How Is It Possible for Ski Jumpers to Stay in the Air So Long?

Experience it for yourself when you watch a ski jumper take off from a ski jump ramp and you’ll get the feeling of something that is seemingly floating away, defying gravity. With skis spread wide, their bodies angled forward and riding on ice-cold air, they glide through the air for far too long. But it’s more than a feeling.

The world-class ski jumpers can soar into the air for more than seven seconds, and cover over 140 meters, longer than a football field. It appears to be magic from the ground. In fact, it’s a combination of physics, aerodynamics and years of rigorous training. Just what are those people doing above? Let’s take it apart.

The Basic Physics: Why Ski Jumpers Don’t Just Fall

• First, before discussing the technique, there is one important thing to keep in mind: Ski jumping is actually a controlled glide! The jumper is like a paper airplane thrown with considerable force, and his/her body and skis become the air foils to gain altitude at the cost of speed. The four forces are:
• Gravity — constantly pulling the jumper down
• Lift — pushing the jumper upward against gravity
• Drag — air resistance slowing forward movement
• Inertia — the forward momentum built on the in-run

The jumper’s goal isn’t to overcome gravity, that’s impossible. It’s to slow the rate of descent by generating enough lift to extend the glide phase as long as possible. This is the same principle that keeps a hang-glider or a flying squirrel airborne, a large surface area oriented at the right angle to oncoming air creates upward force.

The In-Run: Building the Momentum That Makes Everything Possible

To glide you must have speed! This is the in-run for. Jumper’s sledge into the tight low body tuck position with their arms close to their thighs, back flat with their chin down, and then jump down a steep ramp, up to 85 meters high. At the take-off table their speed varies between 85–95 kmph (53–59 mph) depending on the size of the hill. This isn’t passive.

The tuck position is carefully optimized in order to have the least air resistance on the way down. There is research out from the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) that shows that the velocity at take-off can be impacted by a few kilometres per hour (or metres in the air) by even the smallest of the body position changes that occur during the in-run phase. The in-run doesn’t just have to be a speed ramp. It’s the base of the whole jump!

The Take-off: The Most Critical Half-Second in the Sport

The jumper then propels themselves upwards and explosively extends their legs at the end of the jump ramp (knoll, take-off table). Time is critical. Too early, the jump is too steep and the jumper loses forward momentum. The angle is flat – too late, no lift. The optimum angle of take-off is about 10-12 degrees off the horizontal.

Add forward lean and you have the aerobically correct position for the jumper to push through to get him downhill. Elite jumpers are able to produce take-off forces of up to 2.5 times body weight in this explosive extension, biomechanical studies from sports science institutions demonstrate. The great jumpers of the world can do this the same way, jump after jump.

The Flight Position: How the Body Becomes a Wing

The V-Style Revolution

Until the 1980s, ski jumpers jumped with their skis parallel. Then a Swedish jumper named Jan Boklöv tried a V-ski configuration with the tips outwards and the tails inwards. His results were confirmed by wind tunnel testing, which also showed that the V-style produced much more lift than parallel skis. At the beginning of the 1990s all the competitive jumpers had switched. World records tumbled. The V-style is now standard in the sport.

Why V Works

The physics are simple. The spreading of the skis increases the lifting surface, that is, the bigger the wing. Body is angled forward between and slightly over the skis and provides lift. An aerodynamics study published by the Journal of Biomechanics showed that the V-style was able to create up to 30% greater lift at the same airspeed as the old parallel style. The body leaning forward allows for less frontal area drag and more lift from the skis below. It’s a two-piece aerodynamic system – the jumper’s body and the skis working together.

Body Angle and Lift-to-Drag Ratio

The important number is the angle of attack which is the angle between body/ski surface and oncoming air flow. If done correctly, the result will be what is known as a “lift to drag” ratio, which is maximized. If it is too steep then drag will rise rapidly. If too shallow, lift will drop off. Elite jumpers hold their attack angle around 30–35 degrees at 30–35% of the way through the flight. The skill is to be able to maintain this exactly as the hill drops away as you slow down and control your balance as you go.

Why They Stay Up So Long: The Numbers

Let’s put some numbers on this.

Hill Type	Ramp Height	In-Run Speed	Typical Flight Distance	Air Time
Normal Hill (NH)	~65m	~85 km/h	90–100m	~4–5 sec
Large Hill (LH)	~90m	~90 km/h	120–135m	~6–7 sec
Ski Flying Hill	~100m+	~95 km/h	200m+	~9–10 sec

The average jumper is hovering in the air for about 6-7 seconds and covering the distance of 1.3 football fields on a typical Large Hill, the kind used in the Winter Olympics. It is possible to jump over 253 meters at Ski Flying events such as Vikersund (Norway) or Oberstdorf (Germany), and in 2017, this jump was recorded by Stefan Kraft.

