The “Big Nansen”, otherwise known as the Nansen Ski Jump, was built between 1936-1937 and hosted its first event, the US Olympic tryouts, in 1938. The site is undergoing restoration efforts after being abandoned in 1988, and an additional two smaller jumps are under construction alongside the original. With the jump having sat dormant for so long, smaller jumps were needed to teach skiers how to handle the big one. As of this blog post, the smaller “Little Nansen” jump (situated to the right of the original) has been decked and is almost ready for use! You can keep up with their progress at the Nanasen Ski Club’s Facebook page.
Steel and wooden decking forms the backbone of the 171-foot tall ski jump, which looks impossibly large when viewed from the road below. A historical marker at the base of the jump explains how the Big Nansen was a product of the nearby City of Berlin and the National Youth Administration, and how it hosted the United States Ski Jumping National Championship in 1940, ’57, ’65, and ’72.
Across the way from the ski jump, the Nansen Wayside Park provides access to the Androscoggin River and a small boat launch. It was a beautiful summer day when I parked my car at the wayside area, crossed the road with my D850 in tow, and started the hike up the service road to see the Big Nansen up close.
Ascending 200 feet up to the Big Nansen, the incredible scale of the jump becomes even more apparent. While I don’t ski, I can see why the decision to construct two smaller jumps was made - taking your first jump off the Big Nansen would be a terrifying introduction into the sport. Adjacent to the ski jump is the decaying remains of the two story judges booth, which has yet to be restored. The worn decking of the jump was replaced in 2017.
The two circular images with black borders in this post were shot with my newest lens, the Nikon 8-15mm f/3.5-4.5 fisheye. Fisheye lenses are a bit of a gimmick, creating a circular image at their widest end but offering an incredible field of view using a non-rectilinear design. They flare like crazy because so much of the front element protrudes from the lens barrel, and I struggled to block the sun without getting any extremities in the photo. The lens hood can only be used at the 15mm end because otherwise it’ll show up in the picture.
I was always on the fence about the usefulness of fisheye lenses, but now I’m sold. Shooting situations like the Big Nansen are where a fisheye can really shine by providing an exaggerated sense of scale and offering unique perspectives that only a circular fisheye could provide. I haven’t been up to NH in the winter (because the family cabin is 3 seasons and I don’t want to be a popsicle), but I just might have to make a trip up when the jump opens up to the public. I won’t be making the jump myself, but I’d love to see somebody who knows what they’re doing give it a shot!
