Jack jumping, also known as Skibock in

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

, is an

action sport Action sports, adventure sports or extreme sports are physical activity, activities perceived as involving a high degree of risk of injury or death. These activities often involve speed, height, a high level of physical exertion and highly speci ...

that involves descending a slope that is covered with snow on a jackjumper. A jackjumper is a

skiing Skiing is the use of skis to glide on snow for basic transport, a recreational activity, or a competitive winter sport. Many types of competitive skiing events are recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), and the International S ...

device with a bench seat attached to a ski. The seat may be solidly mounted with a post, or sprung mounted with a shock-absorbing device. The origins of jack jumping, as well as its name, remain a mystery. The earliest jackjumpers date to the mid- to late 1800s. Early

patent A patent is a type of intellectual property that gives its owner the legal right to exclude others from making, using, or selling an invention for a limited period of time in exchange for publishing an sufficiency of disclosure, enabling discl ...

s for jackjumpers were granted in the 1920s and the 1930s. Jackjumpers in the US, and Skibocks in Europe, are used today for both sport and

recreation Recreation is an activity of leisure, leisure being discretionary time. The "need to do something for recreation" is an essential element of human biology and psychology. Recreational activities are often done for happiness, enjoyment, amusement, ...

. There are numerous competitive events scheduled each year on both continents.jack-jump world championships
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History

The earliest jackjumpers were made in

New England New England is a region consisting of six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York (state), New York to the west and by the ...

in the mid- to late 1800s. While many early jackjumpers were homemade, jackjumpers that were manufactured in the late 1800s can be found in museums and private collections. The oldest patent issued for a jackjumper goes back to 1914. The first European patent was registered in 1929 in the Federal Institute of Intellectual Property (

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

). There are many legends as to the origins of jack jumping. Some claim the earliest ones were made from barrel staves for skis and handcrafted wooden posts and seats. These jackjumpers are said to be used by

loggers Lumberjack is a mostly North American term for workers in the logging industry who perform the initial harvesting and transport of trees. The term usually refers to loggers in the era before 1945 in the United States, when trees were felled us ...

. Others say is originated as a toy for children to enjoy in the winter. Whatever the case of origin, both adults and children alike have enjoyed jackjumpers for over a century.

Competition events

Most jackjumper competitions, such as the Jack Jump World Championships held at

Mount Snow Mount Snow (previously known as Mount Pisgah) is a mountain and ski resort in southern Vermont located in the Green Mountains. It is Vermont's southernmost big mountain, and therefore, closest to many Northeast metropolitan areas. In Septem ...

Vermont Vermont () is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, New York (state), New York to the west, and the Provinces and territories of Ca ...

each year are downhill slalom racing. Slalom jackjumping is similar to

slalom skiing Slalom is an alpine skiing and alpine snowboarding discipline, involving skiing between poles or gates. These are spaced more closely than those in giant slalom, super-G, super giant slalom and Downhill (ski competition), downhill, necessitating ...

. Participants complete on downhill race course constructed by laying out a series of gates. In slalom competitions, two jackjumpers race downhill through sets of gates to the finish line. In Europe The first Skibock World Championship took place on TschentenAlp on 19 March 2006.

Eaglebrook School Eaglebrook School is an independent junior boarding and day school for boys in grades six through nine. It is located in Deerfield, Massachusetts, United States. It is on the Pocumtuck Range near Deerfield Academy, and sited on an campus wh ...

in Deerfield, MA has been holding jackjumping races at their Winter Carnival for over eighty years.Eaglebrook School
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References

External links

YouTube Video Jackjumping at EaglebrookWhat is a "Rennböckl?

Life Magazine, March 10, 1961
'A Fast-moving Sedentary Sport'' Types of skiing

History

Competition events

See also

References

Further reading

External links