These jumps have been lasting more than 9 seconds of flight. This is made possible because the hill is inclined at a pretty steep angle. Jumper is not really in flight, they are falling, but the incline is steeper than their descent. The net effect is a prolonged glide across a huge vertical drop.

The Landing: Turning a High-Speed Glide into a Safe Stop

The incline is steep (usually 30-35 degrees), and causes the jumper to absorb the momentum going forward by continuing down the slope rather than stopping abruptively. On the FIS scoring system, the body position of the flyer during the flight, as well as the clean telemark landing, gives a maximum of 60 points, distributed among 5 judges.

Even landing on a slope this steep at 80+ km/h can put a lot of pressure on the knees and ankles. That’s why the importance of physical conditioning, especially the strength of the lower body and knee stability, play a major role in ski jumping training.

How Ski Jumpers Actually Train for This

Summer Training

Today’s ski jumping hills feature polo or ceramic coated plastic surfaces that simulate snow sufficiently to allow for the use of the hill for summer ski jumping. Even though training centres such as Holmenkollen ski jump in Oslo and Garmisch-Partenkirchen offer training, they do so in the summer, which means jumpers make hundreds of jumps before the snow starts to fall. Summer training enables coaches to build up technique in an intensive way without being restricted by the weather – especially important for younger players who are still developing their flight position.

Dry-Land Strength and Conditioning

Off the hill, jumpers spend considerable time in the gym with a specific focus:

• Plyometric training — box jumps, depth jumps, and bounding drills to develop explosive leg power for take-off.
• Core stability work — planks, cable rotations, and balance exercises to maintain stable flight position.
• Hip flexor and posterior chain training — deadlifts and Romanian deadlifts for the forward lean position
• Proprioception training — balance boards and unstable surface work to develop in-air body awareness.

Even though the athletes are thin and tall, the research results of the Norwegian Olympic and Paralympic Committee indicate that elite jumpers can produce the same peak forces from their legs as the sprinters. The sport requires lots of power at low weight.

Wind Tunnel Sessions

The application of wind tunnels in modern ski jumping training is one of the most interesting items. Jumpers can practice and perfect their aerodynamically correct position in simulated flight at institutes such as the German Sport University Cologne. Athletes can try out in the tunnel:

• The angle of forward lean
• The spread and angle of the V-style
• Arm position (tucked vs. slightly spread)
• The tilt and angle of the skis relative to airflow

The sessions provide information to coaches so that they can adjust each athlete’s specific position for maximum benefit as no two athletes are alike, and what is best for a taller athlete may not be best for a shorter athlete.

Video Analysis and Biomechanics

Every jump at the elite level is filmed from multiple angles and analyzed frame-by-frame. Coaches look at:

• The take-off extension: timing and direction
• The transition phase: first 10 meters of flight, critical for establishing position
• Flight stability: does the position hold or does the jumper rock and adjust?
• Landing preparation: when the jumper begins to shift into telemark

Using software in sports biomechanics, as outlined by Sports Medicine Australia, can plot force vectors and show the joint angles from several jumps, allowing coaches to identify micro errors that cannot be detected with their eyes.

Mental Training and Visualization

Ski jumping is as much mental as physical. The take-off window is less than half a second. It takes a lot of mental conditioning to get this right under pressure, in front of an audience and after a heavy 90 km/h descent.

Top athletes work with sports psychologists on:

• Visualization routines: mentally rehearsing perfect jumps in vivid detail before stepping on the ramp
• Arousal regulation: managing adrenaline so it sharpens rather than disrupts focus
• Process focus: keeping attention on execution cues rather than distance or outcome

Research on applied sport psychology has always been clear: elite athletes with a structured visualization program outperform their counterparts when pressure is applied.

Expert Tips: What Separates Good from Elite Jumpers

Here’s what coaches and sport scientists identify as the key differentiators at the top of the sport:

1. Take-off timing precision Elite jumpers hit the take-off window within 20–30 milliseconds of the optimal moment, repeatedly. This only comes from thousands of repetitions and highly developed kinaesthetic awareness.

2. Stability in the transition phase: The first 10 meters of flight are the most unstable. Athletes who establish their V-style position quickly and without rocking or adjusting lose less speed and set up a cleaner, longer glide.

3. Body weight management: This is a controversial area of the sport. Lift force scales with surface area but drag also scales with mass. Lighter jumpers with the same technique can fly farther. FIS rules set minimum ski length relative to body weight specifically to limit the competitive advantage of extremely low body weight, a response to eating disorder concerns that emerged in the sport in the 1990s and 2000s.

4. Individual aerodynamic optimization No two bodies are the same. The best coaches treat each athlete’s position as an individual optimization problem, not a template to copy.

