Ski jumping

Lore & Background

Like most of the Nordic skiing disciplines, the first ski jumping competitions were held in Norway in the 19th century, although there is evidence of ski jumping in the late 18th century. In the late 19th century, Sondre Norheim and Nordic skier Karl Hovelsen immigrated to the United States and started developing the sport in that country. The sport has been featured at every Olympics since. Ski jumping was brought to Canada by Norwegian immigrant Nels Nelsen. Revelstoke's was the biggest natural ski jump hill in Canada and internationally recognized as one of the best in North America. On the same day, Andreas Goldberger had jumped 202 m earlier in the competition but fell, so his jump was not ratified.

Reader's Guide

The sport's technique has shifted from parallel skis to the V-style, pioneered by Jan Boklöv in the mid-1980s, which increased jump distances by about 10%. Women's participation began in the 1990s, with the first Olympic women's event in 2014. Ski jumping is not limited to winter; summer competitions use porcelain in-run tracks, with the highest level summer event being the FIS Ski Jumping Grand Prix since 1994. The sport's governing body, the International Ski Federation, organizes all major competitions. Rules regulate athlete safety, including a minimum body mass index to prevent underweight competitors, and restrictions on suit material to prevent unfair aerodynamic advantages.

Did You Know?

• Sondre Norheim is regarded as the 'father' of modern ski jumping.
• The V-style technique, pioneered by Jan Boklöv in the mid-1980s, increased jump distances by about 10%.
• The first ratified jump over 200 m was achieved by Toni Nieminen in 1994 at Planica, Slovenia; Andreas Goldberger had jumped 202 m earlier that year but fell, so his jump was not ratified.

Roots in the Norwegian Fjords

Ski jumping traces its earliest recorded leap to 1808, when Olaf Rye covered 9.5 metres in what is considered the first documented jump. Though evidence suggests the activity existed as far back as the late 1700s, it was Sondre Norheim who is widely credited as the father of the modern discipline. In 1866, he claimed victory in the first ski jumping competition to offer prizes, held at Høydalsmo. A decade later, the sport scaled up when the first major contest took place on the Husebyrennet hill in Oslo; poor infrastructure and weather eventually pushed the event to Holmenkollen in 1892, where it remains a cornerstone of the season to this day. The sport crossed the Atlantic through Norwegian immigrants. Sondre Norheim and Karl Hovelsen carried the discipline to the United States in the late 1800s, while in Canada, Nels Nelsen designed Mount Revelstoke in 1915. That natural hill, stretching 600 metres, hosted annual competitions until 1959 and produced world records in 1916, 1921, 1925, 1932, and 1933, making it the only Canadian venue to claim such marks.

Anatomy of a Hill and the Numbers Behind a Jump

Every ski jumping hill is engineered around three core elements: the in-run, the take-off table, and the landing slope. Built on a steep natural gradient, the in-run lets competitors accelerate from a common starting point until they reach considerable speed at the table. From there, they launch into the air, holding an aerodynamic body and ski position to stretch the flight as far as possible. The landing slope is deliberately shaped so the jumper's trajectory runs nearly parallel to it, shaving off relative height gradually for a safe touchdown. Beyond the landing zone lies the out-run, a flat or counter-inclined strip where the athlete decelerates, enclosed by fencing and a spectator auditorium. Scoring blends distance and style. Each hill carries a K-point, a target line in the landing area. Landing on it earns 60 points on normal and large hills, or 120 on flying hills. Every metre beyond or short adjusts the score by 2, 1.8, or 1.2 points per metre respectively. Five judges, positioned in a tower beside the landing zone, each award up to 20 style points. In individual events, two jumps are combined for the final ranking.

From Parallel Skis to the V-Style and Beyond

The way a jumper holds their body in flight has transformed dramatically since the sport's inception. Early competitors kept their skis parallel and both arms stretched straight ahead. Today, the dominant technique is the V-style, in which the skis are angled outward, a configuration that has become the standard aerodynamic position used to maximise flight distance. This evolution in technique has pushed the boundaries of what is physically possible. In 1935, at Planica in Slovenia, Josef Bradl became the first person in history to clear 100 metres. That same venue witnessed another landmark in 1994, when Toni Nieminen landed at 203 metres, the first officially recorded jump beyond the 200-metre mark. The competitive format itself has also broadened over the decades. The normal hill event was added to the FIS World Championships in 1962 and to the Olympic programme two years later. A team event followed at the 1988 Winter Games. Perhaps the most significant expansion came in the 1990s, when women began competing in the sport, culminating in their first Olympic event at the 2014 Winter Games.

Olympic Permanence and the Summer Season

Ski jumping has been a fixture of the Winter Olympics since its debut at the 1924 Games in Chamonix, France, and has appeared at every subsequent edition. The FIS Nordic World Ski Championships, running since 1925, provide a parallel global stage, and all major competitions in the discipline fall under the governance of the International Ski Federation. What makes the sport uniquely resilient is that it is not confined to snow. During the summer months, athletes train and compete on purpose-built facilities where the in-run is surfaced with smooth porcelain tracks that simulate the friction of a snowy slope. The pinnacle of this off-season circuit is the FIS Ski Jumping Grand Prix, which has been contested since 1994. Together, the winter and summer calendars ensure that jumpers maintain peak form year-round, and the sport's continuous Olympic presence spanning more than a century underscores its enduring place in the Nordic skiing family alongside cross-country skiing.