The ski jumping event during the Vancouver Winter Olympics will be something special to be a part of. Ski jumping has been contested in the Winter Games since 1924 where there was one individual event. The large hill addition to the Winter Olympics became an event in 1964 at the Innsbruck Winter games. The competition took place at Le Mont in Chamonix, France. The eventual winner of this competition was Jacob Tullin Thams who also won a Silver medal at the 1936 Summer Olympics. He is among elite company as he is one of a very select group of athletes who have medaled in both the summer and Winter Olympics.

Ski Jumping was founded in 1809 by a Norwegian soldier who launched himself 9.5 metres in the air in front of a crowd of fellow soldiers. In 1862 ski jumpers were launching themselves down much larger slopes and jumps enabling them to travel further distances and travel higher in the air while competing in official ski jumping events. In 1985 the V style was developed. The V style is where the jumper hold his/her skis in a V shaped position while moving through the air. A Swedish ski jumper named Jan Boklov was credited with the discovery of the V style. Once sports science eventually caught up with researching the V style, it was made known that in the advancement the V style created 28% more lift. Knowing this, it will be interesting to watch for the V style during the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics.

During the Vancouver Olympics the athletes ski down the traditional long ramp or in-run, and launch in to the air reaching speeds of up to 95 km/hour. The ski jumping technique is a very important aspect of the event as the competitors must perform a very precise and well-timed take off allowing for a proper, safe jump. As soon as the jumper is air born they assume the V style positioning of the skis enabling maximum lift and minimal drag. The jumper is evaluated on their distance and style preformed during the jump. Quite often the skier with longest jump will accumulate the most style points. However, the longer the jump the more difficult it can be to land in the traditional telemarking style, points will be deducted for an unstable landing. The judges will keep a close eye on how far the jumpers travel as well as set the starting gates in cooperation with factors such as wind, humidity, and temperature and snow type.

At the Vancouver 2010 Olympics there will be three categories of jumping events, the normal hill individual event will start with a qualification jump on the day before the actual competition jump. The top 15 ski jumpers off the World Cup circuit do not have to qualify, where as the remaining jumpers will have to participate in the one day qualifier and place in the top 35 for an official start in the actual competition.

There will be two jumps on competition day with 50 starting skiers competing in the opening jump (15 pre-qualified and 35 qualifiers). Only the top 35 jumpers will move on to the final stage. The best jumpers from the opening round will compete last in the final round. The large hill format follows the same guide lines and competition rules as in the normal hill event.

In the large hill team event, each of the teams are made up of four athletes taking place in two competition rounds. During the first round one jumper from each team competes followed by the second and third and so on. Only the top eight teams at the conclusion of the first round move on to the second and final round, the team with highest total points at the end of all eight rounds wins the event and in this case the Gold medal in the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics.

The ski jumping events during the Vancouver Olympics will be held at Whistler Olympic Park in Whistler, British Columbia, located about 2 hours outside of downtown Vancouver along the scenic Sea to Sky highway. The capacity for the ski jumping events will allow for 12,000 spectators in the particular stadium. The two ski jumps have been equipped with one of the world’s most sophisticated ski jump snow refrigeration and track setting systems.

For a look at the Vancouver Olympic Committee’s (VANOC) sustainable attributes for this particular venue please see the bottom of the Biathlon or Cross Country skiing pages.

Enjoy the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics, Vancouver will be unlocking the world during 2010.