5. Consistent pre-jump routine Top jumpers use a locked-in mental and physical routine before every jump. This consistency primes the nervous system and reduces variability in execution.

Ski Jumping Equipment and Its Role in Flight

The gear isn’t passive. Equipment choices directly affect aerodynamic performance.

1. Suits: Jumping suits are made from specific fabrics approved by FIS that create controlled drag. The cut and stiffness affect how the suit interacts with airflow. Athletes work with manufacturers to optimize their suits for individual body shape.
2. Skis: Modern jumping skis are up to 145% of the jumper’s body height in length (the maximum allowed) and approximately 10 cm wide. They’re lightweight, rigid, and shaped to maximize the lifting surface in V-style.
3. Boots and bindings: Jumping boots have a forward-tilting design that facilitates the forward body lean during flight. Bindings allow some ankle flex — critical for landing shock absorption.
4. Helmet: Aerodynamic and certified to safety standards. Some athletes use visors to reduce drag and wind disturbance around the face.

The Role of Hill Design in Distance and Safety

You can’t separate the jumper’s performance from the hill they’re jumping on. Hill design is highly scientific.

The FIS Hill Construction Norms specify precise parameters:

• K-point: The calculated norm point, a reference mark on the landing slope that defines the expected landing distance for a well-executed jump
• HS (Hill Size): The maximum point, 10–15% beyond the K-point
• Knoll angle: The angle of the take-off table, typically 10–11 degrees
• Landing slope gradient: Steep enough to match the jumper’s trajectory angle, reducing impact forces on landing

When jumpers land at or beyond the HS point, safety becomes a serious concern — the slope begins to flatten, increasing impact force. This is why officials adjust the starting gate (moving it lower on the in-run) when conditions are fast.

Ski Jumping vs. Ski Flying: What Changes at the Extreme Distances

The technique of flying is the same as that of ski jumping but is performed on much larger hills (Ski Flying Hills have HS ratings greater than 185 meters). These extremes are somewhat different physically. Aerodynamic forces become much greater at high speeds (near 100 km/h). Minor location errors result in significant errors. But the difficulty grows further, as the jumpers fall toward a landing area that isn’t easy to see from the jumping platform. The four Hills Tournament in Germany and Austria and the Raw Air series in Norway are the highest level of regular ski jumping. Ski Flying World Championships run at specific massive hills are a special class.

Pros and Cons of Being a Ski Jumper

Pros	Cons
Unique athletic discipline combining explosive power and aerodynamics	Extremely high injury risk, particularly to knees and ankles
International competition circuit with prestigious events	Intense body weight management pressure
Spectacular sport with passionate fan base	Short competitive windows — few athletes peak before age 18
Rich tradition especially in Scandinavia, Central Europe, and Japan	Limited infrastructure in many countries
Year-round training with modern scientific support	High cost of equipment and hill access

Frequently Asked Questions

1. How long can a ski jumper stay in the air?

On a standard Large Hill, elite jumpers are airborne for roughly 6–7 seconds. On Ski Flying Hills at events like Vikersund, where world records are set, jumpers can spend 9–10 seconds in the air covering over 250 meters.

• Do ski jumpers use poles?

No. Poles are only used during the warm-up and walk back up the hill. During the actual jump, the hands are free — typically tucked at the sides during in-run and used for stability during flight and landing.

• Why do ski jumpers lean so far forward?

Forward lean brings the body into alignment with the skis and the direction of travel, maximizing the total lifting surface area and minimizing frontal drag. The body essentially acts as a second wing working in conjunction with the skis.

• How do beginners start learning ski jumping?

Beginners start on small training hills sometimes just 10–20 meters, and focus first on the take-off extension and landing position before any aerodynamics training. Many countries with strong jumping programs, like Norway and Germany, have structured youth development pathways starting as young as age 7–8.

• Is ski jumping dangerous?

It carries real risk, particularly at the take-off and landing. Knee injuries are the most common serious issue. However, modern hill design, equipment standards, and weather gate adjustments by officials have significantly reduced catastrophic injury rates compared to earlier eras of the sport.

Conclusion

Ski jumping is one of the most visually dramatic sports in the world — and now you know why those athletes hang in the air so impossibly long. It comes down to a perfect chain of events: the right speed from the in-run, an explosive and precisely-timed take-off, a body position that turns human and ski into an aerodynamic wing, and years of specialized training to make all of it repeatable under pressure. The V-style changed the sport. Wind tunnels refined it. Biomechanics analysis continues to push it forward. And at the far end of a 140-meter flight, the tele mark landing turns the whole thing into both a technical feat and something genuinely beautiful to watch. Next time you see a ski jumper launch into the sky and hang there; you’ll know exactly what you’re looking at.

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