Ski Jumping
Ski Jumping Techniques
Sport overview
Ski jumping is a spectacular sport that involves skiing down a steep ramp, taking off, jumping as far as possible and then landing smoothly without falling over. Its best practitioners hold their near horizontal pose-and their nerve- as they soar through the air until bringing their skis down at the last second. Skiers in this popular and predominantly male winter sport compete not only for the longest distance jumped but also for the style of their take off, flight and landing.
Athlete profile
Ski jumpers must have nerves of steel and head for heights. The top athletes start jumping from around the age of five gradually building up confidence by jumping from higher hills. Once the basic skills have been honed, jumpers perfect each part of the jump by training on smaller hills. Endurance is vital and most of the top ski jumpers include cross training to build up cardiovascular fitness.
Events on the hill
Competitors start from a jumping ramp on to two types of ski jumping hill. A K90 hill measures 90m from the take off table to the recommended landing point or K point. A K120 hill measures 120m. Competitions usually have two jumps in three events, an individual K90 jump, an individual K120 jump and a team competition on the K120 hill.
Farther and farther
Chancing techniques have enabled jumpers to fly farther and farther. At first, jumps were only about 45m. In the 1920s, jumpers flew 100m with the Kongsberger technique, they lean forwards, bodies bent at the hip, arms extended, and their skis parallel. In the 1950s, Swiss skier Andreas Daescher brought the arms towards the body to squeeze out an extra few meters. In 1985, Jan Boklöv of Sweden pioneered the flying V technique. The skier holds the tips of the skis apart in a V shape, thereby gaining both extra lift and stability.
Scoring
Judges score for distance and style. A skier who jumps to the K point is given 60 points. Two points per meter are added or deducted on K90 hills for longer or shorter jumps, 1.8 points for K120 hills. Five judges also award up to 20 points each for style: good body position during take- off, flight and landing; steady skis in flight. The distance score and middle three style scores are combined to give the jump an overall score. The skier with the highest score for two jump wins.
| Individual/Team | Gender | Events/Disciplines |
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| Individual | M | K125 |
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| Individual | M | K95 |
| Team | M | K95 |
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Ski Jumping is a highly technical Skiing Discipline. Thus, you need the appropriate pieces of Ski Equipment and Ski Outfit that will aid you as you execute your jumps as well as to ensure your safety. Here are some guidelines on Ski Jumping equipment and clothing:
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is capable of 24" leaps with a little practice. Constructed from all-metal materials with a Y-shaped handle with foam grips that offers more hand positions than standard pogos, and greatly increases its control and ease of use. The rugged metal spring is completely encased by a steel housing, so there's no possibility of pinching, and all surfaces are rounded for extra safety. The rubber "foot" has a diameter is twice that of most pogos for greater security and stability. The JUMPAROO BOING! Pogo Stick has two models: one for users with a body weight of 44-86 pounds and another for users between 86 and 160 pounds.
