Gregor Schlierenzauer of Austria in action during his first jump of the FIS World Cup Ski Jumping at the Whistler Olympic Park in Whistler, British Columbia. (Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images) "The real risk of the thing, which is also the reward, is being able to fly," says former Canadian ski jumper Ron Richards.
The risk-reward equation is a defining element of ski jumping. The jumper must achieve a speed of roughly 90 km/h going down the ramp. He must snap his skis upward and lean forward upon takeoff, shifting his centre of gravity ahead, stretching long and steady towards his ski tips. The right form will give him flight itself — lasting and exhilarating.
The alternative is to ski down the ramp, drop off the edge and maintain an upright position while falling along, as opposed to flying above, the contour of the hill a la Eddie (The Eagle) Edwards.
Qualifying standards have been raised since Edwards became the unlikeliest superstar of the 1988 Calgary Olympics, and there is now a more even representation of skill. But Edwards' jumps proved that even a poorly executed jump could be, undeniably, inspiring.
Events, the K-point, and judging
Ski jumping is judged on both technical and stylistic merit, like figure skating but usually without the controversies and theatrics. It's not simply a contest of distance, but also one of finesse and form.
The three ski jumping events are the 90-metre individual (also called the K90 or normal hill), the 120m individual (also called the K120 or large hill), and the four-person team event held on the large hill. In all three events, each athlete performs two jumps.
Equaling the height of the hill from takeoff, the K-point is the target area for the ski jumper. A jump to the K-point is worth 60 points, with additional points added or subtracted for each metre beyond or before this marker.
The style marks are more subjective. A panel of five judges evaluates the position of the skis and body, balance in the air, the correction of errors, and landing in the telemark position (down on one knee, with one ski in front of the other and the arms stretched outward).
Judges will automatically give a score of zero for a fall on the ramp, which is called the in-run. The highest and lowest scores are discarded, giving the skier a maximum of 60 style marks to strive for.
Learning to fly
Forty-first place finisher Stefan Read, of Edmonton, Alta., is caught in a ray of sunlight as he soars through the air during the 2009 FIS Ski Jumping World Cup. (Darryl Dyck/Canadian Press) Putting together a good jump is an exercise in dexterity and confidence. "It's wide open, and it happens so fast, too," says Richards. "When it's your turn to go, you've got the mountain to yourself, so you've got to let it happen."
The ski jumper must try to maintain the speed he picks up travelling down the in-run. The jumpers use their leg power to propel them into an aerodynamic position to decrease resistance upon takeoff for the maximum thrust into the air.
But to stay aloft, the skier must work with the speed and the wind, floating on the air. Usually, the jumper will stay airborne for roughly four to five seconds, never more than a few metres above the slope.
"You're trying to carry your speed, push with your legs, and keep your centre of gravity moving forward," describes Richards.
"Then get into an aerodynamic position so you can actually fly using Bernoulli's principle, where air goes slower over the top and faster underneath."
The skier must also pull up his toes and keep his skis in a V-shaped position. For decades, ski jumpers kept their skis parallel during their flight. But in the 1980s, they discovered that with their skis in a V-shaped position allowed for more lift from air currents coursing underneath, thus keeping the jumper airborne longer and stretching out the jump. While the form might look awkward and counter-intuitive, it actually comes quite naturally.
Head winds and tail winds
Air pressure conditions are closely monitored with speed meters and skiers are held at the top of the in-run until precisely the right moment to ensure uniformity in competition. That said, these forces of nature are the variable that can make or break a jump.
Tailwinds are the enemy — they don't propel the jumper further, they sink him. When the wind is blowing from behind, the ski jumper moves with the currents. This can be like jumping into a vacuum because there is no wind resistance to ride and float on. Headwinds, on the other hand, will lift and carry the skier, as headwinds help an airplane gain altitude. Crosswinds, because of their varying directions and speeds, can unsettle a ski jumper in the air.
In a good run, the jumper becomes weightless. "It's like watching a Frisbee flying," Richards explains. "You know when it floats, and it bobs up and down and then it just hovers — it's kind of like that feeling."
Optimizing their skis and bodies
Knowing their skis better than anyone else, jumpers perform their own ski preparation. Between jumps, the skier brushes hot wax and powders on the skis to optimize the speed they can get on the in-run.
Tall and thin is the ideal body type for a ski jumper. Long legs allow for extended power strokes going down the in-run. Jumpers work with weights in order to develop mass and convert slow-twitch fibres into fast-twitch fibres.
"When you go down at 90 kilometres an hour, that takeoff is coming pretty quick, so you have to have fast reaction time, and you have to be able to generate that power in a hurry in one area," Richards says.
Leg strength and speed are crucial, considering a late jump can nullify as much as 50 per cent of one's jumping power.
