Skiers are often not more than 10 feet in the air during the jump, as their flight curve follows that of the hill. Participants earn points based on distance and form. Teams of four jumpers compete in two rounds after which the top three scores are combined to determine the total team score. The individual event of the Nordic combined features a jump from the normal hill and a 15km cross-country race. KRT Graphic 1.
Skiers glide down the ramps with body leaning slightly forward.
The instant that skiers are airborne, they move thighs forward and keep their skis flat. The upper body does not change position. As is the case with other Nordic sports, ski jumping was introduced to the United States by Scandinavian immigrants. Eight years after Norwegian immigrants built a ski jump in 1882 in Berlin, N.H., the Nansen Ski Club was formed in honor of explorer Fridtjof Nansen of Norway. The club hosted jumping meets into the 1970s and remains the nation's oldest continuously operating club.