IRON MOUNTAIN, Mich. (WZMQ) – Since 1939 Pine Mountain in Iron Mountain has been holding world-class ski jumping tournaments on what is widely believed to be the finest ski jumping facility in North America.
The 2025 FIS Continental Cup competition didn’t disappoint. Friday morning during qualifying jumps, the hill record was achieved with a jump of 139.5 meters. Then later Friday, in the first round of the Continental Cup, Manuel Fettner of Austria set a new Hill record with a distance of 140.5 meters.
Pine Mountain not only has some of the finest ski jumpers in the world, but the best fans. It is tradition to gather at the bottom of the hill and hold the UP’s largest tailgate party. Sandy Lefebvre and her brother Jim Petroff have been throwing this elaborate party for years where everyone is welcome. “There’s probably nothing like it in the U.P. It’s what’s neat about it too, is you get so many people that are from the area that come back just for this,” said Petroff.
The Continental Cup is an important economic engine for the area. Over 10,000 spectators converge on Pine Mountain, spending money on lodging, food, and admission tickets. “This event brings in a lot of people. That’s for sure. The hotels are all packed. The restaurants are packed. economically, it’s it’s a big boost for the community,” said Lefebvre.
Lefebvre and company have a pretty nice party shack, big enough for all their friends, with room for a bar and a stage with live music. “We have a deep fryer. We cook wings. We’ve got chili. We have a couple of black stones. Tomorrow morning we’ll have omelets,” said Lefebvre.
You can purchase admission buttons from a variety of businesses in the Iron Mountain area. The Continental Cup competition runs through February 23 at Pine Mountain.
For more information, please visit The Iron Mountain Kiwanis Club’s website, https://www.kiwanisskiclub.com/buttons.html
