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Copper Peak ski jump to attract international athletes to U.P.

The Copper Peak ski jump in Ironwood.
copperpeak.net
The Copper Peak ski jump in Ironwood.

A ski jump in the western Upper Peninsula is getting $20 million for upgrades.

It’s part of the $4.8 billion infrastructure bill Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed Wednesday.

From the top of the Copper Peak ski jump, you can see Lake Superior, the Porcupine Mountains, and Wisconsin.

The jump is structurally sound, but it needs repairs and hasn’t had a competition since 1994. Improvements include reshaping the hill, installing a giant wind screen and putting in a frozen track for summer use.

Republican Senator Wayne Schmidt of Traverse City sponsored the bill. He said this project will support the statewide economy.

“We will then be able to host in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan world class ski jumping,” Schmidt said. “It really is truly a transformational project.”

The first competition for Copper Peak is planned for the fall of 2024.

Max Copeland is the local weekday host of All Things Considered on Interlochen Public Radio and the producer of The Up North Lowdown, IPR’s weekly news podcast.