Source:

02-12-2009 16:55

The crucial elements in ski jumping are the launch, takeoff, flight and the landing: the smallest of errors can severely compromise the entire jump. The events include individual and tem jump. Skiers are split into four groups in individual competitions. Each country is entitled to enter one skiers in each group. Teams usually prefer entering their best skiers in the last two groups because the hill presents less friction and becomes much faster after the passage of the previous skiers.

The athlete races down the in run track and leaps into a thrilling flight across the void: the influence of thermal currents, the angle of the parabola of the flight, the rush of the air.

Matched by the athlete's courage, all contribute to determining the final jump distance.

Two jumps are made in the competition (plus a test jump) and the athlete who achieves the highest score is judged the winner. The overall evaluation is based on the length of the jump made (a parameter transformed into points) and the style assessment provided by the 5 ski jump judges (the best and worst scores from the five judges are rejected).

The jump

The ski jumpers take on an aerodynamic crouched position in order to reach maximum speed. Ski jumpers cannot use ski poles, thrusts or any other aids to increase their speed.