Ski jumpers would make fantastic trackers....

[yuri_base 1]

Also, to point their difference from skydivers/basers:

THEY DON'T HAVE PLAN B!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

That tells a lot. Look at them flailing like taken by surprise when things go to shit...

We? We always think and train for plan B. PLF, all kinds of malfunctions, etc. etc.

I think they'll make any AFF instructor wish they were never born!

They suck, we rule. End of story.

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[roostnureye 2]

i was watching this last night and wondered why they dont "cup" their shoulders? i thought that would give them more lift. if u watch the winner of the longjump, he had his palms facing the ground cupping the air, all the rest had palms to the sky. just a thought

Flock University FWC / ZFlock
B.A.S.E. 1580
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[JohnMitchell 16]

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So I think they'll suck and any AFF student can outfly them on their first tracking jump.

I see your point but you gotta be kidding me. I think there is a hell of a lot of transference of ability between ski jumping and tracking. A jumper friend of my who used to Nordic jump said it definitely helped him.

[JohnMitchell 16]

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I think they'll make any AFF instructor wish they were never born!

They suck, we rule. End of story.

It's sad when people are so jealous in public.



Anyone that launches of those ski jump hills has my respect.

[quade 4]

Has anybody noticed how wildly different ski jumpers hold their arms and in particular hands from most trackers?

To be specific, they keep their palms facing backward.

I wonder what miniscule fraction of a percentage difference that makes?

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The World's Most Boring Skydiver

[VideoFly 0]

Some ski jumpers face their palms down and some occasionally turn one palm down to gain stability. Who knows, maybe trackers can teach them a few things.

[yuri_base 1]

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Has anybody noticed how wildly different ski jumpers hold their arms and in particular hands from most trackers?

To be specific, they keep their palms facing backward.

I wonder what miniscule fraction of a percentage difference that makes?

I think most of the effect of palms facing backward comes not from the aerodynamics of palms themselves, but from the difference in how your shoulders are "cupped". Try it and you'll see that your shoulders are a little bit wider and a little bit more cupped when your palms are facing backward. Also, since the "material" (read: meat&bones) has pretty much constant volume, being wider also means being thinner. Wider and thinner, more aerodynamic profile of your shoulders.

As for the miniscule fraction - they are flying parallel to the slope so any miniscule fraction can make a 0.5m difference - enough for gold. From that Pine Mountain link above, the 143.5m record is only 0.7% longer than the previous one. So we may not notice 0.7% on tracking skydives or base jumps, but for ski jumpers it's the difference between being a hero and being a zero.

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iOS only: L/D Magic
Windows only: WS Studio

[quade 4]

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As for the miniscule fraction - they are flying parallel to the slope so any miniscule fraction can make a 0.5m difference - enough for gold. From that Pine Mountain link above, the 143.5m record is only 0.7% longer than the previous one. So we may not notice 0.7% on tracking skydives or base jumps, but for ski jumpers it's the difference between being a hero and being a zero.

The point of ski jump isn't just who flies farthest; it's a piece of it, but fortunately not the only thing. If it were, you'd have some very unfortunate accidents. You absolutely do NOT want to pass a certain mark on the hill.

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The World's Most Boring Skydiver

[JohnMitchell 16]

That's called the "K-point."

[quade 4]

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That's called the "K-point."

I know! I wrote about it years ago when people were thinking a guy might try to land a wing-suit on a ski jump slope. They're WAY more complicated than most people realize.

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The World's Most Boring Skydiver