how far do ski jumpers jump
Most elite ski jumpers typically fly around 100–140 meters, while the very longest “ski flying” jumps can exceed 240 meters and approach the current world record of 253.5 meters.
Typical jump distances
On standard World Cup hills (normal and large hills), you’ll usually see jumps in this range:
- Normal hill: roughly 85–105 meters for good jumps.
- Large hill: roughly 115–140 meters for strong World Cup‑level jumps.
- Average over a full season (men): about 130 meters per jump.
- Average over a full season (women): about 100 meters per jump.
These distances already feel huge on TV, because the landing hill is steep and the cameras flatten the perspective.
Record-breaking distances
The really eye‑popping numbers come on special “ski flying” hills, which are built specifically for maximum distance.
- Largest hills: designed so athletes can safely fly well beyond 200 meters.
- Current men’s world record: 253.5 meters, set by Austria’s Stefan Kraft in Vikersund in 2017.
- Experts expect that, with existing hills and equipment, distances around 270 meters might be possible in the next decade, but hill expansions are currently on hold for safety reasons.
These flights last only a few seconds, but at around 100 km/h off the takeoff, that’s enough time to cover more than two football fields in the air.
Why jumps aren’t longer
Several factors limit how far ski jumpers can safely go:
- Hill size: Each hill has a designed maximum “hill size” and K‑point; going much beyond that becomes dangerous on landing.
- Speed and aerodynamics: Takeoff speed (often 95–105 km/h) and the V‑style posture maximize lift but also increase risk if something goes wrong.
- Safety rules: The international federation (FIS) regulates hill construction, equipment, and suit design to cap distances at what the landing slope can handle.
An easy way to picture it: typical Olympic jumps are roughly the length of a soccer pitch, while record ski‑flying jumps are closer to two and a half soccer pitches back‑to‑back.