Simon Ammann is back in ski jumping!

[Johar]

I was so happy after watching todays smaller hill competition. Woohoo! The wizard is back.

[Tonichelle]

*sigh* 15 minutes before coverage starts for me. stinky. (and no I am not complaining because I've been slighted. I do understand why they tape delay everything on the west coast... )

[Tigger]

You should be happy. That was one heck of a flight he took.

Pity Canada's not a power in Ski Jumping, as I love to watch it and we only see it anymore during Winter Olympics.

[viv]

I am completely biased about this because, as a Swiss, I am glad for the Swiss Gold medal, but I am completely in awe of the Austrian Ski Jumpers (and I am living in Austria, so I have a right to be so). They are such a great team, lots of youngsters behind the four or five big stars, so much intelligence in the training system, and all of them but especially Schlierenzauer jump so much more elegant than Ammann. But today Simon was simply the best, so congrats. I think on the big hill it will look different, though.

[Tonichelle]

I'm always in awe that they can land on two skis and, with no poles, go down the rest of the way down the hill and skid to a stop...

[Justafan]

I'm amazed that they are almost parallel to the ground. I wonder what a kid's first jump is like with a coach telling him..".now just go out there and try to kiss your skis".

[Tigger]

Well...If it was me, the coach would first have to give me a hard push to start me off and then a yellow trail would mark my trail down the jump ramp.

:wink:

[viv]

I'm always in awe that they can land on two skis and, with no poles, go down the rest of the way down the hill and skid to a stop...

It is even more difficult because the jump skis don't have edges like Alpine skis. Sometimes there are bad crashes - Austrian jumper Andreas Kofler had one two weeks ago. He landed a bit uneven, fell, the ski went loose and he crashed with his back on the part of the ski where the shoe normally is fixed (don't know the english word for it). He couldn't get up in the first moment and was flewn to the hospital because it looked like a very serious injury, but fortunately it was not - just bruises all over his body. He was on the hill again a few days later and was among top ten in the Willingen World Cup a week ago.

Yeah, they are tough guys, the ski jumpers.

Justafan
I'm amazed that they are almost parallel to the ground. I wonder what a kid's first jump is like with a coach telling him..".now just go out there and try to kiss your skis".

They start learning it at a very young age, and on very small hills. But you have to love to fly for this kind of sport. Some of them do paragliding as a hobby, and both Thomas Morgenstern and Martin Koch, the alternate in the Austrian team in Vancouver are working on their pilot license.

[viv]

Here is a vid of the crash:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xeDir5rc7Kg

And his first jump one week later, with a short interview:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CfdPejkGJW8