Have they ever optimized jumping skis?

[Bart Parnell]

Just wondering about ski jumping... I'm sure there are rules for the ski characteristics but have jumpers ever experimented with designing the ultimate jumping skis, like for the ski flying events where they go balls out for incredible flights? After all if alpine skis can go from 65mm to 120mm what would happen if someone used significantly larger skis? Or something that sped up their inure? Etc.

I know you're all experts ;-p Or at least have opinions.

Opps I can't edit the thread title... f-ing spell check is going to start a war I swear.

 

[Mike Thomas]

They are using pretty specialized skis... about as specialized as skis get.


On a side note, I am pretty sure they started to ski fly in the 'duck' position with their skis because they can no longer get their legs parallel with balls that big.

 

[KevinF]

I always figured that jumping skis were all the exact same width so that they would fit into those grooves on the ramp... I've never seen a pair up close though.

Years ago I did go to the top of the ski jump ramps in Lake Placid (in street clothes... . Three words summed up the experience: "No", "f-ing", and "way".

 

[cantunamunch]

I
Years ago I did go to the top of the ski jump ramps in Lake Placid (in street clothes... . Three words summed up the experience: "No", "f-ing", and "way".

Did you ever see one of the ground level practice machines?

 

[Seldomski]

Seems like a wing suit would help more. Ski jumping is so bizarre to me.

 

[cantunamunch]

Seems like a wing suit would help more.

They've stopped going for pure distance because they can already fly past most reasonably-sized venue limits.

 

[KevinF]

Did you ever see one of the ground level practice machines?

The only "ground level" ski-jumping practice I've seen was some old video showing them using track-style high-hurdles as box jumps. i.e., stand in front of a high hurdle, jump over it, turn around, jump back over, etc.

What's their practice machine?

 

[Rod9301]

Just wondering about ski jumping... I'm sure there are rules for the ski characteristics but have jumpers ever experimented with designing the ultimate jumping skis, like for the ski flying events where they go balls out for incredible flights? After all if alpine skis can go from 65mm to 120mm what would happen if someone used significantly larger skis? Or something that sped up their inure? Etc.

I know you're all experts ;-p Or at least have opinions.

Opps I can't edit the thread title... f-ing spell check is going to start a war I swear.

No, I'm sure they never thought of it.

 

[KevinF]

They've stopped going for pure distance because they can already fly past most reasonably-sized venue limits.

What are they going for then? I always figured ski jumping was all about who jumped the farthest.

 

[crgildart]

They've got the skis dialed in and are now working on face lift..

 

[cantunamunch]

What's their practice machine?

it's this pivoting support rig where one leaps from a tuck into fully-forward extension on top of the machine. I expect most of the posters on this board don't have the ankle flexibility or the extension to even use one of those properly.

What are they going for then? I always figured ski jumping was all about who jumped the farthest.

It is, but only within the extant limits of the gear. Style on launch, flight and landing is judged.

If you ever go skydiving, you'll have no problem controlling your body and your freefall once you figure out where stability is. The trick is controlling your body before aero stability occurs - and that's what ski jumping is, only without the parachutes.

 

[Bart Parnell]

What are they going for then? I always figured ski jumping was all about who jumped the farthest.

Style and who can go the greatest distance from a given start. Sure you could build a 300m jump and really launch them if you simply want to go a real long ways....

I understand the skis are specialized (doh) but not whether they've gone through the radical rethinking that our alpine skis did (or Nordic skate skis, tennis rackets, etc.)

 

[Bad Bob]

Those skis have evolved, A LOT. The jumping skis of old were pretty much a long wide wood ski with edges. The stuff you are seeing on TV are a lot wider and much thinner; have you noticed the tip flex while they are in the air?

Wonder what they are using for a core? suspect it is something very light. Balsa? Have also notice how thin the jumpers are, which makes sense, the glide ratio is not as good on heavy objects.

We have got to have a jumper out there somewhere on this website, jump in whoever you are. PLEASE! Inquiring minds want to know.

 

[cantunamunch]

They've got the skis dialed in and are now working on face lift..

See previous comment about skinniness - and notice the relative age of the competitors. We could only dream about facial foliage like that at that age.

Philosoraptor wonders : If he was to wax those, would it be a canard in the aero sense? Or a canard in the cheat sense?

 

[Seldomski]

Would love to see them run some moguls on those skis...

 

[cantunamunch]

Would love to see them run some moguls on those skis...

Tyrone Shoelaces did a chute-skiing TR on some, you might be able to find it archived.

 

[mdf]

How did the v-stance get started in an event with a form-judging component? I would think the early adopters would have gotten horrible scores.

 

[Mike Thomas]

How did the v-stance get started in an event with a form-judging component? I would think the early adopters would have gotten horrible scores.

Medical exemption. Extenuating anatomical circumstances.

 

[pchewn]

How did the v-stance get started in an event with a form-judging component? I would think the early adopters would have gotten horrible scores.

In the mid-1950s, Swiss jumper Andreas Daescher became the first jumper to hold the arms backwards close to the body with a more extreme forward lean. Then in 1985, Swedish jumper Jan Bokloev started spreading the tips of his skis into a “V” shape. Initially ridiculed, this technique proved so successful that by 1992 all Olympic medallists were using this style.

https://www.olympic.org/ski-jumping-equipment-and-history

 

[pchewn]

Just wondering about ski jumping... I'm sure there are rules for the ski characteristics but have jumpers ever experimented with designing the ultimate jumping skis, like for the ski flying events where they go balls out for incredible flights? After all if alpine skis can go from 65mm to 120mm what would happen if someone used significantly larger skis? Or something that sped up their inure? Etc.

I know you're all experts ;-p Or at least have opinions.

Opps I can't edit the thread title... f-ing spell check is going to start a war I swear.

The width of the ski is limited to 95mm MIN and 105mm MAX -- at the balance point of the ski. The length of the ski is limited by the height/weight of the jumper, or to 145% of the jumper's height, whichever is less.

There are a TON of other parameters limited and specified in this document, on pg 14 or so...: http://www.fis-ski.com/mm/Document/...tionequipment_1617_11072016_clean_English.pdf

They even specify the maximum thickness of the underwear worn by the ski jumper (presumably to limit bulky underwear that would increase the ability to catch more lift off of the jump).