Copper Peak engineering work continues

IRONWOOD TOWNSHIP — Several engineering firms continue to work on designing the improvements necessary for ski flying competitions to return to Copper Peak.

According to Copper Peak’s August update, Duluth-based Barr Engineering and Iron Mountain-based Gundlach Champion have been working with Coleman Engineering for almost two months on designs to bring the Ironwood Township ski hill up to standards required by the International Ski Federation — a key step if Copper Peak is to follow through on its plan to host competitions in the fall of 2019.

“To match the International Ski Federation certified landing hill profile, the Copper Peak landing needs to be lifted, especially in the lower part,” the update reads. “As we lift the landing hill, we also need to address environmental conditions, such as draining and insure the hill is structurally sound and capable of holding a huge surface of plastic tiles the athletes will land on.”

To solve some of the problems, Barr Engineering created a design that would use “Rip Rap mattresses” as the landing hill’s foundation. The Rip Rap, or rock covered with steel mesh, is anchored into the site’s bedrock and allows the landing platform to be built up to the required specifications, while still allowing water to naturally drain through it.

Cast-in-place concrete will be installed over the Rip Rap structure, according to the update, which the landing surface will be placed on.

Aiding the design efforts are two funding sources Copper Peak recently secured — a $125,000 grant from the Michigan Department of Agriculture and a $25,000 donation from River Valley Bank.

The money, along with the funds raised directly by Copper Peak, will be used to complete the design process and prepare for the construction phase.

According to the update, construction is expected to begin in spring pf 2018, with the hope the site will be ready to host competitions in 2019.

—Richard Jenkins