Husebyrennet, held in Ullern, Oslo, was the initial version of the ski jumping competition that was to become the most well known of them all, the Holmenkollen. These yearly competitions were held from 1879 to 1891.
The first competitions held by Christiania Skiklub were different from today's ski jumping in that the ski jump formed part of a course that included a 4 km stretch of cross country skiing (see Nordic combined). No jump lengths were measured. Instead, judges gave points for style, on a scale from 1 to 5.
The ski jump, called Kastellbakken, was viewed as gigantic for its time, with length around 20 meters readily achieved. In the first years, Sondre Norheim was dominating. Later, the brothers Mikkjel and Torjus Hemmestveit were dominant. In 1883, Fridtjof Nansen participated, and was a main attraction, having then won fame by finishing the distance Bergen to Oslo on skis.
The event became very popular, with up to 10,000 spectactors. King Oscar II and prince Hans of Danmark were among the spectators.
Due to lack of snow, the event was not held in 1880, and in 1890 it was held elsewhere. This uncertainty relating to the conditions led to the competition being moved permanently to the location of what is now the Holmenkollen ski jump in 1892. Today, only a bronze plaque serves as a reminder of the events.
References
- Markafolk, article in Tobias 3/98, a monthly publication issued by Oslo municipality archive (in Norwegian)
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