McCall

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Little Ski Hill:

K-Point:	60 m
Hill record:	64.3 m (211 ft) (Alf Engen , 1946)
Further jumps:	K40, K25
Year of construction:	1937
Conversions:	1946
Operating until:	ca. 1980
Year of destruction:	1992
Coordinates:	44.928528, -116.159881 ✔

Blackwell Ranch ski jump:

K-Point:	20 m
Hill record:	23.5 m (77 ft) (Shorty Pulsen , 1924)
Year of construction:	1924

Further jumps:	no
Plastic matting:	no
Status:	destroyed
Ski club:	Payette Lakes Ski Club
Coordinates:	44.928528, -116.159881 ✔

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History:

McCall, located in the state of Idaho, began shaping its winter identity as early as the late 19th century. Scandinavian and Finnish settlers not only adapted to the harsh conditions, but also made winter sports an integral part of everyday life. From this spirit, the first ski jumps emerged – modest at first, but eventually gaining the status of competitive facilities.
The first known jumping hill in McCall was built on the Blackwell Ranch, located east of town. In 1924, during the first McCall Winter Carnival (Payette Lakes Winter Games), ski jumping competitions were held there. The winner was Shorty Pulsen with a jump of 77 feet (approx. 23.5 m), but the greatest impression was made by Lloyd Johnson, the youngest participant, who earned the title of “The World’s Smallest Jumper.”
In December 1937, the Little Ski Hill area was opened at the initiative of the U.S. Forest Service and Carl Brown. In its early years, two jumping hills (“A” and “B”) were already in operation. In 1946, a new large hill was built, sized around K55–K60 (the so-called “A Jump”). Alf Engen reached 204 feet (approx. 62 m) in a test jump, setting a hill record.
In the 1940s, Lloyd Johnson — mentioned earlier — founded the children's club “Mighty Mites,” which became the foundation for local youth training. In the following decades, infrastructure was expanded, and the ski jumps regularly hosted sporting events.
By the 1960s, interest in ski jumping began to wane, although the facilities were still used for recreation. The end of the era came in 1992, when a microburst (a violent windstorm during a thunderstorm) destroyed the wooden inrun tower of the large hill. It was the last wooden structure of its kind in the western United States.
Although traditional ski jumping has ceased to exist in McCall, its legacy is preserved by the McCall Ski Heritage Foundation, which collects archives and memorabilia — including those related to the Engen family, especially Corey and Alf Engen, who had a profound influence on the development of local skiing.
Today, a small Nordic jump (approx. 25–30 m) still operates at Little Ski Hill for local training, alongside an alpine ski center and biathlon trails. Separately, the Brundage Mountain Resort — founded in 1961, in part by Engen — continues to develop. Though it does not have a ski jump, it was established to comprehensively support skiing in the region.

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McCall

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