The Copper Peak ski flying hill, located near Ironwood, Michigan, in the northeast of the USA, is the only ski flying hill outside of Europe and the world's smallest ski flying hill homolgated by the FIS.

But the facility has not been used since 1994, at least not for ski flying. Copper Peak, this hill not only looks breathtaking with its exposed, 73 m high tower, it also offers an amazing panoramic 360° view.

Thanks to the local club, headed by president Charles Supercynski, the facility is still in a good condition over 20 years after the last competition was held there. The vantage point at Copper Peak has become a tourist attraction. Getting up the instable (but safe) 73 m high inrun tower is a real challenge, but the reward is an unrestricted view over the forests of Michigan and Wisconsin and the Lake Superior.

Built in 1969, Copper Peak was inaugurated with the first competitions in 1970. International competitions took place there until 1994. The hill record is held by the two Austrians Matthias Wallner and Werner Schuster (currently head coach of the German ski jumping team) with 158 m. Efforts to reactivate the facility are made for some time now, recently especially a private initiative of local industrialist Bob Jacquart was very active regarding this issue.

Now FIS Race Director Walter Hofer and the chairman of the FIS sub committee for jumping hills, Hans-Martin Renn, followed the invitation of the national ski association and the organizers of Ironwood to make an inspection of the facility. Clint Jones, team director of the US ski jumping team, and Signe Jordet, executive director of USA Nordic, were also present at this on-site meeting. There strategies and schedules that shall lead to a return to the international competition calendar, were discussed as well. This means that the foundation was laid to prepare a detailed financing plan.

More concrete plans shall be presented at the upcoming FIS fall meetings. There's definitely a huge interest of both bordering states, Wisconsin and Michigan, to use the facility not only for sports competitions, but also for cultural and touristic events in the future.