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First flight: Watch daredevil Olympic jumper test Lake Placid's ski jump in 1979

In early 1979, Jay Rand, Olympian and manager of the Interval/MacKenzie Intervale ski jumping facility, was selected to take the first test jump from the new 90 m tower at the MacKenzie Intervale Ski Jumping Complex in Lake Placid.
Built for the 1980 Olympic program, the MacKenzie Intervale Ski Jumping Complex completed the 90 m hill in 1979, hosting teams from over 20 countries for pre-Olympic training.
Before takeoff, Rand spoke shortly while spectators who lined the jump fell silent; observers described the new tower as immense, towering over the adjacent 70 m jump and topped with a flashing white light at the summit.
The filmed leap preserves the jump and helped validate the new 90 m hill ahead of the pre‑Olympic practice schedule.
Rand, a 1968 Grenoble Olympian, highlighted Lake Placid's 1980 Olympic preparations through the hill's scale and public spectacle, with the ceremonial first flight.

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