Ski jumping captivates audiences because it comes closest to actual human flight. Athletes launch themselves off massive ramps at highway speeds to float through the air for over two hundred meters. Surprisingly, this terrifying sport began as a humble way to show off courage in Norwegian villages. Today, it combines advanced aerodynamics with strict weight limits to keep athletes safe. However, the history of the sport includes everything from "flying squirrels" to an Olympian who finished last on purpose. Prepare to fly with the eagles.
Ski jumping
Originally, skiers jumped with their skis parallel to each other. For decades, athletes held their legs together straight to look aerodynamic. However, this “Daescher” style provided much less lift than modern techniques.
Jan Boklöv invented the V-style by complete accident. In 1985, the Swedish jumper lost his balance in the air and spread his skis to stop from falling. To his surprise, he flew much farther than usual, changing the sport forever.
Eddie “The Eagle” Edwards became famous for finishing last. The British plasterer competed in the 1988 Olympics despite having almost no funding or training. Consequently, officials created “The Eagle Rule” to stop unqualified amateurs from competing in the future.
Women fought for ninety years to join the Winter Olympics. Although men competed since 1924, the IOC did not allow women to jump until 2014. Thus, Sarah Hendrickson became the first female to ever take an Olympic ski jump.
Athletes must maintain a specific Body Mass Index to use full-length skis. Because lighter bodies fly farther, anorexia became a major problem in the sport. Therefore, officials now force underweight jumpers to cut their skis shorter as a disadvantage.
Judges deduct points if you do not land in a “Telemark” position. The perfect landing requires one foot clearly ahead of the other with knees bent. If a jumper lands with feet parallel, they lose valuable style points immediately.
Uniquely, they compete in the summer on plastic grass. Tracks use wet porcelain for the in-run and plastic mats for the landing zone. Thus, ski jumping is actually a year-round sport despite the lack of snow.
Ski suits must follow strict air permeability rules. If a suit is too baggy, it acts like a wing and gives an unfair advantage. Consequently, officials measure the suits to ensure they are not air-tight “balloon” suits.
Noriaki Kasai is the “Legend” who refuses to retire. The Japanese jumper won an Olympic medal at age forty-one and competed in eight Winter Games. Remarkably, he continues to jump competitively while in his fifties.
Ski Flying is a more extreme version of the sport. While normal jumps reach 140 meters, ski flying occurs on massive hills where athletes soar over 250 meters. Only a few venues in the world, like Planica and Vikersund, can host these monsters.
Mathematically, wind compensation points change the final score. Computers calculate the wind speed and direction instantly during every jump. Then, they add or subtract points to ensure fairness if a gust of wind helps or hurts a jumper.
Ideally, jumpers never rise more than fifteen feet above the ground. The hill curves downward at the exact same angle that the jumper falls. Therefore, they glide just above the surface rather than dropping from a terrifying height.
The “K-Point” marks the steepest part of the hill. A red line across the landing zone indicates this “critical point.” If a jumper lands past this line, the hill begins to flatten out, making the landing dangerous.
Friction on the in-run can ruin a jump before it starts. Teams wax the skis perfectly to gain maximum speed before takeoff. Specifically, a difference of just one kilometer per hour at takeoff can change the flight distance by several meters.
Finally, the world record jump is longer than two football fields. Stefan Kraft flew an incredible 253.5 meters in 2017. Thus, he traveled a quarter of a kilometer without an engine or wings.
