Most people recognise ski jumping as a breathtaking Winter Olympic sport where competitors strive to jump further than anyone else to win Olympic gold, but ski jumping is much more than that.
Ski jumping is an international sport governed by the rules and standards of the Fédération Internationale de Ski (FIS) and, unlike most sports, provides different sized facilities to cater for the wide range in experience from the young, and not so young, beginners through to world-class jumpers.
Ski jumping is also not just confined to Winter as it can be enjoyed all year round, as the photographs above and below show. Ski jumping is equally at home on the snow in Winter, on plastic in Summer, and ski jumping on plastic under bright night lights is spectacular.
Adults, and children as young as eight, can develop their skills on small jumping hills under the watchful eyes of trained coaches before progressing to the more advanced jumping hills. The photograph at right shows a beginner learning the correct technique during flight.
As well as being a healthy and exhilarating sport that can be enjoyed by everybody throughout the year regardless of skill level, it promotes and encourages family participation.
With the rapid advances in ski technology over the last fifty years and the human desire to continually jump greater distances, a new jumping discipline was created called ski flying
The distinction between ski jumping and ski flying is based solely on the characteristics of the jumping hills, with ski flying conducted on jumping hills beyond 180m.
