On Thursday, September 29th 2005, on one of the sunniest days in San Francisco, California, the snow came out. So did twenty-one ski jumpers and an audience of six thousand.

Ten snowboarders and ten skiers, followed by our own local celebrity, 1998 Olympic gold moguls medalist Jonny Moseley, did what said could not be done. They flew down Fillmore Street, literally.

The one-day event, called ICER AIR 2005, gave San Franciscans a taste of the unique soul that resides in this city.

While it was tough, almost impossible, to get neighborhood support, when the ski jump competition finally came together, Pacific Heights' residents on "Mt. Fillmore" had the best seat in the house.

The local schools and merchants on Fillmore and in Pacific Heights and Cow Hollow also rallied.

In addition to the six thousand people who showed up to watch the show, policemen, paramedics and photographers lined Fillmore Street.

And the AIR MALE men delivered.

It was a spectacular sight...for three hours beginning at noon.

Brent, JJ, John, Christ, Jimi, Cory, Yale, Eric, Travis, Jamie, TJ, Kye, CR, Sean, Rory, Tanner, Andy, Simon, Corey, Chris and Jonny flew through the air with the Bay in their foreground.

The snow was sluggish. But their jumps were spectacular.

ICER Air Male JUMPERS

The ten snowboarders included:

#1 Brent Meyer
#2 JJ Thomas
#3 John Jackson
#4 Christ Rotax
#5 Jimi Tomer
#6 Cory Cronk
#7 Yale Cousino
#8 Eric Jackson

Nixon Gets An Autograph from Travis

#9 Travis Parker
#10 Jamie Anderson

Asking for An Autograph

The ten skiers were:

#11 TJ Schiller
#12 Kye Petersen
#13 CR Johnson
#14 Sean Field
#15 Rory Silva
#16 Tanner Rainville
#17 Andy Mahre
#18 Simon Dumont
#19 Corey Vanular
#20 Chris Benchetler

Tanner Rainville

Urban Big Air Competition

The 400-foot run was slow. Many of the jumpers came up short, at least once in the warm-ups. With eighty-degree temperatures, the skiers were lucky to land in slush rather than the hard cement.

Mt. Fillmore offered a downhill grade of more than 18 percent. However, these world-class jumpers are used to even steeper slopes.

The Mayor on Mt. Fillmore

Mayor Gavin Newsom called the competition "another chapter in San Francisco's long history of oddity."

Newsom said:

It's important to be audacious and step out in front and take a risk.

It's great for the image of San Francisco.

There's a reason people love this city.

It's because we're irreverent and we push the envelope.

All I can think of is, what's next?

That's what's so exciting - how do we top this?

Jon Moseley was in complete agreement.

Moseley said, "I really can't think of another city where we could pull this off."

Jonny made two jumps following the competition. Both were huge crowd pleasers.

I remember the last time I saw Jonny Moseley come to town.

Our Swedish au pair, Rebecca Flintvall, was determined to meet him at his appearance in Union Square. She was enamored with the gold medalist. Gladly, I took her downtown. He not only greeted Rebecca, he said a few words to her in Swedish.

It was not long before I was enamored.

A Happy Jonny Moseley - Post Icer Air 2005

Needless to say, Jonny's smile is infectious.

It is no wonder he was successful in helping ICER AIR come to town.

Who Won?

So, who won Thursday's competition?

Interestingly, none of the papers I read or television stations I watched reported which snowboarder and skier had the best jump.

For those curious, C.R. Johnson won $7,000 in cash and a new Jeep Cherokee.

CR Johnson

Johnson said:

It's tough to build a perfect jump in this heat.

It's a bit easier for skiers because we can get up to speed faster.

He said everyone was having a tough time. At the same time, they we're all having fun.

Johnson won after spinning two full rotations while doing a front flip.

Meanwhile, J.J. Thomas won the snowboarding competition.

His huge back flip was easily the biggest jump of the day.

Who Also Won?

ICER AIR has offered to donate 100% of the profits from ICER AIR 2005 to non-profit organizations working to help victims of the devastating Hurricane Katrina.

The Charity partner for ICER AIR 2005 is CharitySmith.

A Winner of Another Kind

At the end of the day, after the jumpers had left, and the snow was being shoveled away, one San Franciscan by the name of Jefferson Lilly quietly climbed up on top of Mt. Fillmore.

The few that were on the scene to watch no doubt were living vicariously through Jefferson's bold move.

Lilly removed his summer sandals, slipped on his ski boots, snapped on his skis and slalomed down "Mt. Fillmore".

No one stopped him.

In fact, few hardly noticed until he reached the bottom.

Lilly had missed most of the competition. He was busy at a conference that I had planned to attend.

He didn't miss an opportunity of a lifetime, however.

After he successfully climbed off "the mountain" without getting busted, Lilly said:

Today was a new high for me in my ski career.

The most fun place I've skied now is not Gstaad, or Val d'Isere, and don't even talk to me about or Aspen or Alta.

The most fun place I've ever skied is now Fillmore Street right here in San Francisco just four blocks from my front door.

Jefferson Lilly Completes Run at "Mt. Fillmore"

Lilly added, "These are the shortest lift lines I've ever seen."

Jefferson called Fillmore Street "a solid 'blue' run." He said, "It's steep, so it's definitely not a 'green' run. But there are no moguls, so it's not a 'black' run either ... "

Maybe next year ...

After school on Thursday, my seven year-old daughter picked up a piece of snow and put it in her lunch box. When she got home, the snow had melted but the spirit of the day was in her lunch box forever.

While she didn't get to see the jumpers in action on Thursday, she had a piece of the soul of San Francisco.

Other souls of San Francisco, such as Tango Gelato on Fillmore Street, reaped the rewards of ICER AIR's hard work. Many people flocked to the Argentinean gelato hot spot after the competition was over.

As they should -- sun or no sun! Snow or no snow!!

Congratulations and thanks ICER AIR's renegade believers, Glen Griffin, Trevor Hubbard, Arne Morkemo, Erik Gordon, Kristian Akseth and Jonny Moseley!

Fillmore Street - September 29th 2005

Ski San Francisco.

Inspire & Be Inspired!

Here's to healthy, adventuresome, soulful, "soaring high above San Francisco Bay" living!

~ Jennifer Carolyn King, Rugged Elegance, LLC

San Francisco Says "Let It Snow": Jonny Moseley & 20 Icer Air Male Jumpers Fly Down Mt. Fillmore - Part I