Have you ever looked at other skiers on the slopes executing perfect jumps and wondered how they do it?
Or perhaps you’ve seen some making a mess of it and think you can do better?
Either way, if you fancy learning how to do ski jumps yourself we can help you to get started.
Popping or springing is a fundamental technique key to learning how to hit a jump on skis. In fact, it’s so important that the best place to start is by practising popping on a flat surface.
With your boots and skis on, find some space away from others so that not only do you avoid falling into anyone but you can also avoid any embarrassment whilst you hone your technique.
From a standing position, bend your knees and hips forward so that your back and legs create roughly a 45-degree angle. Keep your body weight over the centre of the skis to help maintain balance.
Jump up with as much power as you can and straighten your legs and back, then allow them to bend again as your skis come back down to the ground.
The first time you try this you might find you’re very unstable and unbalanced when you land. That’s why practice is so important! Keep repeating this until it feels more comfortable and your knees naturally bend as you land to absorb the impact.
Whatever you do, don’t get ahead of yourself when you’re learning how to do jumps on skis. Find a nice small jump to put your popping practice into action.
As you approach the jump get into your crouched position with your body weight over the centre of the skis.
The timing of your pop is critical. To maximise air time, your body should be straight at the point that the centre of your skis touch the lip of the jump. So you should be coming out of your crouch just before this, pushing down on the snow to create momentum as you jump upwards and straighten your legs and back.
Once you’re in the air, bend your knees and hips forward again and create the same 45-degree angle from before the jump. Focus on your centre of gravity and ensure it’s over the centre of your skis to help you stay balanced.
Keep your knees and hips bent as the landing approaches and try to touch the ground with the back of your skis first. As the full length of the skis make contact use your knees to absorb the impact and only stand back up straight when you’re certain you’re well balanced.
Just like when you practised in a standing position, you probably won’t get this perfect first time – it’s a good job snow is soft! Just keep repeating the same technique, focusing on moving from a crouched to a straight position with your weight over the centre of your skis all the time and you’ll soon get the hang of it.
If you’ve heard people talking about an Ollie on the ski slope it’s probably not a guy they know but a different kind of jumping technique.
The Ollie is more difficult than the pop, and timing is even more critical, but it can give much more height to your jump when you get it right.
To perform an Ollie, start in a crouched position but not quite as bent as before. About 60 degrees this time.
As the jump approaches, lean forwards slightly, then throw your weight backwards. As the front of the skis bend and lift into the air, lean forwards again just as you are over the lip of the jump.
Push yourself upwards, extending your body so your legs are almost straight as the back of your skis touch the lip.
From there, it’s the same as popping. Tuck your body again whilst in the air and focus on your balance to prepare for landing. Use your knees and hips to absorb the impact as you aim to touch down with the back of your skis first.
Once you’ve mastered the basic jump you’ll probably be eager to try more. As you’ll know if you’ve ever watched skiing at the Winter Olympics, there are plenty of different tricks to learn. Check out our tips for learning ski tricks or book yourself in for some lessons and learn to ski jump with the experts.
