped out.

With nowhere to turn, Pat wrote a press release that was picked up by The Associated Press. The headline read “Harris Hill Ski Jumping Postponed” and reported that the upcoming tournament would be canceled due to lack of funds raised for the rebuild. Within days, Pat got a call from J.P. Morgan staff with the message: “We have a donor who would like to provide the balance needed to finish rebuilding the ski jump.” They inquired whether the competition would be able to move ahead in February, less than three months later, if funds became available. Her heart sinking, Pat knew this timetable was impossible. “Will that jeopardize the gift?” she asked. It did not, and a relationship between the Harris Hill Ski Jump and The Manton Foundation was born. On December 27, 2007, a handwritten check for $130,000 payable to Harris Hill Ski Jump was received.

As construction got under way in 2008, the cost of steel skyrocketed, sharply increasing project costs. Anxiously, Pat Howell wrote to Manton Foundation trustees to report that an additional $188,000 was needed to cover this unexpected cost. Quickly the Foundation responded with precisely that amount. In February 2009, Harris Hill Ski Jump reopened to great fanfare. Joining Pat and her volunteer crew of 100 that Valentine’s Day weekend were the Manton trustees, staff from J.P. Morgan, and 8,000 members of the public who had come out to witness and celebrate the return of this important community institution. The decision to follow international competition standards, the rigorous FIS (International Ski Federation) guidelines, when rebuilding the jump proved critical: Harris Hill was the first ski jump in the United States to host an FIS-sanctioned event, further raising its visibility and viability.

During the first few years following the reopening, the Foundation made modest gifts to ensure that end-of-season maintenance occurred. In 2014, the trustees protected the Foundation’s investment by approving a final $500,000 endowment gift designed to spin off yearly income adequate to fund annual maintenance in the future. Harris Hill proudly celebrated 95 years of ski jumping in 2017. Plans are already under way for the 100th anniversary in 2022.