what are wind points in ski jumping

Wind points in ski jumping are extra compensation points that are added to or subtracted from a jumper’s score to make up for unfair wind conditions during their jump.

Quick Scoop: What are wind points?

• If a jumper has tailwind (wind from behind) – which makes it harder to fly far – they get points added to their score as compensation.

• If a jumper has headwind (wind from the front) – which gives extra lift and makes longer jumps easier – they have points subtracted from their score.

• The idea is that no one should win or lose just because the wind changed at the wrong moment.

In TV graphics, you’ll usually see a separate “wind” line in the scoring breakdown, often with a plus or minus number next to it.

How are wind points calculated?

In modern competitions, wind is measured at several points along the hill and turned into a single “effective” wind value used for compensation.

• Wind speed and direction are measured at multiple sensors on the hill (typically 5 on normal hills, more on larger hills).

• These measurements are combined into a weighted average, because wind at different parts of the flight affects the jump differently.

• A formula then converts that wind effect into a distance equivalent, and from that into plus/minus wind points on the score sheet.

For viewers, you don’t need the exact formula – what matters is: stronger headwind → bigger minus number, stronger tailwind → bigger plus number.

Why were wind points introduced?

Before wind compensation, results could be heavily distorted if some jumpers got lucky stable headwind and others got nasty tailwind.

• The wind (and related “gate factor”) system was officially introduced by the international federation around 2010 to improve fairness in outdoor conditions.

• It was first used at the Olympics in 2014 as part of the standard scoring system.

So today, when you see a big jump with perfect headwind, you’ll often also see a noticeable minus wind points line that pulls the total down a bit.

Is the system perfect?

Not really – and that’s part of the ongoing discussion in the ski jumping community.

• Studies show that wind points often undercompensate for difficult conditions, especially when the wind is very unstable or on bigger hills.

• Fans and experts debate whether the measurement and formulas are precise enough, and if the system is always fair in crazy weather.

Still, even with its flaws, wind compensation is widely seen as better than going back to the days when the draw and the wind could decide everything.

In one line: Wind points are a scoring adjustment that adds points for bad wind and subtracts points for good wind, to keep ski jumping results as fair as possible in changing weather.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.