hill size
{{Short description|Measurement for ski jumping hills}}
File:Ski jumping hill schematic.svg
File:Planica2Letalnica20080314.JPG in Planica, Slovenia. The construction point is marked with a horizontal line at the top of the red vertical line, while the line at the bottom is the hill size point.]]
The hill size (HS) is the most important measurement for the size of a ski jumping hill. It is defined as the distance between the takeoff table and the end of the landing area, which is called hill size point. It is not measured as a straight line but on the surface of the hill.Hans-Heini Gasser (FIS): [https://assets.fis-ski.com/image/upload/v1592381507/fis-prod/assets/Construction-Norm_2018-2.pdf Jumping Hills: Construction Norm 2018] (PDF), p. 4 (abbreviations), p. 5 (figure). Hill size is the distance between T (takeoff) and L (end of the landing area), measured at the surface of the hill. Since 2017, a typical slope inclination at hill size distance is 32° for normal hills, 31° for large hills, and 28° for ski flying hills.[https://www.skijumping.pl/wiadomosci/23779/planica-i-vikersund-z-hs240-fis-ujednolica-przepisy-o-rozmiarach-obiektow/ Planica i Vikersund z HS240. FIS ujednolica przepisy o rozmiarach obiektów – Skijumping.pl]
The hill size was first defined in 2004 as a direct replacement for the previously used Jury distance. While the Jury distance for each hill was established annually prior to the season,{{cite web|access-date=2025-02-16 |archive-date=2004-05-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040503044941/http://www.fis-ski.com/rulesandpublications/skijumping/skijumpingrules/internationalcompetitionrules2000.pdf |date=2000 |page=18 |title=THE INTERNATIONAL SKI COMPETITION RULES (ICR). BOOK III – JOINT REGULATIONS: SKI-JUMPING, SKI-FLYING |url=http://www.fis-ski.com/rulesandpublications/skijumping/skijumpingrules/internationalcompetitionrules2000.pdf |website=International Ski Federation}} the hill size of a hill is fixed.{{cite web|access-date=2025-02-16 |archive-date=2016-04-13 |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20160413123826/http://www.fis-ski.com/mm/Document/documentlibrary/Skijumping/03/19/96/ICRSkiJumping2015_clean_English.pdf |date=July 2015 |page=33 |title=THE INTERNATIONAL SKI COMPETITION RULES (ICR). BOOK III – SKI JUMPING |url=http://www.fis-ski.com/mm/Document/documentlibrary/Skijumping/03/19/96/ICRSkiJumping2015_clean_English.pdf |website=International Ski Federation}} Since its inception, the hill size replaced the construction point (K-point, formerly known as the critical point) in the role of the primary measurement for the size of hills, which however remains the basis for issuing distance points.{{cite news |title=Hoppbakkene bort fra K-punkt til HS-punkt |agency=Norwegian News Agency |date=29 June 2004 |language=no}}
The world's largest hills are Vikersundbakken in Vikersund, Norway and Letalnica Bratov Gorišek in Planica, Slovenia with hill size of 240 meters. The hills normally mark the hill size physically with a horizontal line across the hill.
Classification
Ski jumping hills ar classified by hill size as follows:[https://assets.fis-ski.com/image/upload/v1639755981/fis-prod/assets/ICR_Ski_Jumping_2022_clean.pdf The International Ski Competition Rules, Book III: Ski Jumping], Edition November 2021, p. 46.
| class=wikitable
! Class !! Hill size !! Respective construction point | ||
| Small hill | <50 | <45 |
| Medium hill | 50–84 | 45–74 |
| Normal hill | 85–109 | 75–99 |
| Large hill | ≥110 | ≥100 |
| Ski flying hill | ≥185 | ≥170 |
Nearly all competitions in the FIS Ski Jumping World Cup use large hills and ski-flying hills, with the largest being Mühlenkopfschanze in Germany. In addition, there is a bi-annual FIS Ski-Flying World Championships, which is held in one of the world's five ski flying hills: Vikersundbakken in Norway, Letalnica Bratov Gorišek in Slovenia, Čerťák in the Czech Republic, Heini Klopfer Ski Jump in Germany and Kulm in Austria. These all have a hill size of at least 185.{{cite web |url=http://berkutschi.com/en/front/encyclopedia/show/50-skiflying |title=Ski flying |author=International Ski Federation |author-link=International Ski Federation |access-date=11 February 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110707224430/http://berkutschi.com/en/front/encyclopedia/show/50-skiflying |archive-date=7 July 2011 }} In the FIS Ski Jumping Continental Cup, and FIS Women's Ski Jumping Continental Cup, both normal and large hills are used. In the Winter Olympics, there is one competition in the normal hill, one in the large hill, and a team competition in the large hill.
References
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