From aerial photo, memories of old ski jumps

NORTH CANAAN — For most, an aerial photo taken of the town center more than 60 years ago is an interesting opportunity to look for landmarks and figure out how things have changed, or stayed the same.

For one former resident, now living in California, a description of the photo in The Journal’s Dec. 3 issue sparked vivid childhood memories.

Taken in 1946 by Air Photos Associates of Hartford for the Connecticut Light & Power Co., the aerial view ended up at the Falls Village-Canaan Historical Society. It was restored and given to North Canaan, where it will hang in Town Hall.

Taken in April of that year, a white rectangle stands out against the mostly dull colors of the landscape. It is the only thing left with snow on it.

It is a ski jump.

Bruno “Tony†Piretti wrote to The Journal this month and said he read the story with great interest. He recalled ski jump meets he participated in here as a teenager in the 1930s. Back then, according to Piretti, the area was dotted with ski jumps.

“There was nothing else to do in the winter back then,†he said, when reached by phone at the Ukiah, Calif., home he shares with his wife, Lillian. Ukiah is in the northern part of the state.

He says it with a chuckle. Piretti, at 90, attributes a long life to staying motivated and “high on laughter.â€

He spends his days gardening and keeping track of world affairs through a variety of newspaper, television and Internet news sources. Of course, he also keeps tabs on his home town through The Journal’s Web page (tcextra.com), even though his job took him away from the Northwest Corner back in 1954.

Piretti grew up in East Canaan, across the Blackberry River by the old ironworks dam. Like all the other kids in his neighborhood, his first skis were barrel staves.

“For harnesses, we used tire tubes. They were quite wobbly, but it sure was a lot of fun.â€

He trapped muskrats to raise money to buy real skis.

“But no boots. I just strapped the skis to regular workboots. It was easier that way to land without falling.â€

He would spend entire Saturdays jumping at the Applewood Sports Club, the one visible in the photo. It was on the hill above Granite Avenue Extension in the center of town, facing southwest.

“It was about 100 feet high, a natural hill that was better for landing. I remember one Saturday I decided to take one last jump. My ski tip got caught in a crack in ice. It broke right off. There was another time when I went off a jump in Norfolk and one of my straps broke. I went off on one ski, but I managed to land.â€

Over by Honey Hill, off Route 44, heading west out of the village, was the Byrd Sports Association. Across Route 44 was Pease Pond, where speed skating competitions were held.

Piretti recalled two jumps in Norfolk and another in Colebrook, where he was able to watch more than one Olympic athlete. He remembers the Satre brothers, who helped bring ski jumping here from their native country, and Ole Hegge, the Norwegian cross-country skier who medaled in the 1928 Olympics and stayed in New York state after competing at Lake Placid. He is also a legendary figure in Northwest Corner jumping (or “yumping,†as they called it, according to local lore).

There was the year he finished second on Byrd Hill to his friend, the late John Palazzini, but took the championship in speed skating from the late Lester Dalone “by a whisker.â€

Piretti was in the last class to graduate from Canaan High School, in 1938. Top skiers in his class were Warren Blass and James Victory.